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H249 · Hebrew · Old Testament
אֶזְרָח
Ezrach
Noun, masculine
Native-born / Home-born

Definition

The Hebrew noun ezrach (אֶזְרָח) refers to a native-born person, someone who is "home-grown" or indigenous — a full citizen of Israel by birth. It is contrasted with the ger (H1616, resident alien/sojourner). The word derives from a root related to shining or rising, possibly evoking the idea of one who has "sprung up" in the land.

Usage & Theological Significance

The ezrach concept carries significant theological weight in the Torah's laws of equality. God repeatedly declares that the same law applies to the native-born and the sojourner: one law for all (Exodus 12:49; Numbers 9:14; 15:15). This anticipates the New Covenant's breaking down of barriers — "there is neither Jew nor Greek" (Galatians 3:28). The native-born had no advantage before God. Every feast, every sacrifice, every commandment applied equally. The repetition in Torah suggests resistance in human hearts to this equality, which makes God's insistence all the more remarkable.

Key Bible Verses

Exodus 12:49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.
Leviticus 19:34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.
Numbers 9:14 The same regulations apply to both the native-born Israelites and to the foreigner residing among you.
Numbers 15:29 One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you.
Psalm 37:35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree.

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