Acts 9:40

40 But Peter sent [them] all outside, and, falling to [his] knees, he prayed. And turning toward the body, he said, "Tabitha, get up!" And she opened her eyes, and [when she] saw Peter, she sat up.

Acts 9:40 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 9:40

But Peter put them all forth
As he had seen his Lord and Master do, when he raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, ( Luke 8:54 )

and kneeled down and prayed;
it may be, as yet, he had not the mind of God in this matter, and therefore betook himself to prayer, in which he chose to be private and alone:

and turning him to the body;
the corpse of Dorcas, after he had prayed, and was well assured that the power of Christ would be exerted in raising of it:

said, Tabitha, arise;
which words were spoken in the name and faith of Christ, and were all one as, if Christ himself had spoken them; for to his power, and not to the apostles, is the following miracle to be ascribed: and she opened her eyes; which, upon her death, had been closed by her friends; and perhaps the napkin was not yet bound about her face: or if it was, she must remove it ere she could open her eyes and see Peter:

and when she saw Peter;
whom she might know:

she sat up;
upon the bed or bier on which she lay.

Acts 9:40 In-Context

38 And [because] Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, [when they] heard that Peter was in {Lydda}, sent two men to him, urging, "Do not delay to come to us!"

39 So Peter got up [and] accompanied them. [When he] arrived, they brought [him] up to the upstairs room, and all the widows came to him, weeping and showing [him] tunics and [other] clothing that Dorcas used to make [while she] was with them.

40 But Peter sent [them] all outside, and, falling to [his] knees, he prayed. And turning toward the body, he said, "Tabitha, get up!" And she opened her eyes, and [when she] saw Peter, she sat up.

41 And he gave her [his] hand [and] raised her up. And he called the saints and the widows [and] presented her alive.

42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

Footnotes

• [a] *Literally "the"; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
• [b] *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("saw") which is understood as temporal