The Perfect Immigrant

I have long wanted to take a comprehensive look and undertake a thematic study of what the Bible has to say about immigration, and so I thought it appropriate to start this blog by writing on a subject close to the heart of the theme of this blog. The topic of immigration has earned many headlines recently, though immigration itself is nothing new. From the earliest recordings of history there have been accounts of people groups living in the midst of other people groups, or minorities among a majority. And though we may be tempted to think of it as a new trend, issue or threat, the reality is that it is not. Virtually all people groups in history have had to deal with the question of living in the same space with other people groups.

My concern here is not necessarily specific policies or theories on dealing with immigration, rather my concern is to delve into what drives our values and thoughts that lead to the formation of those policies. For I have participated in or at least heard many discussions related to immigration, but rarely do those conversations begin with or even include a discussion on a Biblical view of immigration. Not surprisingly, given that the nation of Israel occupied a region that contained many different people groups both in and around its territory, the Bible does address the issue of immigration. And since there are so many verses that at least mention the topic, rather than include them all in the body of this article, I will leave a (hopefully) comprehensive list at the end of the post, and merely bring attention to some of the more thematic verses here.

Wait A Sec…

At this point many may be saying to themselves, “I have read the Bible through before and I don’t recall any talk of immigration”. And that is true. The Bible, translated into English, does not use the word immigrant, but I believe the concept is still there. The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gûr) translates to "to sojourn, abide, dwell in, dwell with, remain, inhabit, be a stranger, be continuing, surely". The related noun, גָּר (gār), refers to a "sojourner: a temporary inhabitant, a newcomer lacking inherited rights; of foreigners in Israel, though conceded rights".

One could argue that based on the definitions above, a sojourner (as it is often translated into English) is not the same thing as an immigrant. Rather a sojourner is something more like a visitor, a tourist if you will, or maybe even someone with a student visa, but not someone who has moved to our country and is living here indefinitely. But I would like to draw attention to some of the ways the word is used in scripture:

Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. [ Genesis 15:13 ]

In the second usage of the term in the Bible, LORD tells Abram that he an his offspring will be sojourners for four hundred years. While this is definitely a temporary time period as far as history goes, it is much longer than how we tend to think of as someone coming to visit temporarily. In fact, it is even a longer time period that the existence of the nation of the United States.

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, [ Genesis 26:3-4 ]

Here the word sojourn appears to span multiple generations.

If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. [ Exodus 12:48 ]

Here we see there is a rather steep commitment for tourists wanting to partake in the local cultural festivities. More likely, I take this to be intended for those whom have made their semi-permanent, if not permanent, home among the Israelites.

In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. [2] The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. [3] But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. [4] These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, [5] and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. [ Ruth 1:1-5 ]

In Ruth, Elimelech and his family went to live in Moab because of a famine in Israel. They were there 10 years, with the sons marrying Moabites. From the text, the only apparent reason that Naomi ended up leaving Moab was because of the death of all the males in the family and no means to support herself.

There are other verses in the Bible hinting to the fact that “sojourning” was more than vacationing or a short-term trip. And while there are times that the word “sojourn” is used for a shorter time period, I believe the above verses make it plain that scripture has a more general view of a sojourner than that of a tourist or visitor. A good, broad definition might be “a person that is not in his original home or among his own people”. So as we move ahead, I keep this definition in mind, which encompasses immigrants, expats (what is the difference between these two?), exiles, refugees, students studying abroad, visitors, tourists, etc. And while all these categories may be covered under the term “sojourner”, my inclination is to say that in most cases the Bible uses the term with a longer-term meaning in mind.

The Heart Of A Sojourner

You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. [ Exodus 23:9 ]

This, I believe, is the most important, and perhaps the most ethereal concept to grasp when thinking of sojourners from a Biblical perspective. Early in their history the Israelites became sojourners in Egypt. This experience becomes formative to the identity of the nation of Israel. And yet,it is a part of their identity that is easily forgotten. One does not easily forget the experiences or encounters when one is a stranger in a strange land, and yet God has to remind Israelites throughout their history that they too were once sojourners.

I am not sure if this is an easy concept for someone that has grown up and lived in the same place or same culture. As someone who grew up between two cultures, I think I have a certain degree of understanding. But this is the heart of the sojourner: the sense that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you will never feel completely at home, you will never feel that you truly belong. No matter the reason that you are a sojourner, you have sacrificed something that you will never have in the land of your sojourning. And while for a person that has always lived in the same culture it is hard to imagine that there might be another place or culture that is just as worthy to live in, this is not so for the sojourner. The sojourner knows that even though he or she have left one place to search for something better, there is something about the home they are leaving that can never be replaced. And so the heart of the sojourner is that of a pilgrim, of someone who is never at home, never completely at ease.

So far our discussion has remained in the Old Testament, referring to the Israelites or to sojourners among them. But the Bible carries it further. The Septuagint (the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) translates the word sojourner (גָּר, or gār) as

One Law

And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God. [ Leviticus 19:10 ]|

And if a stranger sojourns among you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule, so shall he do. You shall have one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native. [ Numbers 9:14 ]

For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the LORD. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you. [ Numbers 15:15-16 ]

He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. [19] Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. [ Deuteronomy 10:18-19 ]

You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns. [ Deuteronomy 24:14 ]

Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ [ Deuteronomy 27:19 ]

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. [ 1 Peter 2:11 ]

A Compilation of Biblical Verses on the Topic of Immigration