What Does Exodus 12:48 Mean in the King James?
And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Hebrew names the outsider by the very act of sojourning, then lets that resident approach the feast as one born in the land.
THE MEANING
You encounter a resident outsider at the Passover threshold: his willingness to keep it does not itself cross the stated boundary, but circumcision allows him to draw near and take part. The verse then counts him as native-born while keeping the line against uncircumcised participation explicit.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that only those born in the land can take part: the sojourner can be counted as native after the covenant mark.
THE ROOT
יָגוּר
yāgūr
GROWS FROM
גור
gur
To reside among another people as a sojourner; the root names both the act of sojourning and the person who does it.
“shall sojourn / stranger” in this verse is yāgūr. The line says, in effect, “if one sojourns with you, a sojourner…”, the outsider is named by the very act of dwelling among you. English makes the verb and noun look separate; Hebrew ties them to one seed, holding arrival and residence together.
ALSO GROWS
yāgūr: He sojourns or resides among another people.
יָגוּר
This is the verb translated “shall sojourn” in the verse, describing the outsider’s life among the people.
gēr: A resident outsider, one who sojourns.
גֵּר
This is the noun translated “stranger”; its shared root with “sojourn” presents him as someone dwelling among them, not merely passing through.
יִקְרַב
yiqrav
GROWS FROM
קרב
qarab
To approach, draw near, or come close.
The Hebrew root behind “come near” also gives the word for what is brought near. The sojourner’s entrance into Passover is described as approach, joining participation to nearness.
ALSO GROWS
qārōv: Near, close.
קָרוֹב
This branch makes the spatial sense of drawing near explicit: the sojourner crosses a distance into participation.
qorbān: A drawing near; something brought near.
קָרְבָּן
The shared root links approach with what is brought near, deepening the verse’s image of the outsider entering the feast.
THE PATTERN
Covenant belonging can reach the resident outsider and count that person within, while keeping the terms of entry visible.
One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.THE THREAD
But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.Leviticus repeats the same root-play: גֵּר (gēr, resident outsider) and יָגוּר (yāgūr, he sojourns), the same seed behind “stranger” and “sojourn” here. Exodus ties that resident’s belonging to the Passover threshold; Leviticus carries it into being regarded as one born among you.
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