60 Bible Verses about Seafaring

Zebulun at a haven of the seas doth dwell, And he is for a haven of ships; And his side is unto Zidon.

Gilead beyond the Jordan did tabernacle, And Dan -- why doth he sojourn in ships? Asher hath abode at the haven of the seas, And by his creeks doth tabernacle.

O dweller on the entrances of the sea, Merchant of the peoples unto many isles, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: O Tyre, thou -- thou hast said: I am the perfection of beauty. In the heart of the seas are thy borders, Thy builders have perfected thy beauty. Of firs of Senir they have built to thee all thy double-boarded ships, Of cedars of Lebanon they have taken to make a mast for thee,read more.
Of oaks of Bashan they made thine oars, Thy bench they have made of ivory, A branch of Ashurim from isles of Chittim. Of fine linen with embroidery from Egypt hath been thy sail, To be to thee for an ensign, Of blue and purple from isles of Elishah hath been thy covering. Inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad have been rowers to thee, Thy wise men, O Tyre, have been in thee, They are thy pilots. Elders of Gebal and its wise men have been in thee, Strengthening thy breach; All ships of the sea and their mariners, Have been in thee, to trade with thy merchandise.

And it cometh to pass that mankind have begun to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters have been born to them, and sons of God see the daughters of men that they are fair, and they take to themselves women of all whom they have chosen. And Jehovah saith, 'My Spirit doth not strive in man -- to the age; in their erring they are flesh:' and his days have been an hundred and twenty years.read more.
The fallen ones were in the earth in those days, and even afterwards when sons of God come in unto daughters of men, and they have borne to them -- they are the heroes, who, from of old, are the men of name. And Jehovah seeth that abundant is the wickedness of man in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart only evil all the day; and Jehovah repenteth that He hath made man in the earth, and He grieveth Himself -- unto His heart. And Jehovah saith, 'I wipe away man whom I have prepared from off the face of the ground, from man unto beast, unto creeping thing, and unto fowl of the heavens, for I have repented that I have made them.' And Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah. These are births of Noah: Noah is a righteous man; perfect he hath been among his generations; with God hath Noah walked habitually.

And Hiram sendeth in the navy his servants, shipmen knowing the sea, with servants of Solomon, and they come in to Ophir and take thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and bring it in unto king Solomon.

and Huram sendeth to him, by the hand of his servants, ships and servants knowing the sea, and they go with servants of Solomon to Ophir, and take thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and bring in unto king Solomon.

Ships of Tarshish are thy double walls of thy merchandise, And thou art filled and honoured greatly, In the heart of the seas.

And also, the navy of Hiram that bore gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir almug-trees very many, and precious stone;

for ships of the king are going to Tarshish, with servants of Huram: once in three years come do the ships of Tarshish bearing gold, and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

Jehoshaphat made ships at Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, and they went not, for the ships were broken in Ezion-Geber. Then said Ahaziah son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, 'Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships;' and Jehoshaphat was not willing.

And after this hath Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, (he did wickedly in so doing), and he joineth him with himself to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they make ships in Ezion-Geber, and prophesy doth Eliezer son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, against Jehoshaphat, saying, 'For thy joining thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah hath broken up thy works;' and the ships are broken, and have not retained power to go unto Tarshish.

'And Jehovah hath brought thee back to Egypt with ships, by a way of which I said to thee, Thou dost not add any more to see it, and ye have sold yourselves there to thine enemies, for men-servants and for maid-servants, and there is no buyer.'

'And the merchants of the earth shall weep and sorrow over her, because their lading no one doth buy any more; lading of gold, and silver, and precious stone, and pearl, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel of most precious wood, and brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odours, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and of horses, and of chariots, and of bodies and souls of men.

And -- ships are from the side of Chittim, And they have humbled Asshur, And they have humbled Eber, And it also for ever is perishing.'

In that day go forth do messengers from before Me in ships, To trouble confident Cush, And there hath been great pain among them, As the day of Egypt, for lo, it hath come.

And ships of Chittim have come in against him, and he hath been pained, and hath turned back, and hath been insolent toward the holy covenant, and hath wrought, and turned back, and he understandeth concerning those forsaking the holy covenant.

