Luke 1:21 (DRB)

Passage

And the people were waiting for Zachary: and they wondered that he tarried so long in the temple.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:19 And the angel answering, said to him: I am Gabriel, who stand before God and am sent to speak to thee and to bring thee these good tidings.

Luke 1:20 And behold, thou shalt be dumb and shalt not be able to speak until the day wherein these things shall come to pass: because thou hast not believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time.

Luke 1:21 And the people were waiting for Zachary: and they wondered that he tarried so long in the temple.

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

Luke 1:23 And it came to pass, after the days of his office were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "people", "waiting", "zachary", "wondered", "tarried", "long", and "temple". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "people" and "waiting", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And behold thou shalt be dumb and..." into verse 22's "And when he came out he could...", so "people" and "waiting" 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 "people" and "waiting" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.