Talitha Tabitha get up
Doubtless like many other non-scholars who are nevertheless enthusiastic and serious Bible students, as the first lesson was read and heard this morning, I was taken with the similarity of the words Luke ascribes to Peter as he speaks to the dead woman, “Tabitha, get up,” and the words Mark ascribes to Jesus as he speaks to Jairus’ dead daughter, “Talitha, koum,” which means, “Little girl, get up.”
Wondering whether Luke intended any connection, and whether scholars or others had wondered, I did a little checking upon getting home.
To be more truthful, I took out my cell phone and started searching while the organist played his Offertory, and continued as we were kneeling during the Eucharistic Prayer. But oh, no, come to think of it, that’s not correct, and I’m going to stay true to form and wander a bit. Now that I remember correctly, in the pew this morning I actually was searching for something else. After the preacher cited the Hebrew word “chesed” which the KJV renders “lovingkindness” -> I searched on my cell phone for the Greek word that the Septuagint renders for “chesed” -- which I thought might be “agape” but actually is most often “eleos” meaning “mercy” and sometimes “charis” meaning “grace.”
At any event, on arriving home, and before we shifted into our POD for Mothers Day, I did a little searching into “Tabitha/Talitha, get up.” Turns out that the word/sound trick that works in English does not work in the authors' Greek.
First, here’s the Bible story we read in church this morning:
Acts 9:36-43
Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, "Please come to us without delay." So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, "Tabitha, get up. (Greek, Ταβιθά, ἀνάστηθι).” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.
And here’s what Mark says Jesus said to Jairus' dead girl:
Mark 5:41
41 Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum (Greek, Ταλιθα κουμ),” which means, “Little girl, get up!”
And my question to myself: in telling this story about Peter and Tabitha/Dorcas did Luke who wrote Acts intend any connection to Jesus raising Jairus' dead daughter? That is to say, connection in the way the copycat story of Elisha raising a woman’s dead son hearkens back to the story of Elijah raising a woman’s dead son; Peter getting a share of his teacher Jesus as Elisha got a share of his teacher Elijah.
My answer to myself is that it’s quite intriguing, and I sort of wish it were so, but it’s not, my answer is “no, at least, not quite.” The matching word sounds that are so appealing in English don't work out in the authors' Greek.
If Luke intended the language itself to infer even a subtle sound link and connection it would not be to Mark’s account but to Luke’s own parallel story (Luke 8) of Jesus raising Jairus’ dead daughter; and Luke does not have Jesus say “Talitha, koum” or “Talitha, get up.”
Luke 8:54
54 But taking her by the hand, he called out, “Child, get up! (Greek, Ἡ παῖς, ἔγειρε).”
Again, in Acts 9:40, Luke says Peter “turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up (Greek, Ταβιθά, ἀνάστηθι)’.”
Not the same. Luke does indeed mean for us to understand that Peter was calling on and emulating Jesus’ power and authority over death, and it is not unlikely that Luke did have in mind the earlier “Talitha” story that he, Luke copied from Mark 5; but, on looking at Luke's and Mark's Greek, the very appealing English “Talitha/Tabitha get up” word/sound trick does not work. Sorry.
T89&c