1 Chronicles 16:19 (ASV)

Passage

When ye were but a few men in number, Yea, very few, and sojourners in it;

Nearby Context

1 Chronicles 16:17 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting covenant,

1 Chronicles 16:18 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, The lot of your inheritance;

1 Chronicles 16:19 When ye were but a few men in number, Yea, very few, and sojourners in it;

1 Chronicles 16:20 And they went about from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people.

1 Chronicles 16:21 He suffered no man to do them wrong; Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "number", "very", and "sojourners". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "number" and "very", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Saying Unto thee will I give the..." into verse 20's "And they went about from nation to...", so "number" and "very" belong inside that flow. In 1 Chronicles context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "number" and "very" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.