Migration, the movement of people from one place to another, is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. It often signifies divine guidance, fulfillment of promises, or consequences of human actions. The Bible presents migration as both a physical journey and a spiritual metaphor, reflecting the transient nature of human life and the pursuit of God's promises.

Old Testament

1. The Migration of Abraham: One of the earliest and most significant migrations in the Bible is that of Abraham. In Genesis 12:1-3, God calls Abram to leave his homeland and go to a land that He will show him. This migration is foundational, as it marks the beginning of God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants. "The LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you'" (Genesis 12:1).

2. The Exodus: The migration of the Israelites from Egypt is a central narrative in the Old Testament. Under Moses' leadership, the Israelites leave slavery in Egypt and journey toward the Promised Land. This migration is both a physical escape and a spiritual journey of faith and obedience. Exodus 12:37-38 describes the beginning of this mass migration: "The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children" .

3. The Babylonian Exile: The forced migration of the Israelites to Babylon is a significant event that reflects God's judgment and the hope of restoration. The exile is a consequence of Israel's disobedience, yet it also sets the stage for eventual return and renewal. Jeremiah 29:10-14 speaks of God's promise to bring the exiles back: "For thus says the LORD: 'When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place'" .

New Testament

1. The Flight to Egypt: The New Testament recounts the migration of the Holy Family to Egypt to escape King Herod's massacre. This event fulfills the prophecy, "Out of Egypt I called My Son" (Matthew 2:15). It highlights God's protection and the fulfillment of His divine plan through migration.

2. The Spread of the Gospel: The early Christian movement is characterized by migration as the apostles and disciples spread the Gospel beyond Jerusalem. Acts 1:8 records Jesus' command to His disciples: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" . This directive leads to the dispersion of believers and the establishment of Christian communities throughout the Roman Empire.

3. The Pilgrimage of Faith: The New Testament often uses migration as a metaphor for the Christian life. Believers are described as "foreigners and strangers on earth" (Hebrews 11:13), emphasizing the transient nature of earthly life and the ultimate destination of the heavenly kingdom.

Theological Implications

Migration in the Bible is often associated with divine purpose and providence. It serves as a means for God to fulfill His promises, test faith, and demonstrate His sovereignty. The biblical narratives of migration underscore themes of trust, obedience, and the hope of a better future. They remind believers of their identity as sojourners in the world, called to follow God's leading and to seek the eternal city prepared for them.(n.) The act of migrating.3350. metoikesia -- change of abode
... Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: metoikesia Phonetic Spelling: (met-oy-kes-
ee'-ah) Short Definition: change of abode, migration, deportation Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3350.htm - 6k5906. Ayish -- (a constellation) perhaps Great Bear
... Arcturus. Or Ash {awsh}; from uwsh; the constellation of the Great Bear (perhaps
from its migration through the heavens) -- Arcturus. see HEBREW uwsh. ...
/hebrew/5906.htm - 6k

935. bo -- to come in, come, go in, go
... 1), invade when they came (1), invaded (1), invades (1), keep on coming (1), laid
(1), Lebo-hamath (6), led (3), lifted (1), mentioned (1), migration (1), now ...
/hebrew/935.htm - 8k

Of the Time of the Migration of Abraham, When, According to the ...
... Book XVI. Chapter 15."Of the Time of the Migration of Abraham, When, According
to the Commandment of God, He Went Out from Haran. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 15 of the time of.htm

Chatter xviii. The Great Immigration.
... passengers in all parts of Europe"all these co??erated with the growing facility
and cheapness of steam transportation to swell the current of migration. ...
/.../a history of american christianity/chatter xviii the great immigration.htm

The Philosophy of the Christians More Ancient than that of the ...
... war; Eratosthenes says that it was after the 100th year from the taking of Ilium;
Aristarchus, that it was about the time of the Ionian migration, which was ...
/.../tatian/tatians address to the greeks/chapter xxxi the philosophy of the.htm

Europeans in India.
... Migration to unoccupied parts of Central India and Assam has been carried out to
a small extent, and it is very desirable this migration should increase. ...
/.../chapter xxx europeans in india.htm

The Pythagorean Doctrine of Transmigration Sketched and Censured.
... What, then, by this time means that ancient saying, mentioned by Plato, [1703]
concerning the reciprocal migration of souls; how they remove hence and go ...
/.../a treatise on the soul/chapter xxviii the pythagorean doctrine of.htm

The Middle Colonies: the Jerseys, Delaware, and Pennsylvania --The ...
... Thus "with one heart they resolved to carry on their spiritual and town affairs
according to godly government." The Puritan migration, of which this was the ...
/.../bacon/a history of american christianity/chapter ix the middle colonies .htm

The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far Higher Antiquity than the ...
... the whole earth. Her, Istrus, in his work on the migration of the Egyptians,
calls the daughter of Prometheus. Prometheus lived ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxi the jewish institutions and.htm

The American Church on the Eve of the Great Awakening --A General ...
... people had been born on the soil at two or three generations' remove from the original
colonists, or belonged to a later stratum of migration superimposed upon ...
/.../bacon/a history of american christianity/chapter x the american church.htm

Close of the Colonial Era --The German Churches --The Beginnings ...
... The great German immigration begins to flow in earnest in this period. Three
successive tides of migration have set from Germany to America. ...
/.../bacon/a history of american christianity/chapter xii close of the.htm

Geological Contemporaneity and Persistent Types of Life.
... did the doctrine of single specific centres, the conclusion was as legitimate as
any other; for the two districts must have been occupied by migration from one ...
/.../x geological contemporaneity and persistent.htm

Migration (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) The act of migrating. Multi-Version Concordance
Migration (1 Occurrence). Jeremiah 8:7 Truly, the ...
/m/migration.htm - 6k

Quail (5 Occurrences)
... even, that the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew
lay round about the camp." This describes a large flock in migration, so that ...
/q/quail.htm - 13k

Crane (2 Occurrences)
... of its voice (Isaiah 38:14: "Like a swallow or a crane, so did I chatter"); again
because of the unforgettable picture these birds made in migration (Jeremiah 8 ...
/c/crane.htm - 12k

Lot (145 Occurrences)
... father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees." For that period
in the life of this family, therefore, which begins with the migration from Ur ...
/l/lot.htm - 60k

Zoan (7 Occurrences)
... Early History 4. Hyksos Monuments 5. Hyksos Population 6. Hyksos Age 7. Description
of Site 1. Situation: The name is supposed to mean "migration" (Arabic, tsan ...
/z/zoan.htm - 17k

Migron (2 Occurrences)

/m/migron.htm - 8k

Exodus (2 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A large migration, a going out, as, the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt
under the conduct of Moses; and hence, any large migration from a place. ...
/e/exodus.htm - 82k

Judah (802 Occurrences)
... JUDAH, KINGDOM OF. " I. CANAAN BEFORE THE MONARCHY 1. The Coming of the Semites
2. The Canaanites 3. The Israelite Confederacy 4. Migration into Canaan 5. The ...
/j/judah.htm - 101k

Arabia (9 Occurrences)
... FLORA AND FAUNA 1. Flora 2. Fauna V. INHABITANTS 1. Classification 2. Extinct Tribes
3. South Arabian Tribes 4. Migration of Tribes 5. North Arabian Tribes 6 ...
/a/arabia.htm - 43k

Quails (4 Occurrences)
... These birds (the Coturnix vulgaris of naturalists) are found in countless numbers
on the shores of the Mediterranean, and their annual migration is an event ...
/q/quails.htm - 8k

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