גֵּר
sojourner
‘sojourner’ is one of 3 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Absolute-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
8 verses where H1616 appears in the Absolute state in the Book of Exodus. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Exodus
- Exodus 2:22 גֵּ֣ר n c ms She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land."
- Exodus 12:19 בַּ/גֵּ֖ר prep det + n c ms Seven days shall there be no yeast found in your houses, for whoever eats that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a foreigner, or one who is born in the land.
- Exodus 12:48 גֵּ֗ר n c ms When a stranger shall live as a foreigner with you, and will keep the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one who is born in the land: but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
- Exodus 12:49 וְ/לַ/גֵּ֖ר conj + prep det + n c ms One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you."
- Exodus 18:3 גֵּ֣ר n c ms and her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom, for Moses said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land".
- Exodus 22:21 וְ/גֵ֥ר גֵרִ֥ים conj + n c ms n c mp "You shall not wrong an alien, neither shall you oppress him, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
- Exodus 23:9 וְ/גֵ֖ר הַ/גֵּ֔ר גֵרִ֥ים conj + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms n c mp "You shall not oppress an alien, for you know the heart of an alien, seeing you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
- Exodus 23:12 וְ/הַ/גֵּֽר conj + ptcl def.art + n c ms "Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your handmaid, and the alien may be refreshed.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
גר — transliterated gêr — is a Hebrew noun carrying the sense “sojourner.” The King James Version usually renders it “stranger,” while modern versions prefer “foreigner” (Berean Standard Bible) and “sojourner” (unfoldingWord Literal Text) — see the renderings breakdown. Spanning 83 verses in 16 books, it ranks among the moderately common words of the Hebrew Bible. Its uses concentrate in Deuteronomy (25% of all occurrences). It is not a single-sense word — see its full sense range. See the sense tree, 83-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H1616 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 83
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 83 distinct verses.
- 16 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 16 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #450
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 450 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 83 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Deuteronomy 21 verses 25%
- Leviticus 18 verses 22%
- Exodus 9 verses 11%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 83 distinct verses.
- Torah (Pentateuch) 59 verses · 71%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 15 verses · 18%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 9 verses · 11%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Stranger 42×, Or of the strangers 5×, Strangers 5×
- American Standard Version†: Sojourner 25×, Stranger 14×, Or of the strangers 5×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Foreigner 38×, Foreigners 14×, Foreign resident 7×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Sojourner 40×, Foreigner 28×, Foreigners 9×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H1616 across 89† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 24 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 3 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H1616 across 92† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 31 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H1616 across 92† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 23 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H1616 across 96† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 10 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 2 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- 1. sojourner, temporary dweller, new-comer (no inherited rights), cf. Ex 12:19 Lv 24:16 Nu 15:30 Jos 8:33 (opp. homeborn); of Abraham at Hebron Gn 23:4 (P; ‖ תּוֹשָׁב); Moses in desert Ex 2:22 (J) 18:3 (E; here explan. of name Gershom, Moses’ son); as claiming hospitality Jb 31:32; perhaps in above cases, and certainly in general, with technical sense; fig. of Yahweh Je 14:8; of Israel in Egypt Gn 15:13 Ex 22:20; 23:9 (all JE) Lv 19:34 (H) Dt 10:19; 23:8; גֵּרִים with Yahweh Lv 25:23 (H) 1 Ch 29:15 ψ 39:13 (in all ‖ תּוֹשָׁב) cf. 119:19. e.g. Exodus 12:19
