In Acts 9:36–43, we read of a woman and disciple in Joppa named Tabitha—which by interpretation is Dorcas. Both names mean “gazelle,” symbolising grace, beauty, and swift motion. She is described as a woman “full of good works and acts of charity.” When she falls ill and dies, the believers call for Peter, who prays, turns to her body, and says, “Tabitha, arise.” She opens her eyes and is restored to life, and many believe in the Lord because of it.
The Names Tabitha and Dorcas
Tabitha is the Aramaic form, while Dorcas is the Greek equivalent—both signifying gazelle. This dual naming unites two aspects of consciousness: the inner, spiritual intuition (Aramaic) and the outer, rational expression (Greek). The gazelle itself represents the soul’s graceful movement—the imaginative, life-giving quality of love in motion.
This symbol is echoed earlier in Scripture through Naphtali, whom Jacob blesses as:
“a hind let loose; he giveth goodly words” — Genesis 49:21.
The gazelle or hind is the liberated soul, moving freely and expressing divine inspiration through beautiful speech and action. As Naphtali’s wrestling gives way to release, so Dorcas’ awakening mirrors the same spiritual motion—the renewal of grace that flows effortlessly once faith has lifted it from dormancy.
The Symbolism of Her Death
Dorcas’ death is not a historical event but an inner condition. It represents that moment when the living grace of imagination seems to have died within us—when kindness, inspiration, or vision have gone dormant. The mourners around her are the thoughts that grieve over lost vitality, believing that goodness or faith cannot be revived once it has faded.
Peter and the Upper Room
Peter symbolises faith in action—the hearing of the inner Word, as Neville Goddard often described him. By ascending to the upper room, within the Bible’s recurring “head-as-the-house” theme, Peter moves into a higher state of awareness, withdrawing from the noisy crowd of doubt. In that silent, elevated space, faith communes with the unseen reality. His words, “Tabitha, arise,” call back to life the imaginative faculty that gives freely and beautifies the inner world.
The Resurrection of Grace
When Dorcas opens her eyes, the story shows that what we thought dead can be revived by faith. Like this story of the boy who fell from the window, the resurrection is not of a person, but of an inner quality—our capacity for love, beauty, and giving. It teaches that imagination, when quickened by faith, never truly dies but can always be renewed.
The Inner Meaning of Joppa
Joppa, where the story unfolds, means “beauty.” It is the atmosphere in which grace operates—the state of consciousness receptive to divine renewal. Within each of us, Joppa is that inner beauty where inspiration returns, and where the soul once more clothes others in love and faith, just as Dorcas clothed the widows.
Summary of Symbols
| Symbol | Inner Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tabitha / Dorcas | The imaginative, giving, grace-filled aspect of consciousness |
| Her death | Loss of inspiration or love; imagination lying dormant |
| Peter | Faith that listens within and reawakens life |
| Upper room | Elevated consciousness where resurrection occurs |
| Rising / resurrection | Renewal of spiritual vision and vitality |
| Joppa | “Beauty”—the inner atmosphere of grace and receptivity |
Reflection
The story of Dorcas is the story of grace within us all. When imagination seems to have grown still—when love or joy feels absent—faith must rise to the upper room and call it back to life. “Tabitha, arise” becomes a command to the soul itself: to awaken, to remember its beauty, and to move again with the effortless grace of the gazelle. The resurrected Dorcas is not someone in history, but the reborn awareness within you that gives freely, creates beautifully, and reveals that nothing of divine imagination can ever truly die.
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