“You Shall Not Oppress a Resident Alien”: The Conception of Immigrants in the Hebrew Bible

Abstract

An increase in global immigration has resulted in humanitarian crises across the world as countries struggle to respond to the growing number of refugees and asylum seekers arriving at their borders. Understanding the specific messages within the Hebrew Bible regarding immigrants is important for developing faith-informed responses to immigrants and refugees. Religion often influences people’s beliefs, actions, and even the policy decisions for which they advocate, and the various forms of Christianity practiced in the United States frequently use the Hebrew Bible and New Testament as their sacred instructive texts. A detailed study of relevant portions of the Hebrew Bible, coupled with analysis of biblical commentaries and scholarly criticism, suggests that the Bible underscores the imperative to care for the most vulnerable members of society, as well as to include immigrants in the community. Arguably, people of faith should take this overarching message into account when considering how to respond to immigrants’ arrival in the United States. Note to the Reader: The books of the Bible were originally written in biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, depending on the time period in which each book was redacted. Because I do not read biblical Hebrew, all biblical passages quoted in this thesis are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Hebrew Bible. The NRSV is regarded as one of the most accurate and reputable recent English translations of the Bible because it was completed by a committee of biblical scholars. My thesis advisor, Professor Deborah Green, checked the verses cited herein for accuracy against the original biblical Hebrew text and provided corrections to the translation where necessary. Verses that have been corrected from the original NRSV translation are footnoted. Unless otherwise noted, all other verses are from the NRSV translation.