Acts 12:13 Meaning and Explanation
“And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Peter knocks at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda comes to answer.
What Does Acts 12:13 Mean?
The 'door of the gate' was the street entrance to the courtyard of the house. Answering a midnight knock in a city where the king was killing Christians took some courage; the task falls to a servant girl, and Luke preserves her name — Rhoda, the kind of detail living memory keeps.
Scripture has a habit of naming the small and overlooked at the hinge of great events: a girl at a gate now stands between the rescued apostle and the praying church. In God's story there are no unnamed extras. The same providence that sent an angel through iron gates works just as surely through a servant answering a door.
Acts 12:13 in the Original Language
Rhode (Ῥόδη), 'Rhoda' -- a Greek name meaning rose.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 12:13
What does Acts 12:13 mean?
Peter knocks at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda comes to answer.