Acts 9:36

Syriac Peshitta (NT Only)

ܐܺܝܬ݂ ܗ݈ܘܳܐ ܕ݁ܶܝܢ ܬ݁ܰܠܡܺܝܕ݁ܬ݁ܳܐ ܚܕ݂ܳܐ ܒ݁ܝܳܘܦ݁ܺܐ ܡܕ݂ܺܝܢ݈ܬ݁ܳܐ ܕ݁ܰܫܡܳܗ ܗܘܳܐ ܛܒ݂ܺܝܬ݂ܳܐ ܗܳܕ݂ܶܐ ܥܰܬ݁ܺܝܪܳܐ ܗ݈ܘܳܬ݂ ܒ݁ܰܥܒ݂ܳܕ݂ܶܐ ܛܳܒ݂ܶܐ ܘܰܒ݂ܙܶܕ݂ܩܳܬ݂ܳܐ ܕ݁ܥܳܒ݂ܕ݁ܳܐ ܗ݈ܘܳܬ݂ ܀

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Joppa: Acts 10:5, 2 Chronicles 2:16, Ezra 3:7, Jonah 1:3

Dorcas: or, Doe or, Roe, Proverbs 5:19, Song of Solomon 2:9, Song of Solomon 3:5, Song of Solomon 8:14

full: John 15:5, John 15:8, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 1:11, Colossians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:10, 1 Timothy 2:9, 1 Timothy 2:10, 1 Timothy 5:10, Titus 2:7, Titus 2:14, Titus 3:8, Hebrews 13:21, James 1:27

almsdeeds: Acts 10:4, Acts 10:31

Reciprocal: Joshua 19:46 - Japho Matthew 5:16 - that Matthew 6:2 - when Matthew 25:17 - he also Matthew 25:35 - I was an Mark 14:6 - a good Luke 8:3 - of their Luke 11:41 - rather Acts 9:38 - Lydda Acts 9:39 - and showing Acts 10:2 - which Acts 13:8 - for Romans 12:13 - Distributing Romans 16:2 - for 1 Corinthians 16:15 - to the 2 Corinthians 9:8 - may Philippians 4:3 - help 1 Timothy 5:25 - the good 1 Timothy 6:18 - rich 2 Timothy 3:17 - thoroughly furnished Titus 2:5 - good Hebrews 6:10 - which Hebrews 13:16 - to do James 3:17 - full 1 Peter 3:5 - the holy

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now there was at Joppa,.... The same with Japho, Joshua 19:46 a sea port town in the tribe of Dan, said by some historians w to be a very ancient one, even before the flood. It is now called Jaffa, and its name, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies beauty: some say it had its name from Jope, the daughter of Aeolus, the wife of Cepheus, the founder of it; and others derive it from the name of Japhet, because it looks towards Europe, which is inhabited by the sons of Japhet. It was built upon a hill, as Pliny x says; and so high, as Strabo y reports, that Jerusalem, the metropolis of Judea, might be seen from thence, which was distant from it forty miles; as may be concluded from what Jerom, z says, who lived at Bethlehem many years: his words are; from Joppa, to our little village Bethlehem, are forty six miles; now Bethlehem was six miles distant from Jerusalem, to the south of it, and Joppa was to the west of it. The place is well known by Jonah's taking ship there, and going for Tarshish, when he was cast into the sea, and devoured by a fish; from whence the Ionian sea might have its name: and this was the occasion of the fable of Andromeda being exposed to a fish of a prodigious size at this place; the bones of which, Pliny a relates, were brought to Rome from hence, being forty foot long; and, the stones, to which she was bound, Jerom b says, were shown in his time on this shore: and here also, the inhabitants report, may be seen some stones in the sea, on which Peter stood and fished, when he dwelt in this place.

A certain disciple, called Tabitha; this was a woman's name, the masculine name was Tabi. R. Gamaliel had a manservant of this name c, and also a maidservant, whose name was Tabitha d; yea, every maidservant of his was called mother Tabitha, and every manservant father Tabi e:

which by interpretation is called Dorcas; which signifies a roe in the Greek language, as Tabitha does in the Syriac:

this woman was full of good works; was constantly employed in doing good; her works were both many and good:

and alms deeds which she did; she was very kind and beneficent to the poor; she wrought with her hands much for their sakes, as appears by what follows.

w Mela, l. 1. Solin. Polyhistor. c. 47. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 13. x Nat. Hist. ib. y Geograph. l. 16. z Epist. ad Dardanum, Tom. 3, fol. 23. K. a Nat. Hist. l. 9. c. 5. b Comment. in Jonam, c. 1. v. 3. c Misn. Beracot, c. 2. sect. 7. d T. Hieros. Nidda, fol. 49. 4. Vajikra Rabba, sect. 19. fol. 160. 4. e Massecheth Semachot, c. 1. sect. 13.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

At Joppa - This was a seaport town situated on the Mediterranean, in the tribe of Dan, about 30 miles south of Caesarea, and 45 northwest of Jerusalem. It was the principal seaport of Palestine; and hence, though the harbor was poor, it hind considerable celebrity. It was occupied by Solomon to receive the timber brought for the building of the temple from Tyre 2 Chronicles 2:16, and was used for a similar purpose in the time of Ezra, Ezra 3:7. The present name of the town is Jaffa. It is situated on a promontory jutting out into the sea, rising to the height of about 150 feet above its level, and offering on all sides picturesque and varied prospects. “It owes its existence to the low ledge of rocks which extends into the sea from the extremity of the little cape on which the city stands, and forms a small harbor. Insignificant as it is, and insecure, yet there being no other on all this coast, it was sufficient to cause a city to spring up around it even in the earliest times, and to sustain its life through numberless changes of dynasties, races, and religions down to the present hour. It was, in fact, the only harbor of any notoriety possessed by the Jews throughout the greater part of their national existence. To it the timber for both the temples of Jerusalem was brought from Lebanon, and no doubt a lucrative trade in cedar and pine was always carried on through it with the nations who had possession of the forests of Lebanon. Through it also nearly all the foreign commerce of the Jews was conducted until the artificial port of Caesarea was built by Herod. Here Jonah came to find a ship in which to flee from the presence of the Lord, and from it he sailed for Tarshish.

