Lydia (lzdz-a). [Gr. Ludia. The name occurs in Greek texts and inscriptions.] A woman of Thyatira, a town in the area of the former country of Lydia, II. Possibly Lydia was not her real name, for the Gr. Ludia may simply mean "the Lydian (woman)." Thyatira was famous for its dyestuff, and Lydia of Thyatira made her living in Philippi by selling *purple dyes or dyed goods. She was an attendant at the Jewish place of worship, having been sufficiently influenced by the Jewish religion to be called one who "worshipped God," a technical term for converts to Jewry who had not become full proselytes (Acts 16:14). She was one of Paul's earliest converts and his hostess during his stay at Philippi before and after his prison experience (vs. 15, 40). Since Lydia may not have been her real name some have suggested that she may have been one of the women who in Php 4:3 are spoken of as having "laboured with" him "in the gospel." -- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary.