Leviticus 19:33–34

Context

Scholars commonly refer to chapters 17–26 of Leviticus as the "Holiness Code." Chapter 19 opens with "Ye shall be holy" (Leviticus 19:2) and gathers commandments that the text records as given by God through Moses to the congregation of Israel. The chapter includes commands to honor parents, to keep the Sabbath, to leave gleanings at harvest for the poor and the stranger (Leviticus 19:9–10), and not to withhold a laborer's wages. Verse 18 contains the commandment "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

Verses 33–34 extend this commandment of love to the "stranger," who is not a fellow Israelite. The Hebrew word rendered "stranger," ger, refers to an outsider living among Israel without a base of land or kinship—that is, a resident alien. The text grounds the command in Israel's own experience as strangers in Egypt. The passage closes with the refrain repeated throughout chapter 19, "I am the LORD your God."

Interpretation

• As a protective provision in ancient society: Old Testament scholarship explains this passage as a protective provision that prevented the exploitation of resident aliens, who, like widows and orphans, were legally and economically vulnerable.
• In Jewish tradition: The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, in many places renders ger with a word meaning "proselyte." Rabbinic tradition is likewise known to have developed an interpretation that understands the ger as a convert to Judaism.
• As an extension of neighbor-love in Christian reading: Jesus cited Leviticus 19:18 as one of the great commandments (Mark 12:28–34), and Paul wrote that all the law is fulfilled in this one word (Galatians 5:14). In this line of interpretation, verses 33–34 show that the scope of "neighbor" is not limited by bloodline or ethnicity.
• As an ethic grounded in the experience of redemption: This interpretation focuses on the clause that gives the reason for the command: "for ye were strangers." It takes the passage to mean that those whom God has delivered ought to extend to the vulnerable the mercy they themselves have received, and it connects the passage with New Testament texts that describe believers as strangers in the world (Hebrews 11:13–16).

Questions of Application

• The force of Old Testament law: The Westminster Confession of Faith divides the law into moral, ceremonial, and judicial law, holding that the judicial laws given to Israel as a body politic remain binding today only insofar as the general equity they contain may require. Because this passage is tied to the commandment of love, many regard it as a moral principle. Theologians differ, however, on how it should be applied concretely.
• Applicability to national policy: Some churches and Christian organizations cite this passage as grounds for welcoming immigrants and refugees. Others argue that the passage addresses the ethics of the faith community and of individuals and cannot be applied directly as a basis for national immigration policy. Still others note that the ger was required to keep Israel's law along with the native-born (Leviticus 24:17–22) and argue that the ger therefore cannot simply be equated with today's immigrants.

Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.

In Korean Protestant churches, the passage is frequently cited in ministries to migrants—foreign workers, marriage migrants, and international students—and in sermons on multicultural issues. In congregations that are themselves immigrant communities, such as Korean churches abroad, the phrase "ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" is sometimes read in light of the members' own immigrant experience.

Related Passages

• Leviticus 19:18
• Exodus 22:21
• Deuteronomy 10:19
• Matthew 25:35
• Hebrews 13:2