Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 27:34

"Wherefore I beseech you to take some food: for this is for your safety: for there shall not a hair perish from the head of any of you." — Acts 27:34 (ASV)

The storm had been so fierce that preparing food had been impossible. Once again, Paul’s great qualities of leadership came to the fore. Urging all on board to eat, he took some bread, gave thanks to God, and ate it. The others on board also ate. Then, strengthened by the food, they threw the cargo of grain overboard to give the ship a shallower draft as they beached her. Only at v.37 does Luke tell us how many were on board. Probably in distributing the food, they had to know the exact number, and Luke himself may have helped supervise the distribution.