Balabanski, V. S. (2020). Colossians: An Earth Bible commentary: An eco-stoic reading. Bloomsbury Publishing. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780567693013. Balabanski states "Nympha's name suggests that she had a pagan rather than a Jewish background. In the ancient world, nymphs were female deities living in rural areas (water or forests), and were the ones who crowned Apollo. Her name means 'bride', which has strong symbolic connections within the Johannine tradition with the symbolism of Christ as the bridegroom (e.g. Jn 3.29), though not in Paul's writings. The connection between the name Nympha and water is significant, as monumental fountains were called nymphaea.35 Cities of the region had multiple nymphaea, piping water into the city via clay water pipes or carved travertine stone blocks and distributing it through the city by means of terminals and water towers. Nymphaea were valued!"
