Luke 1:10 kjv
And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
Luke 1:10 nkjv
And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
Luke 1:10 niv
And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
Luke 1:10 esv
And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
Luke 1:10 nlt
While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
Luke 1 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 30:7-8 | Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it every morning... and again when he lights the lamps at twilight... a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. | God's command for regular incense offering in the Tabernacle/Temple. |
| Ps 141:2 | Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! | Directly links incense with prayer as a spiritual offering to God. |
| Rev 5:8 | ...and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. | New Testament reaffirmation of incense as symbolic of saints' prayers. |
| Rev 8:3-4 | And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne... and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. | Heavenly vision explicitly connecting incense smoke with rising prayers. |
| 1 Chr 23:13 | ...the sons of Aaron were set apart to consecrate the most holy things, that they and their sons forever might make offerings to the Lord, minister to him and pronounce blessings in his name. | Role of the priests (like Zechariah) in ministering before the Lord. |
| 2 Chr 29:28 | The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished. | Describes the synchronized corporate worship outside during Temple service. |
| Isa 60:6 | ...they shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. | Prophetic connection of frankincense (a component of holy incense) with worship. |
| Jer 29:12 | Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. | God's promise to hear the prayers of His people. |
| Joel 2:16 | ...gather the people... let them pray! | Call for communal prayer and assembly. |
| Matt 18:20 | For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. | Highlights the significance and presence of God in communal gatherings for prayer. |
| Acts 1:14 | All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. | Early church practice of unified, persistent prayer. |
| Acts 2:42 | And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. | The early Christian community's devotion to prayer, including corporate prayer. |
| Acts 4:24 | And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them..." | Example of a multitude of people praying together with one accord. |
| Luke 2:25 | Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon... waiting for the consolation of Israel... | Reflects the wider Jewish anticipation and longing during this era. |
| Luke 2:38 | ...and at that very hour she came up and began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. | Many were waiting and praying for God's redemptive work. |
| Phil 4:6 | Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. | General instruction on the importance of making requests to God through prayer. |
| 1 Tim 2:1 | First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. | Encouragement for continuous, varied prayer. |
| Heb 9:6 | These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section of the tent, performing their ritual duties. | Description of priests regularly performing their duties within the sanctuary. |
| Ezra 3:3 | ...they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, morning and evening. | Post-exilic Temple ritual confirming morning and evening sacrifices. |
| Dan 6:10 | When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. | Jews often prayed towards Jerusalem/Temple at specific times. |
| Zech 8:21-22 | The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, "Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going." Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. | Prophetic vision of future global corporate seeking of God, reminiscent of Temple gatherings. |
| Matt 21:13 | He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’..." | Emphasizes the primary function of the Temple as a place of prayer. |
Luke 1 verses
Luke 1 10 Meaning
Luke 1:10 describes the concurrent scene outside the Temple sanctuary while the priest Zechariah ministered inside. It highlights a common practice in Second Temple Judaism where a large assembly of God's people were gathered to offer corporate prayer, harmonizing their supplications with the sacred act of offering incense within the Holy Place. This moment signifies the people's collective dependence on God and their participation in the Temple's liturgical rhythm, providing a backdrop of spiritual earnestness for the divine revelation Zechariah was about to receive.
Luke 1 10 Context
Luke chapter 1 begins by setting the historical and religious scene within Judaism during the reign of King Herod of Judea. The immediate context of verse 10 is the priestly service of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. As a priest of the division of Abijah, it was his turn to serve in the Jerusalem Temple. According to Jewish custom, the lot determined which priest would enter the Holy Place to burn incense (Luke 1:9), an extremely honored duty. While Zechariah was performing this singular task inside the sacred precinct, the surrounding areas of the Temple courtyards would be filled with worshipping people. This verse captures a specific moment during the daily, fixed time of worship – either the morning or evening offering – where the private, holy duty of the priest converged with the collective, public devotion of the congregation. The scene underscores the disciplined and devout nature of Jewish worship in the Second Temple period and provides a solemn backdrop for the divine intervention that follows.
Luke 1 10 Word analysis
- And (καὶ - kai): A common conjunction linking this scene directly to Zechariah's entrance into the Holy Place in the previous verse, establishing continuity.
