1:22a

was unable to speak to them: Zechariah was unable to talk, so he was not able to tell the people what he had seen in the temple.

1:22b

they realized: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as realized indicates that the people “understood” or “came to know” that Zechariah had seen a vision. Some other ways to say this are:

they perceived (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
it became clear to them

he had seen a vision: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a vision implies here that the angel appeared to Zechariah in a supernatural way. A human being is not able to see an angel unless God makes him able to see the angel. The meaning in this context is a little different from the usual meaning of vision. Usually, a vision refers to something similar to a dream, except that a person is awake when he sees it.

Some other ways to translate this are:

he had seen something supernatural
-or-
God had showed him something

1:22c

There is a Greek conjunction at the beginning of this verse part that is often translated as “and” in English. It introduces an explanation of how the people realized that Zechariah had seen a vision. Some translations, such as the New International Version, translate it as “for.” Other translations, including the Berean Standard Bible, do not translate it. Connect this part of the verse to 1:22b in a natural way in your language. See the General Comment on 1:22a–d at the end of the notes on 1:22d for suggestions about reordering the parts of this verse.

He kept making signs to them: The phrase making signs describes the way in which Zechariah tried to communicate with the people. He did this by moving his hands and perhaps also his head. The form of the verb indicates that he did this action many times.

1:22d

but: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but is often translated as “and” in English. Some English versions use but because it is natural in English to indicate a contrast between what Zechariah could do (1:22c) and what he could not do. Other English versions translate the conjunction as “and,” or they do not translate it. Connect 1:22d to 1:22c in the way that is most natural in your language in this context.

remained speechless: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as remained speechless can mean unable to speak, unable to hear, or both. Here it includes the idea that Zechariah remained speechless, since that is what Gabriel had said. Luke 1:62 may indicate that Zechariah was also deaf. If your language has a word that means both unable to speak and unable to hear, you may use it here.

This verse refers specifically to Zechariah as he tried to communicate with the people at the temple. Luke 1:62–64 indicates that he remained speechless for a long time (for at least nine months).

General Comment on 1:22a–d

In some languages, it may be necessary to reorder this verse. One way to do that is to put the description of Zechariah’s behavior first and then give the people’s conclusion that Zechariah had seen a vision. For example:

22aWhen Zechariah came out of the temple, he could not talk to them. 22cHe made hand signals to them 22dbut remained mute. 22bThen/so the people realized that he had seen a vision.
-or-

22aWhen he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. 22bThen they realized 22cfrom his gestures 22dand his silence 22bthat he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary. (New Living Translation (2004))

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