Desmotes refers to people held under custody, whether delivered to an official or guarded against escape.

The attested use denotes people under custody: they are delivered to a centurion in Acts 27:1 and are guarded so that none may escape in Acts 27:42.

1. People held under custody · dominant

   In Acts 27:1, the accusative plural form occurs for those delivered with Paul to the centurion Julius; the APB renders the clause "they delivered both Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion." In Acts 27:42, the same form identifies those whom soldiers planned to kill to prevent escape; the APB renders "The soldiers formed a plan to kill the prisoners so that none might swim away and escape."

   Acts 27:1Acts 27:42

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the group as "prisoners" in both Acts 27:1 and Acts 27:42. The surrounding clauses confirm custody and prevention of escape rather than isolate a finer rendering.