Rhoda was the servant girl who recognized Peter’s voice at the gate after his angelic release from prison.
The story appears in Acts 12. While Peter was imprisoned, members of the Jerusalem church gathered at Mary’s house and prayed for him. After an angel released Peter, he went to the house and knocked at the outer gate. Rhoda came to answer and recognized his voice, but her excitement made her run back to the group without opening the gate.
The praying believers initially rejected her report. They told her she was out of her mind and suggested that the visitor might be Peter’s angel. Peter continued knocking, and the group eventually opened the gate and were astonished to see him.
Rhoda is mentioned only in this scene, and her name means “rose.” The narrative’s vivid irony is that Peter escapes a guarded prison yet remains outside because Rhoda, overwhelmed with joy, forgets to let him in. She is not Dorcas, whose death and restoration are described later in Acts 9.