1 Chronicles 16 19

1 Chronicles 16:19 kjv

When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.

1 Chronicles 16:19 nkjv

When you were few in number, Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

1 Chronicles 16:19 niv

When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,

1 Chronicles 16:19 esv

When you were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it,

1 Chronicles 16:19 nlt

He said this when you were few in number,
a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.

1 Chronicles 16 verses

1 Chronicles 16 19 Meaning

1 Chronicles 16:19 recalls the foundational period of the nation of Israel, specifically referencing the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It emphasizes that during this nascent stage, the ancestors of Israel were numerically insignificant, a mere handful of people, and held no native claim or settled status in the land of Canaan, living instead as temporary residents. This state of apparent vulnerability and transient existence served to highlight God's profound and unwavering commitment to His covenant promises, as it was solely His divine power and faithfulness that protected and preserved them despite their inherent weakness.

1 Chronicles 16 19 Context

1 Chronicles 16 presents David's great psalm of thanksgiving and praise, delivered on the day the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem. This act solidified Jerusalem as the religious and political center of Israel. The psalm recounts God's covenant faithfulness and providential care from the time of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) through the Exodus and wilderness wanderings, and up to the establishment of the kingdom under David. Verse 19 specifically quotes Psalm 105:12, grounding David's present rejoicing in the historical narrative of God's steadfast love and miraculous preservation of His chosen people, even when they were insignificant and vulnerable. It serves as a reminder that Israel's very existence and their possession of the land were not due to their own strength or numbers but entirely to God's initiative and sovereign protection, emphasizing their ongoing dependence on Him.

1 Chronicles 16 19 Word analysis

• when: Establishes a temporal context, pointing to the very beginning of Israel's journey as a people, long before their rise to prominence. It also subtly emphasizes that this weakness was not temporary, but characterized their foundation.
• they: Refers to the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and their immediate families, representing the earliest embryonic stage of the nation of Israel. This highlights their direct link to God's foundational covenant.
• were but: A phrase emphasizing the restrictive and limited nature of their condition, underscoring their fragility and humble origins. It implies an "only" or "no more than" state.
• a few: Hebrew: מְתֵי מִסְפָּר (mᵉthê mispar) - literally "men of number" or "few in number." This denotes scarcity, emphasizing their numerical insignificance. It stands in stark contrast to God's promise of countless descendants.
• men: Hebrew: מְתֵי (mᵉthê) - "men of," combined with "number," highlights the count of individuals, making their smallness tangible and explicit.
• in number: Reinforces the quantitative smallness, stressing that their aggregate count was meager, directly challenging any human expectation of their survival or growth.
• yea: An emphatic particle, "even" or "indeed," serving to intensify the preceding statement and underscore the degree of their numerical smallness.
• very few: Further intensifies and re-emphasizes their extremely limited count, driving home the point of their vulnerability from a human perspective. This repetition ensures the audience fully grasps their initial state.
• and: Connects two distinct, yet complementary, aspects of their vulnerable status.
• strangers: Hebrew: גָּרִים (garim) - "sojourners," "aliens," or "foreign residents." This denotes someone living in a place who is not a native and lacks full rights, particularly land ownership. It emphasizes their transient, precarious, and insecure status in a land that was promised to them but not yet fully possessed. They were guests, dependent on the goodwill of others.
• in it: Refers to the land of Canaan, the promised land. This detail is crucial; it means they were strangers within the very land God had pledged to give them, highlighting God's future fulfillment of His promise and their present dependence solely on Him.

Words-group analysis:

• "a few men... yea, very few": This repetitive phrasing dramatically underscores the overwhelming numerical disadvantage of God's chosen people at their origin. It accentuates the contrast between their human weakness and the divine power that would ensure their survival and growth, later making them countless. It is a polemic against reliance on human strength or numbers for success.
• "and strangers in it": This phrase highlights their profound lack of land, legal status, and secure dwelling in the very land of promise. Their "stranger" status implies dependency, vulnerability, and a constant reliance on God for protection, as they had no worldly power base or settled claim. It frames their existence as a pilgrimage, not permanent settlement, foreshadowing the Christian concept of believers as sojourners on earth.

1 Chronicles 16 19 Bonus section

The repeated emphasis on "few" (mᵉthê mispar, "a few in number" and "very few") uses rhetorical repetition to imprint the idea of smallness deeply. This mirrors a recurring theme in Scripture where God deliberately chooses the small, the weak, and the few to display His own immeasurable power and ensure that the glory belongs solely to Him (Deut 7:7, 1 Cor 1:27-28). The term גָּרִים (garim - "strangers/sojourners") also carried a deeper theological implication for ancient Israel, reminding them that the land truly belonged to God (Lev 25:23). They were always, in a sense, guests on God's property, underscoring His ultimate sovereignty and their temporary tenure on earth. This verse serves as a historical precedent for understanding believers today as spiritual sojourners and pilgrims, whose true home is not of this world, constantly reliant on divine provision and protection while awaiting the heavenly country.

1 Chronicles 16 19 Commentary

1 Chronicles 16:19 is a profound statement regarding the humble and vulnerable beginnings of God's chosen people, Israel. It pulls from the song of praise in Psalm 105, which celebrates God's unwavering faithfulness to His covenant throughout history. The verse highlights two key aspects of the patriarchs: their numerical insignificance and their status as rootless strangers in the land promised to them. This imagery starkly contrasts with God's immense power and His covenant oath. It powerfully conveys that Israel's establishment, preservation, and eventual possession of the land were never by their own strength or wisdom, but solely by the miraculous intervention and sovereign protection of the Almighty God. It is a powerful theological declaration that God's plan triumphs over human limitations and vulnerabilities, fostering complete dependence on His divine character. This truth sets the stage for David's thanksgiving, acknowledging that all blessings flow from God's steadfast love, mirroring the initial reliance of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.