Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
Because the haven was not commodious to winter in (aneuqetou tou limenov uparxontov prov paraxeimasian). Genitive absolute again present tense of uparxw: "The harbour being unfit (aneuqetou, this compound not yet found elsewhere, simplex in Luke 9:62; Luke 14:35; Hebrews 6:7) for wintering" (paraxeimasia, only here in N.T., but in Polybius and Diodorus, in an inscription AD 48, from paraxeimazw).
The more part advised (oi pleionev eqento boulhn). Second aorist middle indicative of tiqhmi, ancient idiom with boulhn, to take counsel, give counsel. Lysias held a council of the officers of the ship on the issue raised by Paul.
If by any means they could reach Phoenix and winter there (ei pwv dunainto katanthsantev eiv Foinika paraxeimasai). The optative dunainto (present middle of dunamai) here with ei is a condition of the fourth class with the notion of purpose implied and indirect discourse (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1021). "We vote for going on the chance that we may be able" (Page). Phoenix is the town of palms (John 12:13), the modern Lutro, the only town in Crete on the southern coast with a harbour fit for wintering, though Wordsworth and Page argue for Phineka which suits Luke's description better. The verb paraxeimazw, to winter, is from para and xeimwn (see also Acts 28:11). Used in several Koin‚ writers.
Looking northeast and southeast (bleponta kata liba kai kata xwron). There are two ways of interpreting this language. Liy means the southwest wind and xwrov the northwest wind. But what is the effect of kata with these words? Does it mean "facing" the wind? If so, we must read "looking southwest and northwest." But kata can mean down the line of the wind (the way the wind is blowing). If so, then it is proper to translate "looking northeast and southeast." This translation suits Lutro, the other suits Phoenike. Ramsay takes it to be Lutro, and suggests that sailors describe the harbour by the way it looks as they go into it (the subjectivity of the sailors) and that Luke so speaks and means Lutro which faces northeast and southeast. On the whole Lutro has the best of the argument.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Acts 27:12:
Luke 8:22
John 12:13
Acts 8:26
Acts 17:11
Acts 28:11
Romans 1:10
Romans 11:13
1 Corinthians 16:6
Titus 3:12
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