Foreigner

Foreigner (or stranger, alien) in the Old Testament encompassed several distinct categories with different legal standing. The ger (sojourner, resident alien) was a non-Israelite living long-term in the community — protected by Mosaic law, eligible for most religious participation, and required to observe the Sabbath. The nokri (foreigner, outsider) was a temporary visitor or outsider with fewer legal protections. Mosaic law consistently commanded Israel to treat the ger with justice and compassion, grounding the obligation in Israel's own experience as foreigners in Egypt: "You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 22:21; 23:9; Leviticus 19:33-34).

The treatment of foreigners was a significant test of Israel's covenant justice, and the prophets frequently reproach Israel for their mistreatment of the stranger alongside widows and orphans. Ruth the Moabitess is the most celebrated foreigner in the Old Testament narrative — her faithful attachment to Naomi and to Israel's God became the occasion of her entry into the messianic line. The New Testament's "middle wall of partition" between Jew and Gentile, abolished in Christ (Ephesians 2:14), transforms the category: in Christ there is "neither Greek nor Jew" (Colossians 3:11).