Immigration in the Bible

Immigration—the movement of people across borders as strangers, sojourners, and foreigners—is woven deeply into the biblical story. Abraham was a wanderer, Israel was enslaved as immigrants in Egypt, and the people of God were repeatedly commanded to remember that experience when dealing with the foreigners among them. Scripture does not offer a modern immigration policy, but it speaks with striking clarity about how God's people are to treat the stranger: with love, justice, and welcome. "The stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 19:34). The command to care for the sojourner is grounded in Israel's own history of displacement. "Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 22:21). Moses repeats the charge with a positive call to love: "Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 10:19). The memory of having been the outsider is meant to soften the heart toward those who are now outsiders. "If a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him" (Leviticus 19:33). The prophets pressed this ethic upon the conscience of the nation. Zechariah lists the foreigner among the vulnerable who must not be wronged: "oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor" (Zechariah 7:10). To mistreat the immigrant was to invite God's judgment, for He defends those without power or protection. In the New Testament, Jesus identifies Himself with the stranger in need: "I was a stranger, and ye took me in" (Matthew 25:35), making hospitality to the foreigner an act of service to Christ Himself. Hebrews adds the promise, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2). While believers may differ on policy, Scripture leaves no doubt that the immigrant is to be treated with dignity, compassion, and love.