And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
The history to which this verse belongs began with Zacharias ministering before the golden altar in the holy place while the cloud of incense ascended with the prayers of Israel. An angel stood on the right side of the altar as a sign of favor to announce that his prayers of many years for the coming of the Redeemer were about to be answered, a mercy so great that Zacharias was filled with fear and self-condemnation and could hardly credit it. The verse is part of the extraordinary account of John's birth, which included the angel's appearance to Zacharias, Zacharias losing his speech, and his speech returning when John was born. In the verse itself the relatives object to naming Elizabeth's son John on the ground that none of her kindred is called by that name. The remarkable circumstances of John's birth and the signs surrounding Zacharias were largely forgotten during the thirty years before his ministry and were recalled when John appeared as a prophet.
The history to which this verse belongs began with Zacharias ministering before the golden altar in the holy place while the cloud of incense ascended with the prayers of Israel. An angel stood on the right side of the altar as a sign of favor to announce that his prayers of many years for the coming of the Redeemer were about to be answered, a mercy so great that Zacharias was filled with fear and self-condemnation and could hardly credit it. The verse is part of the extraordinary account of John's birth, which included the angel's appearance to Zacharias, Zacharias losing his speech, and his speech returning when John was born. In the verse itself the relatives object to naming Elizabeth's son John on the ground that none of her kindred is called by that name. The remarkable circumstances of John's birth and the signs surrounding Zacharias were largely forgotten during the thirty years before his ministry and were recalled when John appeared as a prophet.