Luke 1:12 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Luke 1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

Luke 1:14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "zacharias", "troubled", "fear", "fell", and "upon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "zacharias" and "troubled", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And there appeared unto him an angel..." into verse 13's "But the angel said unto him Fear...", so "zacharias" and "troubled" 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 "zacharias" and "troubled" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.