“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.”
The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God. The most expansive statement of neighbor-love in the Holiness Code: the foreigner is to be treated as native-born, loved as yourself. The neighbor-love of verse 18 (applied to fellow Israelites) is extended here to the foreigner. The grounding is the experiential memory of Egypt: you were foreigners in Egypt. The Exodus that formed Israel's identity also formed its ethical obligations to foreigners. I am the Lord your God closes the command: the God of the Exodus is the God who commands the love of the foreigner.
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