John Calvin Commentary Luke 1:21

"And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marvelled while he tarried in the temple." — Luke 1:21 (ASV)

And the people were waiting, Luke now relates that the people were witnesses of this vision. Zacharias had stayed in the temple longer than usual, which led to the assumption that something uncommon had happened to him.

When he came out, he made known by his looks and gestures that he had been struck dumb. There is also reason to believe that there were traces of alarm on his face. Therefore, they concluded that God had appeared to him.

It is true that there were few or no visions in that age, but the people remembered that previously, in the time of their ancestors, visions had occurred frequently.

Therefore, it was not without reason that they drew this conclusion from the obvious symptoms: for it was not an ordinary occurrence [it was not a common accident, but rather an astonishing work of God,²²] that he suddenly became dumb without any disease and, after an unusually long delay, came out of the temple in a state of amazement.

The word temple, as we have already mentioned, is used for the sanctuary where the altar of incense stood (Exodus 30:1). From this place, the priests, after performing their sacred functions, usually went out into their own court to bless the people.

²² Ce n'estoit point un accident commun, mais plustost une ceuvre ad-mirable de Dieu — — Fr.