And Zachariah said unto the angel, How shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well advanced in years.
All Commentaries on Luke 1:18 Go To Luke 1
Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
And Zacharias said to the angel, &c. That Isaiah , give a sign or a miracle for a proof to me that the great things which you are promising will surely come to pass. This hesitation on the part of Zacharias seems to have proceeded from want of deliberation and reflection, and therefore was only a venial sin, for which he was punished by being deprived of the power of speech. For otherwise did Abraham, who, when the angel promised that Isaac should be born to him from Sarah who was barren, immediately believed, "for he was strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform," Romans 4:20-21.
