He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open 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.
- BSB He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.
- 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.
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 13:25When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
- Acts 12:16But Peter continued knocking. When they had opened, they saw him, and were amazed.
- John 18:16–17but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought in Peter.
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.
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Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.