Luk 1:9-10 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 9. His lot was , &c.] We are informed in the Talmud , that it was the custom of the priests to divide the different functions of the sacerdotal office among themselves by lot : and, in this case, the decision of the lot was, that Zacharias should at that time burn the incense before the Lord, in the holy place.

‏ Luke 1:9-10

Verse 9. His lot was, &c.] We are informed in the Talmud, that it was the custom of the priests to divide the different functions of the sacerdotal office among themselves by lot: and, in this case, the decision of the lot was, that Zacharias should at that time burn the incense before the Lord, in the holy place.

Verse 10. The whole multitude-were praying] The incense was itself an emblem of the prayers and praises of the people of God: see Ps 141:2; Re 8:1. While, therefore, the rite is performing by the priest, the people are employed in the thing signified. Happy the people who attend to the spirit as well as the letter of every divine institution! Incense was burnt twice a day in the temple, in the morning and in the evening, Ex 30:7, 8; but the evangelist does not specify the time of the day in which this transaction took place. It was probably in the morning.