Acts 1:24 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Acts 1:26 And they gave lots for them; 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", and "show". 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 put forward two Joseph called..." into verse 25's "to take the place in this ministry...", 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.