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 truly widows.

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

“ ‘You will not afflict any widow or orphan.If you indeed afflict him, yes, if he cries out at all to me, I will certainly hear his cry of distress.And I will become angry, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children orphans.

Learn to do good! Seek justice! Rescue the oppressed! Defend the orphan! Plead for the widow!

“ ‘You will not afflict any widow or orphan.

And he executes justice for the orphan and widow, and he is one who loves the alien, to give to them food and clothing.

Yahweh protects the strangers. He helps up the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he thwarts.

And so the Levite may come, because there is no plot of ground for him or an inheritance with you, and the alien also may come and the orphan and the widow that are in your towns, and they may eat their fill, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all of the work of your hand that you undertake.”

“Then I will approach 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 the oppressors of the hired worker with his wages, the widow and the orphan, and the abusers of the alien, and yet do not fear me,” says Yahweh of hosts.

The house of the proud, Yahweh will tear it down, but he will maintain the property line of the widow.

Sing to God, sing praises to his name. Lift up a song to the rider on the clouds—his name is Yah— and rejoice before him.A father to orphans and a judge for 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,you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, you do not shed innocent blood in this place, and you do not go after other gods to your harm,then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your ancestors forever and ever.

Therefore I want younger widows to marry, to bear children, to manage a household, to give the adversary no opportunity for reproach.

because I saved the needy who cried for help, and I saved the orphan for whom there was no helper.The blessing of the wretched came upon me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

A father to orphans and a judge for widows is God in his holy habitation.

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

Do not remove an ancient boundary marker, and on the fields of orphans do not encroach;For their redeemer is strong, he himself will plead their cause against you.

to guide the needy away from legal claims, and to rob the justice from the poor of my people, to make widows their spoil; and they plunder orphans.

Thus says Yahweh, “Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been seized from the hand of the oppressor. And you must not oppress the immigrant, the orphan, and the widow. And you must not shed innocent blood in this place.

To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth;to deprive one of justice before the face of the Most High;

You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, and the needy. You must not devise evil in your heart against one another.’

Honor widows who are truly widows.But if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must learn to show profound respect for their own household first, and to pay back recompense to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

If any believing woman has widows, she must help them, and the church must not be burdened, in order that it may help those who are truly widows.

And as he approached the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep!”And he came up and touched the bier, and those who were carrying it stopped. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and he gave him to his mother.

And there was a widow in that town, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary!’

And one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins (that is, a penny).And summoning his disciples, he said to them, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow put in more than all those who put offerings into the contribution box.For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in everything she had, her whole means of subsistence.”

He is the one who heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.

Judge on behalf of the helpless and the orphan; provide justice to the afflicted and the poor.

Is it not to break your bread for the hungry? You must bring home the poor, the homeless. When you see the naked, you must cover him, and you must not hide yourself from your relatives.

For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

But whoever has the world’s material possessions and observes his brother in need and shuts his heart against him, how does the love of God reside in him?

And the king will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.’

If you faint on the day of adversity, little is your strength.Rescue those who are led away to the death and those who stagger to the slaughter. If you hold back,if you say, “Look, we do not know this,” does not he who weighs hearts perceive it? And he who keeps your soul, he knows and will repay humankind according to his deeds.

for the needy shall not always be forgotten; the hope of the poor shall never perish.

You shall not subvert the rights of an alien or an orphan, and you shall not take as pledge the garment of a widow.

Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Every one loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not defend the orphan and the legal dispute of the widow does not come before them.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because of which he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send out in freedom those who are oppressed,

contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.

In the same way, younger men, be subject to the elders, and all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

They asked only that we should remember the poor, the very thing I was also eager to do.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, for your sake he became poor, in order that you, by his poverty, may become rich.

I was a youth, but I am now old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.

for he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those judging his life.

Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy.

If a brother or a sister is poorly clothed and lacking food for the day,and one of you should say to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but does not give them what is necessary for the body, what is the benefit?

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be proud and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in God, who provides us all things richly for enjoyment,to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, sharing freely,storing up for themselves a good foundation for the future, in order that they may take hold of what is truly life.

