What Does Acts 1:20 Mean in the King James?
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse binds a deserted habitation to transferable oversight: ἐπισκοπή (episkopē, “oversight”) is a charge of looking over that another can take.
THE MEANING
The verse names a living pattern: a place can become empty while the responsibility attached to it passes to someone else. Oversight is a charge that can leave one hand and be taken up by another.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the assumption that a once-held position belongs permanently to its holder: here, the habitation is desolated and another takes the oversight.
THE ROOT
ἐπισκοπή
episkopē
GROWS FROM
σκοπ
skop
Look, watch, examine.
“bishoprick” in this verse is episkopē. The Greek name for this charge gathers around seeing over, making oversight a form of attentive responsibility. In this verse, that responsibility passes to another as the dwelling becomes empty.
ALSO GROWS
episkopos: Overseer; one who watches over
ἐπίσκοπος
It shares the same seeing-over root and makes the attentive nature of the transferred charge visible.
episkeptomai: Visit, inspect, look after
ἐπισκέπτομαι
It shows the root’s movement from seeing toward attending to someone or something.
THE PATTERN
When an entrusted role is removed from one holder, its responsibility can pass to another.
And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.THE THREAD
Let his days be few; and let another take his office.The Greek wording Acts uses for “bishoprick” is the same noun rendered “office” in the Greek Psalm it quotes: ἐπισκοπή (episkopē, oversight). The shared root shows that both verses name the same charge of oversight passing to another.
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