A comprehensive collection of Scripture passages about God’s heart for immigrants, refugees, and foreigners. 25+ Bible verses that should shape how we think about immigration.
What does the Bible say about immigration? How should Christians treat immigrants and refugees? What does Scripture teach about welcoming strangers? These questions matter more than ever as followers of Christ seek biblical guidance on one of today’s most pressing issues.
Immigration and the treatment of foreigners isn’t a peripheral biblical topic – it’s woven throughout Scripture as a fundamental expression of God’s character and a core requirement for His people. From the Old Testament laws to Jesus’ teachings, the Bible consistently calls God’s people to welcome, protect, and love those who are displaced from their native lands.
These verses remind us that hospitality to strangers isn’t optional for followers of Christ. It’s commanded, with warnings of divine judgment for those who oppress immigrants and promises of blessing for those who welcome them.
All Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.
Old Testament: Foundations of Welcome
Core Commands for Loving Strangers
Leviticus 19:33-34 – “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 10:19 – “Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 22:21 – “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 23:9 – “You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”
Equal Justice Under God’s Law
Numbers 15:15-16 – “For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the LORD. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.”
Leviticus 24:22 – “You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the Lord your God.”
Economic Provisions for Immigrants
Leviticus 23:22 – “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 24:19-21 – “When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the widow.”
Prophetic Warnings and Promises
Warnings Against Oppression
Deuteronomy 27:19 – “Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. And all the people shall say, ‘Amen’.”
Jeremiah 22:3 – “Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.”
Zechariah 7:10 – “Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”
Malachi 3:5 – “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.”
God’s Vision of Inclusion
Isaiah 56:6-7 – “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
Ezekiel 47:22-23 – “You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the sojourners who reside among you and have had children among you. They shall be to you as native-born children of Israel. With you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the sojourner resides, there you shall assign his inheritance, declares the Lord God.”
God’s Special Care for Immigrants
Psalm 146:9 – “The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”
Psalm 39:12 – “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.”
Job 29:15-16 – “I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I championed the cause of the stranger.”
1 Chronicles 29:15 – “For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.”
New Testament: Christ’s Call to Hospitality
Jesus’ Commands and Example
Matthew 25:35 – “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
Matthew 25:40 – “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’.”
Matthew 2:13-15 – The account of Jesus as a refugee when his family fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s persecution.
Luke 10:25-37 – The parable of the Good Samaritan, where Jesus uses a foreigner as the example of true neighborly love.
Apostolic Teachings on Hospitality
Hebrews 13:2 – “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Romans 12:13 – “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
1 Peter 4:9 – “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”
3 John 1:5-8 – “Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends, even though they are strangers to you; they have testified to your love before the church. You do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God; for they began their journey for the sake of Christ.”
Unity in Christ Transcends Nationality
Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 2:14 – “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”
Colossians 3:11 – “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”
1 Corinthians 12:13 – “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”
Acts 10:34-35 – “Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him’.”
Leadership Requirements
1 Timothy 3:2 – Church overseers must be “hospitable.”
Titus 1:8 – Elders must be “hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.”
Historical Examples of Welcome
Genesis 18:1-8 – Abraham’s hospitality to strangers who turned out to be angels.
Genesis 19 – Lot’s protection of angelic visitors.
Ruth 1-4 – Ruth the Moabite who became part of Israel and the lineage of David.
Genesis 23:4 – Abraham identifying himself as “a stranger and an alien residing among you.”
The Consistent Biblical Message on Immigration
Throughout Scripture, God’s heart for immigrants is clear and unwavering. The Bible establishes several consistent themes:
Empathy Based on Shared Experience – Israel is repeatedly reminded that they too were strangers in Egypt, creating a foundation for compassion.
Equal Justice Under Law – Foreigners were to receive the same legal treatment as native-born citizens.
Economic Provisions – Laws required leaving provisions for immigrants, widows, and orphans.
Divine Protection – God is portrayed as the special protector of immigrants and vulnerable populations.
Hospitality as Virtue – Both testaments emphasize hospitality to strangers as a fundamental Christian virtue.
Unity in Christ – The New Testament teaches that in Christ, ethnic and national distinctions lose their divisive power.
The biblical message is clear: God’s people are called to welcome, protect, and care for immigrants and foreigners with the same compassion they would show to their own people. This calling isn’t merely suggested – it’s commanded, with warnings of divine judgment for those who oppress or mistreat strangers.
For more biblical resources, explore our collection of Bible verses about faith over fear and other Scripture compilations designed to ground your faith in God’s Word.
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