The term "sojournings" in the Bible refers to temporary stays or journeys undertaken by individuals or groups, often in foreign lands or regions not their permanent home. This concept is significant in biblical narratives, symbolizing both physical and spiritual journeys of faith, obedience, and reliance on God.

Abraham's Sojournings

Abraham, the patriarch of Israel, is a prominent figure associated with sojourning. His journey began when God called him to leave his homeland in Ur of the Chaldeans and go to a land that He would show him (Genesis 12:1). Abraham's life was marked by a series of sojourns in Canaan, Egypt, and other regions. Genesis 12:10 records, "Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while, because the famine was severe." Abraham's sojourning was an act of faith, trusting in God's promises despite not having a permanent home.

Israel's Sojourn in Egypt

The descendants of Abraham, the Israelites, experienced a significant period of sojourning in Egypt. Initially, they went to Egypt during a famine, as recorded in Genesis 46:6, "They also took their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt." This sojourn eventually led to their enslavement, lasting 430 years, as noted in Exodus 12:40-41: "Now the duration of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions went out of the land of Egypt."

Wilderness Sojourn

Following their deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites embarked on a 40-year sojourn in the wilderness. This period was a time of testing, reliance on God's provision, and preparation for entering the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 8:2 reflects on this journey: "Remember that the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments."

New Testament Perspective

In the New Testament, the concept of sojourning is applied to the Christian life. Believers are described as "foreigners and strangers on earth" (Hebrews 11:13), emphasizing the temporary nature of earthly life and the anticipation of a heavenly home. The Apostle Peter exhorts Christians to live as "foreigners and exiles" (1 Peter 2:11), urging them to abstain from sinful desires and live honorably among the nations.

Spiritual Significance

Sojourning in the Bible often symbolizes the journey of faith and the believer's dependence on God. It reflects the transient nature of earthly life and the call to trust in God's promises. The patriarchs, Israel's journey, and the Christian life all illustrate the theme of sojourning as a pilgrimage toward a divine promise and eternal home.4033. magor -- a sojourning place, dwelling place, a sojourning
... from gur Definition a sojourning place, dwelling place, a sojourning NASB Word Usage
dwelling (1), pilgrimage (1), sojourning (2), sojournings (2), where he ...
/hebrew/4033.htm - 6k

Chapter xvii
... 8. And I will give to thee and to thy seed after thee the land of thy sojournings,
namely the entire land of Canaan for a possession in the hidden future, and ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xvii.htm

Joseph and his Brethren
... STORIES I JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN. And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's
sojournings, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. ...
/.../select masterpieces of biblical literature/i joseph and his brethren.htm

Ep. vi.
... O that one would give me back those psalmodies and vigils and those sojournings
with God in prayer, and that immaterial, so to speak, and unbodied life. ...
/.../cyril/select letters of saint gregory nazianzen/ep vi.htm

Different Accounts of the Call of Peter, and of the Imprisonment ...
... are recorded about Jesus in the four Evangelists, and both to understand each incident
by itself, and have a connected view of all His sojournings and words ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/6 different accounts of the.htm

Opening Thoughts.
... this consecrated height. We cannot doubt that many incidents regarding His
oft sojournings there are left unrecorded. We have more ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macduff/memories of bethany/i opening thoughts.htm

Chapter xxxvii
... the eyes of faith. 1. And Jacob dwelt in the land of the sojournings of
his father, in the land of Canaan. This verse is plainly ...
/.../leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxvii.htm

Chapter xxxvi
... were at a very special disadvantage for the present: Canaan was "the land where
they sojourned," literally: "the land of their sojournings." Therefore they ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxvi.htm

V. ...
... to be out of the body and to be at home with the Lord." There the Apostle Paul speaks
also of the body as a house, and makes two homes, and two sojournings. ...
/.../the epistles of st peter and st jude preached and explained/chapter i v 2.htm

Chapter xxvi
... 27:4; ha'aramm?? ("the Aramaean, or the Syrian") verse Genesis 27:5; paddan aram
v. Genesis 27:2, 5, 6, 7; '??rets meghur??m ("land of sojournings") v. Genesis ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxvi.htm

Chapter xxi
... More and more Abraham sees, as Isaac also later did, that the southern
extremity of the land is best suited to his sojournings. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxi.htm

Sojournings (8 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Sojournings (8 Occurrences). ... That thou mayest inherit
the land of thy sojournings, which God gave unto Abraham. ...
/s/sojournings.htm - 8k

Sojourning (35 Occurrences)
... Genesis 17:8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of
thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I ...
/s/sojourning.htm - 18k

Pilgrimage (4 Occurrences)
... "Pilgrimage" for maghor (Genesis 47:9 (the Revised Version margin "sojournings");
Psalm 119:54; and (the King James Version) Exodus 6:4 (the Revised Version ...
/p/pilgrimage.htm - 8k

Pilgrim
... "Pilgrimage" for maghor (Genesis 47:9 (the Revised Version margin "sojournings");
Psalm 119:54; and (the King James Version) Exodus 6:4 (the Revised Version ...
/p/pilgrim.htm - 7k

Sojourned (20 Occurrences)
... Genesis 36:7 For their substance was too great for them to dwell together; and the
land of their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle. ...
/s/sojourned.htm - 12k

Sojourns (18 Occurrences)

/s/sojourns.htm - 12k

Reached (152 Occurrences)
... Genesis 47:9 And Jacob saith unto Pharaoh, 'The days of the years of my sojournings
'are' an hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the ...
/r/reached.htm - 35k

Transgressing (12 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 20:38 And cleared out from you the rebels, And them transgressing against
Me, From the land of their sojournings I bring them out, And unto the land of ...
/t/transgressing.htm - 10k

Cleared (17 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 20:38 And cleared out from you the rebels, And them transgressing against
Me, From the land of their sojournings I bring them out, And unto the land of ...
/c/cleared.htm - 11k

Staying (39 Occurrences)
... Genesis 36:7 For their substance was too great for them to dwell together; and the
land of their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle. ...
/s/staying.htm - 17k

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