What Does the Bible Say About Refugees, Immigrants, and Foreigners?

Immigration is not just a political debate of our time—it is a global reality. Around the world, nations wrestle with how to respond to the movement of people across borders. The reasons vary: some are fleeing violence or persecution, others are seeking work or survival, and still others are victims of human trafficking and exploitation. Wherever migration occurs, so too does the risk of unjust treatment.

In the middle of this, I have often heard Christians make statements about immigrants and refugees that didn’t sit right with me. So I decided to go back to the source: the Bible. What does Scripture actually say about how we are to treat the foreigner, the sojourner, the refugee?

The deeper I dug, the more surprised I became. This is not a marginal issue. The treatment of the foreigner is woven throughout the Torah, the prophets, the Psalms, and into the teaching of Jesus and the apostles. Theologically, it goes to the very heart of God’s covenant with His people—His demand that those who once were strangers in Egypt remember their story and extend justice and compassion to others.

In this post, I want to provide a list of key passages. I’ll save my commentary for the follow-up posts in this series, where I will unpack the themes more fully. For now, I encourage you to read these texts for yourself. Look them up in your favorite translation, and if you have access to an interlinear Bible, Strong’s Concordance, or Bible software, pay attention to the Hebrew words. There are subtle distinctions—for example between ger (sojourner, resident alien) and nokri (foreigner)—but across translations, the point is clear: God cares deeply about how we treat outsiders.

To make this easier to follow, I have divided the passages into four groups that highlight different aspects of the biblical teaching. But please, remember to read them in context—don’t just stop at the verse itself. The surrounding chapters often deepen the meaning and show how central this theme really is.

Some of what you will read may be shocking, especially if you have assumed the Bible is silent on this issue. It is not. In fact, the sheer consistency and depth of Scripture’s teaching on this point may challenge us to rethink not only our politics but our discipleship.

What follows is the list of passages I’ve gathered. If you see any that I missed, let me know—I’d love to add them.

1. Core Ethical Mandates: Love and Inclusion of Foreigners

These passages establish the foundational command to treat foreigners with justice and compassion:

Leviticus 19:33–34. Treat the foreigner as a native; love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. Non-Israelites living peaceably in Israel (“resident aliens”) were not to be molested or ill-treated.

“You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old.  Fear your God; I am Yahweh. When a foreigner lives with you in your land, you must not oppress  him. You must regard the foreigner who lives with you as the native-born among you. You are to love him as yourself,  for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt;  I am Yahweh your God.” (HCBS)

Exodus 22:21, Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner; remember your own history in Egypt. The memory of 400 years of slavery is often the given rationale for obeying the word of Yahweh (e.g., 20:2; Deut 5:15). Israel is not to oppress, because it too was oppressed.

“You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” (ESV)

Deuteronomy 10:18–19, God loves the foreigner and gives them food and clothing; Israel must do the same.

“…and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” (NSAB)

Exodus 23:9, Do not oppress a foreigner; you know how it feels to be one.

“Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.” (NIV)

Leviticus 25:35–36, when a family member came on hard times, they were not to be disgraced or shunned. Israelites were commanded to be as generous to family members in need as they would be to resident aliens. They were not to be mistreated or abused in any way. The law also prevented family members from becoming indentured servants (Lev 25:39–46).

‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. (NKJV)

Deuteronomy 24:17–18, Do not pervert justice for the foreigner; remember your redemption from Egypt. The law protected certain groups who would have been especially vulnerable in ancient Near Eastern society—foreigners, orphans, and widows.

“Do not be unfair to a foreigner or an orphan. Don’t take a widow’s coat to make sure she pays you back.” (NCV)

Deuteronomy 27:19, A curse on anyone who perverts the justice due a foreigner.

“‘Cursed be he who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (RSV)

Psalm 146:9, The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow. The Hebrew word used here, ger, refers to resident aliens who were outside of social power structures and vulnerable to injustice. Psalms opens with a stark contrast between the righteous person and the wicked (see Psa 1:1–2). The derekh resha’im (“way of the wicked”) ends in disaster and ruin (compare 1:6).

“God loves good people, protects strangers, takes the side of orphans and widows, but makes short work of the wicked.” (MSG)

“The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.” (NLT)

2. Legal Equality and Religious Inclusion

These verses emphasize that foreigners were to be included in Israel’s legal and religious life:

Exodus 12:49, One law for both native and foreigner regarding Passover.

There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.” (ESV)

Leviticus 24:22, Equal legal standards for native and foreigner.

