The season of safe navigation was already far advanced, before the apostle’s ship left Caesarea, and the time was fast approaching when travel by sea would be closed for the year. Every day’s delay increased the peril of the voyage. But the journey which would be difficult and dangerous to the ordinary traveler, would be doubly trying to the apostle as a prisoner. Roman soldiers were held responsible with their own lives for the security of their prisoners, and this had led to the custom of chaining prisoners by the right wrist to the left wrist of soldiers, who relieved each other in turn. Thus not only could the apostle have no movement free, but he was placed in close and constant connection with men of the most uncongenial and absolutely repulsive character; men who were not only uneducated and unrefined, but who, from the demoralizing influence of their surroundings, had become brutal and degraded. This custom, however, was less rigidly observed on shipboard than when prisoners were ashore. One circumstance greatly lightened the hardships of his lot. He was permitted to enjoy the companionship of his brethren, Luke and Aristarchus. In his letter to the Colossians, he speaks of the latter as his “fellow-prisoner.” But it was as an act of choice, because of his affection for Paul, that Aristarchus shared his bondage, and ministered to him in his afflictions.{LP 262.1}

Tidspunktet for en sikker sejlads var allerede langt fremme, før apostlens skib forlod Kaseræa, og tidspunktet nærmede sig hurtigt hvor rejserne til havs ville slutte for det år. Hver dags forsinkelse, satte rejsen i fare. Men den rejse som ville være vanskelig og farlig for den almindelige rejsende, ville være dobbelt så prøvende for apostlen som en fange. Romerske soldater blev draget til ansvar med deres egne liv for deres fangers sikkerhed, og dette havde fået dem til at lænke fangerne på det højre håndled til soldatens venstre håndled, som hjalp hinanden efter tur. Derved kunne apostlen ikke kun bevæge sig frit, men han blev sat i tæt og konstant forbindelse med mænd af den mest usympatiske og absolutte frastødende karakter; men som ikke kun var uuddannede og uædle, men som havde fået en demoraliserende indflydelse fra deres omgivelser, var blevet brutale og nedværdigede. Ikke desto mindre blev denne skik overholdt mindre hårdnakket om bord når fangerne var væk fra kysten. En detalje der lettede hans vanskeligheder ganske gevaldigt. Han fik lov til at nyde sine brødres kammeratskab, Lukas og Aristarkus. I sit brev til kolossenserne, taler han om sin "medfange." Men det var en udsøgt sag, på grund af hans kærlighed til Paulus, at Aristarkus delte hans fangenskab, og hjalp ham i pinsler.