Original Word: גּוּר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: guwr
Pronunciation: goor
Phonetic Spelling: (goor)
KJV: abide, assemble, be afraid, dwell, fear, gather (together), inhabitant, remain, sojourn, stand in awe, (be) stranger, X surely
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose)
2. to sojourn (as a guest)
3. (also) to shrink, fear (as in a strange place)
4. (also) to gather for hostility (as afraid)

abide, assemble, be afraid, dwell, fear, gather together, inhabitant, remain,

A primitive root; properly, to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), i.e. Sojourn (as a guest); also to shrink, fear (as in a strange place); also to gather for hostility (as afraid) -- abide, assemble, be afraid, dwell, fear, gather (together), inhabitant, remain, sojourn, stand in awe, (be) stranger, X surely.

I. גּוּר verb sojourn (compare Arabic turn aside tarry, see especially III. IV. VIII. X; Aramaic Eth. in derivatives) —

Qal Perfect גָּר Genesis 35:27 3t., וְגָר consecutive Isaiah 11:6; גַּרְתָּה Genesis 21:23; גַּרְתִּי Genesis 32:5; Psalm 120:5; גָּרוּ Exodus 6:4; Imperfect יָגוּר Exodus 12:48 12t., וַיָּ֫גָר Genesis 20:1 2t.; suffix יְגֻרְךָ Psalm 5:5; 3feminine singular וַתָּ֫גָר 2 Kings 8:2; 2feminine singular תָּגוּרִי 2 Kings 8:1; cohortative אָגוּ֑רָה Psalm 61:5 יָגוּרוּ Isaiah 16:4; Imperative גּוּר Genesis 26:3, גּוּ֫רִי 2 Kings 8:1; Infinitive construct גּוּר Genesis 12:10 17t.; Participle גָּר Deuteronomy 18:6; Judges 17:7 17t.; feminine construct גָּרַת Exodus 3:22; plural גָּרִים Leviticus 25:6 8t.; construct גָּרֵי Job 19:15; —

1 sojourn, dwell for a (definite or indefinite) time, dwell as a new-comer (compare גֵּר) without original rights, see especially Genesis 19:9 (J) Deuteronomy 18:6 & compare Judges 17:7,8,9; Judges 19:1; also Genesis 12:10; Genesis 20:1; Genesis 21:23,34; Genesis 32:5; Genesis 47:4 (all J E); of partriarchs in Canaan Genesis 26:3 (J) Genesis 35:27; Exodus 6:4 (both P) compare Psalm 105:12 = 1 Chronicles 16:19; Judges 19:16; 2 Samuel 4:3; 2 Kings 8:1 (twice in verse); 2 Kings 8:2 (seven years) Isaiah 16:4; Ruth 1:1; Ezra 1:4 (in exile); compare further Exodus 3:22 (E) גָּרַת בַּיִת of a woman in another's house as lodger or guest (see Di), גָּרֵי בַיִת Job 19:15; so (poetry) of worshipper in Yahweh's house Psalm 15:1; Psalm 61:5 compare Isaiah 33:14 (twice in verse); figurative of evil לֹא יְגָֻֽרְךָ רָ֑ע Psalm 5:5 evil cannot be a guest of thine (Che; followed by accusative, as in Arabic III); particulary of the גֵּר (q. v.) in Israel Exodus 12:48,49; Leviticus 16:29 (all P) 17: 8; Leviticus 17:10,12,13; Leviticus 18:26; Leviticus 19:33,34; Leviticus 20:2; Leviticus 25:6,45 (all H) Numbers 9:14; Numbers 15:14,15,16,26,29; Numbers 19:10; Joshua 20:9 (all P) Ezekiel 14:7; Ezekiel 47:22,23; of Ephraim and Manasseh sojourning with Judah and Benjamin 2Chronicles 15:9; of Rechabites sojourning in Judah Jeremiah 35:7; of Israelites sojourning in Egypt Deuteronomy 26:5; Isaiah 52:4; Psalm 105:23; so of Judah, to escape from under Babylonian power Jeremiah 42:15,17,22; Jeremiah 43:2; Jeremiah 44:8,12,14,28.

2 abide, nearly or quite = dwell Jeremiah 43:5 compare Lamentations 4:15; Jeremiah 49:18,33; Jeremiah 50:40, also Job 28:4; of wolf dwelling with lamb Isaiah 11:6; stay (inactive) Judges 5:17; — in Isaiah 5:17 read perhaps, for גָּרִים, גְּדָיִם or כָּרִים compare ᵐ5 Lo Ew Di & Che critical note (> Stu גֵּרִים)

Hithpolel Participle מִתְגּוֺרֵר 1 Kings 17:20 seek hospitality with, followed by עִם (compareArabic x); יִתְגּוֺרָ֖רוּ Hosea 7:14 is dubious (compare II. גור); AE Ki Thes Wü AV RV they assemble themselves, but text probably error, see גדד.