Brotherly love must continue.We have an altar from which those who serve in the tabernacle do not have the right to eat.For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sins are burned up outside the camp.Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, in order that he might sanctify the people by his own blood.So we must go out to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.For here we do not have a permanent city, but we seek the city that is to come.Therefore through him let us offer up a sacrifice of praise continually to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.And do not neglect doing good and generosity, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can 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, and want to conduct ourselves commendably in every way.And I especially urge you to do this, so that I may be restored to you more quickly.Do not neglect hospitality, because through this some have received angels as guests without knowing it.

“And take care not to practice your righteousness before people to be seen by them; otherwise you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.May your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us today our daily bread,and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.For if you forgive people their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.But if you do not forgive people, neither will your Father forgive your sins.“Whenever you fast, do not be sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unrecognizable in order that they may be seen fasting by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!But when you are fasting, put olive oil on your head and wash your faceso that you will not be seen by people as fasting, but to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and consuming insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal,Therefore whenever you practice charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet in front of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order that they may be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor consuming insect destroy 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. Therefore if your eye is sincere, your whole body will be full of light.But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. Therefore if the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!“No one is able to 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 are not able to serve God and money.“For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat, and not for your body, what you will wear. Is your life not more than food and your body more than clothing?Consider the birds of the sky, that they do not sow or reap or gather produce into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they are?And who among you, by being anxious, is able to add one hour to his life span?And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe the lilies of the field, how they grow: they do not toil or spin,but I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these.But you, when you practice charitable giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,But if God dresses the grass of the field in this way, although it is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not do so much more for you, you of little faith?Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?,’for the pagans seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.But seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, because tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.in order that your charitable giving may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Therefore, as the chosen of God, holy and dearly loved, put on affection, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience,

Carry the burdens of one another, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Turn to me and have mercy on me because I am lonely and afflicted.

Blessed is the one who has regard for the poor; in the day of disaster, Yahweh delivers him.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 has not shouted in triumph over me.As for me, you have upheld me in my integrity, and you have set me in your presence forever.Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.Yahweh protects him and keeps him alive; he is blessed in the land, and you do not give him into the will of his enemies.Yahweh sustains him on his sick bed. In his illness, you restore to health.

For if one falls, his companion may help him up. But pity the one who falls and there is no one to help him up.

For he who gives to the poor, there is no lacking, but for he who turns his eyes, there are many curses.

Her palm she opens to the poor, and her hand she reaches out to the needy.

Now in Joppa there was a certain female disciple named Tabitha (which translated means “Dorcas”). She was full of good deeds and charitable giving which she was constantly doing.Now it happened that in those days after becoming sick, she died. And after washing her, they placed her in an upstairs room.And because Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, when they heard that Peter was in Lydda, sent two men to him, urging, “Do not delay to come to us!”So Peter got up and accompanied them. When he arrived, they brought him up to the upstairs room, and all the widows came to him, weeping and showing him tunics and other clothing that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

‘Cursed be the one who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

But a certain Samaritan who was traveling came up to him and, when he saw him, had compassion.And he came up and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine, and he put him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food for the hungry. Yahweh sets prisoners free;

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

But the widow who is one truly, and is left alone, has put her hope in God and continues in her petitions and prayers night and day.

Each one should give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or from compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give the proceeds to the poor—and you will have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.”

Yahweh does deeds of justice and judgments for all who are oppressed,

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask for it from God, who gives to all without reservation and not reproaching, and it will be given to him.

if it is one who exhorts, by exhortation; one who gives, with sincerity; one who leads, with diligence; one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

We love, because he first loved us.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and heed it with my whole heart.

For to this end we labor and suffer reproach, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of believers.

Rescue the helpless and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will never lose his reward.”

But whenever you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,and you will be blessed, because they are not able to repay you. For it will be paid back to you at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Just as it is written, “He scattered widely, he gave to the poor; his righteousness remains forever.”

Blessed is the one who has regard for the poor; in the day of disaster, Yahweh delivers him.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

For God is not unjust, so as to forget your work and the love which you demonstrated for his name by having served the saints, and continuing to serve them.

Now 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 like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.And he will place 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 by my Father. Inherit the kingdom 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 welcomed me as a guest,I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for 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 welcome you as a guest, or naked and clothe you?And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?’But the wise ones took olive oil in flasks with their lamps.And the king will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.’Then he will also say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!For I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat, I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink,I was a stranger and you did not welcome me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not care for me.’Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and not serve you?’Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, in as much as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Become kind toward one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ has forgiven you.

