Acts 1:20 (KJV)

Passage

For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

Nearby Context

Acts 1:18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

Acts 1:19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

Acts 1:20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

Acts 1:21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

Acts 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "written", "book", "psalms", "habitation", "desolate", "dwell", "therein", and "bishoprick". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "written" and "book", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And it was known unto all the..." into verse 21's "Wherefore of these men which have companied...", so "written" and "book" belong inside that flow. In Acts context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "written" and "book" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.