1 Chronicles 16:20 (YLT)

Passage

And they go up and down, From nation unto nation, And from a kingdom unto another people.

Nearby Context

1 Chronicles 16:18 Saying: To thee I give the land of Canaan, The portion of your inheritance,

1 Chronicles 16:19 When ye are few of number, As a little thing, and sojourners in it.

1 Chronicles 16:20 And they go up and down, From nation unto nation, And from a kingdom unto another people.

1 Chronicles 16:21 He hath not suffered any to oppress them, And reproveth on their account kings:

1 Chronicles 16:22 Come not against Mine anointed ones, And against My prophets do not evil.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "down", "nation", "kingdom", "another", and "people". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "down" 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 are few of number As..." into verse 21's "He hath not suffered any to oppress...", so "down" 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 "down" and "nation" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.