153 Bible verses about Helping Widows

The Bible's stories and teachings about widows really show God's love and compassion. 1 Timothy 5:3 urges us to honor widows. That means truly seeing their situation, having empathy, and offering respect and support.

James 1:27 describes pure and faultless religion as caring for orphans and widows in their distress. It's about being there for them in tough times, offering comfort and help.

The Bible also teaches that widows should be cared for by their families and protected by the church. So, let's keep God's word in our hearts and be a reflection of His goodness to those women grieving the loss of a loved one. Let's be a shoulder to cry on, and most importantly, let's pray for them. Pray that God's Holy Spirit strengthens them.

And let's not just offer comforting words. Let's also provide practical support, whether it's food, clothing, or whatever they might need. Widows go through incredibly difficult times and need our help to keep going.

Let's bless their lives, their homes, their children, and leave a positive mark on their hearts. Let's show them they're not alone in this world.

Honor widows who are widows indeed,

Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

You shall not afflict any widow or orphan.

And if you indeed afflict him, and if he earnestly cries out to Me, I will surely hear his cry;

and My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Execute justice for the orphan, Plead for the widow.

You shall not afflict any widow or orphan.

He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows love for the sojourner by giving him food and clothing.

Yahweh keeps the sojourners; He helps up the orphan and the widow, But He bends the way of the wicked.

And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow who are within your gates, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the sojourner and do not fear Me,” says Yahweh of hosts.

Yahweh will tear down the house of the proud, But He will cause the boundary of the widow to stand.

Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is Yah, and exult before Him.

¶A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation.

For if you truly make your ways and your deeds good, if you truly do justice between a man and his neighbor,

if you do not oppress the sojourner, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own evil demise,

then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.

[Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]

Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no opportunity for reviling,

Because I provided escape for the afflicted who cried for help, And the orphan who had no helper.

“The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me, And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

¶A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation.

And he gave her his hand and raised her up. And calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

¶Do not move the ancient boundary And do not come into the fields of the orphans,

For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you.

So as to turn the poor away from their cause And rob the afflicted of My people of their justice, So that widows may be their spoil And that they may plunder the orphans.

Thus says Yahweh, “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the sojourner, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

To crush under His feet All the prisoners of the land,

To deprive a man of justice In the presence of the Most High,

and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the sojourner or the afflicted; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’

Honor widows who are widows indeed,

but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God.

If any believing woman has widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed.

Now as He approached the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.

And when the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her and said to her, “Do not cry.”

And He came up and touched the coffin, and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”

And the dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice from my opponent.’

And a poor widow came and put in two lepta, which amount to a quadrans.

And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those putting money into the treasury;

for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

He is the One who heals the brokenhearted And who binds up their wounds,

Give justice to the poor and the orphan; Justify the afflicted and destitute.

“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the afflicted homeless into the house; When you see the naked, you cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to share with the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

¶If you are slack in the day of trouble, Your strength is in trouble.

¶Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are stumbling to the slaughter, Oh hold them back.

If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts understand? And does not He who guards your soul know? And will not He render to man according to his work?

For the needy will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.

“You shall not pervert the justice due a sojourner or an orphan, nor take a widow’s garment in pledge.

Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And pursues rewards. They do not execute justice for the orphan, Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed,

contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Only they asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though being rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

I was young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his seed begging bread.

For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.

¶Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

Let love of the brothers continue.

We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no authority to eat.

For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.

Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.

For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one to come.

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name.

And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Obey your leaders and submit to them—for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they will do this with joy and not with groaning, for this would be unprofitable for you.

Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves well in all things.

And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

“Beware of doing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

‘Give us this day our daily bread.

‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

“Now whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face

so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

“Therefore, when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

And which of you by worrying can add a single cubit to his life span?

And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,

yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’

For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

So, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience;

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

¶Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am alone and afflicted.

How blessed is he who considers the poor; Yahweh will provide him escape in a day of calamity.

¶But You, O Yahweh, be gracious to me and raise me up, That I may repay them.

By this I know that You delight in me, Because my enemy makes no shout in triumph over me.

As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And You make me stand firm in Your presence forever.

¶Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

Yahweh will keep him and keep him alive, And he shall be blessed upon the earth; And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.

Yahweh will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health.

For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not a second one to lift him up.

He who gives to the poor will never want, But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.

She extends her hand to the poor, And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated is called Dorcas). This woman was full of good works and charity which she continually did.

And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room.

Now since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, pleading with him, “Do not delay in coming to us.”

So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, crying and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

‘Cursed is he who perverts the justice due a sojourner, orphan, and widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him, and when he saw him, he felt compassion.

And he came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

Who does justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. Yahweh sets the prisoners free.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in petitions and prayers night and day.

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

¶Yahweh performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

We love, because He first loved us.

For you were called to freedom, brothers; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Cause me to understand, that I may observe Your law And keep it with all my heart.

For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

Protect the poor and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for it will be repaid to you at the resurrection of the righteous.”

as it is written, “He scattered abroad, he gave to the needy, His righteousness stands forever.”

How blessed is he who considers the poor; Yahweh will provide him escape in a day of calamity.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep,

For God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and continuing to minister to the saints.

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.

And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;

and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom, which has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;

naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’

Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?

And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?

And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;

I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’

Then they themselves also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’

Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you.

For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But Yahweh will take me up.

not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

As each one has received a gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God—

¶Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your hand to do it.

Let all that you do be done in love.

“When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the sojourner, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

and they began selling their property and possessions and were dividing them up with all, as anyone might have need.

But now I am going to Jerusalem to serve the saints.

Open your mouth for the mute, For the justice of all those passing away.

Open your mouth, judge righteously, And render justice to the afflicted and needy.

¶Though I walk in the midst of distress, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.

“Therefore, in all things, whatever you want people to do for you, so do for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

He who abides in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

And if you offer your soul to the hungry And satisfy the soul of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your thick darkness will become like midday.

And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead by itself.

But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, Yahweh will lead them away with the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel.

bearing with one another, and graciously forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord graciously forgave you, so also should you.

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.

The Spirit of Lord Yahweh is upon me Because Yahweh has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim release to captives And freedom to prisoners,

“A battered reed He will not break off, And a smoldering wick He will not put out, Until He leads justice to victory.

Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar?

So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.

And I will walk in a wide place, For I seek Your precepts.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, Because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul,

having a reputation for good works; if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in affliction, if she has devoted herself to every good work.

My brothers, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.

Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

“Can a woman forget her infant And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.

¶A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation.

God causes the lonely to inhabit a home; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

He who is gracious to a poor man lends to Yahweh, And He will repay him for his bountiful deed.

Oh may Your lovingkindness comfort me, According to Your word to Your slave.

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-discipline.

for “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; Who sustains his works with justice.

And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

“Therefore, when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Better is a dish of vegetables where there is love Than a fattened ox and hatred in it.

Yahweh is good to all, And His compassions are over all His works.

“I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her needy with bread.

All day long he is gracious and lends, And his seed is a blessing.

by keeping your conduct excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good works, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

By this we have known love, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be strengthened;

Remove the false way from me, And graciously grant me Your law.

Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives from his food to the poor.

You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long.

You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

“Sell your possessions and give it as charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.

But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

“Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,

He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at disaster will not go unpunished.

Give justice to the poor and the orphan; Justify the afflicted and destitute.

Protect the poor and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me.

For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also abounding through many thanksgivings to God.

Therefore, to one who knows to do the right thing and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good, For His lovingkindness endures forever.

nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Prayer