Psalms 68:5
in Psalms 68A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, Is God in his holy habitation.
KJV
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
⋯
This verse in Psalms 68
Commentary
11 notes on this verseA father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. In the wilderness the people were like an orphan nation, but God was more than a father to them. As the generation which came out of Egypt gradually died away, there were many widows and fatherless ones in the camp, but they suffered no want or wrong, for the righteous laws and the just administrators whom God had appointed, looked well to the interests of the needy. The tabernacle was the Palace of Justice; the ark was the seat of the great King.
This site's exposition
Sing praises to His name
on Psalms 68:4-6
The name in verse 4 is YAH, the short form that stands inside every hallelujah. Verses 5 and 6 name Him by what He does: a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, settling the lonely in families. The rebellious get the sun-scorched land.
This site's exposition
in His holy habitation
God's care for the fatherless and the widows is set in His holy habitation, the seat of the great King. Charles Spurgeon saw it in the wilderness, where many widows and fatherless were left, and the tabernacle stood as the Palace of Justice. They suffered no want or wrong.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
"Exult ye in the sight of Him," O ye to whom hath been said, "Sing ye to God, psalm ye to the name of Him, a way make ye to Him that hath ascended above the setting," also "exult in the sight of Him:" as if "sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing." For while ye make a way to Him, while ye prepare a way whereby He may come and possess the nations, ye are to suffer in the sight of men many sorrowful things. But not only faint not, but even exult, not in the sight of men, but in the sight of God. "In hope rejoicing, in tribulation enduring:" "exult ye in the sight of Him." For they that in the sight of men trouble you, "shall be troubled by the face of Him, the Father of orphans and Judge of widows" (ver. 5). For desolate they suppose them to be, from whom ofttimes by the sword of the Word of God both parents from sons, and husbands from wives, are severed: but persons destitute and widowed have the consolation "of the Father of orphans and Judge of widows:" they have the consolation of Him that say to Him, "For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord hath taken up me:" and they that have hoped in the Lord, continuing in prayers by night and by day: by whose face those men shall be troubled when they shall have seen themselves prevail nothing, for that the whole world hath gone away after Him. For out of those orphans and widows, that is, persons destitute of partnership in this world's hope, the Lord for Himself doth build a Temple: whereof in continuation he saith, "The Lord is in His holy place."
A commentator
Philoxenus of Mabbug13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 12 -- First Discourse on Fornication · Written before 523.
proposed
And we have learned this distinction from the Holy Books, and from them we have received the power to make the soul to dwell by itself in the house of the body, and therefore, as in a parable, the Spirit of God made this known, …
What do I mean? If you ever wish to associate with someone, make sure that you do not give your attention to those who enjoy health and wealth and fame as the world sees it, but take care of those in affliction, those in critical circumstances, those in prison, those who are utterly deserted and enjoy no consolation. Put a high value on associating with these; for from them you shall receive much profit, you will be a better lover of the true wisdom, and you will do all for the glory of God. And if you must visit someone, prefer to pay this honor to orphans, widows and those in want rather than to those who enjoy reputation and fame. God has said, "I am the father of orphans and the protector of widows." And again, "Judge for the fatherless, defend the widow. Then come and let us talk, says the Lord."
