Luke 1:22

“And when he came out, he could not speak unto them,.... Or deliver the benediction they were waiting for: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: which he made them to understand, by the gestures he used: for he beckoned unto them; nodding his head, or by some motions of his hands the Ethiopic version adds, "with his hand": or of his lips; for the signs of a dumb man are distinguished into and (q); the one is a sign which is expressed by the head and hands; and the other is a sign expressed by the lips: hence that rule, (r). "a dumb man beckons, and is beckoned to; and Ben Bethira says, he moves his lips, and lips are moved to him: and remained speechless; to the time the angel fixed, (q) Bartenora in Misa. Gittin, c. 5. sect. 7. (r) Misn. ib.”

“They perceived that he had seen a vision - As the sanctuary was separated from the court by a great veil, the people could not see what passed, but they understood this from Zacharias himself, who, ην διανευων, made signs, or nodded unto them to that purpose. Signs are the only means by which a dumb man can convey his ideas to others.”