Luke 1:21 (WEB)

Passage

The people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled that he delayed in the temple.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.

Luke 1:20 Behold, you will be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things will happen, because you didn’t believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

Luke 1:21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled that he delayed in the temple.

Luke 1:22 When he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute.

Luke 1:23 When the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "people", "waiting", "zacharias", "marveled", "delayed", 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 "Behold you will be silent and not..." into verse 22's "When he came out he could not...", 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.