Chronological timeline of texts tagged with The Poor, the Widow, the Orphan
About This Tag
The protection of the "poor, widow, and the orphan" was a common literary and ethical staple throughout ancient Near Eastern literature, reflecting a widespread concern for social justice and the defense of the vulnerable. First found in Mesopotamian literature such as the Code of Hammurabi, it eventually became a major theme in Biblical and derivative traditions, as concern for these marginalized groups appears repeatedly.
Note: Dates shown in this timeline are approximate and based on scholarly estimates.
Back to Tag2300 B.C.E.
KTU 1.19
Ancient Near East
Then Danel the man of healing, at once the hero, the devotee of Hrnm, arose and sat by the entrance to the gate, beneath the trees which were by the threshing-floor. He tried the case of the widow, he judged the cause of the orphan. On lifting up her eyes she saw that the fleece on the threshing-floor was dry, that the field was wilted, that the fruit of the orchard was shriveled. Over her father’s house some falcons hovered, a flock of hawks was watching. Pughat wept in her heart, she cried in her liver. She tore the garment of Danel the man of healing, the cloak of the hero, the devotee of Hrnm.
2100 B.C.E.
Code of Ur Nammu
Ancient Near East
By granting immunity in Akkad to the maritime trade from the seafarers' overseer, and to the herdsman from the "oxen-taker," the "sheep-taker," and the "donkey-taker," he set Sumer and Akkad free. At that time, he established standardized weights and measures. He fashioned the bronze silé-measure, standardized the one mina weight, and set the stone-weight of a shekel of silver in relation to one mina. The orphan was not delivered up to the rich man; the widow was not delivered up to the mighty man; the poor man with one shekel was not delivered up to the man of one mina. If a man plants for another without the owner's knowledge, he must bring in the produce.
1750 B.C.E.
Code of Hammurabi
Ancient Near East
The great gods have called me, I am the salvation-bearing shepherd, whose staff is straight, the good shadow that is spread over my city; on my breast I cherish the inhabitants of the land of Sumer and Akkad; in my shelter I have let them repose in peace; in my deep wisdom have I enclosed them. That the strong might not injure the weak, in order to protect the widows and orphans, I have in Babylon the city where Anu and Bel raise high their head, in E-Sagil, the Temple, whose foundations stand firm as heaven and earth, in order to bespeak justice in the land, to settle all disputes, and heal all injuries, set up these my precious words, written upon my memorial stone, before the image of me, as king of righteousness.
1500 B.C.E.
Legend of Keret
Ancient Near East
Yassib also sits in the palace, and his inward parts instruct him. He says to himself, “Go to your father, Yassib. Speak to him and say: Listen, Keret the Noble, and hear me. You’ve done wrong. You were supposed to judge the case of the widow, to defend the cause of the wretched. But now you’ve become like a brother to the sickbed, a companion of suffering. Step down from kingship. I will be king. With your authority, I will sit on the throne.” Yassib the Lad goes to his father. He enters and raises his voice: “Listen, please, Keret the Noble. Hear me. You’ve let yourself fall into wrongdoing. You used to judge the widow’s case, to defend the oppressed, to drive out those who prey on the poor, to feed the orphan, to support the widow. But now you’ve become a brother to the bed of sickness, a companion of suffering. Step down from the kingship. I will be king. With your authority, I will sit.”
1300 B.C.E.
Instruction of Amenemope
Ancient Near East
Remember, the dependant is dog of his master, he barks for the one who feeds him. Do not misuse a widow if you find her in the fields nor fail to set aside your work to speak with her; Do not let a stranger pass your beer jug thirsty, refill it time and time again before your friends— Give love to the god of the ruined and poor far exceeding your debt to the eminent. Leave no one behind for the River crossing as you maneuver to launch the ferry.
5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition)
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.
6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition)
Deuteronomy 10:18
Hebrew Bible
16 Therefore, circumcise your hearts and stop being so stubborn! 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, 18 who justly treats the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing. 19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 Revere the Lord your God, serve him, be loyal to him, and take oaths only in his name.
6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition)
Deuteronomy 14:28
Hebrew Bible
26 Then you may spend the money however you wish for cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or whatever you desire. You and your household may eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and enjoy it. 27 As for the Levites in your villages, you must not ignore them, for they have no allotment or inheritance along with you. 28 At the end of every three years you must bring all the tithe of your produce, in that very year, and you must store it up in your villages. 29 Then the Levites (because they have no allotment or inheritance with you), the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows of your villages may come and eat their fill so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work you do.
