Acts 9:38 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.”

NIV: Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, 'Please come at once!'

NASB: Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, 'Do not delay in coming to us.'

CSB: Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who urged him, "Don't delay in coming with us."

NLT: But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, 'Please come as soon as possible!'

KJV: And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.

NKJV: And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them.

Peter is in the town of Lydda, modern-day Lod near Tel Aviv. He is traveling, checking in on the Jesus-followers who fled Jerusalem when Saul persecuted the church. In Lydda, Peter healed a paralyzed man, but in nearby Joppa, a respected Christian woman, Tabitha—Dorcas in Greek—has died, so disciples from her church have gone to ask Peter to come (Acts 9:32–37).

Although Jews believed the soul stayed for three days, they typically buried their dead before sundown on the day the person died. One reason is that the climate is generally warm, and the Jews didn't embalm their dead. However, they did wrap them with fragrant plants (John 19:38–40), so the smell would be less horrible (John 11:39). Also, the Mosaic law states that "Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days" (Numbers 19:11). That means anything they touch is unclean and every time they touch the body, the clock resets to seven days. They need to get Peter quickly, before Tabitha is buried.

The mention of two men is consistent with the Mosaic law. Two or three witnesses are required for conviction (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15), except for the case of rape outside the city where no one can hear, the expectation being a woman who was being attacked would always cry for help (Deuteronomy 22:25–27). Jesus sent disciples out in twos (Luke 10:1). He also spoke of bringing one or two others along when confronting an unrepentant brother who has sinned against you (Matthew 18:15–20). Saul affirms that accusations against a church member or leader must be brought forward by two or three witnesses (2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19). In the end-times tribulation, God will send two witnesses to Jerusalem (Revelation 11:1–13). Even when Philip was preaching in Samaria, Peter and John came to validate his ministry together (Acts 8:14).

It's unclear why Peter seems to be alone here, but it's possible he is accompanied by someone Luke didn't feel was relevant enough to explicitly mention. He will be accompanied by others, presumably from Joppa, when he goes to Caesarea (Acts 10:45).

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.