Considering Aliens in Abraham’s World

The 2nd chapter of The Immigration Crisis by James Hoffmeier is very interesting.  He examines the biblical accounts, and archeological evidence from that time frame to gain a better understanding of what was meant by “alien” in Abraham’s day.  This is important to the matter today.  Some treat “alien” in the Scriptures as if it were equivalent to “illegal immigrant” today.  But is it?

We sometimes think that the Ancient Near East (ANE) was some borderless mass with free passage.  Yes, there were migrations and often mass migrations.  But, Hoffmeier argues that there were clearly delineated lands in that day.  Often the borders were natural (rivers, mountains etc.).  And these borders were frequently defended.

“Indeed many of the mass migrations throughout history have resulted in the eclipsing of various languages, cultures, and the national sovereignty of countries.”

We see this in the case of the Israelites wanting to pass through Edom after the Exodus (Numbers 20).  Any large migrating group would ask for permission to pass through the countryside belonging to another nation.  Israel asked for this permission.  And it was denied, repeatedly.  They respected Edom’s right to determine who could and could not cross their borders.

It was standard for hospitality to be offered to travelers.  But Edom refused to offer hospitality.  They refused to allow entry even though Israel offered to pay for any water they drank in Edom.

“organized kingdoms had clearly established borders and often had forts and military patrols to protect the land from hostile invasion and uncontrolled migrations.”

Abraham was called by God to migrate.  His life reveals much about the subject of immigration.  Ancient Egyptian records also shed light on the subject.  We see immigrants receiving permits to enter Egypt in order to work.  Egypt controlled their borders.  They permitted immigration- but they controlled it.

Abraham enters Egypt like so many others would have (Genesis 12).  Fearing he would be killed so someone could take his wife, Abram lies about her identity.  Pharaoh takes her to be his wife, and the semi-truth is discovered.  Abraham is deported.  We see a similar situation in Gen. 20 & 26 regarding Abimelech.  Permission to enter the border is granted, but then revoked after the deception is discovered.  We also discover that an alien was bound to obey the laws of the land in which they sojourned.

The Hebrew word often translated alien or sojourner is “ger”.  A “ger” is not merely a foreigner.  “Nekher” and “zar” are the words that are used to convey a foreigner who passes through a land (often on business).  The biblical texts indicate that this person has no rights.  They have permission to travel through the land, not to settle in it.  “Ger” is used to refer to those who settle in the land, with permission.  This person would be like a legal immigrant.  They have permission to enter and remain in the land.  They needed a host of offer them hospitality.  Their legal status was an extension of that hospitality.  They could not offer such hospitality to other foreigners.

We see this clearly in the life of Joseph.  Though he is 2nd in command, Joseph is not free to bring his family into Egypt.  He must request permission from Pharaoh for his family to enter.  They had to prove they had a way to make a living as well.  Pharaoh didn’t want free loaders and riff-raff.

“In the Hebrew Bible the alien (ger) was a person who entered Israel and followed legal procedures to obtain recognized standing as a resident alien.”

The passages protecting the alien from oppression and exploitation have this person in mind.  They are not pointing to people who have no legal standing in the community.  They were treated like brother Israelites (and were expected to abide by the law).  The foreigner or unauthorized resident had not such protection.  It would be bad exegesis, and unjust, to apply those passages to people who are illegal immigrants.

Those passages exist because Israel, though legally entering Egypt, ended up being oppressed by Egypt.  It would be unjust for a nation to oppress or exploit legal immigrants.  It is often the illegal immigrants who are subject to exploitation and oppression today in America.  They are not afforded protection, and nor should they, if we want to keep the texts in their proper context and make proper epochal adjustments.