6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition)
Deuteronomy 24:17
Hebrew Bible
15 You must pay his wage that very day before the sun sets, for he is poor and his life depends on it. Otherwise he will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin. 16 Fathers must not be put to death for what their children do, nor children for what their fathers do; each must be put to death for his own sin. 17 You must not pervert justice due a resident foreigner or an orphan, or take a widow’s garment as security for a loan. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do all this. 19 Whenever you reap your harvest in your field and leave some unraked grain there, you must not return to get it; it should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow so that the Lord your God may bless all the work you do.
6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition)
Deuteronomy 24:19
Hebrew Bible
17 You must not pervert justice due a resident foreigner or an orphan, or take a widow’s garment as security for a loan. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do all this. 19 Whenever you reap your harvest in your field and leave some unraked grain there, you must not return to get it; it should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow so that the Lord your God may bless all the work you do. 20 When you beat your olive tree you must not repeat the procedure; the remaining olives belong to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard you must not do so a second time; they should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow.
6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition)
2 Kings 4:1
Hebrew Bible
1 Now a wife of one of the prophets appealed to Elisha for help, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants.” 2 Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil.” 3 He said, “Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. Get as many as you can. 4 Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers; set aside each one when you have filled it.” 5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil.
7th-5th Centuries B.C.E.
Isaiah 1:17
Hebrew Bible
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I look the other way; when you offer your many prayers, I do not listen because your hands are covered with blood. 16 Wash! Cleanse yourselves! Remove your sinful deeds from my sight. Stop sinning. 17 Learn to do what is right. Promote justice. Give the oppressed reason to celebrate. Take up the cause of the orphan. Defend the rights of the widow. 18 “Come, let’s consider your options,” says the Lord. “Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool. 19 If you have a willing attitude and obey, then you will again eat the good crops of the land.
6th Century B.C.E.
Ezekiel 16:48
Hebrew Bible
47 Have you not copied their behavior and practiced their abominable deeds? In a short time you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were! 48 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never behaved as wickedly as you and your daughters have behaved. 49 “‘See here—this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and practiced abominable deeds before me. Therefore, when I saw it I removed them.
6th Century B.C.E.
Amos 2:6
Hebrew Bible
5 So I will set Judah on fire, and it will consume Jerusalem’s fortresses.” 6 This is what the Lord says: “Because Israel has committed three covenant transgressions—make that four—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They sold the innocent for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample on the dirt-covered heads of the poor; they push the destitute away. A man and his father go to the same girl; in this way they show disrespect for my moral purity.
6th Century B.C.E.
Amos 2:8
Hebrew Bible
6 This is what the Lord says: “Because Israel has committed three covenant transgressions—make that four—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They sold the innocent for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample on the dirt-covered heads of the poor; they push the destitute away. A man and his father go to the same girl; in this way they show disrespect for my moral purity. 8 They stretch out on clothing seized as collateral; they do so right beside every altar! They drink wine bought with the fines they have levied; they do so right in the temple of their God!
5th Century B.C.E.
Jeremiah 7:6
Hebrew Bible
5 You must change the way you have been living and do what is right. You must treat one another fairly. 6 Stop oppressing resident foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. Stop killing innocent people in this land. Stop paying allegiance to other gods. That will only bring about your ruin. 7 If you stop doing these things, I will allow you to continue to live in this land that I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession.
5th Century B.C.E.
Jeremiah 22:3
Hebrew Bible
1 The Lord told me, “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah. Give him a message from me there. 2 Say: ‘Listen, O king of Judah who follows in David’s succession. You, your officials, and your subjects who pass through the gates of this palace must listen to the Lord’s message. 3 The Lord says, “Do what is just and right. Deliver those who have been robbed from those who oppress them. Do not exploit or mistreat resident foreigners who live in your land, children who have no fathers, or widows. Do not kill innocent people in this land.
5th Century B.C.E.
Zechariah 7:10
Hebrew Bible
8 Again the Lord’s message came to Zechariah: 9 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies said, ‘Exercise true judgment and show brotherhood and compassion to each other. 10 You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the resident foreigner, or the poor, nor should anyone secretly plot evil against his fellow citizen.’ 11 “But they refused to pay attention, turning away stubbornly and stopping their ears so they could not hear. 12 Indeed, they made their hearts as hard as diamond, so that they could not obey the law of Moses and the other words the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies poured out great wrath.
5th Century B.C.E.
