Owner of a Ship

OWNER OF A SHIP (ναύκληρος, G3729). The term is found only in Acts 27:11. It means a shipowner or shipmaster. He is differentiated from the “master” (KJV) or “captain” (RSV).

The narrative indicates that the centurion was the highest ranking officer on board and made the final decisions. It is probable that this was a government owned vessel. Sir William Ramsay writes: “It is, therefore, an error of the Authorized and Revised Versions to speak of the owner (ναύκληρος, G3729) of this Alexandrian ship: the ship belonged to the Alexandrian fleet in the Imperial service” (St. Paul the Traveller, 324). He trs. the two expressions here: “the sailing-master and the captain.” Yet the RSV and NEB retain “owner of the ship” for ναύκληρος, G3729.