"pr. anything excavated or hollowed; a boat, skiff, Acts 27:16, 30, 32*"
Definition and meaning
pr. anything excavated or hollowed; a boat, skiff, Acts 27:16, 30, 32*
In the original Greek the word is written: σκάφη
Historical context
The Roman Empire provided infrastructure no previous civilization had built — roads, sea routes, a common language in Greek, and relative peace across the Mediterranean. Jewish synagogues existed in every major city, giving Paul a starting point everywhere he traveled. The early church had no buildings, no political power, no social standing — and spread faster than any movement in ancient history.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of skaphe (G4627) across the King James Bible.
And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:
And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
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Common questions
Strong's G4627 (skaphe) is a Greek word that means: pr. anything excavated or hollowed; a boat, skiff, Acts 27:16, 30, 32* It appears 3 times in the King James Bible.
The word skaphe (G4627) appears 3 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G4627 is skaphe, a Greek word defined as: pr. anything excavated or hollowed; a boat, skiff, Acts 27:16, 30, 32*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
skaphe is a Greek word found in the New Testament.