Discovery BoxActs 16:14-15
Context16:14 A 1 woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth 2 from the city of Thyatira, 3 a God-fearing woman, listened to us. 4 The Lord opened her heart to respond 5 to what Paul was saying. 16:15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, 6 “If 7 you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, 8 come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded 9 us.
[16:14] 1 tn Grk “And a.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
[16:14] 2 tn On the term translated “a dealer in purple cloth” see BDAG 855 s.v. πορφυρόπωλις.
[16:14] 3 sn Thyatira was a city in the province of Lydia in Asia Minor.
[16:14] 4 tn The words “to us” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
[16:14] 5 tn Although BDAG 880 s.v. προσέχω 2.b gives the meaning “pay attention to” here, this could be misunderstood by the modern English reader to mean merely listening intently. The following context, however, indicates that Lydia responded positively to Paul’s message, so the verb here was translated “to respond.”
[16:15] 6 tn Grk “urged us, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
[16:15] 7 tn This is a first class condition in Greek, with the statement presented as real or true for the sake of the argument.
[16:15] 8 tn Or “faithful to the Lord.” BDAG 821 s.v. πίστος 2 states concerning this verse, “Of one who confesses the Christian faith believing or a believer in the Lord, in Christ, in God πιστ. τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 16:15.” L&N 11.17 has “one who is included among the faithful followers of Christ – ‘believer, Christian, follower.’”
[16:15] 9 tn Although BDAG 759 s.v. παραβιάζομαι has “urge strongly, prevail upon,” in contemporary English “persuade” is a more frequently used synonym for “prevail upon.”
