I Chronicles 16:19 · Bible study
1 Chronicles 16:19 Commentary: Few in Number, Foreigners in the Land
Hebrew · 4 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Discover why the psalmist recalls the patriarchs’ small numbers and foreign status when celebrating God’s covenant promise in 1 Chronicles 16:19.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The verse emphasizes the patriarchs’ vulnerability, few in number and sojourners, as the context for God’s covenant and protection.
- Key words: me‘at (few/little) and garim (sojourners), words that underscore smallness and temporary residence.
- Main debate: Whether the focus is primarily on historical memory or on a theological pattern (God choosing the weak). Both are present.
- Theological theme: God’s faithfulness to His promises does not depend on human strength or numbers.
- Best use: To encourage individuals or churches who feel small, insecure, or out of place that God sees, protects, and keeps His word.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
When they were few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land,
WEB World English Bible 2000
when you were but a few men in number, yes, very few, and foreigners in it.
KJV King James Version 1769
When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
When ye were but a few men in number, Yea, very few, and sojourners in it;
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
When ye are few of number, As a little thing, and sojourners in it.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
When ye were a few men in number, Of small account, and strangers in it.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
When they were but a small number: very few and sojourners in it.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Cuando erais pocos en número, pocos y peregrinos en ella;
Quando vós éreis poucos em número, poucos, e estrangeiros nela;
Ils étaient alors peu nombreux,
da sie wenig und gering waren und Fremdlinge darin.
Als gij weinige mensen in getal waart; ja, weinigen en vreemdelingen daarin.
Non erano allora che poca gente, pochissimi e stranieri nel paese,
Choć was była mała liczba, a przez krótki czas byliście przychodniami w niej;
Они были тогда малочисленны и ничтожны, и пришельцы в ней,
當時 你們人丁 有限，數目稀少，並且在那地 為寄居的；
When you were still small in number, and strange in the land;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Chronicles 16:19
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse highlights the patriarchs' humble and vulnerable state as a backdrop to God's covenant faithfulness. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that the KJV's "strangers" is better rendered "sojourners", resident aliens who made a prolonged stay in Canaan. The double emphasis, "few in number, yes, very few", intensifies the smallness and precariousness of the patriarchs. This detail is not incidental; it sets the stage for the psalm's celebration of God's protective care (vv. 20, 22). God's covenant was made with a people who had no land, no power, and no security, making His faithfulness all the more remarkable.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse clearly states that the patriarchs were few in number and sojourners in Canaan, emphasizing their vulnerable and dependent state when God made His covenant promise.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The historical fact of the patriarchs being few and sojourners | All traditions affirm that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were literally few in number and lived as resident aliens in Canaan. | Some emphasize the literal land promise to Israel; others see a typological pattern for Christians as pilgrims on earth (Hebrews 11:13). |
| The theological purpose of highlighting vulnerability | Christians agree that God chose the weak to display His glory and grace. | Reformed traditions stress God's sovereign election of the few; Arminian and other traditions focus on human faith and dependence in weakness. |
| The term 'sojourner' (ger) and its implications | It denotes a resident alien with limited rights, dependent on the host culture. | Some see it as primarily about the patriarchs' temporary status in Canaan before the conquest; others apply it to the Christian's transient life in the world. |
| Connection to the land promise | The verse is part of the covenant narrative where God promises the land of Canaan. | Jewish interpretation retains the literal land promise; Christian interpretation often sees the land as a type of the new creation or heavenly country. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse occurs within David's psalm of thanksgiving when the ark of the covenant was brought to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15, 16). The ark signified God's presence and the nation's identity as His chosen people. The psalm draws from Psalm 105, a hymn that traces God's covenant from Abraham through the Exodus. Verses 15, 18 recount the covenant promise of the land; verse 19 then describes the condition of the patriarchs when that promise was given. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were indeed few in number and lived as gerim, sojourners or resident aliens, in Canaan. They owned only a burial plot (Genesis 23) and depended on the hospitality of the local inhabitants. The term "sojourner" carried cultural weight: a ger had limited legal rights and lived in vulnerability, reliant on the protection of the host people. This made God's intervention all the more dramatic: He reproved kings for their sake (v. 21) and allowed no one to harm them. The historical reality of the patriarchs' smallness and foreignness is echoed in Deuteronomy 7:7, where Moses tells Israel that God did not choose them because they were numerous, they were the fewest of all peoples. The psalmist includes this detail to show that God's covenant did not rest on human strength but on divine grace. For the original audience, this was a call to remember their origins and trust not in their own power but in God's faithful promises.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for 1 Chronicles 16:19. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, and the verse appears in essentially the same form in Psalm 105:12, confirming its original wording.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, this verse is part of the Hallel psalms sung at festivals, recalling God's faithfulness to the patriarchs. Early Christian writers such as Augustine saw in the patriarchs' sojourning a picture of the church as a pilgrim people on earth. During the Reformation, the verse was used to illustrate justification by grace alone, God chooses the weak and outcast. In modern contexts, it has become a source of comfort for refugee and immigrant believers, reminding them that God protects those who are few and foreign. The verse also appears in hymns that celebrate God's covenant with the humble.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s covenant with the small. The patriarchs were “few in number, yes, very few.” Yet God made an everlasting covenant with them. This shows that God’s choice is not based on human size or strength.
