Widow

Biblical References

The Old Testament law repeatedly commands that widows, together with the fatherless and the stranger, be protected (Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 10:18). At harvest, the grain and fruit left in the fields belonged to them (Deuteronomy 24:19-21), and the tithe of the third year was shared with them (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). Psalm 68:5 calls God "a judge of the widows." Narratives in which widows are central figures include the story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth; the story of the widow of Zarephath, who fed Elijah (1 Kings 17); and the story of the wife of one of the sons of the prophets, whose oil Elisha multiplied so that she could pay her debt (2 Kings 4:1-7).

The New Testament introduces Anna, who prayed in the temple (Luke 2:36-38; see Simeon and Anna). Other widows include the widow of Nain, whose only son Jesus raised (Luke 7:11-17); the poor widow who put two mites into the temple treasury (Mark 12:41-44); and the widow in the Parable of the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8). In the early church, the neglect of the widows of the Hellenistic Jews in the daily distribution led to the appointment of seven men (Acts 6:1-6). When Tabitha of Joppa died, the widows wept and showed the garments she had made for them (Acts 9:39). First Timothy 5:3-16 sets out the criteria for the "widows indeed" whom the church was to support.

Background

In ancient Israel, the inheritance of property and legal representation were primarily in the hands of men. A woman who lost her husband was therefore liable to lose both her livelihood and her legal protection. The provision that, when a man died without children, his brother should marry the widow to carry on his line (Deuteronomy 25:5-10), together with the institution of the kinsman-redeemer, served to remedy this situation.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The prophets condemned the oppression of widows as a sign that the community had broken down (Isaiah 1:16-17; Jeremiah 7:6). The New Testament carries this concern forward. Jesus rebuked the scribes who "devour widows' houses" (Mark 12:40), and James 1:27 describes true religion as "to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction." The early church institutionalized the care of widows as part of its almsgiving and relief.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• The two mites: Traditionally, the story is read as commending the devotion of one who gave all she had. Another interpretation, connecting it with the rebuke of the scribes in the immediately preceding verse, sees it as a lament over a religious system that impoverishes widows.
• The roll of widows: Interpretations differ on the instruction to enroll widows over sixty years of age (1 Timothy 5:9). One view sees the roll as a formal body of widows entrusted with prayer and service; another sees it as a list of those eligible for relief. Early church writings are reported to show widows functioning as a distinct group.
• Remarriage: Paul permitted widows to remarry (1 Corinthians 7:39) and advised younger widows to marry (1 Timothy 5:14). This topic also connects with the discussion of divorce and remarriage.
• What the text does not say: In the original text, Anna's age can be read either as "eighty-four years old" or as "a widow for eighty-four years." The claim that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a widow is an inference drawn from Joseph's absence from the accounts of Jesus' public ministry; the text does not state it directly.

In the Korean Church

The story of the two mites is frequently cited in sermons on offerings, and the Parable of the Unjust Judge is often used in sermons encouraging persistent prayer. In the Korean church, a pastor's wife whose husband has died is commonly called a holsamo (widowed pastor's wife). Fellowships and ministries exist to support these women, and church members who have been widowed are often given priority in pastoral visitation and relief.