Tabitha.....when people hear this name they may think of the TV show Bewitched; Tabitha Twitchett, the talking cat from
Beatrix Potter's children's series, or the vegan
celebrity chef Tabitha Brown. Tabitha is a feminine name that is a derivative of the
Aramaic word for gazelle ( "טביתא", or "ṭaḇīṯā"). Aramaic is an ancient Syrian language that parts of the New Testament Bible were written in. When translated into modern English, "טביתא" becomes "Tabitha".
The name "Tabitha" is found in the book of the
Acts of the Apostles, written 80-100 years after the crucifixion of Christ. In this Bible story, the character Tabitha is a widow who was always doing good, helping the poor, and making clothes for those in need. She dies, is mourned by her community, and is raised back to life by the Apostle Peter.
The Biblical "Tabitha" was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church as "St. Tabitha".
The book of Acts mentions that the Greek version of this name is "
Dorcas". If you're a "Tabitha", you should be grateful your name-givers didn't go with the Greek version, which sounds unfortunately like "dork-ass". Sometimes the name "Tabitha" is confused with "Samantha" or other generic Anglo-Saxon names. Tabitha is a fairly unique name, and the owner of such a name should carry pride in its uniqueness and history.
Example:
36 A woman who was a follower lived in the city of
Joppa. Her name was Tabitha, or
Dorcas. She did many
good things and many acts of kindness. (Acts 9)