Acts 1:21 (LSB)

Passage

Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—

Nearby Context

Acts 1:19 And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

Acts 1:20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his residence be made desolate, And let no one dwell in it’; and, ‘Let another man take his office.’

Acts 1:21 Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—

Acts 1:22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

Acts 1:23 And they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "necessary", "accompanied", "time", "lord", "jesus", and "went". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "necessary", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "For it is written in the book..." into verse 22's "beginning with the baptism of John until...", so "therefore" and "necessary" 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 "therefore" and "necessary" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.