Texts in Conversation
Exodus 22 warns that mistreating widows, orphans, or foreigners will bring God’s punishment, showing they have divine protection. Psalm 68 echoes this by calling God the defender of widows, echoing a common ancient Near Eastern tradition that both gods and rulers must protect the weak.
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Exodus 22:22
Hebrew Bible
21 “You must not wrong a resident foreigner nor oppress him, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 22 “You must not afflict any widow or orphan. 23 If you afflict them in any way and they cry to me, I will surely hear their cry, 24 and my anger will burn and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children will be fatherless.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Psalm 68:5
Hebrew Bible
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.
Date: 6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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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
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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