Luke 1:22 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Luke 1:22
And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Luke 1:62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
John 13:24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
Acts 12:17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he sai…
Acts 19:33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his de…
Acts 21:40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great sil…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Luke 1:5-25
The two preceding evangelists had agreed to begin the gospel with the baptism of John and his ministry, which commenced about six months before our Saviour's public ministry (and now, things being near a crisis, six months was a deal of time, which before was but a little), and therefore this evangelist, designing to give a more particular account than had been given of our Saviour's conception and birth, determines to do so of John Baptist, who in both was his harbinger and forerunner, the morning-star to the Sun of righteousness. The evangelist determines thus, not only because it is commonly reckoned a satisfaction and entertainment to know something of the original extraction and early d…
They perceived that he had seen a vision - As the sanctuary was separated from the court by a great veil, the people could not see what passed, but they understood this from Zacharias himself, who, ην διανευων, made signs, or nodded unto them to that purpose. Signs are the only means by which a dumb man can convey his ideas to others.
John Gill on Luke 1:22
And when he came out, he could not speak unto them,.... Or deliver the benediction they were waiting for:
and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: which he made them to understand, by the gestures he used: for he beckoned unto them; nodding his head, or by some motions of his hands the Ethiopic version adds, "with his hand": or of his lips; for the signs of a dumb man are distinguished into and (q); the one is a sign which is expressed by the head and hands; and the other is a sign expressed by the lips: hence that rule, (r).
"a dumb man beckons, and is beckoned to; and Ben Bethira says, he moves his lips, and lips are moved to him:
and remained speechless; to the time…
But a nod is a certain action of the body, without speech endeavouring to declare the will, yet not expressing it.
But in one man the voice of the people was put to silence, because in one man the whole people was addressing God. For the word of God has come over to us, and in us is not silent. He is dumb who understands not the Law; for why should you think the man who knows not a sound, to be more dumb than him who knows not a mystery. The Jewish people are like to one beckoning, who cannot make his actions intelligible.
Zechariah the priest, while he offers incense in the temple, is condemned to silence and holds his peace; indeed, he speaks only by nods, and remains mute right up to the birth of his son John. To what does this history point? The silence of Zechariah is the silence of the prophets among the people of Israel. In no way does God speak to them, and "the word, which in the beginning was God with the Father", has passed over to us, and Christ is not silent to us, though among them he is silent even to this day: for which reason also the prophet Zechariah kept silent. For it is most clearly proved from his very words that he was both a prophet and a priest. But what does this mean, which follows: "he was making signs to them" and made up for the loss of his voice by nods? I think that such works are those which, being without speech and reason, differ in nothing from nods. But where reason and speech have gone before and the work has thus followed after, they ought not to be reckoned mere nods, which are adorned with speech and reason. If therefore you see the manner of life of the Jews to be without reason and speech, so that they cannot render a reason for the things they do, understand that what then took place in Zechariah is even now being fulfilled in them as in an image. Their circumcision is like nods. For unless a reason for circumcision be rendered, circumcision is a nod and a mute work. The Passover and the other solemn feasts are nods rather than truth. To this day the people of Israel is deaf and "mute"; for it could not be otherwise than that he should be deaf and "mute" who had cast speech away from himself. And of old indeed Moses said: "but I am ἄλογος (without speech or reason)" — which, though the Latin has rendered it otherwise, can nevertheless be more properly translated: "without speech or reason" —, and after he said this, he received reason or speech, which he had confessed that he did not before possess. But the people of Israel in Egypt, before it received the law, was in a certain way "mute", without speech and reason; then it received speech, of which Moses was an image. This people, therefore, does not now confess what it then confessed in Moses, namely that it is "mute" and ἄλογος, but by nods and silence indicates that it does not have speech and does not have reason. Does it not seem to you to be a confession of foolishness, when…
Dictionary and topics
John the Baptist — The “forerunner of our Lord.” We have but fragmentary and imperfect accounts of him in the Gospels. He was of priestly descent. His father, Zacharias, was a priest of the course of Abia (1 Chr.…
Vision — (Luke 1:22), a vivid apparition, not a dream (comp. Luke 24:23; Acts 26:19; 2 Cor. 12:1).
Barrenness · .El — .El
Elisabeth (Elizabeth) · The wife of Zacharias and the mother of — The wife of Zacharias and the mother of
Visions · Often accompanied: An appearance of angels — Often accompanied: An appearance of angels
Zacharias (Zechariah) · 2. The father of — 2. The father of
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Calvin on Luke 1:21-25
Luke 1:21-25
Luke 1:21-25
21. And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondered that he tarried in the temple. 22. And when he came out, he could not speak to them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he made them to understand by signs, [21] and remained speechless. 23. And it happened, when the days of his office were fulfilled, he departed to his own house. 24. Now after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25. Thus hath the Lord done to me in the days when he looked, that he might take away my reproach among men.
21. And the people were waiting Luke now relates that the people were witnesses of this vision. Zac…
now . . . you will be silent and unable to speak: This discipline for Zechariah’s lack of faith was also a sign that confirmed the prophecy. The Greek word translated silent in 1:22 can also mean “deaf” (7:22; cp. 1:62). • Zechariah is contrasted with Mary, who responded with faith (1:38).
