EUROAQUILO

(Eu·ro·aqʹui·lo).

The name given to the violent northeasterly gale that swept down upon the ship in which Paul was sailing en route from Fair Havens to Phoenix, a harbor off the southern coast of Crete. (Acts 27:14) That wind, known to Maltese mariners as the “gregale,” is the most violent wind on the Mediterranean and would be extremely dangerous to a ship with large sails, which could easily capsize during such a storm. For this reason, when the boat could not keep its head against the wind, the sailors, being in fear of running aground on the quicksands off the northern coast of Africa, “lowered the gear and thus were driven along.” (Acts 27:15-17) The five types of “gregale” recognized by meteorologists are produced by low-pressure areas over Libya or the Gulf of Gabes, which induce strong air currents from Greece. Translations of the Bible based on the Received Text, such as the Authorized Version, call the wind “Euroclydon” (from euʹros [southeast or east wind] and klyʹdon [a surge of the sea]). However, the word Eu·ra·kyʹlon, translated “Euroaquilo” (from Latin eurus [southeast or east wind] and aquilo [the northeast wind]), is found in some of the best manuscripts. “Euroaquilo” is a better rendering, as it fitly describes the source of the wind as being from the east-northeast.