Acts 1:20 explains that the apostles believed Scripture had foretold Judas Iscariot’s fate and the need for someone to fill his place among the Twelve. Peter quotes two lines from the Psalms, one describing a home left empty and one calling for another person to take over a role. The verse is a bridge between a painful event and the practical steps the early believers took next. Peter speaks it to the gathered disciples in Jerusalem, a group of about 120 followers of Jesus waiting after his ascension.
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
The first phrase, “For it is written in the book of Psalms,” tells you where Peter’s authority comes from. He is not inventing a plan. He points to words already present in the Hebrew Scriptures, which the early church read as God speaking about what would happen. The phrase “Let his habitation be made desolate” comes from Psalm 69, a lament in which the writer asks God to bring judgment on enemies. Peter applies it to Judas’s abandoned place among the Twelve, and to the field where he died.
The second quotation, “Let another take his office,” comes from Psalm 109, another psalm about a person who has betrayed and turned against the faithful. Peter treats its call for a successor as applying to the vacancy left by Judas. The verse does not promise that every empty role will be filled or that God always reverses loss. It shows how the first believers read their Bibles: they looked for God’s direction in older texts and trusted that the pattern of Scripture would guide their decisions.
The Context of Acts 1:20
The book of Acts was written by Luke, the same author who wrote the Gospel of Luke, and it is addressed to a man named Theophilus. It records the spread of the message about Jesus from Jerusalem outward. Chapter 1 sits at the start of that story, between the resurrection appearances and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Verses 17 through 19 describe Judas’s death in strong terms, and verse 20 follows as the scriptural explanation for what has happened.
Just after verse 20, verses 21 and 22 set the qualifications for the replacement: he must have been with the group from Jesus’s baptism by John until his ascension, and he must be a witness to the resurrection. Verse 23 then names two candidates. Seeing verse 20 in this setting shows that the psalm quotations are not the whole picture. They establish the need for a replacement, and the surrounding verses explain how the choice was made.
Key Phrases in Acts 1:20
Psalm 69:25
Let their habitation be desolate. Let no one dwell in their tents.
(WEB)
This is the psalm Peter draws from in Acts 1:20, and this verse contains the line about a desolate habitation. Reading the full context of the lament helps you see the emotional and spiritual background that shaped how the early church understood Judas’s fate.
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
(WEB)
Right after the choice of candidates, the disciples pray for the Lord to show whom he has chosen. This verse shows the community turning from scriptural reasoning to dependence on God’s direction, and it ties Acts 1:20 to the prayerful heart behind the decision.
A Short Prayer From Acts 1:20
Lord, you gave your people your word so that we could understand what has happened in our lives and know what to do next. When we face loss, betrayal, or an empty place in our community, help us to be honest about the pain and not pretend it is small. Teach us to search the Scriptures with humility and to trust that your words still guide us. Give us the courage to take the next faithful step, and the patience to wait for your direction. Amen.
