Luke 1:7 (WEB)

Passage

But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Luke 1:6 They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

Luke 1:7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.

Luke 1:8 Now while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his division,

Luke 1:9 according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "child", "elizabeth", "barren", "both", "well", "advanced", and "years". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "child" and "elizabeth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "They were both righteous before God walking..." into verse 8's "Now while he executed the priest s...", so "child" and "elizabeth" 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 "child" and "elizabeth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.