He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.
Parallel translations
- WEB When Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer.
- KJV And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
- NKJV And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.
- NASB When he knocked at the door of the gate, a slave woman named Rhoda came to answer.
- NLT He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
When Peter knocks at the outer gate, a servant girl named Rhoda comes to answer. A small, real-life detail amid the miracle.
Overview
Luke's precise naming of Rhoda lends the account the texture of eyewitness testimony. The setting of a gated courtyard fits a household used for gatherings. The ordinary moment sets up the church's surprise that their prayers have actually been answered, a gentle irony Luke unfolds in the following verses.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Luke 13:25After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
- Acts 12:16But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.
- John 18:16–17But Peter stood outside at the door. Then the disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 12:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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