Acts 1:20 is Peter explaining, from the Psalms, why the believers needed to choose someone to replace Judas Iscariot among the twelve apostles. The verse shows that the early church read the Old Testament as God’s word about what had happened and what needed to happen next. Peter speaks this to the gathering of about 120 believers in Jerusalem, shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven.
For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his habitation be made desolate. Let no one dwell therein;’ and, ‘Let another take his office.’
Acts 1:20 (WEB)
What Acts 1:20 Means
Peter’s first point is that the words he quotes are “written in the book of Psalms.” He is not inventing a plan on the spot. He is telling his listeners that Scripture had already anticipated the situation they now faced. The first quotation describes a home that becomes empty and uninhabited, a picture of a life that ends in ruin rather than a lasting place of dwelling. The second quotation says that another person should take over the same role or position, which is the word “office” in the older English sense of a duty or assignment.
The verse does not promise that every believer will receive a particular position, nor does it describe how God will choose people in every age. It addresses one specific gap in the group of twelve. Peter applies two psalms to one event, and he does so because he believes those words had a meaning that reached into the lives of the disciples. It is a reminder that God’s purposes often unfold in ways that look clear only after the fact.
The Context of Acts 1:20
The book of Acts was written by Luke, the same author who wrote the Gospel bearing his name. Luke addresses his account to Theophilus and tells the story of how the message about Jesus spread from Jerusalem outward. In chapter 1, the apostles are waiting in the city after Jesus has been taken up, and the church is still small and fragile. The community needed to be whole and ready to act as witnesses to the resurrection.
Just before verse 20, Luke explains how Judas had shared in the apostles’ ministry and then betrayed Jesus, dying in a field purchased with the money he received. Just after, Peter describes the qualifications for the new apostle: someone who had been with the group from John’s baptism until Jesus’ ascension and who could testify to the resurrection. Read in that setting, the verse is part of a careful effort to restore the number of the twelve with a person equipped to bear witness.
Key Phrases in Acts 1:20
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
(WEB)
This verse, spoken by Jesus just before the ascension, explains the purpose behind the apostles’ witness and the expansion of the church. It shows that the replacement of Judas was about continuing the mission of testimony that Acts 1:20 introduces.
Psalm 69:25
Let their habitation be desolate. Let no one dwell in their tents.
(WEB)
This is the psalm verse from which Peter draws the first quotation, and reading it in its original setting helps you see the lament behind Peter’s words. It reveals how the early church understood the Psalms as speaking into events that unfolded in their own day.
A Short Prayer From Acts 1:20
Lord, you were faithful to your people in the days after Jesus rose, and you guided the early church as it chose a new witness to take the place of Judas. Help me to trust your wisdom when things change in my life and in the communities I belong to. Give me a humble heart that looks to you for direction, and help me to serve faithfully wherever you place me. Remind me that the work is yours, and that you are still building your church. Amen.
