8453. toshab
Lexical Summary
toshab: Sojourner, resident alien, temporary dweller

Original Word: תּוֹשָׁב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: towshab
Pronunciation: toh-SHAHV
Phonetic Spelling: (to-shawb')
KJV: foreigner, inhabitant, sojourner, stranger
NASB: sojourner, sojourners, foreign resident, settlers, sojourning, tenants
Word Origin: [from H3427 (יָשַׁב - inhabitants)]

1. a dweller (but not outlandish (H5237))
2. especially (as distinguished from a native citizen (active participle of H3427) and a temporary inmate (H1616) or mere lodger (H3885)) resident alien

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
manner

Or toshab (1 Kings 17:1) {to-shawb'}; from yashab; a dweller (but not outlandish (nokriy)); especially (as distinguished from a native citizen (active participle of yashab) and a temporary inmate (ger) or mere lodger (luwn)) resident alien -- foreigner, inhabitant, sojourner, stranger.

see HEBREW yashab

see HEBREW nokriy

see HEBREW yashab

see HEBREW ger

see HEBREW luwn

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from yashab
Definition
a sojourner
NASB Translation
foreign resident (1), settlers (1), sojourner (8), sojourners (2), sojourning (1), tenants (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
תּוֺשָׁב noun masculineLeviticus 25:45 sojourner, only P (H) and late; absolute ׳ת Genesis 23:4 6t; construct תּוֺשַׁב Leviticus 22:10; suffix תּוֺשָֽׁבְךָ Leviticus 25:6; plural תּוֺשָׁבִים Leviticus 25:6 2t.; construct תּשָׁבֵי 1 Kings 17:1, but read תִּשְׁבֶּה (q. v.) ᵐ5 Ew Th Hi; — sojourner, apparently of a more temporaty and dependent (Leviticus 22:10; 25:6) kind than the גֵּר (with which it is often joined): "" שָׂכִיר Exodus 12:45 (P), Leviticus 22:10 (כֹּהֵן ׳ת apriest's sojourner), Leviticus 25:6,40 (all H); הַתּוֺשָׁבִים הַגָּרִים עִמָּכֶם Leviticus 25:45 (c. participle גָּר also Leviticus 25:6); with עִם, also Leviticus 25:47 (twice in verse) (H); with בְּתוֺךְ Numbers 35:15 (P). Figurative of one enjoying only a temporary tenure, with עִם Genesis 23:4, with ׳י Leviticus 25:23; Psalm 39:13, with לִפְנֵי 1 Chronicles 29:15. — 1 Kings 17:1 see above

Topical Lexicon
Overview

The noun תּוֹשָׁב (tôshāv) describes a person living temporarily within a community to which he does not ancestrally belong. Unlike a traveler merely passing through, the toshab resides in the land, participates in its economy, and benefits from certain civil protections, yet remains distinct from full‐fledged covenant members.

Relation to Other Resident Categories

Scripture speaks of the nokrî (foreigner), the gēr (sojourner), and the toshab. All three are non-Israelites, but the gēr is typically a permanent settler who has attached himself to Israel’s God and people, whereas the toshab is a less-settled resident, often a hired worker whose presence is temporary or economically driven. Genesis 23:4 unites gēr and toshab in Abraham’s self-description, setting the pattern for the tension between residence and alienation that marks the term throughout Scripture.

Covenantal Boundaries

Toshabim were welcomed yet restricted. Exodus 12:45 limits Passover participation: “A temporary resident or hired hand may not eat it.” Likewise, Leviticus 22:10 prohibits them from eating sacred food reserved for priests. These boundaries preserved the holiness of covenant ordinances while still recognizing the presence of outsiders within Israel’s borders.

Economic and Social Protections

Leviticus 25 places the toshab in view of Sabbath-rest principles. Produce from the Sabbath year was “for you, your male and female servants, the hired worker, and the temporary resident” (Leviticus 25:6), revealing God’s concern that the vulnerable share in His provision. Even in debt relief, the resident alien could be hired (Leviticus 25:40) or purchase an Israelite slave (Leviticus 25:47), yet Israel was commanded to treat Israelite brothers with dignity, reminding them, “for the Israelites belong to Me as servants” (Leviticus 25:55).

Jubilee Theology

Leviticus 25:23 grounds land tenure in divine ownership: “The land must not be sold permanently, because it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and sojourners with Me.” Israel itself stands before God in the same status it grants the toshab—resident aliens on the Lord’s property. Jubilee therefore tempers every claim to possession, instilling humility and generosity.

Cities of Refuge

Numbers 35:15 extends asylum to “the foreigner and resident alien,” equating the toshab’s life with that of the native Israelite. God’s justice safeguards all image-bearers, prefiguring the impartial refuge found in Christ.

Prophetic and Wisdom Resonance

Psalm 39:12 and 1 Chronicles 29:15 draw on the term to express life’s brevity and dependence: “For we are strangers before You and sojourners… Our days on earth are like a shadow.” The toshab motif thus becomes an emblem of human mortality and continual reliance on God.

Historical Illustrations

Elijah of Tishbe is introduced as “Elijah the Tishbite, one of the settlers of Gilead” (1 Kings 17:1). Though a prophet of Yahweh, he is presented as a toshab, underscoring how God raises messengers even from marginal contexts.

Theological Themes

1. Ownership: Only the Lord possesses absolute title; all others, native or alien, are tenants.
2. Hospitality: Israel’s treatment of the toshab mirrors God’s grace to the nation in Egypt.
3. Pilgrimage: The resident alien image anticipates believers’ status in the present age—“aliens and strangers” awaiting the city to come (compare 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13).

Ministry Applications

• Extend material generosity to migrants and temporary workers, reflecting Leviticus 25:6.
• Guard sacred ordinances while offering clear pathways to faith and full incorporation, as exemplified in Exodus 12’s regulation of Passover.
• Advocate for impartial justice, modeling Numbers 35:15’s protections.
• Teach congregations to hold possessions lightly, embracing their identity as sojourners under God’s ultimate sovereignty.

Key References

Genesis 23:4; Exodus 12:45; Leviticus 22:10; Leviticus 25:6, 23, 35, 40, 45, 47; Numbers 35:15; 1 Kings 17:1; 1 Chronicles 29:15; Psalm 39:12

Forms and Transliterations
הַתּוֹשָׁבִ֜ים התושבים וְלַתּוֹשָׁב֙ וְתוֹשָׁ֛ב וְתוֹשָׁ֥ב וְתוֹשָׁב֙ וְתוֹשָׁבִ֖ים וְתוֹשָׁבִ֛ים וּלְתוֹשָׁ֣בְךָ֔ ולתושב ולתושבך ותושב ותושבים כְּתוֹשָׁ֖ב כתושב מִתֹּשָׁבֵ֣י מתשבי תּ֝וֹשָׁ֗ב תּוֹשַׁ֥ב תּוֹשָׁ֥ב תּוֹשָׁב֙ תושב hat·tō·wō·šā·ḇîm hattoshaVim hattōwōšāḇîm kə·ṯō·wō·šāḇ ketoShav kəṯōwōšāḇ mit·tō·šā·ḇê mittōšāḇê mittoshaVei tō·wō·šaḇ tō·wō·šāḇ toShav tōwōšaḇ tōwōšāḇ ū·lə·ṯō·wō·šā·ḇə·ḵā ūləṯōwōšāḇəḵā ultoShavecha velattoShav vetoShav vetoshaVim wə·lat·tō·wō·šāḇ wə·ṯō·wō·šā·ḇîm wə·ṯō·wō·šāḇ wəlattōwōšāḇ wəṯōwōšāḇ wəṯōwōšāḇîm
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 23:4
HEB: גֵּר־ וְתוֹשָׁ֥ב אָנֹכִ֖י עִמָּכֶ֑ם
NAS: I am a stranger and a sojourner among
KJV: I [am] a stranger and a sojourner with you: give
INT: stranger sojourner I among

Exodus 12:45
HEB: תּוֹשָׁ֥ב וְשָׂכִ֖יר לֹא־
NAS: A sojourner or a hired servant
KJV: A foreigner and an hired servant
INT: A sojourner A hired shall not

Leviticus 22:10
HEB: יֹ֣אכַל קֹ֑דֶשׁ תּוֹשַׁ֥ב כֹּהֵ֛ן וְשָׂכִ֖יר
NAS: the holy [gift]; a sojourner with the priest
KJV: [of] the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest,
INT: eat the holy a sojourner the priest A hired

