Peter
sent them all out, and knelt down and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
Acts 9:40
Acts 9 [36.] Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which when translated, means Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and acts of mercy which she did. In those days, she became sick, and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. As Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. Peter got up and went with them. When he had come, they brought him into the upper room. All the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.
Acts 9 [40.] Peter sent them all out, and knelt down and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand, and raised her up. Calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. He stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.
Acts 10 [1.] Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, who gave gifts for the needy generously to the people, and always prayed to God. At about the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him, and saying to him, “Cornelius!”
Meaning:
Acts 9:40 describes the raising of Tabitha, a much-loved disciple in the port town of Joppa. When she died, the believers sent urgently for the apostle Peter, who was nearby in Lydda. Surrounded by weeping widows holding up the clothes she had made for them, Peter did something he had seen his Master do years before. He sent everyone out, knelt and prayed, and then spoke to the dead woman: “Tabitha, get up!”
- A Disciple Full of Good Works
Joppa (modern Jaffa, beside Tel Aviv) was Judea’s ancient Mediterranean port, a busy town where Jews and Gentiles met. Tabitha, called Dorcas in Greek (both names mean “gazelle”), is the only woman in the New Testament explicitly called a “disciple.” She was “full of good works and acts of mercy,” especially for widows, who in that society often had no means of support. The garments the widows showed Peter were their testimony to her love.
Her life illustrates Paul’s words: “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10), and “as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men” (Galatians 6:10).
- Following the Pattern of Jesus
Peter had been one of only three disciples Jesus allowed into the house of Jairus. There Jesus “having put them all out” took the girl by the hand and said, “Talitha cumi!” (Mark 5:40-41). In Joppa Peter did the same: he put everyone out, spoke to the dead woman, and then “gave her his hand, and raised her up.” In Aramaic, Peter’s words “Tabitha, get up” may have differed from Jesus’ words by only one letter.
Yet there is a clear difference. Jesus commanded by his own authority; Peter first “knelt down and prayed.” Like Elijah, whose prayer for the widow’s son God heard (1 Kings 17:22), Peter depended entirely on God. The apostles always healed in Jesus’ name, never their own (Acts 3:6).
- Many Believed in the Lord
The result was not fame for Peter but faith in Jesus: “it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.” Peter then stayed with Simon, a tanner, whose trade with dead animals was considered unclean by strict Jews. From that house God would soon send Peter to the Gentile Cornelius, opening the door of the gospel to the nations.
The Significance of Acts 9:40
- Christ Continues His Work Through His People
Jesus promised, “he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also” (John 14:12). The risen Lord was still at work in Joppa through Peter’s prayer. Today his work continues through believers who pray, serve and share the gospel, even when miracles like this are rare.
- Quiet Kindness Matters to God
Tabitha’s sewing for widows might seem small, yet God honoured her life and used her story to bring many to faith. Practical acts of mercy are never wasted. Like her, we can use our ordinary skills to serve the needy and so let our light shine (Matthew 5:16).
Cross-References:
Mark 5:41: "Taking the child by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha cumi!” which means, being interpreted, “Girl, I tell you, get up!”" Peter had witnessed this scene and followed Jesus’ example.
1 Kings 17:22: "Yahweh listened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived." God answers prayer for the dead in both Testaments.
John 14:12: "Most certainly I tell you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these, because I am going to my Father." Jesus’ promise was fulfilled through the apostles.
Ephesians 2:10: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them." Tabitha’s life of good works is a model for every believer.
Conclusion: Acts 9:40 shows the risen Jesus still at work through his people. A woman known for her kindness was restored to life, the widows received their friend back, and many in Joppa came to believe. Peter’s quiet, prayerful obedience echoed what he had seen Jesus do, and it reminds us that the same Lord still hears prayer and still uses ordinary disciples to show his life and love.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible