Luke 1:5 (DRB)

Passage

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zachary, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:3 It seemed good to me also, having diligently attained to all things from the beginning, to write to thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

Luke 1:4 That thou mayest know the verity of those words in which thou hast been instructed.

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zachary, of the course of Abia: and his wife was 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 justifications of the Lord without blame.

Luke 1:7 And they had no son, for that Elizabeth was barren: and they both were well advanced in years.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "days", "herod", "king", "judea", "certain", "priest", "named", and "zachary". 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 mayest know the verity 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.