Psalm 68:5
3 But the godly are happy; they rejoice before God and are overcome with joy. 4 Sing to God! Sing praises to his name. Exalt the one who rides on the clouds. For the Lord is his name. Rejoice before him. 5 He is a father to the fatherless and an advocate for widows. God rules from his holy dwelling place. 6 God settles in their own homes those who have been deserted; he frees prisoners and grants them prosperity. But sinful rebels live in the desert. 7 O God, when you lead your people into battle, when you march through the wastelands, (Selah)
Joseph and Aseneth 12:11
9 For lo, the wild primaeval Lion pursues me; And his children are the gods of the Egyptians that I have abandoned and destroyed; And their father the Devil is trying to devour me. 10 But do thou, O Lord deliver me from his hands, And rescue me from his mouth, Lest he snatch me like a wolf and tear me, And cast me into the abyss of fire, and into the tempest of the sea; And let not the great Sea-monster swallow me. 11 Save me, O Lord, deserted as I am, For my father and mother denied me, Because I destroyed and shattered their gods; And I have no other hope save in thee, O Lord; For thou art the father of the orphans, and the champion of the persecuted, And the help of them that are oppressed. 12 For lo, all the gods of my father Pentephres are but for a season and uncertain; but the inhabitants of thine inheritance, O Lord, are incorruptible and eternal.
Notes and References
"... In Psalm 68:5 God is called the protector of widows, and in Psalm 146:9 he takes care of them. In both instances they are mentioned in the same breath as orphans; in the latter they are mentioned at the same time as strangers. This actualizes the social law of Exodus 22:20-23. Widows, orphans, strangers, and the wretched/poor are under God’s protection, and he extends his solidarity to them. Their cry for help in oppressive situations (see Psalm 94:6) is heard and answered by God. In the Psalms, those marginalized by society and pushed to the margins of life, or those threatened by the powerful and violent, are called needy or wretched ..."
Bail, Ulrike "The Psalms: 'Who is Speaking May Be All That Matters'" in Schottroff, Luise and Marie-Theres Wacher (eds.) Feminist Biblical Interpretation: A Compendium of Critical Commentary on the Books of the Bible and Related Literature (pp. 240-254) William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2012