If my father or my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will receive me.

each of you not looking out for your own interests, but also each of you for the interests of others.

Just as each one has received a gift, use it for serving one another, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.

Do not withhold good from its owner when it is in the power of your hand to do.

All your actions must be done in love.

“When you reap your harvest in your field and you forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not return to get it, for it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

And they began selling their possessions and property, and distributing these things to all, to the degree that anyone had need.

But now I am traveling to Jerusalem, serving the saints.

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the needy.Open your mouth, judge righteousness, and defend the poor and needy.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me alive. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my enemies, and you save me with your right hand.

Therefore in all things, whatever you want that people should do to you, thus also you do to them. For this is the law and the prophets.

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

One who lives in the secret place of the Most High will lodge in the shadow of Shaddai.

if you offer your soul to the hungry, and you satisfy the appetite of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be like noon.

And he answered and said to them, “The one who has two tunics must share with the one who does not have one, and the one who has food must do likewise.”

So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what edifies one another.

Thus also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

But regarding those who turn aside to their crooked ways, Yahweh will lead them away with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.

putting up with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone should have a complaint against anyone, just as also the Lord forgave you, thus also you do the same.

Anxiety in the heart of a man will weigh him down, but a good word will cheer him.

The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me, he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives and liberation to those who are bound,

A crushed reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not extinguish, until he brings justice to victory.

to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, sharing freely,

Do you not know that those performing the holy services eat the things from the temple, and those attending to the altar have a share with the altar?In the same way also the Lord ordered those who proclaim the gospel to live from the gospel.

And I will go about freely, for I have sought your precepts.

Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

And let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give up.

I will exult and rejoice in your loyal love. Because you have seen my misery, you know the distresses of my life.

being well-attested by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if she has helped those who are oppressed, if she has devoted herself to every good work.

My brothers, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with partiality.

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Can a woman forget her suckling, refrain from having compassion on the child of her womb? Indeed, these may forget, but I, I will not forget you!

A father to orphans and a judge for widows is God in his holy habitation.God settles the lonely in a home; he brings prisoners out into prosperity. But the rebellious abide in a barren land.

And if I parcel out all my possessions, and if I hand over my body in order that I will be burned, but do not have love, it benefits me nothing.

He who lends to Yahweh is he who is kind to the poor, and his benefits he will repay to him.

Please let your loyal love comfort me, according to your word to your servant.

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

For “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

It goes well for a man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his business properly.

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

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and consuming insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal,Therefore whenever you practice charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet in front of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order that they may be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor consuming insect destroy and where thieves do not break in or steal.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Better is a dinner of vegetables when love is there than a fattened ox and hatred with it.

Yahweh is good to all, and his mercies are over all his works.

I will bless its provisions abundantly; I will satisfy its poor with bread.

All the day he is gracious and lends, and his children are a blessing.

maintaining your good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in the things in which they slander you as evildoers, by seeing your good deeds they may glorify God on the day of visitation.

We have come to know love by this: that he laid down his life on behalf of us, and we ought to lay down our lives on behalf of the brothers.But whoever has the world’s material possessions and observes his brother in need and shuts his heart against him, how does the love of God reside in him?Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

And let us think about how to stir one another up to love and good works,not abandoning our meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging each other, and by so much more as you see the day drawing near.

For I desire to see you, in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, in order to strengthen you,

Remove from me the deceptive way, and graciously give me your law.

Therefore you be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives to the poor from his own bread.

But you have seen; indeed you have noted trouble and grief to take it into your hand. The helpless abandons himself upon you; you have been the helper for the orphan.

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

I am bowed down; I am bent over greatly. All the day I go about mourning.

You will hide them in the protection of your presence from the plots of man. You will hide them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

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

Sell your possessions and give charitable gifts. Make for yourselves money bags that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven where thief does not approach or moth destroy.

But be doers of the message and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves,

because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now,

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

Then you shall call, and Yahweh himself will answer. You shall cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am!’ If you remove from among you the yoke, the finger-pointing and evil speech,

He who mocks the poor insults him who made him; he who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

Judge on behalf of the helpless and the orphan; provide justice to the afflicted and the poor.Rescue the helpless and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.

for he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good.

because the service of this ministry is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but also is overflowing through many expressions of thanksgiving to God.

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

Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loyal love endures forever.

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

Prayer