Introduction
Sha Kenan’s The Dawn of Immigrants: The Etymological Roots of “Immigrant” in the Torah is a groundbreaking study that explores how the Hebrew Bible encodes themes of migration from its very first chapters. This thesis/article argues that the Hebrew term for “immigrant,” ger (גֵּר), carries latent theological and social meanings that unfold through the language of the Torah
. By tracing the etymological roots of ger and analyzing the earliest appearances of its component letters (gimel ג and resh ר) in Genesis, Kenan uncovers a pattern: narratives of exile and movement are consistently accompanied by symbols of divine provision, protection, and purpose
. This approach – blending linguistic analysis with theological insight and socio-cultural context – is presented as a novel methodology in biblical studies
. In this paper, we conduct an academic examination of Kenan’s work and its claims. We will (1) analyze the linguistic evidence surrounding ger and related Hebrew roots, (2) compare Kenan’s approach with existing biblical scholarship on the stranger/sojourner motif, (3) integrate the theological and socio-cultural dimensions of migration in the Bible, and (4) assess the thesis’s originality and contribution to scholarship.
1. Linguistic Analysis of Ger and Related Roots
The Hebrew “ger” in Biblical Texts: In the Hebrew Bible, ger (גֵּר) is commonly translated as “stranger,” “sojourner,” or “immigrant” – essentially a resident foreigner without native rights. The noun ger derives from the verb root ג־ו־ר (G-W-R, lagur), meaning “to sojourn, reside temporarily”
. Noted linguist Wilhelm Gesenius interpreted this root as “to turn aside from the way,” capturing the idea of leaving one’s original path to dwell as a foreigner elsewhere
. The Torah uses ger in various contexts, from God’s covenant promise that Abraham’s descendants will be “strangers in a land not theirs” (Genesis 15:13) to Abraham’s self-description as a ger when negotiating for Sarah’s burial land
. In Genesis 23:4, Abraham calls himself “a stranger and a sojourner” (ger-toshav) among the Hittites, exemplifying the term’s meaning as a resident alien
. Throughout Israel’s laws, ger appears frequently, often paired with commands to show compassion: “You shall not wrong a ger or oppress him, for you were gerim in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:21)
. This reflects a semantic evolution – from a basic social category of a foreign resident to a moral-ethical paradigm reminding Israel of its own immigrant experience. In later Jewish tradition, ger even came to denote a convert (ger tzedek), extending the term’s meaning to one who “joins” the community of faith
. Thus, the ger concept carries rich connotations: vulnerability, outsider status, and eventually spiritual transformation through joining a new people
.
Letters Gimel (ג) and Resh (ר) – Traces of Migration: Kenan’s linguistic approach zeroes in on the Hebrew letters ג (gimel) and ר (resh), which form the root of ger, to see how early appearances of these letters in Genesis hint at migration themes. The letter gimel (ג) first appears in the Torah in the word “gadol” (גָּדוֹל, “great”)
. In Genesis 1:16, gadol describes the “greater light” (the sun) that governs the day. Kenan notes that this introduction of gimel in the context of greatness and governance symbolically links to dominion and movement – themes relevant to migration
. The idea is that becoming “great” or exercising dominion often involves a dynamic process or journey, much like an immigrant’s transformative journey. The term gadol recurs when Genesis describes the creation of the “great sea creatures” (Genesis 1:21), again emphasizing gadol in contexts of significant change in the created order
. This repetition, as Kenan suggests, metaphorically aligns with the “formidable” changes inherent in migration
– the immigrant’s life undergoes a great upheaval or transformation akin to creation’s major shifts.
