WIDOW (Heb. al-maw-naw', bereaved; Gr. Xhpa, khay'rah, deficient, as of a husband).
(1) Ancient and Mosaic Regulations. More than two hundred years before the giving of the law,a widow whose husband had left her childless married his younger unmarried brother, to obtain children to heir the property or name of the de ceased ; so Tamar married the two elder sons of Judah, and had the third promised to her (Gen. xxxviii). Under the Mosaic law this was ex pressly enjoined (Dent. xxv :5, 6, etc.) ; or the "nearest kinsman" might do it (Ruth iv). As to have children was esteemed a great honor, espe cially in a nation whence the Messiah was expected, widowhood in such as were not past the age of child-bearing, as well as barrenness, was reckoned a great shame and reproach (Is. iv :1; liv :4). It was presumed any young woman of character would certainly find a husband, either in the fam ily of her deceased husband, or some other. The "widows" of kings, however, continued in their widowhood, and were the property, though not al ways wives, of the successor ; and to ask any of them in marriage was considered as indirectly claiming the kingdom (1 Kings ii :13, 14). As widows are too often overlooked by men, God has claimed a peculiar concern with them as their husband, supporter and judge (Ps. lxviii :5, and
cxlvi :9). He charged the Hebrews to take par ticular care of them, and of fatherless children (Dent. xiv :29), and has threatened a terrible pun ishment against such as oppress and injure them (Ps. xciv :6; Mal. iii :5).
(2) New Testament Usage. Under the Gos pel, the church is to provide for those that arc widows indeed; i. e., widows of a good character, humble, and liberal when able, and now grown old and truly destitute ; but younger widows are advised to marry ( I Tim. v :3-to). To show kind ness to widows is a branch of the true religion ( Job xxix :13 ; James i :27).
Figurative. To mark their desolation and privation of all joy, honor and comfort, Jerusa lem and Babylon arc likened to widows (Lam.
i a ; Is. xlvii :8) ; and often the leaving wives wid ows imports being cut off by the sword, or by some untimely death (Lam. v :3; Ezek. xxii :25). Widowhood and loss of children came upon Baby lon in one day; suddenly she lost Belshazzar, and her rulers, and dignity; and had vast numbers of her inhabitants slain by Cyrus (Is. xlvii :9),