Acts 1:24 (KJV)

Passage

And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

Nearby Context

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.

Acts 1:23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

Acts 1:25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.

Acts 1:26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "prayed", "said", "thou", "lord", "knowest", "hearts", "shew", and "whether". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "prayed" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "And they appointed two Joseph called Barsabas..." into verse 25's "That he may take part of this...", so "prayed" and "said" 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 "prayed" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.