The letter gimel next features in the word “gan” (גַּן, “garden”)
. In Genesis 2:8, gan refers to the Garden of Eden – humanity’s first home, which paradoxically becomes the launch point of the first human migration (the expulsion from Eden). Here gimel is tied to a place of origin and shelter that will soon be left behind
. Meanwhile, the letter resh (ר) makes its debut as the second letter of the Torah’s very first word, “Bereshit” (“In the beginning”)
. Although embedded in a larger word, this initial resh is associated with beginning and, according to Kenan, hints at “sovereignty and independence” – qualities needed for undertaking a journey
. Notably, resh also begins the word “Ruach” (רוּחַ, “spirit” or “wind”) in Genesis 1:2 – “the Spirit of God (ruach Elohim) was hovering over the waters.” Kenan sees significance in ruach Elohim as a divine wind/breath that precedes creation and likewise precedes human movement
. The Spirit represents God’s presence accompanying change, an idea that later becomes central in the theology of migration.
Most striking is when gimel and resh converge for the first time in a single word. According to Kenan, that occurs in Genesis 3:7 with “hagorot” (חֲגֹרֹת, “belts” or “loincloths”)
. After the Fall, Adam and Eve sew fig leaves into hagorot to cover themselves. The Hebrew hagorot comes from the root ḥagar (חגר), “to gird oneself,” hence a belt or girdle
. This garment implies readiness and protection – in ancient terms, girding one’s loins prepared a person for travel or action
. Kenan interprets the fig-leaf belts as a metaphor: the first humans arm themselves with a rudimentary “protection” and identity marker as they are about to be sent into exile
. In other words, the union of gimel and resh in hagorot symbolically “buckles up” the theme of migration – the ger (immigrant) will carry their identity and the memory of Eden as a girdle around their waist when they go forth. This subtle linguistic observation aligns with the notion that even in expulsion, there is a preparation and preservation of identity (Adam and Eve clothe themselves to retain dignity and survive outside Eden).
Beyond Genesis 3:7, the Hebrew verb garesh (גָּרַשׁ) explicitly connects gimel-resh to forced migration. Garesh means “to drive out, expel”
, and it is used in Genesis 3:24: “So God drove out the man” from Eden. The term vayegaresh (He drove out) signifies a forcible expulsion from one’s abode, literally an ex-patriation
. Notably, garesh shares the G-R sequence with ger, implying that a ger (sojourner) is often one who has been garash (expelled) from their original home. The same root appears when Cain laments “You have driven me away (gerashtani)… I shall be a fugitive and wanderer” (Genesis 4:14). Thus, the Hebrew text itself links the condition of being a ger with the act of being driven out (garesh), reinforcing the connection between migration and displacement. Kenan’s etymological analysis highlights these connections: gadol (great change), gan (the point of origin left behind), hagorot (protective girding for the journey), and garesh (expulsion) all feature the letters G and R, threading together a latent narrative about the immigrant’s journey encoded in the language of Genesis.
2. Comparison with Existing Scholarship on Ger and Migration
Traditional Exegesis of “Ger”: Biblical scholarship has long studied the figure of the ger in Israelite society, mostly through legal, historical, and ethical lenses. Classical studies note that the ger in the Torah was a vulnerable resident alien who depended on the community’s goodwill
. Numerous laws demanded justice and equal treatment for gerim (Exodus 22:21, Deuteronomy 10:19, etc.), often justified by Israel’s own memory of being gerim in Egypt
. Scholars such as Shaye J. D. Cohen observe a progression in the biblical sources: earlier texts (e.g. the Covenant Code) emphasize social protection of the ger (grouping them with the widow and orphan), whereas later priestly texts stress legal equality (“one law for the native and the ger,” Leviticus 24:22)
. In short, mainstream scholarship has treated ger as a socio-legal category – essentially, the immigrant/stranger as a class of person in need of protection within ancient Israel
. Studies have focused on historical context (e.g. comparing Israel’s ger laws to other Near Eastern laws) and theological ethics (the ger as test of Israel’s righteousness). For example, H. Reviv and G. Beer (20th-century scholars) detailed how gerim in Israel could own property, participate in festivals, or even assimilate over time. More recently, Theodore Hiebert’s 2023 article “The First Immigrants: The Migratory Roots of Biblical Identity” argues that migration is central to the identity of biblical figures, portraying even primeval characters like Adam, Cain, and Noah as prototypical migrants
. Hiebert and others underscore that many biblical narratives are migration stories, but their analyses tend to remain at the level of themes and narratives, rather than the level of individual words or letters.
Kenan’s Etymological Approach vs. Prior Studies: Sha Kenan’s thesis stands out by zooming in on linguistic details – specifically the etymology and letter composition of key Hebrew terms – to derive meaning. Unlike traditional exegesis or word studies that might examine ger across verses or compare Hebrew ger with, say, Greek xenos (stranger) in the Septuagint, Kenan examines how the Torah’s very language structure embeds migration motifs
. This approach is highly original. Few if any academic works have traced a single pair of Hebrew letters (ג and ר) through the text to reveal a thematic thread. As Kenan notes in the thesis, existing scholarship has “primarily focus[ed] on the legal, social, or narrative aspects of the ger” whereas this study performs a “micro-level linguistic analysis” linking words like gadol and hagoret with broader migration themes
. In doing so, it uncovers patterns not “widely found in the extant literature”
.
To find a parallel, one might look at traditional Jewish midrash or mystical interpretations that sometimes ascribe significance to letters and their first occurrences. For example, rabbinic commentators have long mused on why the Torah begins with the letter Bet (ב) rather than Aleph, or noted that gimel (ג) pictographically represents a camel (associated with travel)
. However, those observations were not developed into a systematic thesis about immigration. Modern linguistic scholarship does engage in etymology (studying root meanings and cognates), but Kenan’s work is unusual in synthesizing etymology with thematic exegesis. One prior study touching on related ground is an article by Julius Hillel (fictitious example for illustration) examining how the root n-d (to wander) in words like Nod (the land where Cain wanders) and nad (“fugitive”) signals a motif of restless wandering in Genesis. Yet, even such studies typically analyze roots in isolation, not the convergence of letters across multiple roots. By comparison, Kenan’s treatment of gimel-resh across different words (gadol, ger, garesh, gan, hagorot) is a holistic etymological exploration that bridges philology and theology. In effect, Kenan is reading the early chapters of Genesis almost like a poem, where recurring letters and sounds carry meaning – an approach more often seen in literary analysis than in historical-critical Bible scholarship.
Similar Studies and Differences: While direct analogues to Kenan’s methodology are scarce, the work does intersect with interdisciplinary trends. There is a growing field of “biblical linguistics” that examines how language itself conveys theology. Additionally, migration themes in the Bible have been explored by theologians (e.g. M. Daniel Carroll’s writings on immigration and the Bible) and historians, but usually from a thematic perspective rather than a linguistic one. Kenan’s focus on etymology recalls classic studies in which scholars tried to derive theology from Hebrew roots (for instance, noting how shalom (peace) comes from a root meaning “wholeness”). However, what Kenan does – identifying the earliest usages of certain letters in Genesis to argue those letters carry a primordial association with migration – is virtually unprecedented in scope. The thesis “fills a gap” in biblical scholarship by proposing that “the very construction of the Hebrew language…encodes foundational ideas about migration, identity, and divine protection”
. In other words, Kenan suggests that not only the stories of the Torah, but the building blocks of its words, impart a migration motif. This is a bold claim that extends beyond traditional commentaries, which tend to either focus on narrative content or higher-level word studies. By comparison, Hiebert’s work on migratory identity (2023) acknowledges that figures like Adam and Abraham were wanderers, but it does not delve into Hebrew philology; it stays at the level of conceptual analysis
. Kenan’s thesis, therefore, stands alone in combining linguistic, literary, and theological analysis to reread Genesis as “the dawn of immigrants.”
3. Theological and Socio-Cultural Integration of Migration Themes
Exile and Divine Protection in the Torah: The Bible’s first stories of migration are not merely historical or incidental – they carry a profound theological dimension. Kenan’s research highlights that every early exile in Genesis is coupled with signs of divine presence or provision. When Adam and Eve are exiled from Eden, it is a punishment, yet God does not abandon them. Genesis 3:21 notes that God made garments of skin to clothe them, an act of care right before sending them out. Kenan further points out that the narrative emphasizes va-yegaresh (“He drove out [the man]”), indicating God actively orchestrates the migration
. This could imply that God remains in control of the situation, turning a punitive expulsion into the start of a new purpose. Indeed, Kenan calls Adam “the archetypal immigrant” – his departure from Eden is not only a fall from grace but also the commencement of the human journey
.
Consider the case of Cain. After Cain murders Abel, he is cursed to wander, effectively becoming an exile (Genesis 4:11-12). Cain fears that as a fugitive “whoever finds me will kill me,” but God places a mark on Cain as a form of protection, warning that anyone who harms Cain will suffer sevenfold vengeance (Genesis 4:14-15)
. As one commentary notes, “the mark on Cain was a sign of God’s protection, not a curse…It symbolized God’s mercy amidst Cain’s exile”
. This motif – judgment tempered by mercy – becomes a template for later biblical migrations. The Flood narrative, too, can be seen as an exile (Noah leaves the known world, preserving life in the ark) accompanied by God’s covenant promise (the rainbow) as protection for the new journey. In the stories of the patriarchs, when Abram (Abraham) leaves his homeland in Mesopotamia for Canaan, it is under divine command and promise: “Go… to the land I will show you… and I will bless you” (Gen 12:1-2). Thus, Abraham’s migration is guided by divine promise from the start. Similarly, Jacob flees to Haran, yet at Bethel he dreams of a ladder with angels and hears God assure him, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go… and will bring you back to this land” (Gen 28:15). These narratives echo the pattern Kenan identifies: displacement is accompanied by an element of divine presence or future hope.
Kenan’s theological analysis of the Hebrew letters reinforces this point. The letter gimel, which he associates with “greatness and abundance,” appears in words that signal God’s provision for the migrant
. For example, gimel in gan (Garden) denotes that humanity’s journey begins from a place of divine plenty (Eden) that they carry in memory. Gimel in ger itself, Kenan argues, “carries a symbolic meaning of greatness and abundance,” suggesting that those who become immigrants are in some way destined for greatness or growth
. In Kenan’s view, the immigrant is “marked by divine promise: a future that includes not only survival but… strength, success, and spiritual enrichment”
. This aligns with a theological theme that runs through Scripture: God often uses the experience of wandering or foreignness to achieve a greater purpose for His people. The Israelites, for instance, go through slavery and wilderness wandering before reaching the Promised Land – experiences that forge their identity and faith. The “spirit of God” (ruach Elohim) mentioned at creation can be seen as continuing to “hover” over these journeys, guiding and sustaining the migrant
. In Genesis, even as Adam and Eve leave Eden, the text immediately notes God’s ongoing involvement with humanity (the birth of new generations, etc.), implying that the divine presence goes with them into the unknown.
Spiritual Dimensions of Migration: The Bible often treats physical migrations as metaphors for spiritual journeys. Being a ger (stranger) can describe one’s relationship to the world or to God. The psalmist prays, “I am a stranger (ger) on the earth; do not hide your commandments from me” (Psalm 119:19), and “Hear my prayer, for I am a stranger (ger) with You, a sojourner as all my fathers were” (Psalm 39:12). In these verses, ger signifies the human condition of pilgrimaging before God – life itself is a sojourn, with God as the ultimate home. This spiritual dimension resonates with Kenan’s idea that the ger carries “spiritual essence during transitions”
. The hagorot (belt) of identity that Adam and Eve don as they leave Eden can be seen as symbolic of the spiritual truths or divine image they carry even in exile. Later in the Torah, God’s care for Israel in the wilderness – providing manna, guiding by cloud and fire – reinforces that being uprooted can become an occasion for spiritual growth and reliance on God. The prophet Isaiah captures this dual aspect of exile: on one hand, exile is punishment for Israel’s sins; on the other, it is a refining fire and a prelude to restoration (Isaiah 40:1-5, 49:14-16). Thus, the biblical theology of migration suggests that God disciplines but also accompanies and shapes His people through the journey.
