1 Chronicles 16:20 (DBY)

Passage

And they went from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people.

Nearby Context

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 a few men in number, Of small account, and strangers in it.

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

1 Chronicles 16:21 He suffered no man to oppress them, And reproved kings for their sakes,

1 Chronicles 16:22 [Saying,] Touch not mine anointed ones, And do my prophets no harm.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "went", "nation", "kingdom", "another", and "people". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "went" and "nation", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "When ye were a few men in..." into verse 21's "He suffered no man to oppress them...", so "went" and "nation" 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 "went" and "nation" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.