Acts 9:37

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
About that time she became sick and died. After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs.

King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe in those dayes that she was sicke, and died: whome when they had washed, they laid her in an vpper chamber.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.

New American Standard Bible
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.

New Century Version
While Peter was in Lydda, Tabitha became sick and died. Her body was washed and put in a room upstairs.

Amplified Bible
During that time it happened that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upstairs room.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room.

Legacy Standard Bible
And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room.

Berean Standard Bible
At that time, however, she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upper room.

Contemporary English Version
But she got sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.

Complete Jewish Bible
It happened that just at that time, she took sick and died. After washing her, they laid her in a room upstairs.

Darby Translation
And it came to pass in those days that she grew sick and died; and, having washed her, they put her in [the] upper room.

Easy-to-Read Version
While Peter was in Lydda, Tabitha became sick and died. They washed her body and put it in an upstairs room.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And it came to passe in those dayes, that she was sicke & dyed: and when they had washed her, they layd her in an vpper chamber.

George Lamsa Translation
And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: they bathed her, and laid her in an upper room.

Good News Translation
At that time she got sick and died. Her body was washed and laid in a room upstairs.

Lexham English Bible
Now it happened that in those days after becoming sick, she died. And after washing her, they placed her in an upstairs room.

Literal Translation
And it happened in those days, becoming ill, she died. And bathing her, they put her in an upper room.

American Standard Version
And it came to pass in those days, that she fell sick, and died: and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper chamber.

Bible in Basic English
And it came about, in those days, that she got ill and came to her death: and when she had been washed, they put her in a room which was high up.

Hebrew Names Version
It happened in those days that she fell sick, and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper chamber.

International Standard Version
At that time she got sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upstairs room.Acts 1:13;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
But she became afflicted in those days, and died. And they washed her and laid her in an upper room.

Murdock Translation
And she fell sick in those days, and died; and they washed her, and laid her in an upper room.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And it came to passe in those dayes that she was sicke, and dyed: Whom when they had wasshed, they layde her in an vpper chamber:

English Revised Version
And it came to pass in those days, that she fell sick, and died: and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper chamber.

World English Bible
It happened in those days that she fell sick, and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper chamber.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And in those days she was sick and died; whom having washed, they laid in an upper chamber.

Weymouth's New Testament
But, as it happened, just at that time she was taken ill and died. After washing her body they laid it out in a room upstairs.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And it bifelde in tho daies, that sche was sijk, and diede. And whanne thei hadden waischun hir, thei leiden hir in a soler.

Update Bible Version
And it came to pass in those days, that she fell sick, and died: and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper chamber.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom, when they had washed, they laid in an upper chamber.

New English Translation
At that time she became sick and died. When they had washed her body, they placed it in an upstairs room.

New King James Version
But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.

New Living Translation
About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room.

New Life Bible
One day she became sick and died. After they had washed her body, they laid her in a room on the second floor.

New Revised Standard
At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass in those days, that she, sickening, died; and, bathing her, they laid her in an upper room.

Douay-Rheims Bible
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.

Revised Standard Version
In those days she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And it chaunsed in those dayes that she was sicke and dyed. When they had wesshed her and layd her in a chamber:

Young's Literal Translation
and it came to pass in those days she, having ailed, died, and having bathed her, they laid her in an upper chamber,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But it chaunced at the same tyme, that she was sicke, and dyed. Then wasshed they her, and layed her in a chaber.

Mace New Testament (1729)
she happen'd to fall sick at that time, and died: after they had bath'd her body, they laid her out in an upper chamber.

Simplified Cowboy Version
About then, she got sick and died. Her body was prepared for the funeral and she was held in an upstairs room.

