Acts 16:14 (WEB)

Passage

A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.

Nearby Context

Acts 16:12 and from there to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the foremost of the district, a Roman colony. We were staying some days in this city.

Acts 16:13 On the Sabbath day we went outside of the city by a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down, and spoke to the women who had come together.

Acts 16:14 A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.

Acts 16:15 When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay.” So she persuaded us.

Acts 16:16 As we were going to prayer, a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "certain", "woman", "named", "lydia", "seller", "purple", "city", and "thyatira". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "certain" and "woman", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "On the Sabbath day we went outside..." into verse 15's "When she and her household were baptized...", so "certain" and "woman" belong inside that flow. In Acts context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "certain" and "woman" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.