'Fatherless' in the Bible

You shall not harm or oppress any widow or fatherless child.

and My wrath shall be kindled and burn; I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the stranger (resident alien, foreigner) by giving him food and clothing.

The Levite, because he has no share [of land] or an inheritance among you, and the stranger, and the orphan and the widow who are within your [city] gates, shall come and eat and be satisfied, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite who is within your [city] gates, and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are among you, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His Name (Presence).

You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are within your city.

“You shall not pervert the justice due a stranger or an orphan, nor seize (impound) a widow’s garment as security [for a loan].

“When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf [of grain] in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

When you beat [the olives off of] your olive tree, do not search through the branches again; [whatever is left] shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the widow.

“When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the widow.

“When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce the third year, [which is] the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan, and to the widow, so that they may eat within the gates of your cities and be satisfied.

You shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion (the tithe) from my house and also have given it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan, and to the widow, in accordance with all that You have commanded me. I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your commandments.

‘Cursed is he who distorts (perverts) the justice due to a stranger, an orphan, and a widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

“But God saves [the innocent] from the sword of the mouth of the devious,And the poor from the hand of the mighty.

“You would cast lots (gamble) over the fatherlessAnd bargain away your friend.

“You have sent widows away empty-handed,And the arms (strength) of the fatherless have been broken.

“They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.

“Others snatch the fatherless [infants] from the breast [to sell or make them slaves],And against the poor they take a pledge [of clothing].

Because I rescued the poor who cried for help,And the orphan who had no helper.

Or have eaten my morsel [of food] alone,And did not share it with the orphan

(But from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father,And from my mother’s womb I have been the widow’s guide),

If I have lifted my hand against the orphan,Because I saw [that the judges would be] my help at the [council] gate,

You have seen it, for You have noted mischief and vexation (irritation) to take it into Your hand.The unfortunate commits himself to You;You are the helper of the fatherless.

To vindicate and obtain justice for the fatherless and the oppressed,So that man who is of the earth will no longer terrify them.

A father of the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows,Is God in His holy habitation.

Vindicate the weak and fatherless;Do justice and maintain the rights of the afflicted and destitute.

Let his children be fatherlessAnd his wife a widow.

Let there be no one to extend kindness to him,Nor let anyone be gracious to his fatherless children.

The Lord protects the strangers;He supports the fatherless and the widow;But He makes crooked the way of the wicked.

Do not move the ancient landmark [at the boundary of the property]And do not go into the fields of the fatherless [to take what is theirs],

Learn to do good.Seek justice,Rebuke the ruthless,Defend the fatherless,Plead for the [rights of the] widow [in court].

Your rulers are rebelsAnd companions of thieves;Everyone loves bribesAnd chases after gifts.They do not defend the fatherless,Nor does the widow’s cause come before them [instead they delay or turn a deaf ear].

Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men,Nor does He have compassion on their fatherless or their widows;For every one of them is godless and an evildoer,And every mouth is speaking foolishness.In spite of all this, God’s anger does not turn awayBut His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].

So as to deprive the needy of justiceAnd rob the poor of My people of rightful claims,So that widows may be their spoilAnd that they may plunder the fatherless.

‘They are fat and they are sleek (prosperous),They excel in acts of wickedness;They do not plead the cause,The cause of the orphan, so that they [the wicked] may prosper,And they do not defend the rights of the poor.

if you do not oppress the transient and the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood [by oppression and by unjust judicial murders] in Jerusalem, nor follow after other gods to your own ruin,

Thus says the Lord, “Execute justice and righteousness, and rescue the one who has been robbed from the hand of his oppressor. And do no wrong; do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

“Leave your orphans behind; I will [do what is needed to] keep them alive.And let [those who are] your widows trust and confide in Me.”

We have become orphans without a father;Our mothers are like widows.

In you they have treated father and mother lightly. They have oppressed the stranger among you; and in your presence they have wronged the fatherless and the widow.

“Assyria will not save us;We will not ride on horses [relying on military might],Nor will we say again to [the idols who are] the work of our hands,‘You are our gods.’For in You [O Lord] the orphan finds love and compassion and mercy.”

and do not oppress or exploit the widow or the fatherless, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise or even imagine evil in your hearts against one another.’

“Then I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, and against those who oppress the laborer in his wages and widows and the fatherless, and against those who turn away the alien [from his right], and those who do not fear Me [with awe-filled reverence],” says the Lord of hosts.