foreign
ne.khar marks what is outside Israel’s own community or worship, including outsiders, other gods, and foreign settings.
The word most often identifies persons outside the community, whether enemies, resident outsiders, servants, or those joining themselves to the LORD. It also marks gods set beside or against the LORD, and more broadly qualifies land or other matters as foreign.
Senses in use
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Outsiders and people from beyond the community · dominant
The absolute singular noun occurs in clauses about persons outside the community: in Isaiah 56:3 the APB renders a person who has joined himself to the LORD as “the foreigner,” while Isaiah 56:6 speaks of such people ministering to him. In Ezekiel 44:9 the APB renders two occurrences as “foreigner,” specifying persons uncircumcised in heart and flesh who may not enter the sanctuary; Psalm 144:11 similarly places them in a plea for rescue from deceptive opponents.
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Gods other than the LORD · common
In commands to remove or put away gods, the absolute singular noun marks the gods in question as outside proper allegiance: Genesis 35:2 and Joshua 24:23 place them among the people and call for their removal. Deuteronomy 32:12 contrasts the LORD’s guidance with the absence of such a god, and Daniel 11:39 places one with fortified security.
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Foreign land or other foreign matters · occasional
The noun can qualify something other than a person or deity. In Psalm 137:4 the APB renders the setting for the LORD’s song as “foreign land,” while Nehemiah 13:30 describes purification from “everything foreign.”
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB uses “foreigner,” “foreigners,” “sons of foreigners,” and “strangers” for people, and “foreign gods,” “foreign land,” and “everything foreign” in other contexts. These renderings show the verse-level presentation rather than a fixed English equivalent for every occurrence.