Luke 1:5 (DBY)

Passage

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the course of Abia, and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:3 it has seemed good to *me* also, accurately acquainted from the origin with all things, to write to thee with method, most excellent Theophilus,

Luke 1:4 that thou mightest know the certainty of those things in which thou hast been instructed.

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the course of Abia, and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth.

Luke 1:6 And they were both just before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Luke 1:7 And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "days", "herod", "king", "judaea", "certain", "priest", "name", and "zacharias". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "days" and "herod", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "that thou mightest know the certainty of..." into verse 6's "And they were both just before God...", so "days" and "herod" 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 "days" and "herod" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.