sojourner
ger is a person living among a people or in a land not his own, often included in protections, obligations, and provision.
The term most often identifies a person living within Israel’s community who is included in its instruction, worship-related rules, justice, rest, and material provision. It also describes individuals dwelling in a land not their own, and can supply the comparison of a temporary traveler or lodger.
Senses in use
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Resident within the community · dominant
The singular absolute form identifies a person “within your gates” or “among you” who is included alongside Israelites in communal duties and protections. In Deuteronomy 24:17 the APB renders the clause about not perverting justice due to the sojourner; Deuteronomy 26:12 places this person among those receiving the tithe, while Exodus 12:49 presents one instruction for the native-born and the person living in the midst.
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Person dwelling in another land · common
The singular absolute form can identify someone residing away from his own land or among another people. In Genesis 15:13 the APB renders Abram’s seed as being in a land not theirs; Genesis 23:4 presents the speaker as living among the people addressed, and Exodus 2:22 applies the description to Moses’ residence in a foreign land.
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Temporary traveler in a comparison · rare
The noun can frame an image of impermanence rather than identify a regulated member of the community. In Jeremiah 14:8 the APB compares the addressed figure to a sojourner in the land and then to a traveler who turns aside to lodge; 1 Chronicles 29:15 similarly joins the plural form with days on earth likened to a shadow.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB usually presents the term as “sojourner,” including persons within the gates or midst of the community. It also uses “resident aliens” in 2 Chronicles 30:25 and frames a comparative use as a “traveler” in Jeremiah 14:8; these are renderings of whole clauses.