Acts 1:23 (DRB)

Passage

And they appointed two, Joseph, called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

Nearby Context

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

Acts 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, until the day wherein he was taken up from us, one of these must be made 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 praying, they said: Thou, Lord, who knowest the heart of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

Acts 1:25 To take the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas hath by transgression fallen, that he might go to his own place.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "appointed", "joseph", "barsabas", "surnamed", "justus", and "matthias". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "appointed", 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 until..." into verse 24's "And praying they said Thou Lord who...", so "called" and "appointed" 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 "appointed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.