Explicit and pervasive, that’s how I describe what the Bible says about widows, orphans, and the fatherless. (Note that the Hebrew word “yatom” can be translated as either “orphan” or “fatherless.” In ancient times, a fatherless child was considered the same as an orphan since single mothers almost always had no source of income. So biblical passages that mention widows and orphans can also refer to single mothers and their children.)
I’ve organized these passages into convenient and easy to remember categories.
What the Bible says about God’s Concern for Widows, Orphans, and the Fatherless
“Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do, they will cry out to me and I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused and I will kill you with the sword, your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.” Exodus 22:22-24
“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” Deuteronomy 10:18
“But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Psalm 10:14
“The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” Psalm 146:9
“The Lord tears down the house of the proud, but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place.” Proverbs 15:25
“We will never again say, ‘Our Gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.” Hosea 14:3
Summary: When instructing Israel about his nature, one of God’s key descriptions of himself is as a defender and sustainer of the weak, including widows, orphans and the fatherless. God threatens anyone who harms these dear people with death. He defends their cause and he feels deeply their suffering.
The Bible Gives Specific Laws Designed to Protect Widows, Orphans, and the Fatherless
“When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” Deuteronomy 24:19
“At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” Deuteronomy 14:29
“Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name — you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your towns, and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows living among you.” Deuteronomy 16:9-11
“Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. Be joyful at your festival — you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns.” Deuteronomy 16:13-14
“Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge.” Deuteronomy 24:17
“When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.” Deuteronomy 24:17, 20, 21
“When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Then say to the Lord your God: ‘I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.” Deuteronomy 26:12, 13
Summary: We see God’s concern for widows, the fatherless, and orphans expressed practically in the laws he designed for Israel. God legalized “gleaning” in Israel for destitute people, such as aliens, the fatherless, and widows. Gleaning was the practice of allowing poor people to pick over a field after a harvest. God also commanded the Israelites to build grain silos in their towns dedicated to the poor. These were to be filled every three years with a special ten percent grain donation by the landowners. In addition to this special grain donation, God commanded landowners to make an annual donation to the temple on behalf of the poor seven weeks after the start of harvest. During the seven day Festival of Tabernacles that celebrated the harvest, widows, the fatherless, and orphans were to be included in the celebration. In addition, a widow’s cloak was inviolate and could not be used as collateral for a loan.
This is What the Bible Says about How Righteous People should Treat Widows, Orphans and the Fatherless
“Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him. The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing.” Job 29:11-13
“If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless — but from my youth I reared them as a father would, and from my birth I guided the widow — if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or the needy without garments, and their hearts did not bless me for warming them with the fleece from my sheep, if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.” Job 31:16-23
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
“Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. Besides they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to. So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.” 1 Timothy 5:3-16
Summary: If it is true that God is deeply concerned about widows, orphans and the fatherless, and that he went so far as to institute laws for Israel that protect them, then it follows that believers will share the same concern for, and practical care of, widows, orphans, and the fatherless. And so we read that Job, when defending himself against the accusations of his three “friends,” made it clear that he had “rescued the poor who cried for help and the fatherless who had none to assist him,” and that he “made the widow’s heart sing.” And because concern for widows, the fatherless, and orphans is so close to God’s heart, James states that visiting them in their distress is the purest form of religion. The Bible even goes so far as to give the church clear and detailed guidelines for which widows should be on “the list” of widows who receive continuous monetary support from the church. Widows not on the list should be supported by family and friends.
How the Bible Describes Mistreatment of Widows, Orphans, and the Fatherless
“You sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless.” Job 22:9
“You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend.” Job 6:27
“They drive away the orphan’s donkey and take the widow’s ox in pledge…. The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt…. They prey on the barren and childless woman, and to the widow they show no kindness.” Job 24:3, 9, 21
“They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. They crush your people, Lord; they oppress your inheritance. They slay the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless. They say, ‘The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice.'” Psalem 94:4-7
“Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them.” Isaiah 1:23
“Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not seek justice. They do not promote the case of the fatherless; they do not defend the just cause of the poor.” Jeremiah 5:27, 28
“In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow.” Ezekiel 22:7
“As he taught, Jesus said, ‘Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” Mark 12:38-40
Summary: Evil people in the Bible are often described by the way they mistreat widows, orphans, and the fatherless. They refuse to help widows and fatherless children, barter them into slavery, take essential possessions and even children as collateral for loans, are mean and cruel to them, and even murder them. Corrupt courts ignore their cases and treat them with contempt. In Jesus’ day, spiritual leaders even confiscated their homes.
The Bible Condemns Wicked People who Mistreat Widows, Orphans, and the Fatherless
“Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow.” Deuteronomy 27:19
“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.” Isaiah 10:1,2
Summary: Anyone who mistreats aliens, the fatherless and widows incurs the wrath of God and falls under a curse.
The Bible Commands Believers to Protect and Provide for Widows, Orphans, and the Fatherless
“Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17
“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” Psalm 82:3
“Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach of the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.” Proverbs 23:10, 11
“If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, the I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave our ancestors for ever and ever.” Jeremiah 7:5-7
“Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.” Zecharia 7:9, 10
“Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.” 1 Timothy 5:3
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
“In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, shoose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’ This proposal pleased the hole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.” Acts 6:1-6
Summary: Scripture is clear that ministry to the widows, single moms, fatherless children, and orphans should be one of the highest priorities of every church. Widows, orphans and the fatherless are to be defended, delivered from oppression and murder, shown justice, mercy, and compassion, given proper recognition, and visited in their homes frequently. The sole purpose of the office of deacon is to serve widows in need.
For additional reading on related topics, check out these links on how your church can better serve widows, single moms and fatherless boys.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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Learn how to form teams of men for every widow, single mom
and fatherless child in your church at NewCommandment.org.
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