- the whole (πᾶν - pan): Signifies the totality or entirety. It emphasizes that not just a few individuals, but the entire assembled multitude was involved, indicating a robust, unified act of devotion.
- multitude (τὸ πλῆθος - to plēthos): Refers to a great number or assembly. It highlights the significant turnout of worshippers, typical for the daily Temple rituals.
- of the (τοῦ): Greek definite article, indicating specificity.
- people (λαοῦ - laou): Refers specifically to the people of Israel, the covenant people of God, distinguishing them from gentiles or others. It implies their identity as God's chosen.
- were praying (προσευχόμενον - proseuchomenon): An imperfect participle, indicating a continuous, ongoing action. The people were actively engaged in sustained prayer, not just a brief utterance. This highlights their earnestness and the duration of the ritual.
- without (ἔξω - exō): Literally means "outside." This indicates their location in the outer courtyards of the Temple, distinct from the inner Holy Place where the priest was. This physical separation underscored the unique, consecrated role of the priest in the inner sanctuary.
- at the (τῆς - tēs): Greek definite article.
- time (ὥρᾳ - hōra): Refers to a specific hour or designated period. It signifies a fixed, scheduled liturgical moment, namely the established hours for the morning or evening Temple service when incense was offered.
- of incense (τοῦ θυμιάματος - tou thymiāmatos): Refers to the offering of fragrant incense on the golden altar in the Holy Place. This was a central ritual act, symbolizing the prayers of God's people ascending to Him (Ps 141:2, Rev 8:3-4).
Words-group analysis:
- "And the whole multitude of the people": This phrase emphasizes the collective, communal aspect of Israel's worship. It was a large, united body of believers actively participating, underscoring the solidarity in their faith and devotion. This corporate worship set the stage for a public manifestation of God's presence and action.
- "were praying without": This combination highlights the spatial separation between the priestly action within the sanctuary and the people's engagement in the outer court. Their posture was one of fervent supplication, sustained throughout the critical moments of the ritual inside, signifying expectation and dependence on divine intervention.
- "at the time of incense": This phrase points to a very specific, hallowed moment in the Temple's daily liturgy. The offering of incense was understood as prayers rising to God. Therefore, the people's outdoor prayers were intrinsically linked to and harmonized with the symbolic spiritual "scent" ascending to God from within the Holy Place, creating a powerful spiritual symphony of worship. This was a moment pregnant with expectation, as the smoke of the incense carried their hopes and petitions heavenward.
Luke 1 10 Bonus section
- A "Cloud of Witnesses" on Earth: The "whole multitude of the people" can be seen as a precursor to the "great cloud of witnesses" mentioned in Heb 12:1. Their presence in corporate prayer demonstrates the active, visual aspect of faith community support during pivotal moments of God's redemptive history.
- Anticipation for the Messiah: While not explicitly stated, the context of Luke 1, with prophecies of Jesus' and John's births, suggests that many of these praying individuals were likely among those "waiting for the consolation of Israel" or "for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:25, 38). Their corporate prayer during a solemn Temple ritual was often accompanied by a longing for the fulfillment of God's promises.
- Silence and Awe: Although the verse mentions prayer, the atmosphere during the burning of incense was typically one of profound quietness and awe among the people outside. Their prayer might have been silent, reverent meditation or soft murmurs, creating a solemn stillness that magnified the significance of the hidden priest's actions inside and made the angelic appearance to Zechariah all the more striking within this sacred silence.
Luke 1 10 Commentary
Luke 1:10 portrays a vivid snapshot of the daily spiritual life in Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. It describes the synchronous acts of worship: the priest Zechariah performing his sacred duty of burning incense inside the Holy Place, and the vast congregation of Israelites outside, united in fervent prayer. This alignment was no coincidence; the rising smoke of the incense was believed to symbolize the ascending prayers of the people, an age-old connection found in both Old and New Testaments. This deep sense of anticipation and communal supplication provides the perfect, God-honoring environment for the monumental divine intervention that subsequently occurs with Zechariah. The verse underscores the devoutness of the age and the people's earnest expectation of God's moving in their midst, serving as a powerful illustration of the fertile spiritual ground upon which God chose to initiate His redemptive plan through the announcement of John the Baptist's birth.