30 Bible Verses about Widows

Then Jesus sat down opposite the chests for the Temple offerings, and watched how the people put money into them. Many rich people were putting in large sums; But one poor widow came and put in two farthings, which make a half-penny. On this, calling his disciples to him, Jesus said: "I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others who were putting money into the chests;read more.
For every one else put in something from what he had to spare, while she, in her need, put in all she had--everything that she had to live on."

Looking up, Jesus saw the rich people putting their gifts into the chests for the Temple offerings. He saw, too, a widow in poor circumstances putting two farthings into them. On this he said: "I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others;read more.
For every one else here put in something from what he had to spare, while she, in her need, has put in all she had to live upon."

Shortly after, Jesus went to a town called Nain, his disciples and a great crowd going with him. Just as he approached the gate of the town, there was a dead man being carried out for burial--an only son, and his mother was a widow. A large number of the people of the town were with her. When he saw her, the Master was moved with compassion for her, and he said to her: "Do not weep."read more.
Then he went up and touched the bier, and the bearers stopped; and Jesus said: "Young man, I am speaking to you--Rise!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus restored him to his mother.

Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and never despair. "There was," he said, "in a certain town a judge, who had no fear of God nor regard for man. In the same town there was a widow who went to him again and again, and said 'Grant me justice against my opponent.'read more.
For a time the judge refused, but afterwards he said to himself 'Although I am without fear of God or regard for man, Yet, as this widow is so troublesome, I will grant her justice, to stop her from plaguing me with her endless visits.'"

In the course of his teaching, Jesus said: "See that you are on your guard against the Teachers of the Law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and to be greeted in the streets with respect, And to have the best seats in the Synagogues, and places of honor at dinner. They are the men that rob widows of their homes, and make a pretense of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier."

While all the people were listening, Jesus said to the disciples: "Be on your guard against the Teachers of the Law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and like to be greeted in the streets with respect, and to have the best seats in the Synagogues, and places of honor at dinner. These are the men who rob widows of their houses, and make a pretense of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier."

Show consideration for widows--I mean those who are really widowed.

but, if a widow has children or grand-children, let them learn to show proper regard for the members of their own family first, and to make some return to their parents; for that is pleasing in God's sight. As for the woman who is really widowed and left quite alone, her hopes are fixed on God, and she devotes herself to prayers and supplications night and day. But the life of a widow who is devoted to pleasure is a living death.read more.
Those are the points on which you should dwell, that there may be no call for your censure. Any one who fails to provide for his own relations, and especially for those under his own roof, has disowned the Faith, and is worse than an unbeliever. A widow, when her name is added to the list, should not be less than sixty years old; she should have been a faithful wife, and be well spoken of for her kind actions. She should have brought up children, have shown hospitality to strangers, have washed the feet of her fellow Christians, have relieved those who were in distress, and devoted herself to every kind of good action. But you should exclude the younger widows from the list; for, when they grow restive under the yoke of the Christ, they want to marry, and so they bring condemnation upon themselves for having broken their previous promise. And not only that, but they learn to be idle as they go about from house to house. Nor are they merely idle, but they also become gossips and busy-bodies, and talk of what they ought not. Therefore I advise young widows to marry, bear children, and attend to their homes, and so avoid giving the enemy an opportunity for scandal. There are some who have already left us, to follow Satan. Any Christian woman, who has relations who are widows, ought to relieve them and not allow them to become a burden to the Church, so that the Church may relieve those widows who are really widowed.

My advice, then, to those who are not married, and to widows, is this: It would be well for them to remain as I am myself. But, if they cannot control themselves, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to be consumed with passion.

That religious observance which is pure and spotless in the eyes of God our Father is this--to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself uncontaminated by the world.

There was also a Prophetess named Hannah, a daughter of Phanuel and of the tribe of Asher. She was far advanced in years, having lived with her husband for seven years after marriage, And then a widow, till she had reached the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple Courts, but, fasting and praying, worshiped God night and day. At that moment she came up, and began publicly to thank God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the deliverance of Jerusalem.

There were, doubtless, many widows in Israel in Elijah's days, when the heavens were closed for three years and six months, and a severe famine prevailed throughout the country; And yet it was not to one of them that Elijah was sent, but to a widow at Zarephath in Sidonia.

Shortly after, Jesus went to a town called Nain, his disciples and a great crowd going with him. Just as he approached the gate of the town, there was a dead man being carried out for burial--an only son, and his mother was a widow. A large number of the people of the town were with her. When he saw her, the Master was moved with compassion for her, and he said to her: "Do not weep."read more.
Then he went up and touched the bier, and the bearers stopped; and Jesus said: "Young man, I am speaking to you--Rise!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus restored him to his mother. Every one was awe-struck and began praising God. "A great Prophet has arisen among us," they said; "and God has visited his people." And this story about Jesus spread all through Judea, and in the neighboring countries as well.

About this time, when the number of the disciples was constantly increasing, complaints were made by the Jews of foreign birth against the native Jews, that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

At Jaffa there lived a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which is in Greek 'Dorcas'--a Gazelle. Her life was spent in doing kind and charitable actions. Just at that time she was taken ill, and died; and they had washed her body and laid it out in an upstairs room. Jaffa was near Lydda, and the disciples, having heard that Peter was at Lydda, sent two men with the request that he would come on to them without delay.read more.
Peter returned with them at once. On his arrival, he was taken upstairs, and all the widows came round him in tears, showing the coats and other clothing which Dorcas had made while she was among them. But Peter sent everybody out of the room, and knelt down and prayed. Then, turning to the body, he said: "Tabitha! stand up." She opened her eyes, and, seeing Peter, sat up. Giving her his hand, Peter raised her up, and, calling in the widows and others of Christ's People, presented her to them alive.

"Teacher, in our Scriptures Moses decreed that, should a man's brother die, leaving a widow but no child, the man should take the widow as his wife, and raise up a family for his brother.

"Teacher, Moses laid down for us in his writings that-- 'Should a man's married brother die, and should he be childless, the man should take the widow as his wife, and raise up a family for his brother.'

for her self-glorification and her luxury, give her now an equal measure of torture and misery. In her heart she says 'I sit here a queen; no widow am I; I shall never know misery.'

But one poor widow came and put in two farthings, which make a half-penny.

And then a widow, till she had reached the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple Courts, but, fasting and praying, worshiped God night and day.

Just as he approached the gate of the town, there was a dead man being carried out for burial--an only son, and his mother was a widow. A large number of the people of the town were with her.

In the same town there was a widow who went to him again and again, and said 'Grant me justice against my opponent.'

Peter returned with them at once. On his arrival, he was taken upstairs, and all the widows came round him in tears, showing the coats and other clothing which Dorcas had made while she was among them.

But one poor widow came and put in two farthings, which make a half-penny. On this, calling his disciples to him, Jesus said: "I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others who were putting money into the chests; For every one else put in something from what he had to spare, while she, in her need, put in all she had--everything that she had to live on."

There was also a Prophetess named Hannah, a daughter of Phanuel and of the tribe of Asher. She was far advanced in years, having lived with her husband for seven years after marriage, And then a widow, till she had reached the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple Courts, but, fasting and praying, worshiped God night and day.

Show consideration for widows--I mean those who are really widowed. but, if a widow has children or grand-children, let them learn to show proper regard for the members of their own family first, and to make some return to their parents; for that is pleasing in God's sight. As for the woman who is really widowed and left quite alone, her hopes are fixed on God, and she devotes herself to prayers and supplications night and day.read more.
But the life of a widow who is devoted to pleasure is a living death. Those are the points on which you should dwell, that there may be no call for your censure. Any one who fails to provide for his own relations, and especially for those under his own roof, has disowned the Faith, and is worse than an unbeliever. A widow, when her name is added to the list, should not be less than sixty years old; she should have been a faithful wife, and be well spoken of for her kind actions. She should have brought up children, have shown hospitality to strangers, have washed the feet of her fellow Christians, have relieved those who were in distress, and devoted herself to every kind of good action. But you should exclude the younger widows from the list; for, when they grow restive under the yoke of the Christ, they want to marry, and so they bring condemnation upon themselves for having broken their previous promise. And not only that, but they learn to be idle as they go about from house to house. Nor are they merely idle, but they also become gossips and busy-bodies, and talk of what they ought not. Therefore I advise young widows to marry, bear children, and attend to their homes, and so avoid giving the enemy an opportunity for scandal. There are some who have already left us, to follow Satan. Any Christian woman, who has relations who are widows, ought to relieve them and not allow them to become a burden to the Church, so that the Church may relieve those widows who are really widowed.