Bible Verses about Helping the Poor and Orphans
The Bible clearly instructs us to care for the poor, especially those left vulnerable such as widows and orphans. To gain more insight, consider the following Bible verses about helping the poor and orphans.
- “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother… You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’” – Deuteronomy 15:7, 10–11
- “When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.” – Deuteronomy 24:19–21
“Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” – Isaiah 1:17
“Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.” – Psalm 41:1
“A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.” – Psalm 68:5
“Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.” – Zechariah 7:10
- “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ … ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” – Matthew 25:34–36, 40
- “He answered and said to them, ‘He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.’” – Luke 3:11
- “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” – James 1:27
- “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” – 1 John 3:17–18
These are just some examples of what the Bible has to say about helping the poor. It is a subject referenced throughout Scripture. Likewise, oppression of the poor is a matter of reprimand and even judgement.
