Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
14. A woman named Lydia. If they had been heard of a few women, yet this had been to enter in, as it were, by a strait chink; but now whereas one only heareth attentively and with fruit, might it not have seemed that the way was stopt before Christ? “Obstructos esse Christo ingressus,” that the entrance of Christ was hindered.
The Spirit forbade preaching in Asia for good reason: other hands were at work there, the people were not yet prepared, or Christ had other work for Paul, preaching the gospel to Romans, whom the Jews hated most. This westward turn of the light shows where the gospel would flow in ages to come.
AI summary
Commenting on Acts 16:6-15
And a certain woman, named Lydia,.... Whether this woman was a Jewess or a Gentile, is not certain, her name will not determine; she might be called so from the country of Lydia, which was in Asia minor, and where was Thyatira, her native place; Horace makes frequent mention of one of this name (g) and it might be a Jewish name; we read of R.