“... 1:23. orphans and widows in courts. A major aspect of Israelite legal tradition involved making provision for groups classified as weak or poor: widows, orphans and the resident alien (see Ex 22:22; Deut 10:18-19; 24:17-21). Concern for the needy is evident in Mesopotamian legal collections as early as the mid-third millennium and generally addresses protection of rights and guarantee of justice in the courts. Based on very early statements in the prologues of the Ur-Nammu Code and the Code of Hammurabi it is clear that kings considered it part of their role as “wise rulers” to protect the rights of the poor, the widow and the orphan. Similarly, in the Egyptian Tale of the Eloquent Peasant the plaintiff begins by identifying his judge as “the father of the orphan, the husband of the widow.” This reflects a concern throughout the ancient Near East that the vulnerable classes be provided for. ...”