Zechariah 7:10
“And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God forbids the oppression of the defenseless and the harboring of evil intent against a brother.
What Does Zechariah 7:10 Mean?
The command turns specific and tender. Four groups, the widow, the fatherless, the stranger, and the poor, name those most easily exploited and least able to defend themselves. God places Himself as their protector and forbids their oppression.
Then He reaches past the hand to the heart: let none imagine evil against his brother. True religion is not only what we refrain from doing but what we refuse to harbor within. The God who defends the helpless sees the secret scheming of the heart, and He calls His people to a goodness that runs all the way down.
In the Original Language
ger (גֵּר), 'stranger' -- the resident foreigner, a sojourner without inherited rights whom God commands His people to protect.