And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

ACTS 16:14KJV
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Acts 16:14 (KJV)

What does Acts 16:14 mean?

Acts 16:14 tells how a woman named Lydia, a merchant dealing in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira and a worshiper of God, listened to Paul’s message, and the Lord opened her heart so she paid attention to what Paul was saying. The verse highlights both Lydia’s openness and God’s role in helping her understand and respond.

In this scene, Paul and his companions are in Philippi, speaking to a group of women gathered by the river. Lydia stands out because of her profession and her devotion to God, even before meeting Paul. The verse emphasizes that her response to Paul’s words was not just her own doing, but also something God enabled, showing a partnership between human willingness and divine action.

The Greek behind Acts 16:14

  • "Opened" (ἤνοιξεν, ēnoixen): This word means to open up, often used for physical openings but here describing God making Lydia’s heart receptive. It suggests that understanding and responding to Paul’s message was something God actively helped happen.
  • "Attended" (προσέσχεν, proseschen): This means to pay close attention or devote oneself to something. Lydia didn’t just hear Paul; she focused on and took seriously what he said, showing a thoughtful, deliberate response.
  • "Worshipped" (σεβομένη, sebomenē): This word describes someone who reveres or honors God, often used for Gentiles who respected the God of Israel but were not full converts. It helps explain Lydia’s background as someone already seeking God before hearing Paul.

Why Acts 16:14 matters

  • Acts 16:14 clarifies that faith and understanding are not just about human effort; God is actively involved in helping people respond to the message.
  • The verse shows that people from diverse backgrounds, like a businesswoman from Thyatira, were among the first to respond to the Christian message in Europe.
  • This moment sets up Lydia as the first recorded convert in Philippi, and her openness leads to her home becoming a key meeting place for early Christians, showing the ripple effect of one person’s response.

Where else these words appear

“Lydia” Greek G3070 · used in 2 verses

  • Acts 16:40 And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.

“Thyatira” Greek G2363 · used in 4 verses

  • Revelation 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
  • Revelation 2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
  • Revelation 2:24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

“opened” Greek G1272 · used in 8 verses

  • Mark 7:34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
  • Luke 2:23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
  • Luke 24:32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

“worshipped” Greek G4576 · used in 10 verses

  • Matthew 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
  • Acts 13:50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
  • Acts 18:7 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.