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The Conversion of Lydia

11 We therefore[a] set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis,(A) 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days.(B) 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed[b] there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 16.11 Other ancient authorities lack therefore
  2. 16.13 Other ancient authorities read where, according to the custom,

Arrival at Philippi

11 We put out to sea[a] from Troas[b] and sailed a straight course[c] to Samothrace,[d] the next day to Neapolis,[e] 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of that district[f] of Macedonia,[g] a Roman colony.[h] We stayed in this city for some days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down[i] and began to speak[j] to the women[k] who had assembled there.[l] 14 A[m] woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth[n] from the city of Thyatira,[o] a God-fearing woman, listened to us.[p] The Lord opened her heart to respond[q] to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us,[r] “If[s] you consider me to be a believer in the Lord,[t] come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded[u] us.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 16:11 tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”
  2. Acts 16:11 sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. See v. 8.
  3. Acts 16:11 tn BDAG 406 s.v. εὐθυδρομέω has “of a ship run a straight course” here; L&N 54.3 has “to sail a straight course, sail straight to.”
  4. Acts 16:11 sn Samothrace is an island in the northern part of the Aegean Sea.
  5. Acts 16:11 sn Neapolis was a seaport on the southern coast of Macedonia. It was 10 mi (16 km) from Philippi.
  6. Acts 16:12 tc ‡ Or perhaps, “a city in the first district” (there are a number of textual variants). L&N 1.85 follow the text of UBS5 and NA28 here: “In Ac 16:12…the Greek New Testament published by the United Bible Societies has adopted a conjectural emendation, since the more traditional text, πρώτη τῆς μερίδος, literally ‘first of the district,’ is not only misleading in meaning but does not reflect the historical fact that Philippi was a city in one of the four districts of Macedonia but was not a capital city.” The Ausgangstext probably read πρώτη τῆς μερίδος (prōtē tēs meridos, “first of that district”) as found in P74 א A C Ψ 33vid 36 81 323 945 1175 1891. This has traditionally been translated to give the impression that Philippi was the capital city of the district, but it does not necessarily have to be translated this way. The translation of the article before μερίδος as “that” acknowledges that there were other districts in the province of Macedonia.
  7. Acts 16:12 sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.
  8. Acts 16:12 sn A Roman colony was a city whose residents were regarded as Roman citizens, since such cities were originally colonized by citizens of Rome. From Troas to Philippi was 130 mi (208 km).
  9. Acts 16:13 tn Grk “and sitting down we began to speak.” The participle καθίσαντες (kathisantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  10. Acts 16:13 tn The imperfect verb ἐλαλοῦμεν (elaloumen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
  11. Acts 16:13 sn To the women. Apparently there were not enough Jews present in Philippi to have a synagogue (ten men would have been required to have one).
  12. Acts 16:13 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
  13. Acts 16:14 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.
  14. Acts 16:14 tn On the term translated “a dealer in purple cloth” see BDAG 855 s.v. πορφυρόπωλις.
  15. Acts 16:14 sn Thyatira was a city in western Asia Minor.
  16. Acts 16:14 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.
  17. Acts 16:14 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.”sn Lydia is one of several significant women in Acts (see 17:4, 12, 34; 18:20).
  18. Acts 16:15 tn Grk “urged us, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
  19. Acts 16:15 tn This is a first class condition in Greek, with the statement presented as real or true for the sake of the argument.
  20. Acts 16:15 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.’”
  21. Acts 16:15 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.”