Luke 1:7 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Luke 1:8 And it came to pass, as he fulfilled his priestly service before God in the order of his course,

Luke 1:9 it fell to him by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "child", "elizabeth", "barren", "both", "advanced", and "years". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "child" and "elizabeth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And they were both just before God..." into verse 8's "And it came to pass as he...", so "child" and "elizabeth" 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 "child" and "elizabeth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.