Surely for Me isles do wait, And ships of Tarshish first, To bring thy sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, To the name of Jehovah thy God, And to the Holy One of Israel, Because He hath beautified thee.

And Jonah riseth to flee to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah, and goeth down to Joppa, and findeth a ship going to Tarshish, and he giveth its fare, and goeth down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah.

And having gone to the boat, he passed over, and came to his own city,

These, indeed, then, having been sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, thence also they sailed to Cyprus,

and Jesus having heard, withdrew thence in a boat to a desolate place by himself, and the multitudes having heard did follow him on land from the cities.

And having let away the multitudes, he went into the boat, and did come to the borders of Magdala.

And he said to his disciples that a little boat may wait on him, because of the multitude, that they may not press upon him,

And those about Paul having set sail from Paphos, came to Perga of Pamphylia, and John having departed from them, did turn back to Jerusalem,

and thence did sail to Antioch, whence they had been given by the grace of God for the work that they fulfilled;

there came, therefore, a sharp contention, so that they were parted from one another, and Barnabas having taken Mark, did sail to Cyprus,

having set sail, therefore, from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, on the morrow also to Neapolis,

And Paul having remained yet a good many days, having taken leave of the brethren, was sailing to Syria -- and with him are Priscilla and Aquilas -- having shorn his head in Cenchera, for he had a vow;

but took leave of them, saying, 'It behoveth me by all means the coming feast to keep at Jerusalem, and again I will return unto you -- God willing.' And he sailed from Ephesus,

having made also three months' stay -- a counsel of the Jews having been against him -- being about to set forth to Syria, there came to him a resolution of returning through Macedonia.

And it came to pass, at our sailing, having been parted from them, having run direct, we came to Coos, and the succeeding day to Rhodes, and thence to Patara, and having found a ship passing over to Phenicia, having gone on board, we sailed, and having discovered Cyprus, and having left it on the left, we were sailing to Syria, and did land at Tyre, for there was the ship discharging the lading.

And when our sailing to Italy was determined, they were delivering up both Paul and certain others, prisoners, to a centurion, by name Julius, of the band of Sebastus, and having embarked in a ship of Adramyttium, we, being about to sail by the coasts of Asia, did set sail, there being with us Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, on the next day also we touched at Sidon, and Julius, courteously treating Paul, did permit him, having gone on unto friends, to receive their care.read more.
And thence, having set sail, we sailed under Cyprus, because of the winds being contrary, and having sailed over the sea over-against Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myria of Lycia, and there the centurion having found a ship of Alexandria, sailing to Italy, did put us into it, and having sailed slowly many days, and with difficulty coming over-against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over-against Salmone, and hardly passing it, we came to a certain place called 'Fair Havens,' nigh to which was the city of Lasaea.

And after three months, we set sail in a ship (that had wintered in the isle) of Alexandria, with the sign Dioscuri, and having landed at Syracuse, we remained three days, thence having gone round, we came to Rhegium, and after one day, a south wind having sprung up, the second day we came to Puteoli;

Those going down to the sea in ships, Doing business in many waters, They have seen the works of Jehovah, And His wonders in the deep. And He saith, and appointeth a tempest, And it lifteth up its billows,read more.
They go up to the heavens, they go down to the depths, Their soul in evil is melted. They reel to and fro, and move as a drunkard, And all their wisdom is swallowed up. And they cry to Jehovah in their adversity, And from their distresses He bringeth them out. He establisheth a whirlwind to a calm, And hushed are their billows. And they rejoice because they are quiet, And He leadeth them to the haven of their desire.

thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice was I shipwrecked, a night and a day in the deep I have passed;

Jehoshaphat made ships at Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, and they went not, for the ships were broken in Ezion-Geber.

and prophesy doth Eliezer son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, against Jehoshaphat, saying, 'For thy joining thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah hath broken up thy works;' and the ships are broken, and have not retained power to go unto Tarshish.