Contextual Overview

³⁶Down the road a way in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, "Gazelle" in our language. She was well-known for doing good and helping out. During the time Peter was in the area she became sick and died. Her friends prepared her body for burial and put her in a cool room. ³⁸Some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over. Peter got right up and went with them. They took him into the room where Tabitha's body was laid out. Her old friends, most of them widows, were in the room mourning. They showed Peter pieces of clothing the Gazelle had made while she was with them. Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. He took her hand and helped her up. Then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive. When this became known all over Joppa, many put their trust in the Master. Peter stayed on a long time in Joppa as a guest of Simon the Tanner. ⁴¹The Blinding of Saul All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master's disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem. He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?" He said, "Who are you, Master?" "I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next." His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn't see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing. There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: "Ananias." "Yes, Master?" he answered. "Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again." Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us." But the Master said, "Don't argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I'm about to show him what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job." So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul's eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal. Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God. They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, "Isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn't he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?" But their suspicions didn't slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah. After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around the clock so they could kill him. Then one night the disciples engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket. Back in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn't trust him one bit. Then Barnabas took him under his wing. He introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him, told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus Road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus' name. After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master's name. But then he ran afoul of a group called Hellenists—he had been engaged in a running argument with them—who plotted his murder. When his friends learned of the plot, they got him out of town, took him to Caesarea, and then shipped him off to Tarsus. Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country—Judea, Samaria, Galilee—the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully. Peter went off on a mission to visit all the churches. In the course of his travels he arrived in Lydda and met with the believers there. He came across a man—his name was Aeneas—who had been in bed eight years paralyzed. Peter said, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!" And he did it—jumped right out of bed. Everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him walking around and woke up to the fact that God was alive and active among them. Down the road a way in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, "Gazelle" in our language. She was well-known for doing good and helping out. During the time Peter was in the area she became sick and died. Her friends prepared her body for burial and put her in a cool room. Some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over. Peter got right up and went with them. They took him into the room where Tabitha's body was laid out. Her old friends, most of them widows, were in the room mourning. They showed Peter pieces of clothing the Gazelle had made while she was with them. Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. He took her hand and helped her up. Then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive. ⁴²When this became known all over Joppa, many put their trust in the Master. Peter stayed on a long time in Joppa as a guest of Simon the Tanner.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

she was: John 11:3, John 11:4, John 11:36, John 11:37

in an: Acts 1:13, Acts 20:8, Mark 14:15

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 17:19 - into a loft Isaiah 38:1 - was Hezekiah John 11:1 - was sick Philippians 2:27 - nigh

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass in those days,.... While Peter was in those parts, and particularly at Lydda, which was near:

that she was sick and died; fell ill with some disorder, and died of it:

whom, when they had washed; as was the manner of the Jews; and this they did, even though it was on a sabbath day: for so their canon runs f,

"they do all the necessaries for the dead (on the sabbath), they anoint him, ומדיחין, "and they wash him";''

yet that of Maimonides deserves some notice g;

"it is forbidden to anoint part of the body, as the whole body; but if it is to remove filth, it is lawful; and so it is forbidden to wash part of the body with hot water, but with cold water they may wash his face, his hands, and his feet, but not the whole body.''

This custom still continues, and their usual method is to wash the body with hot water, in which they put dried roses and camomile flowers: likewise, they take an egg, and beat it up in wine, and therewith anoint the head; and this washing and anointing are done by some at the house before the corpse is carried out (as here); but in some places, especially where there is a large number of Jews, all this is done in the burying places; where they have a little house, whither they carry the corpse, and put it on a table, and there wash it; and after washing, put, it into a coffin, and inter it h: and this has been the custom of other nations, if not of all nations: the custom with the Turks is this i; the body being laid upon a board, and covered with a linen cloth, one of the ecclesiastical elders washes it with hot water and soap, another being present to hand the water; but they do not suffer others to look on: the body is thrice washed; and the third time they mingle camphire with it; and being washed, it is put into a coffin. And Ludolphus k reports of the Abyssines, that their bodies being well washed and perfumed, they wrap them up in garments, and then are put upon a bier, and buried. And this was the practice both of the ancient Grecians and Romans, that as soon as ever anyone was dead, the body was immediately washed and anointed. Thus Creon is said to fetch Jocaste to wash her dead son; and Antigone requests of Creon, that she might wash her brother l. It has been the custom of some countries to wash their dead bodies in rivers: and some people, in the northern parts, have chose, for this reason, to have their burying places near the banks of rivers, that their dead bodies might be washed in running water: and the Indians, which live at a distance from the river Ganges, will go fifteen or twenty days journey thither, to wash their corpse in it, though then putrefied, and then burn them; yea, they take their sick alive when they think they will die, and put them up to their middle in rivers, that they may die in pure and clear water; and they enjoin a very severe penance on those who omit to bring such as are near death, to a river to be washed m:

they laid her in an upper chamber. The Ethiopic version reads quite the reverse; "they put her in the lower part of the house": which is not likely. Dr. Lightfoot conjectures that this upper chamber might be the common meeting place of the saints; and that they put her here, that if Peter should work a miracle all might be spectators of it; and certain it is, that the Jewish doctors used to meet in upper rooms, and confer together; :-, and such there were in Lydda; :- and such there were in Lydda; Acts 9:32.

