Acts 1:24 (WEB)

Passage

They prayed, and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen

Nearby Context

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

Acts 1:23 They put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.

Acts 1:24 They prayed, and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen

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

Acts 1:26 They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "prayed", "said", "lord", "hearts", "show", and "chosen". 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 "They put forward two Joseph called Barsabbas..." into verse 25's "to take part in this ministry and...", 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.