But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
But the angel told him, 'Don't be afraid, Zacharias. Your prayers have been heard, and your wife Elizabeth is going to have a son. You're going to name him John.'
Sometimes God's been working on your prayers longer than you think.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of the Gospel of Luke, Zacharias was a devout Jewish priest serving in the temple during the reign of King Herod the Great, a time when Israel was under Roman rule and longed for divine intervention. He and his wife Elizabeth were elderly and childless, which was a source of social shame in Jewish culture that valued family lineage and fertility as signs of God's blessing. The angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias while he was performing his priestly duties, announcing that God had heard his long-standing prayers for a child and that Elizabeth would bear a son named John, who would prepare the way for the Messiah.
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