Biblical Meaning of Tabitha
Tabitha — gazelle — was the disciple in Joppa known for making clothes for the poor, raised from the dead by Peter, and the only New Testament figure explicitly called a female disciple.
Full of Good Works
Tabitha (Aramaic: Tabitha — "gazelle"; Greek equivalent: Dorcas) was a disciple in Joppa described as "always doing good and helping the poor." The Greek text uses the feminine form of mathetes (disciple) — mathetria — making her the only person in the New Testament explicitly given the feminine form of the word "disciple." The description of her good works is given in its most concrete form: when Peter arrived after her death, the widows surrounded him "crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them." Her ministry was specific, skilled, and physical — she made clothing with her own hands for people who could not otherwise afford it.
Tabitha, Get Up
The report of her death brought a delegation to Peter with an urgent appeal: "Please come at once." Peter went, put everyone out of the room, knelt and prayed, and said "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He presented her alive to the widows and the other disciples. The raising of Tabitha is the only resurrection miracle in Acts performed by anyone other than Jesus himself (and directly parallels Jesus's raising of Jairus's daughter). The gazelle named for her swiftness was returned to her work — the clothing ministry that had served Joppa's poor continued. Her frequency: the ministry of skilled, practical, specific service; the only named female disciple of the New Testament; the one whose community brought the apostle because they could not lose her.
Key spiritual meanings of Biblical Meaning of Tabitha
- Gazelle
- swift, graceful, the creature of beauty and fleet movement
- The only named female disciple (mathetria) in the New Testament
- the feminine form explicit
- Full of good works
- her ministry defined not by title but by the robes in the widows' hands
- Showing the clothing
- her disciples demonstrated her ministry with the physical product of her work
- Please come at once
- her community knew she was irreplaceable and could not accept her loss
- Tabitha, get up
- the command echoing Jesus's raising of Jairus's daughter
- The only Acts resurrection by another than Jesus
- Peter's most dramatic miracle
- Name frequency
- the swift, beautiful servant whose work clothed the poor and who returned to it
Frequently asked questions
What does Biblical Meaning of Tabitha mean spiritually?
Tabitha — gazelle — was the disciple in Joppa known for making clothes for the poor, raised from the dead by Peter, and the only New Testament figure explicitly called a female disciple.
Full of Good Works
Tabitha (Aramaic: Tabitha — "gazelle"; Greek equivalent: Dorcas) was a disciple in Joppa described as "always doing good and helping the poor." The Greek text uses the feminine form of mathetes (disciple) — mathetria — making her the only person in the New Testament explicitly given the feminine form of the word "disciple." The description of her good works is given in its most concrete form: when Peter arrived after her death, the widows surrounded him "crying and showing him the robes and…
Tabitha, Get Up
The report of her death brought a delegation to Peter with an urgent appeal: "Please come at once." Peter went, put everyone out of the room, knelt and prayed, and said "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He presented her alive to the widows and the other disciples. The raising of Tabitha is the only resurrection miracle in Acts performed by anyone other than Jesus himself (and directly parallels Jesus's raising of Jairus's daughter). The gazelle named for her…
What are the 8 spiritual meanings of Biblical Meaning of Tabitha?
1. Gazelle: swift, graceful, the creature of beauty and fleet movement 2. The only named female disciple (mathetria) in the New Testament: the feminine form explicit 3. Full of good works: her ministry defined not by title but by the robes in the widows' hands 4. Showing the clothing: her disciples demonstrated her ministry with the physical product of her work 5. Please come at once: her community knew she was irreplaceable and could not accept her loss 6. Tabitha, get up: the command echoing Jesus's raising of Jairus's daughter 7. The only Acts resurrection by another than Jesus: Peter's most dramatic miracle 8. Name frequency: the swift, beautiful servant whose work clothed the poor and who returned to it