By Babu Tendu The Bible provides clear guidance regarding the care of widows. Widows were often vulnerable in biblical times, needing support and protection. Understanding what the Bible says about widows helps us recognize God’s heart for the broken.
Throughout scripture, we find numerous verses showing God’s concern for widows. These verses highlight themes of compassion, justice, and responsibility. Reflecting on these Bible verses about widows helps us grasp the significance of looking after those in need.
The repeated calls to care for widows remind us of God’s love for the helpless. We also see His warnings to those who neglect them. No two books in the Bible are alike in how they address widows, yet the message is the same.
The importance of these scriptures goes beyond just the widows. They teach us lessons on mercy and kindness, applicable to everyone. Exploring these Bible verses about widows encourages us to act justly, care deeply, and love generously.
List of Bible Verses about Widows
p
Exodus 22:22
“You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.”
Isaiah 1:17
“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”
James 1:27
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Deuteronomy 10:18
“He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”
Psalm 68:5
“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”
1 Timothy 5:3
“Honor widows who are truly widows.”
Zechariah 7:10
“Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”
Proverbs 15:25
“The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries.”
Ruth 4:14
“Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!'”
p
Exodus 22:24
“And my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.”
Jeremiah 22:3
“Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow.”
Luke 7:12-13
“As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.'”
Job 29:13
“The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.”
Psalm 146:9
“The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”
p
Deuteronomy 14:29
“And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.”
Mark 12:42-44
“And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.'”
1 Kings 17:12-14
“And she said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.’ And Elijah said to her, ‘Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.”‘”
p
1 Timothy 5:16
“If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.”
Malachi 3:5
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.”
Acts 6:1
“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.”
Lamentations 5:3
“We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are like widows.”
Proverbs 31:9
“Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Isaiah 10:2
“To turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!”
p
Matthew 23:14
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers; therefore, you will receive the greater condemnation.”
Luke 2:37
“And then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.”
Jeremiah 49:11
“Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive; and let your widows trust in me.”
Deuteronomy 24:17
“You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow’s garment in pledge.”
1 Kings 7:14-16
“And the jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.”
2 Samuel 14:5
“And the king said to her, ‘What is your trouble?’ She answered, ‘Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.'”
Job 31:16
“If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail.”
Jeremiah 7:6
“If you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm.”
p
Psalm 94:6
“They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless.”
Deuteronomy 24:19
“When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”
Psalm 68:6
“God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.”
Mark 12:40
“Who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
Isaiah 9:17
“Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.”
Ezekiel 22:7
“Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you.”
p
Luke 18:3
“And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.'”
Proverbs 23:10
“Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless.”
Leviticus 19:9-10
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”
Isaiah 54:4
“Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.”
Lamentations 1:1
“How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave.”
Proverbs 31:20
“She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.”
p
2 Kings 4:1-2
“Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.’ And Elisha said to her, ‘What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?’ And she said, ‘Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.'”
Jeremiah 5:28
“They have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy.”
Psalm 82:3
“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.”
Matthew 21:13
“He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you make it a den of robbers.'”
Ezekiel 22:29
“The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice.”
p
Proverbs 30:14
“There are those whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among mankind.”
1 Peter 5:7
“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Conclusion
The Bible repeatedly speaks about caring for widows. These Bible verses about widows reveal God’s heart for justice. He shows great concern for the vulnerable and helpless. Widows receive special attention, demonstrating God’s compassion.
Those who follow Him are urged to defend and support widows. The commands for care reflect God’s mercy and kindness. These Bible verses about widows teach us valuable lessons in justice and generosity.
They remind us to be sensitive to others’ needs, especially those who face hardship. God calls us to act with empathy and fairness, modeling His love.