God is in his holy place. God always dwells in his holy ones: wherever holiness is, there is the dwelling-place of God.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He has an ear open to all their complaints and a hand open to all their wants. He is so in his holy habitation, which may be understood either of the habitation of his glory in heaven (there he has prepared his throne of judgment, which the fatherless and widow have free recourse to, and are taken under the protection of, Ps. ix.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
A father of the fatherless,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. In the wilderness the people were like an orphan nation, but God was more than a father to them. As the generation which came out of Egypt gradually died away, there were many widows and fatherless ones in the camp, but they suffered no want or wrong, for the righteous laws and the just administrators whom God had appointed, looked well to the interests of the needy. The tabernacle was the Palace of Justice; the ark was the seat of the great King. This was a great cause for joy to Israel, that they were ruled by the One who would not suffer the poor and needy to be oppressed. To this day and for ever, God is, and will be, the peculiar guardian of the defenceless. He is the President of Orphanages, the Protector of Widows. He is so glorious that he rides on the heavens, but so compassionate that he remembers the poor of the earth. How zealously ought his church to cherish those who are here marked out as Jehovah's especial charge. Does he not here in effect say, "Feed my lambs"? Blessed duty, it shall be our privilege to make this one of our life's dearest objects. The reader is warned against misquoting this verse; it is generally altered into "the husband of the widow, "but Scripture had better be left as God gave it.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
A father of the fatherless - Or, of orphans. Compare Psa 10:14, Psa 10:18. That is, God takes the place of the parent. See Jer 49:11: “Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me.” This is one of the most tender appellations that could be given to God, and conveys one of the most striking descriptions that can be given of his character. We see his greatness, his majesty, his power, in the worlds that he has made - in the storm, the tempest, the rolling ocean; but it is in such expressions as this that we learn, what we most desire to know, and what we cannot elsewhere learn, that he is a Father; that he is to be loved as well as feared. Nothing suggests more strikingly a state of helplessness and dependence than the condition of orphan children and widows; nothing, therefore, conveys a more affecting description of the character of God - of his condescension and kindness - than to say that he will take the place of the parent in the one case, and be a protector in the other. And a judge of the widows - That is, He will see justice done them; he will save them from oppression and wrong. No persons are more liable to be oppressed and wronged than widows. They are regarded as incapable of defending or vindicating their own rights, and are likely to be deceived and betrayed by those to whom their property and rights may be entrusted. Hence, the care which God manifests for them; hence, his solemn charges, so often made to those who are in authority, and who are entrusted with power, to respect their rights; hence, his frequent and solemn rebukes to those who violate their rights. See the notes at Isa 1:17. Compare Deu 10:18; Deu 14:29; Deu 24:17; Exo 22:22; Job 24:3, Job 24:21; Jer 7:6; Mal 3:5; Jas 1:27. Is God in his holy habitation - Where he dwells; to wit, in heaven. […]
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֲבִ֣י | ʾavi | [is] a father of | H1 → | 1212 times |
| יְ֭תוֹמִים | yetomim | fatherless ones | H3490 → | 42 times |
| וְדַיַּ֣ן | vedaiyan | and a judge of | H1781 → | |
| אַלְמָנ֑וֹת | ʾalmanot | widows | H490 → | 56 times |
| אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| בִּמְע֥וֹן | bimon | in [the] dwelling place of | H4583 → | 18 times |
| קָדְשֽׁוֹ׃ | kadesho | holiness his | H6944 → | 469 times |
אֲבִ֣י[is] a father of
ʾaviH1 →1212 times
יְ֭תוֹמִיםfatherless ones
yetomimH3490 →42 times
וְדַיַּ֣ןand a judge of
vedaiyanH1781 →
אַלְמָנ֑וֹתwidows
ʾalmanotH490 →56 times
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗יםGod
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
בִּמְע֥וֹןin [the] dwelling place of
bimonH4583 →18 times
קָדְשֽׁוֹ׃holiness his
kadeshoH6944 →469 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 10:18He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.
it leads to
- Psalms 146:9
The LORD protects foreigners; He sustains the fatherless and the widow, but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 49:11
Abandon your orphans; I will preserve their lives. Let your widows trust in Me.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”
- Psalms 146:9
Through
Jeremiah 49:11Abandon your orphans; I will preserve their lives. Let your widows trust in Me.”
it leads to
- Hosea 14:3
Assyria will not save us, nor will we ride on horses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work of our own hands. For in You the fatherless find compassion.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
- Hosea 14:3
Through
Psalms 146:9The LORD protects foreigners; He sustains the fatherless and the widow, but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.
it leads to
- Psalms 147:6
The LORD sustains the humble, but casts the wicked to the ground.
- Deuteronomy 10:18–19
He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.
- Malachi 3:5
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud…
- Psalms 147:6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
About Psalms
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, On the Psalms, Psalm 68; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 3; Jerome, Homily 7, on Psalm 67; John Chrysostom, BAPTISMAL INSTRUCTIONS 6:12; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Philoxenus of Mabbug, 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 12 -- First Discourse on Fornication.