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Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 17 / Ordinary 22
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Acts 12:13

Peter knocked at the outside door, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer it.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Herod;   Jerusalem;   Minister, Christian;   Persecution;   Peter;   Prayer;   Prisoners;   Rhoda;   Rulers;   Women;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Houses;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Herod;   House;   Peter;   Rhoda;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Mark;   Peter;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Door-Keeper;   Dwellings;   Herod Agrippa I.;   Knock;   Rhoda;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Acts of the Apostles;   Rhoda;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acts;   Architecture in the Biblical Period;   Doorkeeper;   Herod;   Ordinances;   Rhoda;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Herod;   Mark, Gospel According to;   Peter;   Porter;   Rhoda;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Door;   Door ;   Gate;   Herod;   House;   Maid;   Name ;   Peter;   Porter ;   Rhoda ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Herod, Family of;   New Testament;   Rhoda ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Rhoda;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Dwelling;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Rho'da;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Damsel;   Doorkeeper;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for January 3;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He knocked at the door of the outer gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.
King James Version (1611)
And as Peter knocked at the doore of the gate, a damosell came to hearken, named Rhoda.
King James Version
And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
English Standard Version
And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.
New American Standard Bible
When he knocked at the door of the gate, a slave woman named Rhoda came to answer.
New Century Version
Peter knocked on the outside door, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.
Amplified Bible
When he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer.
Legacy Standard Bible
And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer.
Berean Standard Bible
He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.
Contemporary English Version
Peter knocked on the gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.
Complete Jewish Bible
He knocked at the outside door, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.
Darby Translation
And when he had knocked at the door of the entry, a maid came to listen, by name Rhoda;
Easy-to-Read Version
Peter knocked on the outside door. A servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when Peter knocked at the entrie doore, a maide came foorth to hearken, named Rhode,
George Lamsa Translation
When he knocked at the door of the courtyard, a little girl named Rhoda came out to answer.
Lexham English Bible
And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a female slave named Rhoda came up to answer.
Literal Translation
And Peter was knocking at the door of the porch, and a servant girl named Rhoda came near to listen.
American Standard Version
And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a maid came to answer, named Rhoda.
Bible in Basic English
And he gave a blow on the door, and a young girl came to it, named Rhoda.
Hebrew Names Version
When Kefa knocked at the door of the gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer.
International Standard Version
When he knocked at the outer gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer it.
Etheridge Translation
And he knocked at the gate of the court, and there came forth to answer him a damsel whose name was Roda.
Murdock Translation
And he knocked at the gate of the court; and a maid named Rhoda came to reply to him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
As Peter knocked at the entrie doore, a damsell came foorth to hearken, named Rhoda.
English Revised Version
And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a maid came to answer, named Rhoda.
World English Bible
When Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And as he knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
Weymouth's New Testament
When he knocked at the wicket in the door, a maidservant named Rhoda came to answer the knock;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne he knockid at the dore of the yate, a damysel, Rode bi name, cam forth to se.
Update Bible Version
And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a female slave came to answer, named Rhoda.
Webster's Bible Translation
And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
New English Translation
When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered.
New King James Version
And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.
New Living Translation
He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it.
New Life Bible
When Peter knocked at the gate, a girl named Rhoda went to see who it was.
New Revised Standard
When he knocked at the outer gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when he had knocked at the door of the porch, there came unto it a maiden to hearken, by name Rhoda;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken. whose name was Rhode.
Revised Standard Version
And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a maid named Rhoda came to answer.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
As Peter knocked at the entry dore a damsell cam forth to herken named Rhoda.
Young's Literal Translation
And Peter having knocked at the door of the porch, there came a damsel to hearken, by name Rhoda,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
As Peter knocked at the entry dore, there came forth a damsell to herken, named Rhoda.
Mace New Testament (1729)
when he had knock'd at the door of the gate, a servant named Rhoda came to ask who was there.
Simplified Cowboy Version
He knocked on the door. A servant girl named Rhoda asked who was there.

Contextual Overview

5 So Peter was kept in jail, but the people of the church were praying earnestly to God for him. 6 The night before Herod was going to bring him out to the people, Peter was sleeping between two guards. He was tied with two chains, and there were guards on duty at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood there, and a light shone in the cell. The angel shook Peter by the shoulder, woke him up, and said, "Hurry! Get up!" At once the chains fell off Peter's hands. 8 Then the angel said, "Tighten your belt and put on your sandals." Peter did so, and the angel said, "Put your cloak around you and come with me." 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, not knowing, however, if what the angel was doing was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed by the first guard station and then the second, and came at last to the iron gate that opens into the city. The gate opened for them by itself, and they went out. They walked down a street, and suddenly the angel left Peter. 11 Then Peter realized what had happened to him, and said, "Now I know that it is really true! The Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod's power and from everything the Jewish people expected to happen." 12 Aware of his situation, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outside door, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer it. 14 She recognized Peter's voice and was so happy that she ran back in without opening the door, and announced that Peter was standing outside.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

knocked: Acts 12:16, Luke 13:25

hearken: or, ask who was there

Reciprocal: Daniel 3:24 - astonied Acts 20:16 - had

Cross-References

Genesis 11:29
Abram married Sarai, and Nahor married Milcah, the daughter of Haran, who was also the father of Iscah.
Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you, But I will curse those who curse you. And through you I will bless all the nations."
Genesis 12:5
Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the wealth and all the slaves they had acquired in Haran, and they started out for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan,
Genesis 12:6
Abram traveled through the land until he came to the sacred tree of Moreh, the holy place at Shechem. (At that time the Canaanites were still living in the land.)
Genesis 12:8
After that, he moved on south to the hill country east of the city of Bethel and set up his camp between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There also he built an altar and worshiped the Lord .
Genesis 12:12
When the Egyptians see you, they will assume that you are my wife, and so they will kill me and let you live.
Genesis 12:13
Tell them that you are my sister; then because of you they will let me live and treat me well."
Genesis 20:2
he said that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
Genesis 20:5
Abraham himself said that she was his sister, and she said the same thing. I did this with a clear conscience, and I have done no wrong."
Genesis 26:7
When the men there asked about his wife, he said that she was his sister. He would not admit that she was his wife, because he was afraid that the men there would kill him to get Rebecca, who was very beautiful.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, c. The lesser door in the great gate, or the door of the porch through which they entered into the house. So the Jews distinguish between

פתח, "the door", and שער, "the gate" see Judges 18:16 where the Septuagint use the same words as here. Kimchi h says,

"xtp, "the door" is what is of the gate, without the folding doors; for all is called שער, "the gate", whether within or without, with the folding doors, and the outward threshold, as that is joined to the side posts and lintel.''

The door was kept shut, for fear of the Jews, lest they should be disturbed: here Peter stood and knocked:

a damsel came to hearken; hearing a knocking, she came out to the door, and listened, to try if she could know who it was, a friend or a foe, before she opened; or she came "to answer", as the Syriac version renders it, to know who was there, and what he or she wanted, and to give an answer. And the damsel was

named Rhoda, which signifies a rose in the Greek language: so the Jewish women often had their names, in the Hebrew tongue, from flowers and trees, as Susanna from a lily, or rose: and which, perhaps, was the Hebrew name of this damsel; and Esther was called Hadassah, from the myrtle tree.

h Sepher Shorash. rad. פתח

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

At the door of the gate - Rather the door of the vestibule, or principal entrance into the house. The house was entered through such a porch or vestibule, and it was the door opening into this which is here intended. See the notes on Matthew 9:2.

A damsel - A girl.

Came to hearken - To hear who was there.

Named Rhoda - This is a Greek name signifying a rose. It was not unusual for the Hebrews to give the names of flowers, etc., to their daughters. Thus, Susanna, a lily; Hadessa, a myrtle; Tamar, a palm-tree, etc. (Grotius).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 12:13. As Peter knocked — The door was probably shut for fear of the Jews; and, as most of the houses in the east have an area before the door, it might have been at this outer gate that Peter stood knocking.

A damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. — She came to inquire who was there. Rhoda signifies a rose; and it appears to have been customary with he Jews, as Grotius and others remark, to give the names of flowers and trees to their daughters: thus Susannah signifies a lily, Hadassah, a myrtle, Tamar, a palm tree, &c., &c.


 
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