- 2. usually of גֵּרִים in Israel 2 S 1:13 (Amalekite) cf. Jos 8:33, 35 (E) 20:9 (P) Is 14:1; dwellers in Israel with certain conceded, not inherited rights (cf. RSOTJC 434; 2nd ed. 342. n.; K 42; Sem 75 f. StaGesch. i. 400). The גֵּר is to share in Sabbath rest Ex 20:10; 23:12 (both JE) Dt 5:14; otherwise he is to have like obligations with Israel Ex 12:19, 48, 49 Lv 16:29 (all P) Lv 17:8, 10, 12, 13, 15; 18:26; 20:2; 22:18; 24:16, 22 (all H) Nu 9:14(×2); 15:14, 15(×2), 16, 26, 29, 30; 19:10; 35:15 (all P) Ez 14:7; similar rights Dt 1:16 Ez 14:22, 23; and like privileges Dt 16:11, 14; 26:11; 29:10; 31:12 cf. 2 Ch 30:25; very rarely any distinction made, in obligation Lv 25:47(×3) (H), in permissible food Dt 14:21; in future success Dt 28:43; kindness to גֵּר frequently enjoined: Lv 19:10 (‖ עָנִי), 23:22 (‖ id.) 19:34 (all H); Dt 10:18, 19; 14:29; 24:19, 20, 21; 26:12, 13 (all ‖ יָתוֹם וְאַלְמָנָה); oppression prohibited Lv 19:33 (H) Dt 24:14; Ex 22:20; 23:9(×2) (JE) Dt 24:17; 27:19 Je 7:6; 22:3 Zc 7:10 (these eight ‖ יָתוֹם וְאַלְמָנָה); obj. of care to י׳ ψ 146:9 (‖ id.); charge that גֵּר has been oppressed Ez 22:7 Mal 3:5 (both ‖ id.); also Ez 22:29 (‖ עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן), ψ 94:6; cf. also command that a poor brother be treated like גֵּר, i.e. kindly, Lv 25:35 (H). Latest conception somewhat different: גֵּר 1 Ch 22:2 2 Ch 2:16 (הַגֵּירִים) gathered for hard service; yet cf. 2 Ch 30:25. (Often c. verb. cogn. Ex 12:48, 49 Lv 16:29; 17:8, 10, 12, 13; 18:26; 19:33; 20:2 Nu 9:14; 15:14, 15, 16, 26, 29; 19:10 Jos 20:9 Ez 14:22, 23; often ‖ תּוֹשָׁב Gn 23:4 Lv 25:23, 35, 47 1 Ch 29:15 ψ 39:13). e.g. 2 Samuel 1:13
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
n.m. Ex 12:48 sojourner (Arabic جَارٌ, Ethiopic ግዩር, ጎር Aramaic ܓܝܻܘܽܪ, גִּיּוֹר, proselyte, גַּיֵּר proselytize, Ph. גר in n.pr., & pl. גרם)—גֵּר Gn 15:13 + 74 times; sf. גֵּרְךָ Ex 20:10 + 4 times, גֵּרוֹ Dt 1:16; pl. גֵּרִים Ex 22:20 + 9 times, גֵּירִים 2 Ch 2:16;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from גור (gûwr) (H1481) — to sojourn.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
גֵּר
- 1. a dweller. Sabb. 104ᵃ, v. preced.
- 2. a stranger. Tanḥ. Vayigg. 4 גרא שנעשה ג׳ he is named Gera, because he (Joseph) became a stranger, v. גּוּר.—Esp. a proselyte, convert to Judaism. Yeb. 46ᵇ; Ber. 47ᵇ לעולם אינו ג׳ וכ׳ one is not a proselyte until he has been &c. Yeb. l. c.; Kidd. 62ᵇ ג׳ צריך שלשה a proselyte requires a court of three for making declaration and immersion. Kerith. II, 1 ג׳ מחוסר כפרה a proselyte who has not yet offered a sacrifice in the Temple; a. v. fr.—ג׳ צֶדֶק a full, true proselyte, ג׳ תֹּושָׁב one who, for the sake of acquiring limited citizenship in Palestine, renounces idolatry. Snh. 96ᵇ; Gitt. 57ᵇ; a. fr.—ג׳ שקר an insincere proselyte (from impure motives). Y. B. Mets. V, 10ᶜ.—Pl. גֵּרִים, constr. גֵּרֵי, גֵּירֵי.—ג׳ גרורים self-made converts, not formally admitted. Ab. Zar. 3ᵇ; 24ᵃ; a. e.—גרי אריות lion-proselytes, i.e. proselytes from mere fear (with ref. to II Kings XVII, 25 sq.). Ḥull. 3ᵇ, opp. גרי אמת. Kidd. 75ᵇ; Snh. 85ᵇ; a. fr.—גרי חלומות proselytes converted by the advice of a dreamer or an interpreter of dreams; גרי מרדכי ואסתר such as joined the Jewish ranks from motives like those prevalent in the days of Mordecai and Esther (Esth. VIII, 17). Yeb. 24ᵇ.—Nidd. VII, 3 (56ᵇ) גרים טועין Ar. (ed. וטועין) proselytes not living in accordance with the Jewish usages.—בן גרים a descendant of proselytes. B. Mets. IV, 10 (58ᵇ).—Sabb. 33ᵇ יהודה בן ג׳. [Mode of admission, v. Yeb. 47ᵃ.—Views about converts, v. Num. R. s. 8; Nidd. 13ᵇ; Pes. 87ᵇ; a. fr.]. Fem. גֵּרָה. Gen. R. s. 88, end.—Usu. גִּיֹּורֶת. Keth. IV, 3; a. fr. e.g. 2 Kings 17:25
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 56 distinct written forms H1616 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H1616, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
- גור gûwr H1482 cub
- גרות gêrûwth H1628 lodging place
- מגור mâgôwr H4032 fear
- מגור mâgûwr H4033 dwelling place
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 8 — not the complete family. 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 79 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 83 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 15:13
- Exodus 2:22
- Leviticus 16:29
- Numbers 9:14
- Deuteronomy 1:16
- 2 Samuel 1:13
- 1 Chronicles 22:2
- 2 Chronicles 2:17
- Job 31:32
- Psalms 39:12
- Isaiah 14:1
- Jeremiah 7:6
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
