In biblical terms, the concept of a "vagrant" is not explicitly mentioned by name in the Scriptures, but the idea of a wanderer or someone without a permanent home is present in various narratives and teachings. The Bible often addresses the themes of homelessness, wandering, and the societal implications of such states.

Old Testament Context

The earliest reference to a form of vagrancy can be seen in the account of Cain. After murdering his brother Abel, Cain is cursed by God to be "a restless wanderer on the earth" (Genesis 4:12). This punishment highlights the consequences of sin leading to a life of instability and alienation from community and family.

The Israelites themselves experienced a form of vagrancy during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after their exodus from Egypt. This period of wandering was a direct result of their disobedience and lack of faith in God's promises (Numbers 14:33-34). Their nomadic existence served as a time of testing and reliance on God's provision.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, Jesus Himself led a life that could be described as itinerant. He traveled from place to place, often without a permanent home. In Matthew 8:20 , Jesus states, "Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head." This reflects His mission-focused life, unencumbered by material possessions or a fixed abode.

The Apostle Paul also experienced a form of vagrancy in his missionary journeys. He traveled extensively, often facing hardships, imprisonment, and rejection (2 Corinthians 11:26-27). His life exemplified a commitment to spreading the Gospel, regardless of personal comfort or stability.

Biblical Teachings and Implications

The Bible consistently calls for compassion and care for those who are marginalized, including vagrants or those without a home. In the Old Testament, the Law provided for the needs of the sojourner and the poor, commanding the Israelites to leave gleanings in their fields for them (Leviticus 19:9-10). This reflects God's heart for justice and provision for all people.

In the New Testament, Jesus' teachings emphasize love and care for the "least of these" (Matthew 25:40). The early church is depicted as a community that shared resources and cared for one another's needs, including those who were vulnerable or transient (Acts 2:44-45).

Moral and Ethical Considerations

From a biblical perspective, the treatment of vagrants and the homeless is a reflection of one's faith and obedience to God's commands. Believers are called to show hospitality, generosity, and kindness, recognizing the inherent dignity and worth of every individual as created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

The Bible challenges its readers to look beyond societal stigmas associated with vagrancy and to respond with Christ-like compassion and action. This includes advocating for justice, providing for physical needs, and sharing the hope of the Gospel with those who are often overlooked or marginalized.1. (n.) One who strolls idly from place to place; one who has no settled habitation; an idle wanderer; a sturdy beggar; an incorrigible rogue; a vagabond.

2. (a.) Moving without certain direction; wandering; erratic; unsettled.

3. (a.) Wandering from place to place without any settled habitation; as, a vagrant beggar.

213. alazon -- vagabond, hence an impostor, boaster
... Cognate: 213 (a masculine noun) -- properly, a wandering vagrant (vagabond),
boasting to anyone who is foolish enough to take him seriously! ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/213.htm - 7k5128. nua -- to quiver, wave, waver, tremble, totter
... shake (4), shaken (4), shook (1), stagger (3), staggered (1), swing to and fro
(1), to and fro (1), tremble (1), trembled (2), unstable (1), vagrant (2), wag ( ...
/hebrew/5128.htm - 6k

The Children of the Poor.
... bluntness of understanding. One of the most remarkable characteristics
of vagrant children is a keen, precocious intellect. A boy ...
/.../chapin/humanity in the city/discourse vii the children of.htm

Meditation.
... Vagrant thoughts dull the finer sensibilities of the spiritual being, thereby
rendering it less capable of impression by the Holy Ghost. ...
/.../orr/food for the lambs or helps for young christians/meditation.htm

June the Fourteenth the Law in the Heart
... Everything depends on where we carry the law of the Lord. If it only rests
in the memory, any vagrant care may snatch it away. The ...
/.../my daily meditation for the circling year/june the fourteenth the law.htm

Epistle i. To Donatus.
... [2115] The neighbouring thickets ensure us solitude, and the vagrant trailings of
the vine branches creeping in pendent mazes among the reeds that support them ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle i to donatus.htm

The Appeal to Parliament, 1742-1749.
... of New York, stirred up by some liquor sellers who were losing their business, passed
an insulting Act, declaring that "all vagrant preachers, Moravians, and ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter xii the appeal to.htm

The Holidays at Thagaste
... "I dared to roam the woods and pursue my vagrant loves beneath the shade."
But he was not yet in love"this he points out himself. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/vi the holidays at thagaste.htm

Concluding Remarks on the Importance of Orthodoxy
... as God, holding no form of creed but contemplating all, then he is by that very
process sinking slowly backwards into the vagueness of the vagrant animals and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/heretics/xx concluding remarks on the.htm

Argument: the Weapon that C??cilius had Slightly Brandished ...
... more manifestly. There are some insincere and vagrant spirits degraded from
their heavenly vigour by earthly stains and lusts. Now ...
/.../felix/the octavius of minucius felix/chapter xxvi argument the weapon that.htm

The Outlook Changed.
... It was one of those vagrant, orphan poems with fine family lineaments that
find their way unfathered into odd corners of papers. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on service/the outlook changed.htm

Epistle Lxx. To Quintus, Concerning the Baptism of Heretics.
... they return to the truth and to their parent; so that, because it had been a sheep,
the Shepherd may receive into His fold the estranged and vagrant sheep. ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle lxx to quintus concerning.htm

Vagrant (2 Occurrences)
... 3. (a.) Wandering from place to place without any settled habitation; as, a vagrant
beggar. Multi-Version Concordance Vagrant (2 Occurrences). ...
/v/vagrant.htm - 7k

Vagabonds (1 Occurrence)

/v/vagabonds.htm - 6k

Vagabond (4 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.) A wanderer with no fixed dwelling, and usually
without the means of honest livelihood; a vagrant; a tramp. ...
/v/vagabond.htm - 9k

Vaheb (1 Occurrence)

/v/vaheb.htm - 7k

Gross (12 Occurrences)
... medium. 6. (superl.) Great; palpable; serious; vagrant; shameful; as, a gross
mistake; gross injustice; gross negligence. 7. (superl ...
/g/gross.htm - 11k

Whip (7 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To punish with a whip, scourge, or rod; to flog; to beat; as, to whip a
vagrant; to whip one with thirty nine lashes; to whip a perverse boy. ...
/w/whip.htm - 11k

Rogue (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A vagrant; an idle, sturdy beggar; a vagabond;
a tramp. 2. (n.) A deliberately dishonest person; a knave; a cheat. ...
/r/rogue.htm - 7k

Beg (77 Occurrences)
... New Testament we find not seldom mention made of beggars (Mark 10:46; Luke 16:20,
21; Acts 3:2), yet there is no mention of such a class as vagrant beggars, so ...
/b/beg.htm - 37k

Vagrant: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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