In opposition to the rwkhriy who is often a mere passing stranger (' thou earnest but yesterday,' 2 S 1520), the g^, while not homebom, is a temporary dweller in the land (Gn 23* IP I 3-^'iB)^ of Abraham at Hebron ; Ex 222 (jj of Moses in the desert, 183 [E] to expL^in the name Gershom ; fig. of J", Jer 143 ; of Israel in Egj-pt, Gn 1513, Ex 2221 239 [all JEJ, Lv 19M [IIJ, Dt 1019 238 ; niore frequently of gfriin in Israel {e.g. 2 S 11^ an Amalekite, cf. Jos 833- 35 (El 209 (PJ, U 141). The LXX, which twice trans- literates 13 (Aram. iV;) by •iii)iitpxs, Ex 1219, Is 141, uses vi^xot 11 times to tr. 13 and 10 times for D^in. vapotxos answers to the classical fj,sreixtif (which is not used by LXX except in Jer 203 and not at all in NT). fjt.ireixoi designated a resident in a community who had not the same rights as a native citizen. As 13 occupies a position intermediate between ni?N (native) and *153 (foreigner), so does furoixot between oc^rof or T^^iryjf and lircf. Of course the f^ireixoi was from one point of view a foreigner, and might be called |!,or ; hence o't InivjMvvTt! livoi is in Ac 17^ rightly applied to the fj-iToixot at Athens, ^upoixif appears in NT in same sense as in LXX (Ac 76- 29, Eph 219, 1 P 211). The le'voi xatt vapeixai of Eph 219 is specially instructive ; it answers eicactly to the peregrini atque incolcs of Cic. de OJJic. LS4.
The gSr in the oldest time is a stranger who dwells under the protection of a family or a tribe to which he does not belong. He is not necessarily a non- Israelite. In Dt 18» Jg 17'-» 19' the term is applied to Levites (see Driver and Moore, ad loc. ). "The position of the gSr in Israel is illustrated by W. K. Smith from the precisely analogous institu- tion of the jdr among the Arabs. He lives in the midst of the community personally free, but pos- sessed of no political rights. He has left his own kin, it may be on account of a feud, or simply in order to benefit himself, and has cast himself upon the protection of a powerful chief or clan in his new dwelling-place. The institution is still known in Arabia (OTJO' 342 n. ).
In return for the protection accorded him the gSr had services to render. He was not indeed a slave (Mieah's Levite not only enjoyed personal freedom but received wages, Jg 17'°, Gn 29'°, Dt 24'*), but his lot was at times hard enough (cf. Gn 31'"* Jacob's complaint of his treatment by Laban). Nothing evidences the precarious position of the gSr better than the frequent OT exhortations to act justly by him Dt 1'" 24" 27", to show him kindness Dt 10'^ 26'2, to refrain from oppressing him Ex 222' 239 (both JE), Lv 19^ (H), Dt 24", Jer 7», Zee 7'". Hence probably also the repeated injunction that he was to enjoy the Sabbath rest Ex 20'» 23'2 (both JE), Dt5'*.
A man might be the gSr of a king or of the chief of a clan rather than of the whole community. A typical instance of this is found in David's
relation to Acbisb of Gath. The Phil, lords will have nothing to do with ' these Hebrews '(IS 2'.|3). David as the gcr of Achish was expected to make the interests of his patron his own (1 S 27'-), and in particular to go to war along with him even against Iiis native country (28'°^-).
A whole clan or tribe might be glrim (Jos 9 the Gibeonites, 2S 42 the Beerothites; and even Israel in Egypt is described as a (/fr Gn lo'", Ex 22'-' 23' [all Jbj, Lv 19** (H), Dt 1U'» 23"). In such cases, al.so, services had to be rendered in return for protection (e.g. by Jacob's family according to tlie'j- occupation Gn 47°, by the Gilieonites in hewing wood and drawing water Jos 9'-', by the Israelites in the building of cities Ex 1"'). It frequently happened that these gerim were ultimately absorbed into the tribe whose protection they had invoked. See Foreigner, and cf. Kuenen, Rel. Ur. i. 182 f.
There were also gerim of a god or a temple, who acted as Up6dov\oi in return for the protection accorded by the deity or the sanctuary. Evidence of this is furnished by such Phcen. proper names as Ger'ashtart (see Ashtoreth, p. 168-'), Germelkart, etc. (cf. the H3 of Ps 5* 15' 01'', and see Cheyiie, ad loc., and W. R. Smith, ES p. 77 ff.). "The Gibeonites may have belonged to this class, and the list of 'Nethiuim' (Ezr 2«ff- = Neh 7'"^"-) con- tains many names of unquestionably foreign origin (Wellh. Proleg. 225 n.).
The close connexion which subsisted in the popular imagination between each land and its god, demanded that whoever settled there must .serve the tutelary deity (2 K 17-'"'' the story of the Assyr. colonists of Samaria). Hence the Sabbath rest (Ex 20"> 23'-, Dt 5'-') is not only a privilege enjoyed by the ger, but an obligation imposed upon him. On the other hand, we read of .Solomon (and it corresponds ^vith the cosmo- politan character of his policy) that he built sanctuaries at Jerus. for a number of foreign deities (1 K 11"-). These were doubtless intended to serve, not only for his wives, but for others belonging to foreign nationalities who had been attracted to his capital, and who may have had, as in later times (Neh 13'°), their own quarter of the city. In like manner, the Israelites who had bazaars at Damascus (1 K 203*) pjob. erected altara built of earth from the land of Israel (cf. 2 K 5"), and maintained the worship of J" side by side with that of the Syrian gods. Solomon's example was copied by Ahab for the benefit of his wife and of the Tyrians and Zidonians who would frequent his court (IK 16'2'-).