The natives (Jerusalem Bible “the inhabitants”) renders a term which refers primarily to people who speak a language other than Greek; to render as “barbarous people” (King James Version) or “rough islanders” (New English Bible) is to press the meaning of the word too far. The equivalent in some languages is “the tribe of people who lived there.”

Friendly comes from the same root as the word rendered kind in 27.3. In some languages friendly may be rendered as “they welcomed us,” while in other languages the closest equivalent is “they helped us.”

In order to present what is a more logical and chronological order for the English reader, the remainder of this verse has been inverted from the Greek order. The kind of fire referred to here is a wood fire built out in the open. The two references to us in this verse are very vague. Did Luke have in mind all of the persons from the ship or, more specifically, merely the Christian group? It seems almost impossible to imagine that two hundred and seventy-six people could have gathered around a fire, and it is quite likely that Luke is now limiting his interests to the attitude of the islanders toward Paul and his companions.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .