Bible Verses for Widows and Widowers: 19 Verses in Full Text

Who loses their partner often loses a large part of their own life. The Bible speaks remarkably often of widows – and of a God who takes special care of them. Here you will find 19 Bible verses for widows and widowers: comfort, promises, and stories of people who have walked this path.

God cares for widows

God expressly takes the side of widows.

He is a father to the fatherless and a judge for widows. He is God in His holy dwelling.

Psalm 68:6Fatherless God as Father
The LORD protects the stranger and upholds the fatherless and widows, and returns the way of the wicked.

Psalm 146:9Fatherless
And does justice for the fatherless and widows, and loves the stranger, that He may give them food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 10:18Fatherless
Do not fear, for you shall not be ashamed; do not be dismayed, for you shall not be mocked; but you shall forget the shame of your virginity and shall not remember the reproach of your widowhood. For He who made you is your husband, whose name is the LORD of Hosts, and your Redeemer, the Holy One in Israel, who is called the God of all the world.

Isaiah 54:4-5
But what remains of your fatherless, to them I will grant life, and your widows shall hope in Me.

Jeremiah 49:11
The LORD will break the house of the proud and confirm the boundary of the widow.

Proverbs 15:25
The flour in the jar was not consumed, and to the oil jar nothing was lacking according to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Elijah.

1 Kings 17:16
But when he came near the city gate, behold, they brought out a dead man, who was the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and many of the people of the city went with her. And when the LORD saw her, He pained her, and He spoke to her: Weep not!

Luke 7:12-13

The church and widows

How God's people are to care for widows.

A pure and undefiled worship before God the Father is to visit widows in their affliction and to remain undefiled by the world.

James 1:27Fatherless Good Works
Honor widows, especially those who are truly widows.

1 Timothy 5:3
Learn to do good, seek justice, help the oppressed, do justice to the fatherless, and take care of widows.

Isaiah 1:17Fatherless Justice
If you have reaped in your field and forgotten a bundle in the field, you shall not return to get it, but it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the works of your hands.

Deuteronomy 24:19Fatherless
But in the days when the disciples were many, a grumbling arose among the Greeks against the Hebrews, because the widows were overlooked in the daily distribution.

Acts 6:1
Now when Jesus saw His mother and the disciples standing there, whom He loved, He spoke to His mother: Woman, behold, here is your son! Then He spoke to the disciple: Behold, here is your mother! And from that hour she took him to her.

John 19:26-27Crucifixion Mary

Biblical examples

Widows whose stories the Bible tells.

Ruth answered: Do not say to me that I should leave you and return from you. Where you go, I will go; where you stay, I will stay. Your people are my people, and your God is my God.

Ruth 1:16Farewell Calling
Then the women spoke to Naomi: Blessed be the LORD, who has not let her go without an heir at this time, that His name may remain in Israel.

Ruth 4:14
And there was a prophetess, Hannah, a daughter of Phinehas, of the tribe of Asher; she was well advanced in years and had lived seven years with her husband after her virginity, and was now a widow at eighty-four years; she never went from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayer day and night.

Luke 2:36-37Old Age
And there came a poor widow and laid two mites, which make a penny. And He called His disciples to Him and spoke to them: This poor widow has put more into the treasury than all who have put in.

Mark 12:42-43
But there was a widow in this city, who came to Him and said: Save me from my adversary!

Luke 18:3

Bible texts: Luther Bible 1912 (public domain), carefully adapted to modern spelling.

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Widows in the Bible

In the world of the Bible, widows were particularly vulnerable: Without a husband, they often had no income, no inheritance, no protection. That is why the laws of Israel repeatedly state the instruction to care for strangers, fatherless, and widows (Deuteronomy 24:19). Psalm 68:6 calls God a father to the fatherless and a judge for widows – that is, someone who stands up for their rights. Jesus sees the poor widow who puts two mites into the treasury (Mark 12:42), and raises the only son of a widow in Nain (Luke 7:11-15).

Comfort for widows and widowers today

Today, widows and widowers are mostly financially secure, but the loneliness often remains. Many experience that after the funeral, the surroundings quickly move on with their daily lives. James calls it “pure worship” to visit widows in their affliction (James 1:27). A phone call, a visit, or a card on the anniversary of death can mean a lot. The story of Naomi and Ruth shows how new connection can grow from loss. You will find more verses at Bible verses for mourning and funerals, Bible verses against loneliness, and Bible verses about death.