II. [גּוּר] verb stir up strife, quarrel (compare גרה) — so Ew Che Di RVm (Isaiah 54:15); gather together Ges De Br compare ᵑ7 ᵑ9, so AV RV; —

Qal. Perfect גָּר Isaiah 54:15; Imperfect יָגוּר Isaiah 54:15, יָגוּרוּ Psalm 56:7; Psalm 59:4; Psalm 140:3 (on all compare below); Infinitive absolute גּוֺר Isaiah 54:15; —

1 stir up strife, absolute גּוֺר יָגוּר Isaiah 54:14; compare Psalm 56:7 (but AE Che read יָגוֺדּוּ attack, see גדד); followed by עַלֿ Psalm 59:4 (but Che id.; compare Psalm 94:21, which however Ol would emend by Psalm 56:7; Psalm 59:4); followed by accusative מִלְחָמוֺת Psalm 140:3 (Hup Che read יְגָרוּ Pi`el Imperfect of גרה)

2 quarrel, followed by אֶתֿ with Isaiah 54:15. Here also

Hithpolel Imperfect Hosea 7:14 יִתְגּוֺרָ֖רוּ (compare I. גור), according to Ew, they excite themselves, but unlikely; see גדד.

III. [גּוּר] verb dread (compare יָגֹר) —

Qal Imperfect וַיָּגָר Numbers 22:3; 1 Samuel 18:15; 2masculine singular תָּגוּר Deuteronomy 18:22; אָגוּר Deuteronomy 32:27; plural יָגוּרוּ Psalm 33:8; Job 41:17 + Hosea 10:5, תָּגוּרוּ Deuteronomy 1:17; Imperative גּוּרוּ Psalm 22:24; Job 19:29; —

1 be afraid of, followed by מִמְּנֵי Numbers 22:3; Deuteronomy 1:17; 1 Samuel 18:15, גּוּרוּ לָכֶם מִמְּנֵי Job 19:29; with מִן Job 41:17; Deuteronomy 18:22; with accusative Deuteronomy 32:27 (poetry) Hosea 10:5 read probably ינודו lament ("" אבל, used with לְ e.g. Nahum 3:7; Jeremiah 15:5 and elsewhere; compare Che).

2 stand in awe of, followed by מִן Psalm 22:24; Psalm 33:8 (יָרֵא).

Core Motif

The verb גּוּר (Strong’s Hebrew 1481) centers on the act of taking up residence as a non-native, a “sojourning” that is self-conscious of impermanence and dependence on the goodwill of the host community. It appears about ninety-eight times and frames a major biblical theme: life lived in transit under the covenant care of God.

Patriarchal Pilgrimage

1. Abraham. “There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there” (Genesis 12:10). The patriarch’s first recorded act after receiving the promise is to live as a guest in a foreign land, establishing the pattern that promise and pilgrimage walk together.
2. Isaac. “Live in the land where I will tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you” (Genesis 26:2-3). The divine command links sojourning with God’s abiding presence.
3. Jacob. “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were… we have come to sojourn in the land” (Genesis 47:3-4). Jacob’s family confesses dependence before Pharaoh, yet God turns that marginal status into preservation and growth (47:27).

Legal Safeguards in the Torah

The experience of the fathers shapes Israel’s ethics. Repeated laws require Israel to extend to resident aliens the very compassion once shown to them:

• Exodus 12:48 – A sojourner may share in Passover upon full identification with the covenant.
• Leviticus 19:33-34 – “When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not mistreat him. You are to love the foreigner as yourself.”
• Numbers 15:14-16; 35:15 – One statute for native and sojourner alike in worship and in sanctuary cities.

These statutes declare that kingdom identity rests on covenant fidelity, not ethnicity.

National Sojourning and Exile

Moses warns that disobedience will reverse the Exodus freedom and return Israel to the vulnerability of sojourning (Deuteronomy 28:65). The prophets pick up the verb to describe the Babylonian dispersion (Jeremiah 42:1-18) and the hope of restored settlement (Ezekiel 37:24-28). Thus גּוּר becomes a theological barometer: covenant fidelity spells settled peace; rebellion reverts the nation to guest status.

Wisdom and Worship

The Psalms convert the social reality of the ger into a spiritual lens:

• Psalm 39:12 – “I am a sojourner with You, a foreigner like all my fathers.”
• Psalm 119:19 – “I am a stranger on the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me.”

The sages teach that all believers, whether in Canaan or the Diaspora, ultimately inhabit God’s house as temporary boarders awaiting final homecoming.

Messianic Foreshadowing

The Servant is pictured as one who “dwelt” among a hostile people yet entrusted Himself to God (cf. Isaiah 49:6-7). The incarnation echoes the theme: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), using the cognate Greek skēnoō, “to pitch a tent,” mirroring Hebrew גּוּר.

