Luke 1:23 (WEB)

Passage

When the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house.

Nearby Context

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.

Luke 1:24 After these days Elizabeth, his wife, conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying,

Luke 1:25 “Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "days", "service", "fulfilled", "departed", and "house". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "days" and "service", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "When he came out he could not..." into verse 24's "After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived...", so "days" and "service" 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 "service" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.