Were waiting (ην προσδοκων). Periphrastic imperfect again. An old Greek verb for expecting. Appears in papyri and inscriptions. It…

The people waited. That is, beyond the usual time.

Marvelled. Wondered. The priest, it is said, was not accustomed to rema…

By the signs he made, he impressed them with the fact that something extraordinary had happened.

St. John Chrysostom: Considering his own age and the barrenness of his wife, Zacharias doubted, as it is said: And Zachari…

The element of suspense during the unusually long prayer-time contributes to the vividness of Luke’s narrative. The worshipers, who had been prayin…

And the people were waiting, Luke now relates that the people were witnesses of this vision. Zacharias had stayed in the temple longer tha…

And the people waited for Zacharias
That were without, in the court of the Israelites, praying there, while he was o…

The father and mother of John the Baptist were sinners, as all are, and were justified and saved in the same way as others; but they were distingui…