“Twenty-five years ago the inhabitants of city and gardens were about 6000; now there must be 15,000 at least, and commerce has increased at even a greater ratio. Several sources of prosperity account for the existence and rapid increase of Jaffa. It is the natural landing-place of pilgrims to Jerusalem, both Christians and Jews, and they have created a considerable trade. The Holy City itself has also been constantly rising in importance during the present generation. Then there are extensive soap factories, not only here, but in Ramleh, Lydd, Nablus, and Jerusalem, much of which is exported from this port to all the cities along the coast, to Egypt, and even to Asia Minor through Tarsus. The fruit trade from Jaffa is likewise quite considerable, and lately there have been large shipments of grain to Europe. Add to this that silk is now being cultivated extensively along the river ‘Aujeh, and in the gardens about the city, and the present prosperity of Jaffa is fully explained.

“Jaffa is celebrated in modern times for her gardens and orchards of delicious fruit more than for anything else. They are very extensive, flourishing, and profitable, but their very existence depends upon the fact that water to any amount can be procured in every garden, and at a moderate depth. The entire plain seems to cover a river of vast breadth, percolating through the sand en route to the sea. A thousand Persian wheels working night and day produce no sensible diminution, and this exhaustible source of wealth underlies the whole territory of the Philistines down to Gaza at least, and probably much further south.

“The fruits of Jaffa are the same as those of Sidon, but with certain variations in their character. Sidon has the best bananas, Jaffa furnishes the best pomegranates. The oranges of Sidon are more juicy and of a richer flavor than those of Jaffa; hut the latter hang on the trees much later, and will bear to be shipped to distant regions. They are therefore more valuable to the producer. It is here only that you see in perfection fragrant blossoms encircling golden fruit. In March and April these Jaffa gardens are indeed enchanting. The air is overloaded with the mingled spicery of orange, lemon, apple, apricot, quince, plum, and china trees in blossom. The people then frequent the groves, sit on mats beneath their grateful shade, sip coffee, smoke the argela, sing, converse, or sleep, as best suits their individual idiosyncrasies, until evening, when they slowly return to their homes in the city. To us of the restless West, this way of making kaif soon wearies by its slumberous monotony, but it is Elysium to the Arabs.

“I have been strolling along the streets, or rather street of Jaffa, for there seems to be but one, and a more crowded thoroughfare I never saw. I had to force my way through the motley crowd of busy citizens, wild Arabs, foreign pilgrims, camels, mules, horses, and donkeys. Then what a strange rabble outside the gate, noisy, quarrelsome, ragged, and filthy! Many are blind, or at least have some painful defect about their eyes, and some are leprous. The peasants hereabout must be very poor, to judge by their rags and squalid appearance. I was reminded of Dorcas and the widows around Peter exhibiting the coats and garments which that benevolent lady had made, and I devoutly hoped she might be raised again, at least in spirit, for there is need of a dozen Dorcas societies in Jaffa at the present time. “The Land and the Book” (Thomson), vol. 2, pp. 271-281.

Tabitha - This word is properly Syriac, and means literally the “gazelle” or “antelope.” The name became an appellation of a female, probably on account of the beauty of its form. “It is not unusual in the East to give the names of beautiful animals to young women” (Clark). Compare Song of Solomon 2:9; Song of Solomon 4:5.

Dorcas - A Greek word signifying the same as Tabitha. Our word “doe” or “roe” answers to it in signification.

Full of good works - Distinguished for good works. Compare 1 Timothy 2:10; Titus 2:7.

And almsdeeds - Acts of kindness to the poor.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 36. Now there was at Joppa — This was a sea-port town on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, about a day's journey from Jerusalem. It is supposed to be the same which is called in the Old Testament Japho, which belonged to the tribe of Dan, Joshua 19:46. It is at present called Jaffa, and is still a place of considerable note.

A certain disciple named Tabitha — This word is more properly Syriac than Hebrew. [Syriac] tebitho is the word in the Syriac version, and is their manner of writing the Hebrew צבי tsebi, the ט teth being changed for the צ tsaddi. The word [Syriac] tabio, and the feminine [Syriac] tabitho, have the same meaning as the Hebrew צבי tsebi and the Greek δορκας, Dorcas, and signify the gazel or antelope; and it is still customary in the east to give the names of beautiful animals to young women. The comparison of fine eyes to those of the antelope is continually occurring in the writings of the Arabic and Persian poets. The person in the tern probably had her name in the same way. She was very beautiful, and was therefore called Tabitha and Dorcas.

This woman was full of good works — She spent her life in acts of kindness and charity. Her soul was full of love to God and man; and her whole time was filled up with works of piety and mercy.