Limitless Word
At that time, however, she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upper room.
Acts 9:37 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB In those days, she became sick, and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.
  • KJV And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
  • NKJV But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.
  • NASB But it happened at that time that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upstairs room.
  • NLT About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room.

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

Tabitha fell sick and died, and her body was prepared for burial. Even a beloved saint faces death.

Overview

The death of so godly a woman brought deep grief to the Joppa believers. Her body was washed and laid in an upper room as the community mourned. This sorrowful loss sets the stage for God to display his power over death through Peter.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Acts 1:13When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
  • Acts 20:8Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered.
  • Mark 14:15And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
  • Acts 9:39So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
  • John 11:3–4So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
  • John 11:36–37Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (7)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 9:37YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 9:37 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

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.