Strangers in Israel.

From: The New Topical Textbook By: Reuben Archer Torrey

• 2 min. read • grade level: 10

All foreigners sojourning in Israel were counted as. Ex. 12:49⁴⁹One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. (Exodus 12:49).

Under the care and protection of God. Deut. 10:18¹⁸He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. (Deuteronomy 10:18). Psa. 146:9⁹The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. (Psalm 146:9).

Very numerous in Solomon's reign. 2 Chr. 2:17¹⁷And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred. (2 Chronicles 2:17).

CHIEFLY CONSISTED OF

The remnant of the mixed multitude who came out of Egypt. Ex. 12:38³⁸And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. (Exodus 12:38).

The remnant of the nations of the land. 1 Kin. 9:20. 2 Chr. 8:7⁷As for all the people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel, (2 Chronicles 8:7).

Captives taken in war. Deut. 21:10¹⁰When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, (Deuteronomy 21:10).

Foreign servants. Lev. 25:44, 45⁴⁴Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. ⁴⁵Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. (Leviticus 25:44‑45).

Persons who sought employment among the Jews. 1 Kin. 7:13. 1 Kin. 9:27.

Persons who came into Israel for the sake of religious privileges. 1 Kin. 8:41.

LAWS RESPECTING;

Not to practice idolatrous rites. Lev. 20:2²Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. (Leviticus 20:2).

Not to blaspheme God. Lev. 24:16¹⁶And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death. (Leviticus 24:16).

Not to eat blood. Lev. 17:10-12¹⁰And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. ¹¹For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. ¹²Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. (Leviticus 17:10‑12).

Not to eat of the passover while uncircumcised. Ex. 12:43, 44⁴³And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: ⁴⁴But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. (Exodus 12:43‑44).

Not to work on the Sabbath. Exo. 20:10¹⁰But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: (Exodus 20:10). Ex. 23:12¹²Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. (Exodus 23:12). Deut. 5:14¹⁴But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. (Deuteronomy 5:14).

Not to be vexed or oppressed. Exo. 22:21²¹Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 22:21). Ex. 23:9⁹Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 23:9). Lev. 19:33³³And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. (Leviticus 19:33).

Not to be chosen as kings in Israel. Deut. 17:15¹⁵Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. (Deuteronomy 17:15).

To be loved. Lev. 19:34³⁴But 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: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:34). Deut. 10:19¹⁹Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:19).

To be relieved in distress. Lev. 25:35³⁵And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. (Leviticus 25:35).

Subject to the civil law. Lev. 24:22²²Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 24:22).

To have justice done to them in all disputes. Deut. 1:16¹⁶And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. (Deuteronomy 1:16). Deut. 24:17¹⁷Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge: (Deuteronomy 24:17).

To enjoy the benefit of the cities of refuge. Num. 35:15¹⁵These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither. (Numbers 35:15).

To have the gleaning of the harvest. Lev. 19:10¹⁰And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:10). Lev. 23:22²²And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 23:22). Deut. 24:19-22¹⁹When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. ²⁰When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. ²¹When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. ²²And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing. (Deuteronomy 24:19‑22).

To participate in the rejoicings of the people. Deut. 14:29²⁹And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. (Deuteronomy 14:29). Deut. 16:11, 14¹¹And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there. (Deuteronomy 16:11)
¹⁴And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. (Deuteronomy 16:14). Deut. 26:11¹¹And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you. (Deuteronomy 26:11).

To have the law read to them. Deut. 31:12¹²Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: (Deuteronomy 31:12). Josh. 8:32-35³²And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. ³³And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. ³⁴And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. ³⁵There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them. (Joshua 8:32‑35).

The Jews might purchase and have them as slaves. Lev. 25:44, 45⁴⁴Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. ⁴⁵Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. (Leviticus 25:44‑45).

The Jews might take usury from. Deut. 23:20²⁰Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it. (Deuteronomy 23:20).

Might purchase Hebrew servants subject to release. Lev. 25:47, 48⁴⁷And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family: ⁴⁸After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him: (Leviticus 25:47‑48).

Might offer their burnt-offerings on the altar of God. Lev. 17:8⁸And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, (Leviticus 17:8). Lev. 22:18¹⁸Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the Lord for a burnt offering; (Leviticus 22:18). Num. 15:14¹⁴And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord; as ye do, so he shall do. (Numbers 15:14). Allowed to eat what died of itself. Deut. 14:21²¹Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk. (Deuteronomy 14:21).

Motives urged on the Jews for being kind to. Ex. 22:21²¹Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 22:21). Ex. 23:9⁹Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 23:9).

Admitted to worship in the outer court of the temple. 1 Kin. 8:41-43, with Rev. 11:2²But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (Revelation 11:2). See Eph. 2:14¹⁴For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; (Ephesians 2:14).

Were frequently employed in public works. 1 Chron. 22:2²And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. (1 Chronicles 22:2). 2 Chr. 2:18¹⁸And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work. (2 Chronicles 2:18).

The Jews condemned for oppressing. Psa. 94:6⁶They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. (Psalm 94:6). Ezek. 22:7, 29⁷In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. (Ezekiel 22:7)
²⁹The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. (Ezekiel 22:29).

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The New Topical Textbook

• Strangers in Israel.

• Temple, the Second.

• Theocracy, the, or Immediate Government by God.

• Threshing.

• Time.

• Tithe.