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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

Acts 12:13

He knocked at the door of the outer gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.

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

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

5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying fervently to God for him. 6When Herod was about to bring him out for trial, that very night Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison. 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, “Quick, get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8“Get dressed,” the angel told him, “and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Wrap your cloak around you,” he told him, “and follow me.” 9So he went out and followed, and he did not know that what the angel did was really happening, but he thought he was seeing a vision. 10After they passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went outside and passed one street, and suddenly the angel left him. 11When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected.” 12As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many had assembled and were praying. 13He knocked at the door of the outer gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. 14She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the outer gate.

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 and Nahor took wives: Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you,I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt,and all the peoples on earthwill be blessed through you.
Genesis 12:5
He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
Genesis 12:6
Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem, at the oak of Moreh. (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.)
Genesis 12:8
From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. He built an altar to the Lord there, and he called on the name of the Lord.
Genesis 12:12
When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me but let you live.
Genesis 12:13
Please say you’re my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account.”
Genesis 20:2
Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
Genesis 20:5
Didn’t he himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”
Genesis 26:7
When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say “my wife,” thinking, “The men of the place will kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is a beautiful woman.”

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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