“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
16:14 A worshipper of God - Probably acquainted with the prophetic writings whose heart the Lord opened - The Greek word properly refers to the opening of the eyes: and the heart has its eyes, #Eph 1:18|. These are closed by nature and to open them is the peculiar work of God.
Ac 16:14 Lydia. The name is Greek. She was probably a convert to Judaism. A seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira. Thyatira, afterwards one of the seven churches of Asia, was beyond the Aegean Sea, hundreds of miles away. It was on the borders of Lydia, which was famous for its purple cloths. She was at this distant place for purposes of trade. Thyatira was a Macedonian colony, and Lydia probably had acquaintances or kinsmen in Macedonia itself. Whose heart the Lord opened. How, it is not stated. Possibly some of his providences especially fitted her for the reception of the gospel.