◄ Exodus 22:22 ►
You must not mistreat any widow or orphan.
Study Bible
You must not
This phrase is a direct command, emphasizing the imperative nature of the instruction. In Hebrew, the phrase is "לֹא תְעַנּוּן" (lo te'anun), which carries a strong prohibition. The use of "must not" indicates a non-negotiable directive from God, underscoring the seriousness of the command. This reflects God's character as just and compassionate, setting a standard for His people to follow.

mistreat
The Hebrew word used here is "עָנָה" (anah), which means to afflict, oppress, or treat harshly. This term is often used in the context of social justice, highlighting God's concern for the vulnerable and marginalized. The command not to mistreat is a call to protect and uphold the dignity of those who are often powerless in society. It reflects a broader biblical theme of justice and mercy, as seen throughout the Old and New Testaments.

any widow
Widows in ancient Israel were among the most vulnerable members of society. Without a husband, they often lacked financial support and social standing. The Hebrew word for widow is "אַלְמָנָה" (almanah), which appears frequently in the Old Testament, often in contexts that call for their protection and care. This reflects God's heart for those who are left without support, and it calls His people to act as His hands and feet in providing for their needs.

or orphan
The term "orphan" in Hebrew is "יָתוֹם" (yatom), referring to a child who has lost one or both parents. Like widows, orphans were particularly vulnerable in ancient society, often lacking protection and provision. The inclusion of orphans in this command highlights God's concern for the defenseless and His desire for His people to embody His compassion. Throughout Scripture, God is described as a "Father to the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5), and this command is an extension of that divine care.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Widows and Orphans
In ancient Israel, widows and orphans were among the most vulnerable members of society. Without a husband or father, they often lacked financial support and protection.

2. Israelite Society
The context of this command is within the laws given to the Israelites, a community called to live in covenant relationship with God and to reflect His justice and compassion.

3. Mosaic Law
This verse is part of the Mosaic Law, a set of instructions given by God through Moses to guide the Israelites in living a life that honors God and promotes social justice.
Teaching Points
God's Heart for the Vulnerable
God’s command not to mistreat widows and orphans reflects His deep compassion and justice. As believers, we are called to mirror this aspect of God's character by actively caring for those who are vulnerable in our communities.

Social Responsibility
The command underscores the importance of social responsibility. Christians are encouraged to engage in acts of kindness and justice, ensuring that the needs of the marginalized are met.

Reflecting God's Justice
By protecting and providing for widows and orphans, believers demonstrate the justice and righteousness of God. This is a practical expression of living out our faith.

Community Support
The church is called to be a community that supports and uplifts those who are without family support, creating a family-like environment for them.

Obedience to God's Commands
Obedience to God's commands, such as caring for widows and orphans, is a tangible way to show our love for God and our commitment to His ways.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the cultural context of widows and orphans in ancient Israel enhance our understanding of Exodus 22:22?

2. In what ways can the church today actively support widows and orphans, reflecting the heart of God as described in this verse?

3. How does the command in Exodus 22:22 connect with the broader biblical theme of justice and compassion?

4. What are some practical steps you can take to ensure that you are not mistreating or neglecting the vulnerable in your community?

5. How do the teachings in James 1:27 and Exodus 22:22 complement each other in guiding Christians to live out their faith?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 10:18
This verse highlights God's character as one who executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, emphasizing His care for the vulnerable.

James 1:27
In the New Testament, James describes pure religion as caring for orphans and widows in their distress, showing continuity in God's concern for these groups.

Psalm 68:5
God is described as a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows, reinforcing His protective nature.
Sermons
Jehovah's Proteges and RepresentativesJ. Orr Exodus 22:21-29
God's Care for the Widow and FatherlessJ. W. Burn.Exodus 22:22-24
The Treatment of the Widow and the FatherlessD. Young Exodus 22:22-24
People
Moses
Places
Mount Sinai
Topics
Advantage, Afflict, Child, Dead, Fatherless, Orphan, Widow, Wrong
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Exodus 22:22

     8243   ethics, social

Exodus 22:21-22

     5220   authority, abuse

Exodus 22:21-24

     8791   oppression, nature of

Exodus 22:21-27

     5909   motives, importance

Exodus 22:22-23

     8607   prayer, God's promises
     8614   prayer, answers

Exodus 22:22-24

     5730   orphans
     5743   widows
     6218   provoking God

Library
Excursus on Usury.
The famous canonist Van Espen defines usury thus: "Usura definitur lucrum ex mutuo exactum aut speratum;" [96] and then goes on to defend the proposition that, "Usury is forbidden by natural, by divine, and by human law. The first is proved thus. Natural law, as far as its first principles are concerned, is contained in the decalogue; but usury is prohibited in the decalogue, inasmuch as theft is prohibited; and this is the opinion of the Master of the Sentences, of St. Bonaventura, of St. Thomas …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

