Acts 1:23 (ASV)

Passage

And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

Nearby Context

Acts 1:21 Of the men therefore that have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us,

Acts 1:22 beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection.

Acts 1:23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show of these two the one whom thou hast chosen,

Acts 1:25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "forward", "joseph", "barsabbas", "surnamed", "justus", and "matthias". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "forward", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "beginning from the baptism of John unto..." into verse 24's "And they prayed and said Thou Lord...", so "called" and "forward" 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 "called" and "forward" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.