Passage
In the time of Herod King of Iudea, there was a certaine Priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabet.
Luke 1:5 (GNV)
Nearby Context
Luke 1:3 It seemed good also to me (most noble Theophilus) assoone as I had searched out perfectly all things from the beginning, to write vnto thee thereof from point to point,
Luke 1:4 That thou mightest acknowledge the certaintie of those things, whereof thou hast bene instructed.
Luke 1:5 In the time of Herod King of Iudea, there was a certaine Priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabet.
Luke 1:6 Both were iust before God, and walked in all the commandements and ordinances of the Lord, without reproofe.
Luke 1:7 And they had no childe, because that Elisabet was barren: and both were well stricken in age.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "time", "herod", "king", "iudea", "certaine", "priest", "named", and "zacharias". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "time" 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 acknowledge the certaintie of..." into verse 6's "Both were iust before God and walked...", so "time" 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 "time" and "herod" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.