King James Bible
"And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."
Luke introduces Zechariah and Elizabeth as genuinely righteous in God's sight—not merely by human standards. This divine perspective emphasizes their authentic devotion and sets them apart as faithful Israelites during a spiritually dark period in Israel's history. Their righteousness manifested in comprehensive obedience to both moral laws (commandments) and ceremonial regulations (ordinances). This distinction shows they honored God's covenant fully, maintaining both ethical conduct and ritual purity as a priest and his wife would. Luke clarifies they were without reproach in their observance—not sinlessly perfect, but consistently faithful. This detail heightens the irony of their childlessness, as barrenness was often misunderstood as divine judgment, yet they exemplified covenant faithfulness.