📖 Biblical Definition
The sojourner is Scripture's foreigner welcomed into the covenant community with specific protections. "You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt" (Ex 23:9). "Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt" (Deut 10:19). The sojourner shared the Sabbath rest (Ex 20:10), ate the Passover if circumcised (Num 9:14), and was protected from oppression and legal disadvantage. But the NT extends the title to every believer: "I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh" (1 Pet 2:11). We are the foreigners here; our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20). The biblical sojourner-ethics cuts two ways: welcome foreigners in, because you are one; and live as a foreigner yourself, because you are bound for a better country.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
SO'JOURN-ER, n.
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SO'JOURN-ER, n. One who sojourns; a temporary inhabitant; a stranger dwelling for a season in a country not his own. In Scripture, the sojourner is the resident alien — the foreigner living among the Hebrews by law — who is commanded to be treated with equity and love, for Israel herself was a sojourner in Egypt; and in the New Testament, all the saints are declared sojourners and pilgrims on the earth, seeking a city with foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
📖 Key Scripture
Leviticus 19:33-34 — "When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."
1 Peter 2:11 — "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul."
Hebrews 11:13 — "These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth."
Deuteronomy 10:19 — "Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Both extremes in modern immigration debates miss the Bible's dual emphasis: Israel welcomed legal sojourners and also required them to adopt covenant standards — neither open borders nor nativism is the biblical position.
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The biblical sojourner (ger) was welcomed into Israel with real love and real law. He shared Sabbath rest and Passover (if circumcised). He was protected from oppression and partial judgment. But he was not exempt from Torah; he was bound by the moral standards of the land he entered. Modern immigration debates lose the balance. The pro-open-borders side wields "love the sojourner" without the other half: biblical Israel had defined borders, defined law, and defined covenantal terms. The nativist side wields "our nation" without the first half: God Himself insists that foreigners among us be treated with equity and love, reminding us we were also sojourners once. The harder and more fruitful reading holds both: genuine welcome under ordered law. And spiritually, every Christian lives this tension — we are sojourners here ourselves, seeking a better country.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
H1616 — ger (גֵּר) — sojourner.
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H1616 — ger (גֵּר) — sojourner, resident alien; protected vulnerable class.
G3941 — paroikos (πάροικος) — alongside-dweller, sojourner; NT designation of believers.
G3927 — parepidēmos (παρεπίδημος) — temporary resident, pilgrim; 1 Peter 1:1, 2:11.
Usage
"You were a sojourner once. Love foreigners accordingly. The same mercy that welcomed you must flow through your door."
"Live as a sojourner. Your citizenship is elsewhere. Hold this country loosely; the better country is coming."