But Peter put them all forth
As he had seen his Lord and Master do, when he raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, ( Luke 8:54 )
and kneeled down and prayed;
it may be, as yet, he had not the mind of God in this matter, and therefore betook himself to prayer, in which he chose to be private and alone:
and turning him to the body;
the corpse of Dorcas, after he had prayed, and was well assured that the power of Christ would be exerted in raising of it:
said, Tabitha, arise;
which words were spoken in the name and faith of Christ, and were all one as, if Christ himself had spoken them; for to his power, and not to the apostles, is the following miracle to be ascribed: and she opened her eyes; which, upon her death, had been closed by her friends; and perhaps the napkin was not yet bound about her face: or if it was, she must remove it ere she could open her eyes and see Peter:
and when she saw Peter;
whom she might know:
she sat up;
upon the bed or bier on which she lay.