In the biblical context, the concept of settlers is closely tied to the themes of land, inheritance, and divine promise. The Bible often depicts the movement and settlement of peoples as part of God's sovereign plan, particularly in relation to the Israelites.

Patriarchal Settlements

The narrative of settlers begins with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were called by God to leave their native lands and settle in Canaan. This land was promised to them and their descendants as an everlasting inheritance. Genesis 12:1-2 records God's call to Abram: "Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you." The patriarchs lived as sojourners in Canaan, establishing altars and dwelling in tents, signifying their faith in God's promise of future settlement.

The Exodus and Conquest

The most significant settlement event in the Old Testament is the Exodus and subsequent conquest of Canaan. After centuries of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites, under Moses' leadership, embarked on a journey to the Promised Land. This journey was marked by divine guidance and miraculous provision. Upon entering Canaan, under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites engaged in a series of battles to claim the land God had promised to their forefathers. Joshua 21:43 states, "So the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled there."

Tribal Allotments

The settlement of the Promised Land involved the division of territory among the twelve tribes of Israel. This division was conducted by casting lots, as described in the Book of Joshua. Each tribe received a specific inheritance, which they were to cultivate and defend. The allotment of land was not only a fulfillment of God's promise but also a means of establishing a societal structure based on tribal identity and familial inheritance.

Exile and Return

The theme of settlement is also evident in the periods of exile and return. Due to their disobedience, the Israelites were exiled from their land, first by the Assyrians and later by the Babylonians. However, God's promise of restoration remained. The return from Babylonian exile, as chronicled in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, marks a significant resettlement. The rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple signified a renewal of covenantal relationship and divine favor.

Spiritual Implications

In the New Testament, the concept of settlement takes on a spiritual dimension. Believers are described as "aliens and strangers" in the world (1 Peter 2:11), with their true citizenship in heaven. The idea of settling is thus transformed into a spiritual journey towards an eternal inheritance. Hebrews 11:9-10 reflects on the faith of Abraham, who "by faith made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."

Conclusion

The biblical narrative of settlers underscores the themes of faith, obedience, and divine promise. From the patriarchs to the return from exile, the act of settling is portrayed as a fulfillment of God's covenantal promises, with implications that extend into the spiritual realm for believers today.8453. toshab -- a sojourner
... Word Origin from yashab Definition a sojourner NASB Word Usage foreign resident
(1), settlers (1), sojourner (8), sojourners (2), sojourning (1), tenants (1). ...
/hebrew/8453.htm - 6k

Divided Worship
... to overawe Hungary. These new settlers brought with them their national
peculiarities, and among the rest, their gods. They knew ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/divided worship.htm

The Birth of a Movement.
... it for lands or gold, and not until a second proclamation was issued, granting liberty
of conscience and worship to all Protestants, did settlers come in large ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclean/william black/i the birth of a.htm

The Founding of Herrnhut, 1722-1727.
... The first step in the building of Herrnhut had been taken. For some weeks the
settlers had still to eat the bread of bitterness and scorn. ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter iii the founding of.htm

The Transplanting of Congregationalism
... The plan had failed, the partnership had been dissolved, and a few of the
settlers had removed to Salem, Massachusetts. The Rev. ...
/.../chapter ii the transplanting of.htm

Presbyterians.
... PRESBYTERIANS. The first settlers of New England were driven away from Old
England, in pursuit of religious liberty. They were required ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/presbyterians.htm

Colonization.
... All the Spanish settlers, of whom there were many, still held fast to their Church,
and all the coast of the Continent of South America is Roman Catholic. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xxxiii colonization.htm

Introduction
... religion justly considered the most intolerant of all the modifications of Christianity
extant, had the honor of exhibiting to the savages and settlers of this ...
/.../bangs/a history of the methodist episcopal church volume i/introduction.htm

Close of the Colonial Era --The German Churches --The Beginnings ...
... was no longer liable to be regarded as a political intriguer and a conspirator with
savage assassins against the lives of innocent settlers and their families. ...
/.../bacon/a history of american christianity/chapter xii close of the.htm

The Israelites
... Its first settlers"those who had founded its cities, who had invented the cuneiform
system of writing and originated its culture"were of a wholly different ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter i the israelites.htm

Chapter i.
... f.). A part of the Babylonian captivity returned (Ezra i, ii.), but Babylonia and
Mesopotamia continued to be the home of a large body of Jewish settlers (Tob. ...
/.../an introduction to the old testament in greek additional notes/chapter i.htm

Settlers (4 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Settlers (4 Occurrences). Leviticus 25:23 And
the land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is ...
/s/settlers.htm - 7k

Settler (8 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) Especially, one who establishes himself in a new region or a colony;
a colonist; a planter; as, the first settlers of New England. ...
/s/settler.htm - 9k

Philippi (8 Occurrences)
... On the site of the old foundation of Crenides, from which the Greek settlers had
perhaps been driven out by the Thracians about a century previously, the ...
/p/philippi.htm - 36k

Captivity (141 Occurrences)
... Kings 17:24). The fact that Sargon introduced foreign settlers taken in
war into Samaria is attested by inscriptions. That there ...
/c/captivity.htm - 79k

Country
... A further importation of pagan settlers took place under Esar-haddon and Osnappar
(Ezra 4:9, 10). The latter is to be identified with Assur-bani-pal. ...
/c/country.htm - 23k

Dispersion (4 Occurrences)
... 4. Extent of Dispersion: There was, besides, a voluntary emigration of Jewish settlers
for purposes of trade and commerce into the neighboring countries, and ...
/d/dispersion.htm - 44k

Samaria (123 Occurrences)
... A further importation of pagan settlers took place under Esar-haddon and Osnappar
(Ezra 4:9, 10). The latter is to be identified with Assur-bani-pal. ...
/s/samaria.htm - 63k

Kittim (8 Occurrences)
... If Kition be, then, a Semitic word (from the same root as the Hebrew Kittim), it
has been transferred from the small band of Phoenician settlers which it at ...
/k/kittim.htm - 15k

Gihon (6 Occurrences)
... Mary"), or commonly as the "Virgin's Fount." It is the one true spring of Jerusalem,
the original source of attraction to the site of the early settlers; it is ...
/g/gihon.htm - 16k

Grass (92 Occurrences)
... custom to cut herbage for hay, though the writer has seen many carloads of
sweet-smelling hay being carried from the land by Circassian settlers, East of the ...
/g/grass.htm - 43k

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