The Bible has a great deal to say about immigrants and strangers. This study gathers passages from across Scripture and sets them out for reading and reflection.
What Scripture Says
The Bible speaks about immigrants and strangers from its earliest pages, and it does so with a consistent concern. In Genesis 15:13, God tells Abram that his descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will be afflicted four hundred years. Israel’s own story begins with displacement, slavery, and eventual deliverance. That memory is not incidental; it becomes the foundation for how God’s people are commanded to treat the foreigner among them. In Exodus 22:21, the law states plainly, “Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” The same command is repeated in Exodus 23:9 and Leviticus 19:33-34, where Israel is told to love the stranger as themselves. Deuteronomy 10:18-19 describes God Himself as one who “doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment,” and then calls Israel to love the stranger in return.
The concern for the stranger is woven into Israel’s worship and law. Leviticus 19:10 commands landowners to leave the gleanings of their harvest “for the poor, and for the stranger.” Deuteronomy 24:17 forbids perverting the judgment of the stranger, and Deuteronomy 24:19-21 repeats the provision of gleanings. Deuteronomy 27:19 places a curse on anyone who withholds justice from the stranger. The Psalms echo this: Psalm 146:9 says the Lord “preserveth the strangers,” while Psalm 94:6 laments the wicked who “slay the widow and the stranger.” The prophets take up the same theme. Jeremiah 7:6 and 22:3 call Judah to “oppress not the stranger,” and Zechariah 7:10 warns against oppressing the stranger, the fatherless, and the poor. Malachi 3:5 lists the oppression of the stranger among the sins God will judge.
The New Testament continues this thread. Jesus Himself was a refugee in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15), and He identifies with the stranger in Matthew 25:35: “I was a stranger, and ye took me in.” The writer of Hebrews says, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2). Paul teaches that the church is no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens (Ephesians 2:19), and Peter addresses believers as “strangers and pilgrims” (1 Peter 2:11). The consistent witness of Scripture is that God cares for the immigrant and commands His people to do the same.
Living It Out
For the ordinary reader, this teaching begins with a change of posture. The Bible does not ask us merely to tolerate immigrants and strangers but to love them, provide for them, and defend them. That can start small: learning the name of the immigrant family down the street, offering help with language or paperwork, or simply refusing to repeat the jokes and stereotypes that dehumanize people made in God’s image. If you own a business or manage a team, consider whether you treat foreign-born workers with the same dignity and fairness you would want for yourself.
At a broader level, Scripture calls us to examine our laws, our voting, and our public speech. Israel was judged for perverting justice for the stranger, and the same standard applies to any nation that claims to honor God. You do not have to have all the answers on immigration policy to insist that truth, fairness, and compassion shape the conversation. Remember that you too are a stranger and pilgrim on this earth (1 Peter 2:11), and that Jesus Himself was once a refugee. How you treat the stranger is, in some real sense, how you treat Him.
Reflection
- When you encounter an immigrant or stranger in your daily life, do your instincts reflect the God who “loveth the stranger,” or do they reflect fear, indifference, or superiority?
- If Jesus said, “I was a stranger, and ye took me in,” what would He say about the way you have treated the strangers He has placed in your path?