“This same standard applies both to native-born Israelites and to the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.” (NLT)

Numbers 15:14–16, Foreigners may offer sacrifices; same statutes apply

When a foreigner resides with you or someone else is among you and wants to prepare a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he is to do exactly as you do throughout your generations. 15 The assembly is to have the same statute for  both you and the foreign resident as a permanent statute throughout your generations.  You and the foreigner will be alike before the Lord. 16 The same law and the same ordinance will apply to both you and the foreigner who resides with you.” (HCSB)

Deuteronomy 1:16, Judges must rule fairly between Israelites and foreigners.

And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the cases between your brethren and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger or sojourner who is with him. (AMP)

Leviticus 16:29, Day of Atonement applies to both native and foreigner.

“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves  and not do any work—whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you…” (NIV)

Leviticus 17:8–10, Sacrificial and dietary laws apply equally to foreigners

 “And you shall say to them, Any man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, and does not bring it to the door of the tent of meeting, to sacrifice it to the Lord; that man shall be cut off from his people. “If any man of the house of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.” (RSV)

Leviticus 22:18, Foreigners may present offerings to the Lord

“Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or of the aliens in Israel who presents his offering, whether it is any of their votive or any of their freewill offerings, which they present to the Lord for a burnt offering…” (NASB)

Numbers 35:15, Cities of refuge are open to foreigners who commit manslaughter.

“These six cities will serve as places of asylum for the Israelites, and for the resident or transient aliens among them, so that anyone who has killed a person inadvertently may flee there.”  (NABRE)

3. Warnings and Punishments for Mistreatment

These passages show that God holds Israel accountable for injustice toward foreigners:

Deuteronomy 27:19, A curse is pronounced on those who deny justice to foreigners.

Arur (cursed) be he that perverteth the mishpat of the ger, yatom, and almanah. And kol HaAm shall say, Omein. (OJB)

Cursed is he that twists the rights of the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. And all the people shall say, Amen. (JUB)

Jeremiah 7:6, God warns of ruin if Israel oppresses the alien, orphan, or widow.

“if ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt” (KJ21)

Jeremiah 22:3, Justice for the stranger is part of God’s demand; failure leads to judgment.

This is what Adonai says: “Do what is right and just; rescue the wronged from their oppressors; do nothing wrong or violent to the stranger, orphan or widow; don’t shed innocent blood in this place.” (CJB)

Ezekiel 22:7, 29, God condemns Israel for oppressing the foreigner and promises judgment.

“They have abused father and mother in thee, they have oppressed the stranger in the midst of thee, they have grieved the fatherless and widow in thee…The people of the land have used oppression, and committed robbery: they afflicted the needy and poor, and they oppressed the stranger by calumny without judgment.” (DRA)

Malachi 3:5, God will judge those who turn aside the foreigner and do not fear Him.

“I will approach you to judge you. I will be quick to give testimony against those who practice occult arts, those who commit adultery, those who swear false oaths, those who cheat workers out of their wages, those who wrong a widow and a fatherless child, those who turn away a resident alien—all those who do not fear me, says the Lord of Armies.” (EHV)

Psalm 94:6, God condemns those who slay the foreigner and the orphan.

“They kill widows and ·foreigners [sojourners; wanderers] and murder orphans [Ex. 22:21–24].” (EXB)

Zechariah 7:10, Oppressing the foreigner is listed among the evils that provoke divine wrath.

“Do not oppress the widow, orphan, sojourner, or poor. And let none of you contemplate evil deeds in your hearts against his brother.” (MEV)

4. Theological and Covenantal Context

Genesis 12:3, All nations will be blessed through Abraham—implying inclusion.

“I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. And through you all the nations on the earth shall be blessed.” (NCB)

Deuteronomy 28:15, Disobedience to God’s laws—including justice—brings curses.

“But if you ignore the Lord your God and are not careful to keep all his commandments and statutes I am giving you today, then all these curses will come upon you in full force” (NET)

Isaiah 56:3–7, Foreigners who join themselves to the Lord will be accepted in His house.

“Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people’; and do not let the eunuch say, ‘I am just a dry tree.’ For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (NRSVA)

Hosea 6:1–2, God’s punishment is redemptive, meant to restore Israel after injustice.

“Come! Let’s return to Yahweh; for he has torn us to pieces, and he will heal us; he has injured us, and he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us. On the third day he will raise us up, and we will live before him.” (WEB)

Related Posts in This Series

This post is part of the series Justice for the Stranger: What the Bible Says About Refugees, Immigrants, and Foreigners.

• Post 1 What Scripture Says About Immigrants (this post)
• Post 2 Justice for the Stranger
• Post 3 Israel and Palestine, An Abrahamic View

Excerpt

What does the Bible say about immigrants, refugees, and foreigners? Scripture repeatedly commands justice, compassion, and love for the stranger. Explore key Bible verses that challenge how Christians approach immigration, human trafficking, and exploitation, and discover why this theme runs through the Law, Prophets, Psalms, and Jesus’ teaching.

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