Acts 1:24

24 And they made prayers and said, Lord, having knowledge of the hearts of all men, make clear which of these two has been marked out by you,

Acts 1:24 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 1:24

And they prayed and said
Having proposed the above two persons, and not well knowing which to pitch upon, they being both very agreeable and fit for such service; they chose not to determine the affair without seeking to God for direction; a method to be taken in all cases, and especially in matters of importance: and the substance of their petition, though perhaps not in just the same words, was,

thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men;
which is a character peculiar to the one only living, and true God; for none knows the hearts of men, but God, who is the Maker of them; and he knows all the thoughts, counsels, and purposes of them, and the good or bad that is in them:

shew whether of these two thou hast chosen;
being desirous of having their choice directed by the choice God had made, in his eternal mind; and which they desired might be signified and pointed out to them, in some way or another, that they might be certain of the mind and will of God, and act according to it.

Acts 1:24 In-Context

22 Starting from the baptism of John till he went up from us, one will have to be a witness with us of his coming back from death.

23 And they made selection of two, Joseph, named Barsabbas, whose other name was Justus, and Matthias.

24 And they made prayers and said, Lord, having knowledge of the hearts of all men, make clear which of these two has been marked out by you,

25 To take that position as a servant and Apostle, from which Judas by his sin was shut out, so that he might go to his place.

26 And they put it to the decision of chance, and the decision was given for Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles.