Nympha

Biblical Record

Nympha appears only in Colossians 4:15. At the close of the letter, Paul asks the church at Colossae: "Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house" (Colossians 4:15, KJV). The New Korean Revised Version, by contrast, reads "Nympha and the church in her house." Apart from this single verse, Scripture records nothing about Nympha's origins, family, or conversion.

The surrounding context notes that Epaphras labors on behalf of the believers in the three cities of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:12–13), and it is followed by the instruction that the letter to the Colossians also be read in the church of the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:16). On the basis of this context, Nympha's house is commonly thought to have been in or near Laodicea. Because the text does not state the location directly, however, some place it elsewhere, such as in Hierapolis.

Significance in Scripture

Nympha exemplifies the house church. The first-century church had no purpose-built places of worship; believers gathered for worship and fellowship in the homes of those who had the means to host them. The New Testament mentions several such hosts, including Priscilla and Aquila (Romans 16:5), Philemon (Philemon 1:2), and Lydia of Philippi (Acts 16:15, 40). Nympha is one of these, and her example reflects how the early church gathered.

Interpretation and Debated Questions

Man or Woman?

In the Greek text the name appears in the accusative case and can be read either as the masculine name "Nymphas" or as the feminine name "Nympha." The pronoun modifying the following word "house" also varies among manuscripts: some read "her," some "his," and others "their." The King James Version renders the name as masculine. By contrast, the critical editions of the Greek text widely used today, as well as the New Korean Revised Version, read it as feminine. Among scholars who assess the reliability of the manuscripts, the feminine reading is said to be widely accepted.

Was She a Church Leader?

If Nympha is understood to be a woman, interpreters differ on whether she simply provided her home or also led the gathering. Supporters of women's ordination cite Nympha, together with Phoebe and Junia of Romans 16:1–7, as examples of women leaders in the early church. Those who are cautious about women's ordination distinguish between providing a home and holding an office of teaching and governing. They counter that because the text does not describe Nympha's role, no conclusion can be drawn from this verse alone.

Accounts Beyond the Text

No reliable record of Nympha's life is known apart from Colossians 4:15. Some accounts add that she was a wealthy widow or that she came to faith through the preaching of Epaphras, but these are conjectures not found in the text. Scholars also debate whether Paul himself wrote Colossians.

In the Korean Church

Nympha is rarely treated as a standalone subject in sermons or Sunday school lessons. She is usually mentioned briefly, alongside Lydia and Priscilla, in explanations of the house gatherings of the early church or in discussions of opening one's home to host cell-group worship meetings and small groups. Her name also comes up in debates over women's ordination, both within and outside denominations, when New Testament women believers are discussed.