Main-sail

Main-sail in the King James Version of Acts 27:40 translates the Greek artemon, which most modern translations render as "foresail" rather than mainsail. The context is Paul's shipwreck voyage to Rome: as the ship drifted toward the shore of Malta, the sailors cut the anchors, loosed the steering oars, and "hoisted the foresail to the wind" to drive the ship toward the beach. The artemon was a small sail at the bow of the ship, used to give steerage and control in shallow or dangerous waters when the main sail would be too large to manage safely.

This detail reflects the accurate knowledge of ancient Mediterranean seamanship preserved in Acts 27 — a passage widely recognized as one of the most technically precise descriptions of a sea voyage in ancient literature. The narrative of the shipwreck on Malta (Acts 27:13–28:10), including the use of the artemon, has been extensively examined by classical scholars who confirm its accuracy in navigational detail, lending credibility to the historical character of Luke's account.