f Misn. Sabbat, c. 23. sect. 5. g Hilch. Ebel, c. 5. sect. 4. h Buxtorf. Synagog. Jud. c. 49. p. 699, 700. Leo Modena's History of the Rites, &c. of the Jews, par. 5. c. 8. i Bobovius de Visitat. Aegrot. p. 18. Georgievitz de Turc. Moribus, p. 36. k Hist. Ethiop. l. 3. c. 6. l Vid. Kirchmannum de Funeribus Roman. l. 1. c. 7. m Sperling de Baptismo Ethnicorum, c. 4. p. 26, 27.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Whom, when they had washed - Among most people it has been customary to wash the body before it is buried or burned. They prepared her in the usual manner for interment.

In an upper chamber - See the notes on Acts 1:13. There is no evidence that they expected that Peter would raise her up to life.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 37. She was sick, and died — Even her holiness and usefulness could not prevent her from sickness and death. Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return, is a decree that must be fulfilled, even on the saints; for the body is dead, sentenced to death, because of sin, though the spirit be life because of righteousness.

Whom when they had washed — Having the fullest proof that she was dead, they prepared for her interment. In most nations of the world it was customary to wash their dead before they buried them, and before they laid them out to lie in state, as Homer tells us was the case with the body of Patroclus: -

Ὡς εἱπων, ἑταροισιν εκεκλετο διος Αχιλλευς,

Αμφι πυρι Ϛησαι τριποδα μεγαν, οφρα ταχιϚα

Πατροκλον λουσειαν -

Και τοτε δη λουσαν τε, και ηλειψαν λιπ' ελαιῳ __

Iliad xviii. 343.

"So saying, he bade his train surround with fire

A tripod huge, that they might quickly cleanse

Patroclus from all stains of clotted gore.

They on the blazing hearth a tripod placed,

Infused the water, thrust dry wood beneath,

And soon the flames, encompassing around

Its ample belly, warm'd the flood within.

Soon as the water in the singing brass

Simmer'd, they bathed him, and with limpid oil

Anointed.

They stretch'd him on his bed, then cover'd him

From head to feet with linen texture light,

And with a wide unsullied mantle last."

COWPER.

The waking or watching of the dead was also practised among the ancient Greeks, as we learn from a preceding paragraph, where Achilles, addressing his dead friend Patroclus, tells him:-

Τοφρα δε μοι παρα νηυσι κορωνισι κεισεαι αὑτως·

Αμφι δε σε Τρωαι και Δαρδανιδες βαθυκολποι

Κλαυσονται, νυκτας τε και ηματα δακρυχεουσαι

Il. xviii. 338.

"Mean time, among

My lofty galleys thou shalt lie, with tears

Mourn'd day and night, by Trojan captives fair

And Dardan, compassing thy bier around."

COWPER.

A similar description is given by Virgil of the funeral obsequies of Misenus, AEneid vi. ver. 212.

Nec minus interea Misenum in littore Teucri

Flebant, et cineri ingrato suprema ferebant.

* * * * * * *

Pars calidos latices et aena undantia flammis

Expediunt, corpusque lavant frigentis et ungunt

Fit gemitus: tum membra toro defleta reponunt,

Purpureasque super vestes, velamina nota,

Conjiciunt, c.

"Meanwhile, the Trojan troops, with weeping eyes,

To dead Misenus pay his obsequies.

First from the ground a lofty pile they rear

Of pitch-trees, oaks, and pines, and unctuous fir:

The fabric's front with cypress twigs they strew

And stick the sides with boughs of baleful yew;

The topmost part his glitt'ring arms adorn:

Warm waters then, in brazen cauldrons borne,

Are pour'd to wash his body, joint by joint;

And fragrant oils the stiffen'd limbs anoint.

With groans and cries Misenus they deplore.

Then on a bier with purple cover'd o'er

The breathless body, thus bewail'd, they lay."

DRYDEN.

These rites, in many respects, resemble those still used among the native Irish. See the account of the funeral ceremonies of the Egyptians, in the notes, Genesis 50:2. The primitive Christians washed the bodies of their dead not only out of decency and affectionate respect to them, but as a token of their firm belief in the resurrection of the dead.