Overview
The Bible addresses proselytes across 31 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Acts. Closely related themes include Covenant, the, Eunuch, Proselyte and Sabbath. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Paul, Abraham, Isaac and Ruth.
Key Bible verses about proselytes
Old Testament
Exodus
And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
Deuteronomy
An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:
Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.
The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.
Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,
Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day: enter: Heb. pass
That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Ruth
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Intreat: or, Be not against me
And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
Nehemiah
And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding;
They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes; by: Heb. by the hand of
Isaiah
Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
New Testament
Acts
Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome Jews and proselytes,
And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
People in the Bible and proselytes
Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.
In the Bible dictionary
Studying proselytes for yourself
- Begin with Genesis 17:13, then read the passages below in canonical order.
- Compare how Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Acts each treat the theme.
- Consider the lives of Paul, Abraham and Isaac and how their stories intersect with it.
- Widen the study to related themes: Covenant, the, Eunuch, Proselyte and Sabbath.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about proselytes?
The Bible addresses proselytes across 31 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Acts. Closely related themes include Covenant, the, Eunuch, Proselyte and Sabbath. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Paul, Abraham, Isaac and Ruth.
How many Bible verses are about proselytes?
The Bible references proselytes in 31 verses (King James Version).
Where does the Bible first mention proselytes?
In canonical order, the first of these passages is Genesis 17:13: “He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.”
Which people in the Bible are associated with proselytes?
Paul, Abraham, Isaac, Ruth and Boaz.
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