Luke 1:12 (DRB)

Passage

And Zachary seeing him, was troubled: and fear fell upon him.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:10 And all the multitude of the people was praying without, at the hour of incense.

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

Luke 1:12 And Zachary seeing him, was troubled: and fear fell upon him.

Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him: Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard: and thy wife Elizabeth 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 in his nativity.

Study Lenses

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

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