Luke 1:22 (ASV)

Passage

And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: and he continued making signs unto them, and remained dumb.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:20 And behold, thou shalt be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou believedst not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

Luke 1:21 And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marvelled while he tarried in the temple.

Luke 1:22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: and he continued making signs unto them, and remained dumb.

Luke 1:23 And it came to pass, when the days of his ministration were fulfilled, he departed unto his house.

Luke 1:24 And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "speak", "perceived", "seen", "vision", "temple", "continued", and "making". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "speak", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "And the people were waiting for Zacharias..." into verse 23's "And it came to pass when the...", so "came" and "speak" 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 "came" and "speak" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.