This passage gives the background on the childless couple, who are from the priestly lineage, and explains how Gabriel the angel came to Zacharias while he was on duty in the temple and told him he would have a son.

Here are some interesting things I found.

1. ephemeria, where we get the word ‘ephemeral’. It comes from the word hemera or ‘day’, and it means Zacharias was a priest who served on certain days. He is in the temple because his number has come up.
2. The text places uses more words to introduce Elisabet, his wife, who is ek ton thugateron Aaron, ‘from the daughters of Aaron’. This is curious. It hints of a line of succession of faithful women, stretching 1500 years back to the time of the first High Priest, a line of proud, God-fearing matriarchs.
3. Elisabet is steira, barren, from where we get our word ‘sterile’.
4. Zacharias is in the temple for the hour of thumiamatos. His job was to burn incense. Greek words making their way into the English language often switch a ‘u’ into a ‘y’. Can you see the name of a herb hiding here? Thyme. Back in the day, elsewhere in the Greek speaking world, thyme must has been used as incense.
5. Zacharias saw (ophthe, from the word ‘optometrist’) an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
6. The angel, who later identifies himself as Gabriel, is there because Zacharias’ deesis has been heard. This word comes from the root deo, and the verb deomai means “I need”. It struck me that the normal word for prayer, proseuche was not used here, and Gabriel is speaking to Zacharias individually. It is his deep need that has been heard. I know in my own marriage, my wife is the one who tends to vocalise her feelings and she interprets my silence as indifference, when the opposite is true. Zacharias, at his core, has a deep, silent need for a son. So deep, perhaps, that he cannot put it into words. (It is telling that Zacharias is struck dumb for the next nine months)
7. Gabriel tells Zacharias that his wife Elisabet will produce a son and he (not they) will call him Ioannes. (Actually, he says Ioannen, because the ending of Greek names change, depending on whether you’re talking about someone doing something, or something being done to them). In English, we call him ‘John’, but you can see that the name Johannes is more accurate to what he was called.
8. It’s curious that Zacharias talks back and questions the angel. He’s having the weirdest moment of his life, but he has enough fortitude to ask him…