New-Covenant Fulfillment

Peter internalizes the verb’s theology for the church: “Conduct yourselves with reverent fear during the time of your sojourn” (1 Peter 1:17). Believers are resident aliens whose citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20) and whose ethics toward outsiders derive from Torah’s call to love the ger.

Pastoral and Missional Implications

• Hospitality. Congregations reflect God’s heart when they open homes and resources to refugees, immigrants, and the socially dislocated (Hebrews 13:2).
• Pilgrim Identity. Teaching on גּוּר anchors hope amid cultural change, reminding saints that earthly security is provisional.
• Gospel Witness. The shared status of “sojourners” levels social barriers, creating common ground for evangelism among migrants and expatriates.

Representative Text Cluster

Genesis 15:13; 20:1; 21:23; 26:3; 32:4; 35:27

Exodus 6:4; 12:40; 22:21; 23:9

Leviticus 18:26; 19:33-34; 25:23

Numbers 9:14; 15:14-29; 35:15

Deuteronomy 1:16; 18:6; 23:7; 24:14; 28:65

Joshua 20:9

Judges 17:7; 19:1

1 Samuel 17:19

1 Kings 17:20

Psalms 5:4; 39:12; 119:19

Isaiah 11:6; 23:7; 52:4

Jeremiah 35:7

Ezekiel 37:24-28

These passages together sketch the canonical arc from Abram’s first trek to the eschatological dwelling of God with redeemed humanity.

אָג֔וּר אָג֣וּרָה אגור אגורה גַ֣רְתִּי גַּ֔רְתִּי גַּ֥רְתָּה גָ֖ר גָ֥ר גָּ֗ר גָּ֘רֵ֤י גָּ֚ר גָּ֣ר גָּ֥ר גָּ֥רוּ גָּֽר־ גָּרִ֔ים גָּרִ֥ים גָֽר־ גּ֚וּר גּ֤וּרוּ גּ֥וֹר גור גורו גר גר־ גרו גרי גרים גרתה גרתי הַגָּ֑ר הַגָּ֣ר הַגָּ֥ר הַגָּרִ֖ים הַגָּרִ֣ים הַגָּרִ֤ים הגר הגרים וְג֖וּרִי וְג֥וּרוּ וְגָ֤ר וְגָרִ֥ים וְהַגָּרִים֙ וַיָּ֖גָר וַיָּ֥גָר וַיָּ֧גָר וַיָּ֨גָר וַתָּ֥גָר וּמִגָּרַ֣ת וגורו וגורי וגר וגרים והגרים ויגר ומגרת ותגר יְגֻרְךָ֣ יִתְגּוֹרָ֖רוּ יָ֝ג֗וּרוּ יָג֖וּר יָג֖וּרוּ יָג֛וּר יָג֣וּר יָג֣וּרוּ יָג֤וּרוּ יָג֤וּרוּ ׀ יָג֥וּר יָג֥וּרוּ יָג֧וּר יָג֨וּר יָגוּר֩ יגור יגורו יגרך יתגוררו לָג֖וּר לָג֣וּר לָג֥וּר לָגֽוּר־ לָגֽוּר׃ לָגוּר֙ לגור לגור־ לגור׃ מִתְגּוֹרֵ֥ר מתגורר תָּג֑וּרִי תָג֖וּר תָג֙וּרוּ֙ תגור תגורו תגורי ’ā·ḡū·rāh ’ā·ḡūr ’āḡūr ’āḡūrāh aGur aGurah gā·rê gā·rîm gā·rū gar gār ḡār gār- ḡār- gar·tāh gar·tî ḡar·tî gārê gaRei gaRim gārîm Gartah gartāh Garti gartî ḡartî Garu gārū gō·wr Gor gōwr gū·rū gur gūr Guru gūrū hag·gā·rîm hag·gār hagGar haggār haggaRim haggārîm lā·ḡūr lā·ḡūr- laGur lāḡūr lāḡūr- miṯ·gō·w·rêr mitgoRer miṯgōwrêr tā·ḡū·rî ṯā·ḡū·rū ṯā·ḡūr taGur ṯāḡūr taGuri tāḡūrî taGuru ṯāḡūrū ū·mig·gā·raṯ umiggaRat ūmiggāraṯ vaiYagor vatTagor veGar vegaRim veGuri veGuru vehaggaRim wat·tā·ḡār wattāḡār way·yā·ḡār wayyāḡār wə·ḡā·rîm wə·ḡār wə·ḡū·rî wə·ḡū·rū wə·hag·gā·rîm wəḡār wəḡārîm wəḡūrî wəḡūrū wəhaggārîm yā·ḡū·rū yā·ḡūr yaGur yāḡūr yaGuru yāḡūrū yə·ḡur·ḵā yegurCha yəḡurḵā yiṯ·gō·w·rā·rū yitgoRaru yiṯgōwrārūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts