I Was a Foreigner and You Included Me

When Jesus said "I was a stranger and you took Me in," did he mean "I was someone you don't know," or was it more then that?

Matt 25:34-36 NKJV – Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”

The Oxford American Dictionary (on the Apple Macintosh) defines "stranger" this way:

stranger
noun
a person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar : don't talk to strangers | | she remained a stranger to him.
• a person who does not know, or is not known in, a particular place or community : I'm a stranger in these parts | | he must have been a stranger to the village.

Is that the Biblical meaning?  What is the Greek word and how is it used in other contexts?

• Greek: ξενος ημην, και συνηγαγετε με
• Greek transliteration: xenos emen, kai synegagete me
• NIV: I was a stranger and you invited me in
• NLT: I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home
• ESV: I was a stranger and you welcomed me
• Weymouth: when I was homeless, you gave me a welcome
• YLT: I was a stranger, and ye received me
• CJB: I was a stranger and you made me your guest
• NCV: I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house
• AMP: I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me
• The Message: I was homeless and you gave me a room

All the English translations I have looked at add valuable insights into how we should behave.  I think that the text certainly would include those behaviors.  But I think they have missed something.  We can get a larger sense of xenos by looking for related English words. The Oxford American Dictionary definition for xenophobia illustrates what xenos means.

xenophobia
noun
intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries

The first definition in Thayer's Lexicon is "a foreigner." 

Let's look at a few examples of this word from the Septuagint.

Ruth 2:10

• Septuagint: και επεσεν επι προσωπον αυτης και προσεκυνησεν επι την γην και ειπεν προς αυτον Τι οτι ευρον χαριν εν οφθαλμοις σου του επιγνωναι με; και εγω ειμι ξενη
• Septuagint transliteration: kai epesen epi prosōpon autes kai prosekynesen epi ten gen kai eipen pros auton Ti oti euron charin en ophthalmois sou tou epignonai me? kai ego eimi xene
• Hebrew: ‏ותפל על־פניה ותשׁתחו ארצה ותאמר אליו מדוע מצאתי חן בעיניך להכירני ואנכי נכריה׃
• Hebrew transliteration: .... v'anokhi nokhriyah
• NETS – And she fell upon her face and did obeisance on the ground and said to him, "Why is it that I have found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me?  And I am a foreigner!"
• Brenton – And she fell upon her face, and did reverence to the ground, and said to him, How is it that I have found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take notice of me, whereas I am a stranger?
• NET – Ruth knelt before him with her forehead to the ground and said to him, “Why are you so kind and so attentive to me, even though I am a foreigner?”
• NKJV – So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?"
• NIRV – When Ruth heard that, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked, "Why are you being so kind to me? In fact, why are you even noticing me? I'm from another country."
• CEV – Ruth bowed down to the ground and said, "You know I come from another country. Why are you so good to me?"

2 Samuel 15:19

• Septuagint – και ειπεν ο βασιλευς προς Εθθι τον Γεθθαιον Ινα τι πορευη και συ μεθ ημων; επιστρεφε και οικει μετα του βασιλεως, οτι ξενος ει συ και οτι μετωκηκας συ εκ του τοπου σου. 
• Septuagint transliteration – kai eipen o basileus pros Eththi ton Geththaion Ina ti poreue kai sy meth emon? epistrephe kai oikei meta tou basileos, oti xenos ei sy kai oti metokekas sy ek tou topou sou.
• Hebrew: ‏ויאמר המלך אל־אתי הגתי למה תלך גם־אתה אתנו שׁוב ושׁב עם־המלך כי־נכרי אתה וגם־גלה אתה למקומך׃
• Hebrew transliteration: ... ki nokhri atah ...
• Brenton – And the king said to Ethi, the Gittite, Why dost thou also go with us? return, and dwell with the king, for thou art a stranger, and thou has come forth as a sojourner out of thy place. 
• NET – Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come with us? Go back and stay with the new king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own country.
• NKJV – Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king. For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place.
• NLT – Then the king turned to Ittai, the captain of the Gittites, and asked, "Why are you coming with us? Go on back with your men to King Absalom, for you are a guest in Israel, a foreigner in exile.
• NIV – The king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland.

Lamentations 5:2

• Septuagint –  κληρονομια ημων μετεστραφη αλλοτριοις, οι οικοι ημων ξενοις.
• Septugint transliteration –  kleronomia emon metestraphe allotriois, oi oikoi emon xenois
• Hebrew – ‏נחלתנו נהפכה לזרים בתינו לנכרים׃
• Hebrew stransliteration –  ... l'nokhrim
• NETS – Our inheritance has been turned over to foreigners, our homes to strangers.
• Brenton – Our inheritance has been turned away to aliens, our houses to strangers; 
• KJV – Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.
• NKJV – Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, and our houses to foreigners.
• NET – Our inheritance is turned over to strangers; foreigners now occupy our homes.
• NIV – Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, our homes to foreigners.
• CEV – Foreigners and strangers have taken our land and our homes. 
• BBE – Our heritage is given up to men of strange lands, our houses to those who are not our countrymen.

In these texts, xenos translates the Hebrew word nokri (‏נכרי).  A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (BDB: Brown, Driver, Briggs) defines it as "foreign, alien."
   
Here are some New Testament texts that use the word xenos.

• Acts 17:18 NKJV – Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign (Ξενων – Xenon) gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. 
• Acts 17:21 NKJV – For all the Athenians and the foreigners (ξενοι – xenoi) who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
• Eph 2:11-12 NKJV – Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers (ξενοι – xenoi) from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
• Eph 2:11-12 NIV – Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)– 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners (ξενοι – xenoi) to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
• Eph 2:12 CEV – At that time you did not know about Christ. You were foreigners to the people of Israel, and you had no part in the promises that God had made to them. You were living in this world without hope and without God,
• Eph 2:19 NET – So then you are no longer foreigners (ξενοι – xenoi) and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 
• 3 John 5 NKJV – Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers (ξενους – xenous),... 
• 3 John 5 BBE – My loved one, you are doing a good work in being kind to those brothers who come from other places;
• 3 John 5 Modern Hebrew – ‏חביבי, אתה נוהג בנאמנות בכל מה שׁאתה עושׂה למען האחים אפלו כשׁהם זרים(zarim – foreign)
  

3 John 5 seems to be expressing the spirit of "I was a stranger [foreigner] and you took me in."  Could we paraphrase this part of Matthew 25:35 very widely and loosely with some of the following?

• I was a foreigner and you included me.
• I spoke a different language and you made an effort to speak to me.
• I was from a different denomination and you welcomed me in your church.
• I was from a different culture and you made an effort to understand me.
• I had foreign customs and you accepted them.
• I was of a different race and wore strange clothes and you made me feel welcome in your community.
• I had a different religion and you took interest in me and made me feel accepted.
• I wore a burka and you saw me as a person.
• I wore a turban and you treated me like a friend.

I had not noticed the foreign aspect of Matthew 25:35.

Matt 28:19 NKJV – Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,...

Mark 13:10 NKJV – And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

Luke 24:47 NKJV – and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Rev 5:9 NKJV – And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

Rev 7:9 NKJV – After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

Rev 14:6 NKJV – Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—