1 Chronicles 16:22 (WEB)

Passage

“Don’t touch my anointed ones! Do my prophets no harm!”

Nearby Context

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

1 Chronicles 16:21 He allowed no man to do them wrong. Yes, he reproved kings for their sakes,

1 Chronicles 16:22 “Don’t touch my anointed ones! Do my prophets no harm!”

1 Chronicles 16:23 Sing to Yahweh, all the earth! Display his salvation from day to day.

1 Chronicles 16:24 Declare his glory among the nations, and his marvelous works among all the peoples.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "touch", "anointed", "ones", "prophets", and "harm". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "touch" and "anointed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "He allowed no man to do them..." into verse 23's "Sing to Yahweh all the earth Display...", so "touch" and "anointed" 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 "touch" and "anointed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.