Parable of the Importunate Widow.
^C Luke XVIII. 1-8. ^c 1 And he spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 saying, There was in a city a judge, who feared not God, and regarded not man [an utterly abandoned character]: 3 and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of [rather, Do justice to me as to] mine adversary. [In Scripture language widowhood is symbolic of defenselessness (Ex. xxii. 22-24; Deut. x. 18; xxvii. 19; Mal. iii. 5; Mark xii. 40), …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Ciii. Zacchæus. Parable of the Pounds. Journey to Jerusalem.
(Jericho.) ^C Luke XIX. 1-28. ^c 1 And he entered and was passing through Jericho. [This was about one week before the crucifixion. Jericho is about seven miles from the Jordan and about seventeen and a half from Jerusalem.] 2 And behold, a man called by name Zacchaeus; and he was a chief publican, and he was rich. [See p. 76. It is probable that Zacchæus was a sub-contractor under some Roman knight who had bought the privilege of collecting taxes at Jericho, or perhaps the privilege of all …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Epistle Xl. To Mauricius Augustus.
To Mauricius Augustus. Gregory to Mauricius, &c. The Piety of my Lords in their most serene commands, while set on refuting me on certain matters, in sparing me has by no means spared me. For by the use therein of the term simplicity they politely call me silly. It is true indeed that in Holy Scripture, when simplicity is spoken of in a good sense, it is often carefully associated with prudence and uprightness. Hence it is written of the blessed Job, The man was simple and upright (Job i. 1). …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
BY A.E. GRIMKE. "Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not within thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place: but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this. And Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer:--and so will I go in unto the king, …
Angelina Emily Grimke—An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South

Epistle xvii. To Felix, Bishop of Messana.
To Felix, Bishop of Messana. To our most reverend brother, the Bishop Felix, Gregory, servant of the servants of God [246] . Our Head, which is Christ, to this end has willed us to be His members, that through His large charity and faithfulness He might make us one body in Himself, to whom it befits us so to cling that, since without Him we can do nothing, through Him we may be enabled to be what we are called. From the citadel of the Head let nothing divide us, lest, if we refuse to be His members, …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Feast of the Dedication. The Jews Attempt to Stone Jesus and He Retires to Peræa.
(Jerusalem and Beyond Jordan.) ^D John X. 22-42. ^d 22 And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem: 23; it was winter; and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. [The feast of dedication was one of eight days' duration and began upon the 25th Chisleu, which, according to the calculation of M. Chevannes, fell upon the nineteenth or twentieth of December, a.d. 29. The feast was kept in honor of the renovation and purification of the temple in the year b.c. 164, after it had been desecrated …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

A Summary of the Christian Life. Of Self-Denial.
The divisions of the chapter are,--I. The rule which permits us not to go astray in the study of righteousness, requires two things, viz., that man, abandoning his own will, devote himself entirely to the service of God; whence it follows, that we must seek not our own things, but the things of God, sec. 1, 2. II. A description of this renovation or Christian life taken from the Epistle to Titus, and accurately explained under certain special heads, sec. 3 to end. 1. ALTHOUGH the Law of God contains …
Archpriest John Iliytch Sergieff—On the Christian Life

Jesus' Last Public Discourse. Denunciation of Scribes and Pharisees.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXIII. 1-39; ^B Mark XII. 38-40; ^C Luke XX. 45-47. ^a 1 Then spake Jesus ^b 38 And in his teaching ^c in the hearing of all the people he said unto ^a the multitudes, and to his disciples [he spoke in the most public manner], 2 saying, ^c 46 Beware of the scribes, ^a The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: 3 all things whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Circumcision, Temple Service, and Naming of Jesus.
(the Temple at Jerusalem, b.c. 4) ^C Luke II. 21-39. ^c 21 And when eight days [Gen. xvii. 12] were fulfilled for circumcising him [The rite was doubtless performed by Joseph. By this rite Jesus was "made like unto his brethren" (Heb. ii. 16, 17); that is, he became a member of the covenant nation, and became a debtor to the law--Gal. v. 3] , his name was called JESUS [see Luke i. 59], which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [Luke i. 31.] 22 And when the days of their …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Development of the Earlier Old Testament Laws
[Sidenote: First the principle, and then the detailed laws] If the canon of the New Testament had remained open as long as did that of the Old, there is little doubt that it also would have contained many laws, legal precedents, and ecclesiastical histories. From the writings of the Church Fathers and the records of the Catholic Church it is possible to conjecture what these in general would have been. The early history of Christianity illustrates the universal fact that the broad principles are …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

The Blessing of Jacob Upon Judah. (Gen. Xlix. 8-10. )
Ver. 8. "Judah, thou, thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; before thee shall bow down the sons of thy father. Ver. 9. A lion's whelp is Judah; from the prey, my son, thou goest up; he stoopeth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as a full-grown lion, who shall rouse him up? Ver. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him the people shall adhere." Thus does dying Jacob, in announcing …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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