27:29a–b

The two measurements that the sailors took showed that the sea was getting shallow quickly. This indicated that the ship was getting very close to a shore. The sailors were afraid the ship would crash onto rocks and everyone would be killed. So they tried to stop the ship from moving forward.

27:29a

we would run aground on the rocks: The Greek clause can be translated literally as “we would run aground against rough places.” The sailors did not want to crash against a rocky shore. The waves could throw both ship and people against the rocks. Other ways to translate this clause are:

we would run aground on the rocky coast (NET Bible)
-or-
we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
we might hit rocks (God’s Word)

See how you translated the Greek verb in 27:17 (“run aground”).

27:29b

they dropped four anchors: These anchors would sink and dig into the sea bottom. This would prevent the ship from moving further. Four anchors were needed against the powerful waves and wind.

anchors: The purpose of this kind of anchor was to dig into the sea bottom and hold that place. See how you translated this word in 27:13.

stern: This refers to the back end of the ship. For example:

back of the ship (Good News Translation)

27:29c

prayed for daybreak: This clause probably indicates that the sailors prayed to their gods that they would remain safe until daybreak would enable them to see the shore. They wanted the anchors to hold them against the wind and waves during the night. After there was some daylight they could try to sail to a harbor or beach.

In some languages a literal translation would wrongly imply that they wanted daylight in the middle of the night. If so, you may want to explain it in your translation. For example:

prayed ⌊that they would be safe until⌋ daylight

prayed: If your translation for praying refers to God, you should indicate that the sailors believed in many gods. For example:

prayed ⌊to their gods⌋

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