pilgrim, stranger

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(without). One away from his country (Gen. 23:4⁴I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. (Genesis 23:4)). One not a Jew (Ex. 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)). One not of Aaron’s family (Num. 3:10¹⁰And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. (Numbers 3:10)). One not of royal blood (Matt. 17:25-26²⁵He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? ²⁶Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. (Matthew 17:25‑26)). One alienated or neglected (Psa. 49:8⁸(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) (Psalm 49:8)). But, in general, any naturalized foreigner in the Jewish State (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)). Strangers, in Hebrew acceptation, were numerous in Israel, owing to the mixed multitudes which were permitted to follow the wanderers in the wilderness, to the fact that very many Canaanites remained in the land, and to the liberal regulations respecting captives taken in war.

Concise Bible Dictionary:

1. This term was applied to any sojourning among the Israelites, who were not descendants of Israel. The law gave injunctions against the oppression of such (Num. 15:14-30¹⁴And 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. ¹⁵One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. ¹⁶One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. ¹⁷And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁸Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you, ¹⁹Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the Lord. ²⁰Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it. ²¹Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the Lord an heave offering in your generations. ²²And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the Lord hath spoken unto Moses, ²³Even all that the Lord hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations; ²⁴Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor unto the Lord, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. ²⁵And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their ignorance: ²⁶And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance. ²⁷And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. ²⁸And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. ²⁹Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. ³⁰But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. (Numbers 15:14‑30)).

2. Gentiles are also called “strangers” from the covenants of promise (Eph. 2:12¹²That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (Ephesians 2:12)), showing that the covenants made with Israel did in no wise embrace the Gentiles, though God’s grace at all times extended to them.

3. Those called strangers in 1 Peter 1:1¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, (1 Peter 1:1) were Jews away from their own land: sojourners of the dispersion.

4. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament saints were and are strangers upon earth. David said, “I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were” (Psa. 39:12¹²Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. (Psalm 39:12)). They “confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13¹³These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (Hebrews 11:13)). The same is true of the saints now (1 Pet. 2:11¹¹Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (1 Peter 2:11)). Their citizenship is in heaven, and this earth is no longer their home or their rest.

Strong’s Dictionary of Greek Words:

Number:

3927 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)

Greek:

παρεπίδημος

Transliteration:

parepidemos

Phonic:

par-ep-id’-ay-mos

Meaning:

from 3844 and the base of 1927; an alien alongside, i.e. a resident foreigner

KJV Usage:

pilgrim, stranger