Acts 9:41 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

NIV: He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive.

NASB: And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

CSB: He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. He called the saints and widows and presented her alive.

NLT: He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive.

KJV: And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.

NKJV: Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

Peter has just raised Tabitha from the dead. She is a generous, devout Jesus-follower from the town of Joppa—today known as Jaffa near Tel Aviv (Acts 9:36–40). Luke doesn't give us a detailed timeline of events before he starts traveling with Saul. This is after the establishment of the church in Jerusalem and after Saul's conversion on the Road to Damascus. But we don't know how long after Pentecost (Acts 2) this is. When Paul, then known as Saul (Acts 13:9), persecuted the church, the new believers fled Jerusalem and spread out into Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and at least as far as Syrian Antioch (Acts 8:1–3; 11:19–20). We don't know if the believers in Joppa had learned about Jesus from the apostles in Jerusalem or if this church was established by Philip as he traveled up the coastline from Azotus to Caesarea Maritima (Acts 8:40).

We do know that they have extraordinary faith. When Tabitha died, two men immediately set out to Lydda, about ten miles away, to get Peter and bring him back that day. Jews typically buried their dead before sunset; to touch the dead meant someone was unclean for seven days (Numbers 19:11), and since the day began at sunset it made sense to take care of the body before incurring another day's obligation. There seems to be no lack of faith here, just genuine mourning by people who loved Tabitha very much (Acts 9:36–40).

Their faith is rewarded. Peter raises her, through the power and authority of Jesus, and presents her to the other Jesus-followers and the widows who had benefited from Tabitha's kindness. Such fulfilled hope has a great effect as the news spreads and even more from Joppa believe in Jesus (Acts 9:42).

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.