1 Chronicles 16:20
New International Version
they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

New Living Translation
They wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

English Standard Version
wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,

Berean Standard Bible
they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

King James Bible
And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;

New King James Version
When they went from one nation to another, And from one kingdom to another people,

New American Standard Bible
And they wandered from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people,

NASB 1995
And they wandered about from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people,

NASB 1977
And they wandered about from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people,

Legacy Standard Bible
And they wandered about from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people,

Amplified Bible
When they wandered from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people,

Christian Standard Bible
wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another,

American Standard Version
And they went about from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people.

Contemporary English Version
We wandered from nation to nation, from one country to another.

English Revised Version
And they went about from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
they wandered from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another.

Good News Translation
They wandered from country to country, from one kingdom to another.

International Standard Version
wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another,

Majority Standard Bible
they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

NET Bible
they wandered from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another.

New Heart English Bible
They went about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;

World English Bible
They went about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they go up and down, "" From nation to nation, "" And from a kingdom to another people.

Young's Literal Translation
And they go up and down, From nation unto nation, And from a kingdom unto another people.

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will go about from nation to nation, and from kingdom to another people;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they passed from nation to nation: and from a kingdom to another people.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they passed through, from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people.

New American Bible
Wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another,

New Revised Standard Version
wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And when you were carried away captive from nation to nation and from kingdom to another kingdom,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And you were taken captive from nation to nation, and from kingdom to another kingdom.’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And when they went about from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David's Psalm of Thanksgiving
19When they were few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land, 20they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. 21He let no man oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf:…

Cross References
Psalm 105:12-15
When they were few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land, / they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. / He let no man oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf: ...

Genesis 12:1-3
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you. / I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. / I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 17:8
And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”

Exodus 6:7-8
I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. / And I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD!’”

Deuteronomy 7:6-8
For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth. / The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. / But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Hebrews 11:8-9
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going. / By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

Acts 7:2-5
And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, / and told him, ‘Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’ / So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God brought him out of that place and into this land where you are now living. ...

Romans 4:13
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

Galatians 3:16
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.

Genesis 28:13-15
And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie. / Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. / Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Genesis 35:12
The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

Exodus 23:31
And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.

Deuteronomy 32:8-9
When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. / But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.

Psalm 135:12
He gave their land as an inheritance, as a heritage to His people Israel.

Psalm 136:21-22
and He gave their land as an inheritance, His loving devotion endures forever. / a heritage to His servant Israel. His loving devotion endures forever.


Treasury of Scripture

And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;

they went

Genesis 12:10
And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

Genesis 20:1
And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

Genesis 46:3,6
And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: …

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1 Chronicles 16
1. David's festival sacrifice
4. He orders a choir to sing thanksgiving
7. The psalm of thanksgiving
37. He appoints ministers, porters, priests, and musicians, to attend the ark














they wandered
The Hebrew root for "wandered" is "halak," which means to walk or go. This term often implies a journey without a fixed destination, reflecting the nomadic lifestyle of the patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their wandering was not aimless but divinely guided, symbolizing a life of faith and dependence on God. This wandering also serves as a metaphor for the Christian journey, where believers are called to walk by faith, trusting in God's promises and guidance.

from nation to nation
The phrase "from nation to nation" underscores the transient and often precarious existence of the Israelites as they moved through foreign lands. Historically, this reflects the period of the patriarchs and the early Israelites, who lived as sojourners in lands not their own. This movement from one nation to another highlights God's protection and provision, as He preserved His people despite their vulnerable status among powerful nations. It serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty over all nations and His ability to fulfill His promises regardless of human boundaries.

from one kingdom to another
This phrase emphasizes the broader scope of their journey, moving not just between nations but also between kingdoms, which were often larger and more powerful political entities. The historical context here points to the various empires and kingdoms that existed during the biblical era, such as Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria. Despite the potential threats posed by these kingdoms, God’s providence ensured the survival and eventual establishment of Israel as a nation. For Christians, this serves as an assurance that God's plans transcend earthly powers and that His kingdom is eternal and unshakeable.

(20) And when they went from nation to nation.--And they went. This shows that the third plural ("when they were") is original in the last verse. The reference is to the wanderings of the patriarchs.

And from one kingdom.--The conjunction is prosaic, and is not read in Psalm 105:13.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
they wandered
וַיִּֽתְהַלְּכוּ֙ (way·yiṯ·hal·lə·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

from nation
מִגּ֣וֹי (mig·gō·w)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

nation
גּ֔וֹי (gō·w)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

from [one] kingdom
וּמִמַּמְלָכָ֖ה (ū·mim·mam·lā·ḵāh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4467: Kingdom, sovereignty, dominion, reign

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

another.
אַחֵֽר׃ (’a·ḥêr)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 312: Hinder, next, other


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OT History: 1 Chronicles 16:20 They went about from nation to nation (1 Chron. 1Ch iCh i Ch 1 chr 1chr)
1 Chronicles 16:19
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