- God’s care for the vulnerable. They were “foreigners in the land,” without citizenship or security. God protected them, reproving kings and allowing no harm (vv. 21, 22).
- God’s faithfulness to the pilgrim. The patriarchs lived as sojourners, yet God gave them the promise of the land. This foreshadows the Christian life as a pilgrimage toward God’s eternal kingdom.
Five-point outline
- The patriarchs’ lowly condition, few and foreign.
- The covenant’s unlikely recipients, not the powerful but the powerless.
- God’s protective providence, guarding and guiding through every move.
- The promise of the land, held out to those who had no claim.
- A model for our trust, when we feel small or out of place, God remains faithful.
Illustration hooks
- A small acorn grows into a mighty oak. The beginning looks insignificant, but the outcome is massive. God’s work often starts with what seems too small to matter.
- An immigrant family arrives in a new country with nothing but a promise. They face suspicion and hardship, yet over generations they flourish. The patriarchs’ journey mirrors this experience.
- A startup with three people in a garage eventually becomes a global enterprise. The early days are marked by scarcity and uncertainty, but the vision outlasts the odds.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does my small contribution matter to God? This verse says yes, God works through the few and the lowly.
- How can I trust God when I feel like an outsider? The patriarchs were strangers, and God protected them. He sees your vulnerability.
- Why does God allow His people to be weak? So that His strength and faithfulness become visible in our weakness.
Leading a Discussion
This verse appears in a psalm that celebrates God's covenant faithfulness. It reminds us that God’s promises are often given to people who have nothing to offer in return, the few, the foreign, the vulnerable. Use these questions to explore how this truth speaks to your own walk with God.
Discussion questions
- Read 1 Chronicles 16:15, 22. What details about the patriarchs does the psalmist emphasize in verse 19? Why do you think he repeats “few in number” and adds “very few”?
- How does the description of the patriarchs as “foreigners” or “sojourners” compare with what you know about their lives from Genesis?
- Verses 20, 22 describe God’s response to their vulnerability. What does this tell you about God’s character and His care for His people?
- Why might David include this historical review in a psalm about the ark coming to Jerusalem? What was he calling Israel to remember?
- In what areas of your life do you currently feel “few” or “foreign”, lacking numbers, resources, or belonging? How does this verse speak into that situation?
- How does the New Testament pick up on this theme of God’s people as strangers and pilgrims (see Hebrews 11:13)? How does that shape your identity as a Christian?
- What is one specific step you can take this week to trust God more deeply in an area where you feel small or out of place?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 34:30 | Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house.” |
| Deuteronomy 7:7 | Yahweh didn’t set his love on you nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all peoples; |
| Acts 7:5 | He gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his offspring after him, when he still had no child. |
| Hebrews 11:13 | These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
4 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that the patriarchs were not mere strangers passing through Canaan but sojourners who made an extended stay. The Revised Version's rendering as "sojourners" captures this sense of a prolonged temporary residence, setting them apart from ordinary wanderers.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note emphasizes that God's people were not just few, but very few, and not in their own land. The repetition drives home how utterly small and vulnerable they were as strangers, making God's protection of them all the more remarkable.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange treats the song in 1 Chronicles 16 as an ideal composition, not a verbatim transcript. He argues the Chronicler wove together passages from Psalms 105, 96, and 106 to create a fitting hymn for the ark's dedication, much like the canticles in Luke's Gospel.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that this psalm was composed for public worship, not private devotion, and that its core charge is to broadcast God's deeds among all nations, not just Israel. He highlights the progression from Israel's covenant memory to a universal call, urging every people to give God the glory due His name.