📖 Biblical Definition
The sojourner among God's people, the resident alien who lives within the covenant community without belonging to it by blood. Hebrew ger. The command is direct and repeated: Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt (Ex 22:21); And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God (Lev 19:33-34); For the LORD your God... loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt (Deut 10:18-19). The principle binds the church across the centuries: love the stranger, remembering that you were once one. The biblical posture also acknowledges the magistrate's real prudential authority to order immigration policy (Rom 13:1-4); kindness to the sojourner present is one duty, prudence in policy is another, and both stand together.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
A stranger or foreigner sojourning in the land.
expand to see more
One who comes to dwell in a country not his own; in Scripture, the sojourner whom Israel was commanded to love and treat with the same justice as the native-born, remembering their bondage in Egypt.
📖 Key Scripture
Leviticus 19:34 — "The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself."
Deuteronomy 10:19 — "Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."
Exodus 22:21 — "You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."
Matthew 25:35 — "I was a stranger and you took Me in."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Reduced to a partisan immigration debate that ignores the plain command to love.
expand to see more
Both political camps weaponize the stranger: one for open-border sentiment, the other for nativist contempt. Scripture upholds law and love together. God commands ordered nations and tender hearts. The church must love the immigrant as native-born without erasing the difference between citizen and sojourner.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew ger (sojourner) and Greek xenos (stranger, guest) frame the duty.
expand to see more
H1616 — ger — sojourner, stranger, alien resident
G3581 — xenos — stranger, foreigner, guest
Usage
"Love the stranger; you were one."
"Law and love are not enemies; God commanded both."
"Cain's question still echoes: where is your brother?"