Leviticus 25:6
HEB: וְלַאֲמָתֶ֑ךָ וְלִשְׂכִֽירְךָ֙ וּלְתוֹשָׁ֣בְךָ֔ הַגָּרִ֖ים עִמָּֽךְ׃
NAS: and your hired man and your foreign resident, those who live as aliens
KJV: and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth
INT: and female and your hired and your foreign live Even

Leviticus 25:23
HEB: כִּֽי־ גֵרִ֧ים וְתוֹשָׁבִ֛ים אַתֶּ֖ם עִמָּדִֽי׃
NAS: is Mine; for you are [but] aliens and sojourners with Me.
KJV: [is] mine; for ye [are] strangers and sojourners with me.
INT: for are aliens and sojourners you against

Leviticus 25:35
HEB: בּ֔וֹ גֵּ֧ר וְתוֹשָׁ֛ב וָחַ֖י עִמָּֽךְ׃
NAS: him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live
KJV: him: [yea, though he be] a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live
INT: sustain A stranger A sojourner may live regard

Leviticus 25:40
HEB: כְּשָׂכִ֥יר כְּתוֹשָׁ֖ב יִהְיֶ֣ה עִמָּ֑ךְ
NAS: He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he were a sojourner; he shall serve
KJV: [But] as an hired servant, [and] as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, [and] shall serve
INT: A hired sojourner become you

Leviticus 25:45
HEB: וְ֠גַם מִבְּנֵ֨י הַתּוֹשָׁבִ֜ים הַגָּרִ֤ים עִמָּכֶם֙
NAS: [it is] out of the sons of the sojourners who live as aliens
KJV: Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn
INT: too of the sons of the sojourners live among

Leviticus 25:47
HEB: יַ֣ד גֵּ֤ר וְתוֹשָׁב֙ עִמָּ֔ךְ וּמָ֥ךְ
NAS: of a stranger or of a sojourner with you becomes sufficient,
KJV: And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich
INT: the means of a stranger of a sojourner regard becomes

Leviticus 25:47
HEB: וְנִמְכַּ֗ר לְגֵ֤ר תּוֹשָׁב֙ עִמָּ֔ךְ א֥וֹ
NAS: himself to a stranger who is sojourning with you, or
KJV: himself unto the stranger [or] sojourner by thee, or to the stock
INT: to sell to a stranger is sojourning regard or

Numbers 35:15
HEB: יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְלַגֵּ֤ר וְלַתּוֹשָׁב֙ בְּתוֹכָ֔ם תִּהְיֶ֛ינָה
NAS: and for the alien and for the sojourner among
KJV: and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among
INT: of Israel the alien the sojourner among become

1 Kings 17:1
HEB: אֵלִיָּ֨הוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּ֜י מִתֹּשָׁבֵ֣י גִלְעָד֮ אֶל־
NAS: the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead,
KJV: the Tishbite, [who was] of the inhabitants of Gilead,
INT: now Elijah the Tishbite the settlers of Gilead to

1 Chronicles 29:15
HEB: אֲנַ֧חְנוּ לְפָנֶ֛יךָ וְתוֹשָׁבִ֖ים כְּכָל־ אֲבֹתֵ֑ינוּ
NAS: before You, and tenants, as all
KJV: before thee, and sojourners, as [were] all our fathers:
INT: we before and tenants all our fathers

Psalm 39:12
HEB: אָנֹכִ֣י עִמָּ֑ךְ תּ֝וֹשָׁ֗ב כְּכָל־ אֲבוֹתָֽי׃
NAS: For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner like all
KJV: for I [am] a stranger with thee, [and] a sojourner, as all my fathers
INT: I You A sojourner all my fathers

14 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8453
14 Occurrences


hat·tō·wō·šā·ḇîm — 1 Occ.
kə·ṯō·wō·šāḇ — 1 Occ.
mit·tō·šā·ḇê — 1 Occ.
tō·wō·šāḇ — 4 Occ.
ū·lə·ṯō·wō·šā·ḇə·ḵā — 1 Occ.
wə·lat·tō·wō·šāḇ — 1 Occ.
wə·ṯō·wō·šāḇ — 3 Occ.
wə·ṯō·wō·šā·ḇîm — 2 Occ.

8452
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