And Jonah riseth to flee to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah, and goeth down to Joppa, and findeth a ship going to Tarshish, and he giveth its fare, and goeth down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah. And Jehovah hath cast a great wind on the sea, and there is a great tempest in the sea, and the ship hath reckoned to be broken; and the mariners are afraid, and cry each unto his god, and cast the goods that are in the ship into the sea, to make it light of them; and Jonah hath gone down unto the sides of the vessel, and he lieth down, and is fast asleep.read more.
And the chief of the company draweth near to him, and saith to him, 'What -- to thee, O sleeper? rise, call unto thy God, it may be God doth bethink himself of us, and we do not perish.' And they say each unto his neighbour, 'Come, and we cast lots, and we know on whose account this evil is on us.' And they cast lots, and the lot falleth on Jonah. And they say unto him, 'Declare to us, we pray thee, on what account this evil is on us? what is thine occupation, and whence comest thou? what is thy country, seeing thou art not of this people?' And he saith unto them, 'A Hebrew I am, and Jehovah, God of the heavens, I am reverencing, who made the sea and the dry land.' And the men fear a great fear, and say unto him, 'What is this thou hast done!' for the men have known that from the face of Jehovah he is fleeing, for he hath told them. And they say unto him, 'What do we do to thee that the sea may cease from us, for the sea is more and more tempestuous?' And he saith unto them, 'Lift me up, and cast me into the sea, and the sea doth cease from you; for I know that on my account this great tempest is upon you.' And the men row to turn back unto the dry land, and are not able, for the sea is more and more tempestuous against them. And they cry unto Jehovah, and say, 'We pray Thee, O Jehovah, let us not, we pray Thee, perish for this man's life, and do not lay on us innocent blood, for Thou, Jehovah, as Thou hast pleased, Thou hast done.' And they lift up Jonah, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceaseth from its raging;

And when he entered into the boat his disciples did follow him, and lo, a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves, but he was sleeping, and his disciples having come to him, awoke him, saying, 'Sir, save us; we are perishing.'read more.
And he saith to them, 'Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?' Then having risen, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm; and the men wondered, saying, 'What kind -- is this, that even the wind and the sea do obey him?'

And he saith to them on that day, evening having come, 'We may pass over to the other side;' and having let away the multitude, they take him up as he was in the boat, and other little boats also were with him. And there cometh a great storm of wind, and the waves were beating on the boat, so that it is now being filled,read more.
and he himself was upon the stern, upon the pillow sleeping, and they wake him up, and say to him, 'Teacher, art thou not caring that we perish?' And having waked up, he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace, be stilled;' and the wind did lull, and there was a great calm: and he said to them, 'Why are ye so fearful? how have ye not faith?' and they feared a great fear, and said one to another, 'Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea do obey him?'

And it came to pass, on one of the days, that he himself went into a boat with his disciples, and he said unto them, 'We may go over to the other side of the lake;' and they set forth, and as they are sailing he fell deeply asleep, and there came down a storm of wind to the lake, and they were filling, and were in peril. And having come near, they awoke him, saying, 'Master, master, we perish;' and he, having arisen, rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and there came a calm,read more.
and he said to them, 'Where is your faith?' and they being afraid did wonder, saying unto one another, 'Who, then, is this, that even the winds he doth command, and the water, and they obey him?' And they sailed down to the region of the Gadarenes, that is over-against Galilee,

And immediately Jesus constrained his disciples to go into the boat, and to go before him to the other side, till he might let away the multitudes; and having let away the multitudes, he went up to the mountain by himself to pray, and evening having come, he was there alone, and the boat was now in the midst of the sea, distressed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.read more.
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went away to them, walking upon the sea, and the disciples having seen him walking upon the sea, were troubled saying -- 'It is an apparition,' and from the fear they cried out; and immediately Jesus spake to them, saying, 'Be of good courage, I am he, be not afraid.' And Peter answering him said, 'Sir, if it is thou, bid me come to thee upon the waters;' and he said, 'Come;' and having gone down from the boat, Peter walked upon the waters to come unto Jesus, but seeing the wind vehement, he was afraid, and having begun to sink, he cried out, saying, 'Sir, save me.' And immediately Jesus, having stretched forth the hand, laid hold of him, and saith to him, 'Little faith! for what didst thou waver?' and they having gone to the boat the wind lulled, and those in the boat having come, did bow to him, saying, 'Truly -- God's Son art thou.'

