The Hebrew noun toshab means a sojourner, a temporary resident, or a foreign settler — one who lives among a people without full citizen rights. It is derived from yashab (to dwell/sit) and describes someone who 'dwells' without being native.
The toshab is a central figure in Israel's social ethics and theological self-understanding. Leviticus 25:23 delivers the foundational principle: 'The land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers (gerim v'toshavim).' Israel's care for the foreigner is grounded in the recognition that they themselves are sojourners before God. This identity as toshab — a temporary resident in God's creation — relativizes all claims of ownership and power. The New Testament takes this to its theological zenith: 'Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles (paroikoi), to abstain from sinful desires' (1 Peter 2:11). The Christian life is lived from the posture of a toshab — present in the world but ultimately at home in a better country (Hebrews 11:14–16).