Malachi 3:5
Hebrew Bible
4 The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in former times and years past. 5 “I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination; those who commit adultery; those who break promises; and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, who refuse to help the resident foreigner and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 6 “Since, I, the Lord, do not go back on my promises, you, sons of Jacob, have not perished.
6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E.
Psalm 68:5
Hebrew Bible
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)
6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E.
Psalm 72:12
Hebrew Bible
10 The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will offer gifts; the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring tribute. 11 All kings will bow down to him; all nations will serve him. 12 For he will rescue the needy when they cry out for help, and the oppressed who have no defender. 13 He will take pity on the poor and needy; the lives of the needy he will save. 14 From harm and violence he will defend them; he will value their lives. 15 May he live! May they offer him gold from Sheba. May they continually pray for him. May they pronounce blessings on him all day long.
6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E.
Psalm 82:3
Hebrew Bible
1 A psalm of Asaph. God stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of the gods he renders judgment. 2 He says, “How long will you make unjust legal decisions and show favoritism to the wicked? (Selah) 3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless. Vindicate the oppressed and suffering. 4 Rescue the poor and needy. Deliver them from the power of the wicked. 5 They neither know nor understand. They stumble around in the dark, while all the foundations of the earth crumble.
6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E.
Psalm 94:6
Hebrew Bible
4 They spew out threats and speak defiantly; all the evildoers boast. 5 O Lord, they crush your people; they oppress the nation that belongs to you. 6 They kill the widow and the resident foreigner, and they murder the fatherless. 7 Then they say, “The Lord does not see this; the God of Jacob does not take notice of it.” 8 Take notice of this, you ignorant people. You fools, when will you ever understand?
6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E.
Psalm 146:9
Hebrew Bible
7 vindicates the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry. The Lord releases the imprisoned. 8 The Lord gives sight to the blind. The Lord lifts up all who are bent over. The Lord loves the godly. 9 The Lord protects the resident foreigner. He lifts up the fatherless and the widow, but he opposes the wicked. 10 The Lord rules forever, your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come. Praise the Lord!
6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E.
Proverbs 31:9
Hebrew Bible
7 let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more. 8 Open your mouth on behalf of those unable to speak, for the legal rights of all the dying. 9 Open your mouth, judge in righteousness, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. 10 Who can find a wife of noble character? For her value is far more than rubies. 11 Her husband’s heart has trusted her, and he does not lack the dividends.
5th Century B.C.E.
Job 22:9
Hebrew Bible
7 You gave the weary no water to drink and from the hungry you withheld food. 8 Although you were a powerful man, owning land, an honored man living on it, 9 you sent widows away empty-handed, and the arms of the orphans you crushed. 10 That is why snares surround you, and why sudden fear terrifies you, 11 why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you.
5th Century B.C.E.
Job 29:12
Hebrew Bible
11 “As soon as the ear heard these things, it blessed me, and when the eye saw them, it bore witness to me; 12 for I rescued the poor who cried out for help, and the orphan who had no one to assist him; 13 the blessing of the dying man descended on me, and I made the widow’s heart rejoice; 14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me; my just dealing was like a robe and a turban;
5th Century B.C.E.
Job 31:18
Hebrew Bible
15 Did not the one who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us in the womb? 16 If I have refused to give the poor what they desired, or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 17 if I ate my morsel of bread myself, and did not share any of it with orphans— 18 but from my youth I raised the orphan like a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow— 19 if I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing, or a poor man without a coat, 20 whose heart did not bless me as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep,
3rd Century B.C.E.
Ruth 2:10
Hebrew Bible
8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, my dear! Do not leave to gather grain in another field. You need not go beyond the limits of this field. You may go along beside my female workers. 9 Take note of the field where the men are harvesting and follow behind with the female workers. I will tell the men to leave you alone. When you are thirsty, you may go to the water jars and drink some of the water the servants draw.” 10 Ruth knelt before him with her forehead to the ground and said to him, “Why are you so kind and so attentive to me, even though I am a foreigner?” 11 Boaz replied to her, “I have been given a full report of all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband—how you left your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously. 12 May the Lord reward your efforts! May your acts of kindness be repaid fully by the Lord God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection.”
