Luke 1:10 (ASV)

Passage

And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:8 Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest`s office before God in the order of his course,

Luke 1:9 according to the custom of the priest`s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

Luke 1:10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense.

Luke 1:11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of altar of incense.

Luke 1:12 And Zacharias was troubled when he saw [him], and fear fell upon him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whole", "multitude", "people", "praying", "without", "hour", and "incense". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whole" and "multitude", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "according to the custom of the priest..." into verse 11's "And there appeared unto him an angel...", so "whole" and "multitude" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whole" and "multitude" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.