And immediately he constrained his disciples to go into the boat, and to go before to the other side, unto Bethsaida, till he may let the multitude away, and having taken leave of them, he went away to the mountain to pray. And evening having come, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and he alone upon the land;read more.
and he saw them harassed in the rowing, for the wind was against them, and about the fourth watch of the night he doth come to them walking on the sea, and wished to pass by them. And they having seen him walking on the sea, thought it to be an apparition, and cried out, for they all saw him, and were troubled, and immediately he spake with them, and saith to them, 'Take courage, I am he, be not afraid.' And he went up unto them to the boat, and the wind lulled, and greatly out of measure were they amazed in themselves, and were wondering, for they understood not concerning the loaves, for their heart hath been hard. And having passed over, they came upon the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore,

And when evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, and having entered into the boat, they were going over the sea to Capernaum, and darkness had already come, and Jesus had not come unto them, the sea also -- a great wind blowing -- was being raised,read more.
having pushed onwards, therefore, about twenty-five or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and coming nigh to the boat, and they were afraid; and he saith to them, 'I am he, be not afraid;' they were willing then to receive him into the boat, and immediately the boat came unto the land to which they were going.

And much time being spent, and the sailing being now dangerous -- because of the fast also being already past -- Paul was admonishing, saying to them, 'Men, I perceive that with hurt, and much damage, not only of the lading and of the ship, but also of our lives -- the voyage is about to be;' but the centurion to the pilot and to the shipowner gave credence more than to the things spoken by Paul;read more.
and the haven being incommodious to winter in, the more part gave counsel to sail thence also, if by any means they might be able, having attained to Phenice, there to winter, which is a haven of Crete, looking to the south-west and north-west, and a south wind blowing softly, having thought they had obtained their purpose, having lifted anchor, they sailed close by Crete, and not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, that is called Euroclydon, and the ship being caught, and not being able to bear up against the wind, having given her up, we were borne on, and having run under a certain little isle, called Clauda, we were hardly able to become masters of the boat, which having taken up, they were using helps, undergirding the ship, and fearing lest they may fall on the quicksand, having let down the mast -- so were borne on. And we, being exceedingly tempest-tossed, the succeeding day they were making a clearing, and on the third day with our own hands the tackling of the ship we cast out, and neither sun nor stars appearing for more days, and not a little tempest lying upon us, thenceforth all hope was taken away of our being saved. And there having been long fasting, then Paul having stood in the midst of them, said, 'It behoved you, indeed, O men -- having hearkened to me -- not to set sail from Crete, and to save this hurt and damage; and now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of life among you -- but of the ship; for there stood by me this night a messenger of God -- whose I am, and whom I serve -- saying, Be not afraid Paul; before Caesar it behoveth thee to stand; and, lo, God hath granted to thee all those sailing with thee; wherefore be of good cheer, men! for I believe God, that so it shall be, even as it hath been spoken to me, and on a certain island it behoveth us to be cast.' And when the fourteenth night came -- we being borne up and down in the Adria -- toward the middle of the night the sailors were supposing that some country drew nigh to them; and having sounded they found twenty fathoms, and having gone a little farther, and again having sounded, they found fifteen fathoms, and fearing lest on rough places we may fall, out of the stern having cast four anchors, they were wishing day to come. And the sailors seeking to flee out of the ship, and having let down the boat to the sea, in pretence as if out of the foreship they are about to cast anchors, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, 'If these do not remain in the ship -- ye are not able to be saved;' then the soldiers did cut off the ropes of the boat, and suffered it to fall off. And till the day was about to be, Paul was calling upon all to partake of nourishment, saying, 'Fourteen days to-day, waiting, ye continue fasting, having taken nothing, wherefore I call upon you to take nourishment, for this is for your safety, for of not one of you shall a hair from the head fall;' and having said these things, and having taken bread, he gave thanks to God before all, and having broken it, he began to eat; and all having become of good cheer, themselves also took food, (and we were -- all the souls in the ship -- two hundred, seventy and six), and having eaten sufficient nourishment, they were lightening the ship, casting forth the wheat into the sea. And when the day came, they were not discerning the land, but a certain creek were perceiving having a beach, into which they took counsel, if possible, to thrust forward the ship, and the anchors having taken up, they were committing it to the sea, at the same time -- having loosed the bands of the rudders, and having hoisted up the mainsail to the wind -- they were making for the shore, and having fallen into a place of two seas, they ran the ship aground, and the fore-part, indeed, having stuck fast, did remain immoveable, but the hinder-part was broken by the violence of the waves. And the soldiers' counsel was that they should kill the prisoners, lest any one having swam out should escape, but the centurion, wishing to save Paul, hindered them from the counsel, and did command those able to swim, having cast themselves out first -- to get unto the land, and the rest, some indeed upon boards, and some upon certain things of the ship; and thus it came to pass that all came safe unto the land.

The Burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, For it hath been destroyed, Without house, without entrance, From the land of Chittim it was revealed to them.

And for all ships of Tarshish, And for all desirable pictures.

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, For your strength hath been destroyed.

But there mighty is Jehovah for us, A place of rivers -- streams broad of sides, No ship with oars doth go into it, And a mighty ship doth not pass over it. For Jehovah our judge, Jehovah our lawgiver, Jehovah our king -- He doth save us. Left have been thy ropes, They strengthen not rightly their mast, They have not spread out a sail, Then apportioned hath been a prey of much spoil, The lame have taken spoil.

Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: 'For your sake I have sent to Babylon, And caused bars to descend -- all of them, And the Chaldeans, whose song is in the ships.

Into great waters have they brought thee, Those rowing thee, The east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas. Thy wealth and thy remnants, Thy merchandise, thy mariners, And thy pilots, strengtheners of thy breach, And the traders of thy merchandise, And all thy men of war, who are in thee, And in all thine assembly that is in thy midst, Fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy fall, At the voice of the cry of thy pilots shake do the suburbs.read more.
And come down from their ships have all handling an oar, Mariners, all the pilots of the sea, on the land they stand, And have sounded for thee with their voice, And cry bitterly, and cause dust to go up on their heads, In ashes they do roll themselves. And they have made for thee baldness, And they have girded on sackcloth, And they have wept for thee, In bitterness of soul -- a bitter mourning. And lifted up for thee have their sons a lamentation, And they have lamented over thee, who is as Tyre? As the cut-off one in the midst of the sea? With the outgoing of thy remnants from the seas, Thou hast filled many peoples, With the abundance of thy riches, and thy merchandise, Thou hast made rich things of earth. The time of thy being broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, Thy merchandise and all thy assembly in thy midst have fallen. All inhabitants of the isles have been astonished at thee, And their kings have been sore afraid, They have been troubled in countenance. Merchants among the peoples have shrieked for thee, Wastes thou hast been, and thou art not -- to the age!'

'And every shipmaster, and all the company upon the ships, and sailors, and as many as work the sea, far off stood, and were crying, seeing the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like to the great city? and they did cast dust upon their heads, and were crying out, weeping and sorrowing, saying, Woe, woe, the great city! in which were made rich all having ships in the sea, out of her costliness -- for in one hour was she made waste.

that we may no more be babes, tossed and borne about by every wind of the teaching, in the sleight of men, in craftiness, unto the artifice of leading astray,

having faith and a good conscience, which certain having thrust away, concerning the faith did make shipwreck,

which we have, as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and entering into that within the vail,

lo, also the ships, being so great, and by fierce winds being driven, are led about by a very small helm, whithersoever the impulse of the helmsman doth counsel, so also the tongue is a little member, and doth boast greatly; lo, a little fire how much wood it doth kindle!

By an east wind Thou shiverest ships of Tarshish.

She hath been as ships of the merchant, From afar she bringeth in her bread.

and let him ask in faith, nothing doubting, for he who is doubting hath been like a wave of the sea, driven by wind and tossed,

who sometime disbelieved, when once the long-suffering of God did wait, in days of Noah -- an ark being preparing -- in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water;