160 B.C.E. - 60 B.C.E.
4Q267
Dead Sea Scrolls
The Rule for the assembly of all the camps: They shall all be enrolled by name: first the Priests, second the Levites, third the Israelites, and fourth the proselytes. And they shall be inscribed by name, one after the other: the Priests first, the Levites second, the Israelites third, and the proselytes fourth. And thus shall they sit and thus be questioned on all matters. And the Priest who is appointed {to head} the Congregation shall be from thirty to sixty years old, learned in the Book of Meditation and in all the judgements of the Law so as to pronounce them correctly. The Guardian of all the camps shall be from thirty to fifty years old, one who has mastered all the secrets of men and the languages of all their clans. Whoever enters the Congregation shall do so according to his word, each in his rank. And whoever has anything to say with regard to any suit or judgement, let him say it to the Guardian. This is the Rule for the Congregation by which it shall provide for all its needs: They shall place the earnings of at least two days out of every month into the hands of the Guardian and the Judges, and from it they shall give to the fatherless, and from it they shall succour the poor and the needy, the aged sick and the man who is stricken (with disease), the captive taken by a foreign people, the virgin with no near kin, and the ma[id for] whom no man cares ... And this is the exact statement of the assembly ...
225-175 B.C.E.
Tobit 1:8
Deuterocanon
7 I would give these to the priests, the sons of Aaron, at the altar; likewise the tenth of the grain, wine, olive oil, pomegranates, figs, and the rest of the fruits to the sons of Levi who ministered at Jerusalem. Also for six years I would save up a second tenth in money and go and distribute it in Jerusalem. 8 A third tenth I would give to the orphans and widows and to the converts who had attached themselves to Israel. I would bring it and give it to them in the third year, and we would eat it according to the ordinance decreed concerning it in the law of Moses and according to the instructions of Deborah, the mother of my father Tobiel, for my father had died and left me an orphan. 9 When I became a man I married a woman, a member of our own family, and by her I became the father of a son whom I named Tobias.
195-175 B.C.E.
Sirach 4:10
Deuterocanon
5 Do not avert your eye from the needy, and give no one reason to curse you; 6 for if in bitterness of soul some should curse you, their Creator will hear their prayer. 7 Endear yourself to the congregation; bow your head low to the great. 8 Give a hearing to the poor, and return their greeting politely. 9 Rescue the oppressed from the oppressor; and do not be hesitant in giving a verdict. 10 Be a father to orphans, and be like a husband to their mother; you will then be like a son of the Most High, and he will love you more than does your mother.
195-175 B.C.E.
Sirach 35:15
Deuterocanon
13 For the Lord is the one who repays, and he will repay you sevenfold. 14 Do not offer him a bribe, for he will not accept it; 15 and do not rely on a dishonest sacrifice; for the Lord is the judge, and with him there is no partiality. 16 He will not show partiality to the poor; but he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged. 17 He will not ignore the supplication of the orphan, or the widow when she pours out her complaint. 18 Do not the tears of the widow run down her cheek 19 as she cries out against the one who causes them to fall?
30 B.C.E - 70 C.E.
2 Enoch 50:7
Pseudepigrapha
3 Therefore, my children, spend your days in patience and meekness, so that you may inherit eternal life. 4 Endure every wound, injury, evil word, and attack for the sake of the Lord. 5 If wrongs befall you, do not return them to friend or foe, for the Lord will avenge you on the day of great judgment, and there should be no revenge among people. 6 Whoever spends gold or silver for the sake of a sibling will receive abundant treasure in the world to come. 7 Do not harm widows, orphans, or strangers, or God's wrath come upon you.
100 C.E.
Joseph and Aseneth 12:11
Pseudepigrapha
10 But You, O Lord deliver me from his hands, And rescue me from his mouth, So he will not 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, abandoned as I am, For my father and mother denied me, Because I destroyed and shattered their gods; And I have no other hope except in You, O Lord; For You are the father of orphans, and the champion of the persecuted, And the help of those who are oppressed. 12 For look, all the gods of my father Pentephres are only for a season and uncertain; but the inhabitants of Your inheritance, O Lord, are incorruptible and eternal.
75-85 C.E.
Acts 2:45
New Testament
42 They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and held everything in common, 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. 46 Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts, 47 praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.
80-90 C.E.
James 1:27
New Testament
23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. 25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out—he will be blessed in what he does. 26 If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their adversity and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
190-230 C.E.
Mishnah Peah 5:6
Rabbinic
One who sells, the seller is permitted [to take the agricultural gifts] and the purchaser is forbidden. One may not hire a worker on the condition that the son [of the worker] should gather the gleanings after him. One who does not allow the poor to gather, or one who allows one but not another, or one who helps one of them [to gather] behold he is a robber of the poor. Concerning him it is said: “Do not remove the landmark of those that come up (olim)” (Proverbs 22:28).