Acts 9:39 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.

NIV: Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

NASB: So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the room upstairs; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

CSB: Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

NLT: So Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them.

KJV: Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.

NKJV: Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.

Since Saul left his chosen profession of destroying the church and every Jesus-follower, and became a Jesus-follower himself, things have quieted down for the church—so much so that Peter is traveling, building up those who escaped Saul's wrath in Jerusalem and sharing Jesus' message to those who haven't heard (Acts 9:1–32). He makes his way to Lydda, called in the Old Testament and today "Lod," and heals a paralyzed man (Acts 9:32–35). While he is still there, two men from the nearby town of Joppa arrive and quickly explain that a devout, respected Jesus-follower named Tabitha has died. They urge Peter to come, believing he can raise her (Acts 9:36–38). They must go quickly, however, because Jews bury their dead before sundown.

There are some interesting contrasts to the stories of Tabitha and Jairus' daughter in Mark 5:35–43. The family of the girl and friends of Tabitha love them deeply. Both groups have faith that Jesus can heal their loved one. The mourners, however, are very different. In the case of Jairus' daughters, professional mourners arrived, causing "a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly" (Mark 5:38). Their feelings were insincere—when Jesus told them the girl was not dead, they laughed at Him. Jesus had to remove them and take only her parents, Peter, James, and John into the room.

Peter now meets a very different group. Widows from the community are genuinely distraught. They show him evidence of Tabitha's generosity, as if trying to prove she deserves to be raised. It's a striking example of how a rule-based culture can devolve into an insincere display of works; the community that truly has faith in Jesus is characterized by love and hope.

Acts 9:36–43 describes Peter raising a disciple named Tabitha—or Dorcas in Greek—to life. He has been in Lydda, about 15 miles southeast, where he healed Aeneas from paralysis and taught the people of the city about Jesus (Acts 9:32–35). Soon, he will receive a request to travel 40 miles north to Caesarea Maritima where he will meet a Roman centurion. Peter will share the story of Jesus, and a houseful of Gentiles will receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 10). Given his upbringing, Peter might think of Gentiles being saved as a greater miracle than Tabitha coming back to life!

Acts 9 sets the stage for the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. Saul continues the persecution of the church by traveling to Damascus to arrest Jesus-followers. Before he reaches the city, Jesus confronts him. Saul realizes Jesus is the Messiah and immediately starts spreading the news, first in Damascus and later in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Peter travels to modern-day Tel Aviv to heal a paralyzed man and bring a dead woman back to life. The miracles aren't unusual, but the story leaves him in Joppa, poised to take the next step in Jesus' mandate to be His witness (Acts 1:8).

The murder of the Jesus-follower Stephen has ignited a fierce persecution against the church, led by a young Pharisee-trained man named Saul (Acts 7:54—8:3; 9:1–2). When he realizes Jesus truly is the Messiah, that fervor fuels his own evangelism (Acts 9:3–30). Meanwhile, Peter travels to the coast of Judea. Soon, he will teach a prominent Gentile household about Jesus and discover that Gentiles can be saved (Acts 10). The stage will be set for Saul to spread the saving news of Jesus to ''the end of the earth'' (Acts 1:8) under the Greek version of his name: Paul.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.