In the biblical context, "strangers" or "foreigners" in Israel were individuals who were not native-born Israelites but lived among the people of Israel. The Mosaic Law provided specific instructions regarding the treatment and inclusion of these individuals within the community. One significant aspect of these laws was the requirement for the Law to be read to them, ensuring that they were aware of the statutes and ordinances governing the land in which they resided.

The inclusion of strangers in the reading of the Law underscores the principle of equality before God and the importance of communal participation in the covenantal life of Israel. In Deuteronomy 31:12-13, Moses commands the assembly of all people, including the foreigners residing among them, to hear the reading of the Law: "Assemble the people—men, women, children, and the foreigners within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. Then their children, who do not know the law, will hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess" .

This directive highlights several key points:

1. Inclusivity in Worship and Instruction: The command to include strangers in the reading of the Law reflects the inclusive nature of worship and instruction in Israel. It emphasizes that the knowledge and fear of the LORD were not to be restricted to ethnic Israelites alone but extended to all who dwelt within the community.

2. Moral and Spiritual Education: The reading of the Law served as a means of moral and spiritual education for the entire community. By hearing the Law, strangers were given the opportunity to understand the ethical and religious standards expected in Israel, promoting a unified adherence to God's commandments.

3. Covenantal Participation: The inclusion of strangers in the reading of the Law also signifies their participation in the covenantal life of Israel. While they may not have been part of the original covenant made with the patriarchs, their presence in the land and adherence to the Law allowed them to partake in the blessings and responsibilities of the covenant community.

4. Fear of the LORD: The ultimate goal of reading the Law to all, including strangers, was to instill a reverence and fear of the LORD. This fear was foundational for living a life in accordance with God's will and for maintaining the social and spiritual fabric of the nation.

The practice of reading the Law to strangers, as mandated in the Mosaic Law, reflects the broader biblical theme of God's concern for justice, equity, and the inclusion of all people in His redemptive plan. It serves as a reminder of the universal scope of God's covenant and the call for His people to be a light to the nations.Deuteronomy 31:12
Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and your stranger that is within your gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Joshua 8:32-35
And he wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Twenty-Seven Articles Respecting the Reformation of the Christian ...
... foundations, to give and sell them to strangers at Rome ... The children of Israel in
old times kept the oath that ... exist until there are fewer of those laws or none ...
/.../iii twenty-seven articles respecting the.htm

Exposition of the Moral Law.
... In enacting laws, the first thing to be guarded against is ... to us, should reflect
that the bondage of Israel in Egypt ... THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 8 exposition of the.htm

Thou Shalt in any Wise Rebuke Thy Neighbor, and not Suffer Sin ...
... It would be counted rebellion by the laws of the land ... It was addressed to all the
people of Israel, and through them ... 2. It is asked, Should I reprove strangers? ...
/.../finney/lectures to professing christians/thou shalt in any wise.htm

Interpretation of Prophecy.
... shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through ... from Assyria;
like as it was to Israel in the ... resort to him, and he may teach them his laws. ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxviii interpretation of prophecy.htm

Introductory Note.
... dogs, with which the children of Israel had thought ... indeed that among these pilgrims
and strangers to the ... was accurately acquainted with the Roman laws, and on ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/apology/introductory note.htm

The Abrogation of the Saybrook Platform
... Israel Holly's "An Appeal to the Impartial, or the Censured ... All strangers coming
into the state were allowed, a ... by dropping it out of the revised laws of 1784. ...
/.../chapter xi the abrogation of.htm

That the Employing Of, and Associating with the Malignant Party ...
... a perfect hatred, not as Englishmen, not as strangers, but as ... We conceive that all
human laws that are not for ... God turn away from it, and put Israel to shame? ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/section iii that the employing.htm

Footnotes
... at Edinburgh, in March 1681 (Laws Memorialis, p ... this Life the preceding particulars
respecting the learned ... Gataker's "God's Eye on his Israel","preface, Lond ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/footnotes.htm

Penitence, as Explained in the Sophistical Jargon of the Schoolmen ...
... binding the souls of believers by their laws, whether justly ... 2:Cor.5:20), is not
directed to strangers, but to ... saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 4 penitence as explained.htm

Against Jovinianus.
... he who had with authority laid down the law respecting husbands and ... of Jude, saved
the people of Israel and led ... to mean the law: [4378] "They have Moses and ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/against jovinianus.htm

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