Acts 1:24 (YLT)

Passage

and having prayed, they said, `Thou, Lord, who art knowing the heart of all, shew which one thou didst choose of these two

Nearby Context

Acts 1:22 beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day in which he was received up from us, one of these to become with us a witness of his rising again.'

Acts 1:23 And they set two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias,

Acts 1:24 and having prayed, they said, `Thou, Lord, who art knowing the heart of all, shew which one thou didst choose of these two

Acts 1:25 to receive the share of this ministration and apostleship, from which Judas, by transgression, did fall, to go on to his proper place;'

Acts 1:26 and they gave their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "having", "prayed", "said", "thou", "lord", "knowing", "heart", and "shew". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "having" and "prayed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "And they set two Joseph called Barsabas..." into verse 25's "to receive the share of this ministration...", so "having" and "prayed" 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 "having" and "prayed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.