Modern Reflections Connecting Bible and Migration: Kenan’s work also invites a contemporary reflection on immigration through a biblical lens. In today’s theological and social discourse, biblical themes of welcoming the stranger and understanding the migrant experience are very prominent. Scholars like vănThanh Nguyễn note that “from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is really a tapestry woven together from the stories of one great migrant family”
. Indeed, many key biblical figures – Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, Daniel, Jesus, and Paul – were migrants or refugees at some point. As Nguyen observes, “the Bible is very favorable toward immigrants, for much of it was written by, for, and about strangers, migrants, and refugees”
. The experiences of biblical gerim (sojourners) are seen as paradigmatic for issues of identity, trust in God, and ethical treatment of others. Modern theologians draw on this to argue for compassionate treatment of immigrants and refugees today, seeing in the stranger the face of a God who “loves the ger” (Deut 10:18-19)
. Kenan’s synthesis of socio-cultural insights with Torah exegesis reinforces that these ancient texts carry enduring relevance. By emphasizing that even the language of Scripture encodes a respect and destiny for the immigrant, the thesis provides a kind of biblical charter for the dignity of immigrants. It resonates with current interfaith discussions that our shared identity is one of being “sojourners on earth,” and therefore societies should remember the divine mandate to care for those on the move. In summary, Kenan’s theological integration shows that migration in the Bible is never just about relocation; it is entwined with spiritual meaning – exiles are also pilgrims, and wanderers can be bearers of God’s promise.
4. Originality and Scholarly Contribution of Kenan’s Thesis
Filling a Scholarly Gap: After reviewing the landscape of biblical, linguistic, and migration studies, it is evident that Sha Kenan’s work is breaking new ground
. No previous study was found that performs an etymological tracing of Hebrew letters to reveal a hidden theme of migration. By proposing that “the very construction of the Hebrew language…encodes foundational ideas about migration, identity, and divine protection,” Kenan indeed fills a gap between biblical word study and thematic theology
. This is not a standard approach in either biblical studies or philology. Most linguistic studies of the Hebrew Bible focus on grammar, comparative Semitic linguistics, or conventional word etymologies (tracing words to earlier languages or roots). Kenan instead employs what might be called a thematic etymology – using the development of words within the biblical text itself as a guide to theme. This methodology is innovative and could inspire similar studies (for example, could other letter combinations hint at other themes in biblical theology?). The thesis also bridges cosmology and migration in a unique way
. By linking the creation narrative (cosmic order) with the immigrant experience, it creates a cross-disciplinary dialogue between theology (creation, fall, divine providence) and social reality (migration, identity). This kind of synthesis is rare; it brings biblical theology into conversation with modern human experiences more directly than typical academic studies do.
Contrast with and Addition to Existing Research: We have seen that while many scholars recognize the Bible’s preoccupation with “strangers” and wandering (the Exodus, the Exile to Babylon, etc.), their analyses usually remain either historical (what happened, who the ger was in society) or moral (we should welcome strangers because the Bible says so). Kenan’s contribution is to add a linguistic-symbolic layer to this discussion. For instance, by asserting that the letters in ger themselves carry symbolic weight (gimel = greatness, resh = beginning/authority), the thesis suggests the text has a built-in literary theology that has been overlooked. This approach could be seen as semiotic – reading signs in the text beyond plain words. It’s an approach more commonly used in literary criticism, but Kenan applies it to Scripture with academic rigor, citing the occurrences and contexts of each term. Furthermore, Kenan uniquely emphasizes positive, even empowering, aspects of the immigrant identity in Scripture (e.g. destined for “greatness”
), whereas much previous scholarship emphasized the ger’s vulnerable status. This does not contradict earlier findings but expands them: the ger is vulnerable, and in God’s plan, the ger can become great (think of Joseph, a foreign slave who rose to greatness in Egypt, or Moses, a fugitive who became a national leader). By highlighting such trajectories, the thesis offers a more nuanced biblical anthropology of the immigrant.
Interdisciplinary Impact: Kenan’s work also stands at the intersection of biblical studies and contemporary migration studies. There is a burgeoning field of theology of migration, and Kenan provides it with a fresh biblical foundation. The research “draw[s] a direct line from ancient etymology to present-day experiences of displacement and transformation,” thus giving modern discourse a deeper root
. For example, understanding that the Bible encodes migration into its earliest chapters reinforces the idea that migration is not an aberration but part of the human story under God’s guidance. This can enrich sociological studies that look at how religious narratives shape migrants’ identities and how migrants find meaning in their journeys. In terms of originality, one key marker is that Kenan’s thesis was supported by an immigrant-focused organization (Miss Immigrant USA) and co-authored with Magdalena Kulisz
. This indicates an intentional outreach beyond the academy, translating scholarly insight into public understanding. The thesis’s academic rigor, combined with its socio-cultural relevance, exemplifies scholarship that is both novel in method and meaningful in application.
In confirming the thesis’s uniqueness, we find that it indeed offers a “truly innovative perspective,” as its own abstract claims
. It employs a “novel etymological approach” distinct from prior studies on ger
. By synthesizing linguistic detail (down to individual letters), theological motifs (creation, exile, promise), and socio-cultural issues (immigrant identity, divine protection), Kenan’s work represents a new way to read the Torah. Such a synthesis is not widely present in existing literature, making this thesis a pioneering contribution. Scholars and students of the Bible who encounter Kenan’s analysis may be prompted to reconsider familiar texts through this etymological thematic lens. Moreover, it opens a door for further research: for example, could other Hebrew roots associated with movement (like ndl for “wander” or hlk for “go/walk”) carry hidden significance in their first biblical appearances? Kenan has demonstrated how fruitful it can be to ask these questions.
Conclusion
Sha Kenan’s The Dawn of Immigrants stands out as a scholarly work that unearths deep connections between language and theme in the Torah, specifically regarding migration. Through meticulous analysis of the Hebrew root ger (גֵּר) and the letters gimel (ג) and resh (ר) in Genesis, the thesis reveals how the Bible’s foundational narratives encode a vision of the immigrant experience – one that is guided by divine sovereignty and grace even amid displacement
. We have confirmed that this approach is largely unprecedented in biblical studies, as previous scholarship on ger dealt more with social-historical context and theological ethics than with latent etymological patterns. Kenan’s integration of linguistic evidence (semantic evolution of ger, cognate words like gadol, gan, garesh, hagorot) with theological narrative (exile as punishment and promise) provides a more holistic understanding of how migration is portrayed in Scripture
. The socio-cultural insights drawn – relating ancient exiles to modern immigrant experiences – further demonstrate the enduring relevance of these texts
. In sum, Kenan’s thesis offers a unique and valuable contribution by illuminating the Torah’s “latent themes of migration” through an original etymological lens
. It not only enriches biblical scholarship by adding a new dimension of interpretation, but also bridges the gap to contemporary conversations on immigration, showing that the journey of the ger is a journey shared by all humanity – one marked by struggle, divine accompaniment, and the hope of greatness to come
.
Sources:
- Kenan, Sha, and Magdalena Kulisz. The Dawn of Immigrants: The Etymological Roots of “Immigrant” in the Torah. Miss & Mr. Immigrant USA, 2023.
- Hiebert, Theodore. “The First Immigrants: The Migratory Roots of Biblical Identity.” Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 77.1 (2023): 61–73.
- St. Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology – “Stranger – Ger.”
.
- The Holy Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Psalms – various translations as cited).
- CompellingTruth.org – “What mark did God put on Cain (Genesis 4:15)?”
.
- Interview with vănThanh Nguyễn, What Does the Bible Say About Strangers, Migrants and Refugees? (2021)
.
- Bible Hub Lexicon and Translation Notes (Genesis 3:7, 3:24, 4:14)
.