A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
Parallel Translations
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A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
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A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
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(68-6) A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.
Cross-references (22)
Passages linked to Psalms 68:5 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Jeremiah 49:11 Leave your fatherless children. I will preserve them alive. Let your widows trust in me.”
- Psalms 10:14 But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless.
- Deuteronomy 10:18 He executes justice for the fatherless and widow and loves the foreigner in giving him food and clothing.
- Psalms 82:3-4 “Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”
- Psalms 72:4 He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces.
- Psalms 146:9 Yahweh preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, but he turns the way of the wicked upside down.
- Jeremiah 5:28 They have grown fat. They shine; yes, they excel in deeds of wickedness. They don’t plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and they don’t defend the rights of the needy.
- Luke 18:2-7 saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God, and didn’t respect man. A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ He wouldn’t for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God, nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’ ” The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. Won’t God avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them?
- Isaiah 1:23 Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards. They don’t defend the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow come to them.
- Isaiah 57:15 For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
- 2 Chronicles 6:2 But I have built you a house and home, a place for you to dwell in forever.”
- Psalms 10:18 to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may terrify no more.
- 2 Chronicles 30:27 Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.
- Job 29:12-13 Because I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had no one to help him, the blessing of him who was ready to perish came on me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
- Job 31:16-17 “If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it
- Psalms 33:14 From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,
- Psalms 72:2 He will judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
- Isaiah 66:1 Yahweh says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build to me? Where will I rest?
- Ephesians 5:1 Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.
- Hosea 14:3 Assyria can’t save us. We won’t ride on horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Our gods!’ for in you the fatherless finds mercy.”
- Acts 7:48-49 However, the Most High doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says, ‘heaven is my throne, and the earth a footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build me?’ says the Lord. ‘Or what is the place of my rest?
- Deuteronomy 26:15 Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel, and the ground which you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a…
Psa 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, [is] God in his holy habitation.
Ver. 5. A father of the fatherless, &c.] Pupillorum pater, et viduarum vindex, a title that God much glorieth in; and although he rideth upon the heavens, and is higher than the highest, yet so low stoopeth he to our meanness; neither will he leave his people orphans or comfortless, Joh 14:18, for
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God is in his holy habitation] Not in heaven only, but in and with his Church on earth; the ark and mercy seat were never sundered.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain He now enters upon some of the matters or…
He now enters upon some of the matters or reasons for which God is to be extolled; whereof this is one, that he is the patron of such as are injured and oppressed, and have not power to help themselves.
In his holy habitation; either in his tabernacle, or in heaven. Though he dwells there, yet the eyes of his fatherly providence and care run to and fro to help his people when they are distressed.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain A father of the fatherless,.... In a literal sense,…
A father of the fatherless,.... In a literal sense, so as to show mercy to them, take care of then), and protect them; and this is a character which the great God often assumes, partly to express his power and providence over such, and partly to signify his tenderness, mercy, and goodness to them; and in which he should be imitated by civil magistrates, and by all good men: for it was not only a law in Israel to show regard to such, and take care not to afflict them, but it is also a branch of pure undefiled Christian religion, Jam 1:27, in attending to which we resemble the great Author of it, who is here intended. Moreover, this may be understood in a spiritual sense of such who are deserted by their friends, or are called to leave father and mother for the sake of Christ and his Gospel; and who are like fatherless ones, in an helpless condition in themselves, and are sensible of it; and will not trust in the creature, nor in any works of their own, but apply to Christ, where they have help and salvation, in whom the fatherless find mercy, Hos 14:3; and who afterwards, when they are without the presence of Christ, and sensible communion with him, are like orphans or fatherless children; but Christ, who is the father of such, will not leave them so, will have pity on them, show favour to them, provide everything needful for them, and will come and visit them, as in Joh 14:18; where the word "orphans" or "fatherless" is used of Christ's disciples;
and a Judge of the widows; of such who are widows indeed in a literal sense, and especially that are believers, his elect that cry unto him; see Luk 18:2; and of such who are so in a spiritual sense; even of the whole church of Christ, who may, even now, be said to be in a widowhood estate, as well as under the former dispensation; since Christ, her bridegroom, is gone to heaven, and who yet, in the mean time, is her Judge, protector, and defender; and when she is made ready for him, as a bride adorned for her husband, will come and take her to himself, and she shall remember the reproach of her widowhood no more, Isa 54:4;
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is God in his holy habitation: in heaven, the habitation of his holiness, where is Christ the high and Holy One; and has respect to the poor and lowly, the fatherless and the widow: or in his church, his holy temple, where he dwells and walks, and grants his gracious presence, and will do to the end of the world, according to his promise; or in his holy human nature, the temple and the tabernacle, in which the Godhead dwells.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Habitation - In heaven.
Habitation - In heaven.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Psa 68:5-6. A father of the fatherless — He…
Psa 68:5-6. A father of the fatherless — He now proceeds to mention some of the reasons for which God is to be praised. Of these this is one, that he is the patron of such as are injured and oppressed, and have not power to help themselves; is God in his holy habitation — In his tabernacle, or rather, in heaven. Though he is in a peculiar manner present and dwells there, yet the eyes of his fatherly providence and care run to and fro through the earth, to observe and help his people when they are in distress. God setteth the solitary — Hebrew, יחדים, jechidim, such as are left single and alone, and are destitute of help; in families — Hebrew, he causeth them to sit down in houses: he blesseth them with partners in life, and a posterity, and with the safe and comfortable enjoyment of the social blessings attending it. He bringeth out those which were bound, &c. — He setteth captives and prisoners at liberty, as he did the Israelites. But the rebellious — Those that rebel against God, as the Egyptians did; dwell in a dry land — Are deprived of all true comfort, and plagued with manifold calamities. This part of the Psalm, from Psa 68:1 to Psa 68:6, inclusive, Dr. Chandler supposes to have been sung just as the Levites took up the ark on their shoulders: and certainly it was a proper exordium to this great solemnity: containing “a solemn acknowledgment of God, a devout prayer for the dispersion of his enemies, and an exhortation to his people to rejoice before him, and to celebrate his praises, who guided their forefathers in the desert; when he redeemed them from Egyptian bondage, avenged them of their enemies, enlarged them into families, enriched them with the spoils of Egypt, and condemned their oppressors to poverty, disgrace, and misery.”
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain A father of the fatherless - Or, of orphans.…
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; Jam 1:27.
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Is God in his holy habitation - Where he dwells; to wit, in heaven. The design of the psalmist seems to be to take us at once up to God; to let us see what he is in his holy home; to conduct us into his very presence, that we may see him as he is. What a man is we see in his own home - when we get near to him; when we look upon him, not on great or state occasions, when he is abroad, and assumes appearances befitting his rank and office, but in his own house; as he is constantly. This is the idea here, that if we approach God most nearly, if we look upon him, not merely in the splendor and magnificence in which he appears in governing the worlds, in his judgments, in storm and tempest, riding on the clouds and controlling the ocean, but, as it were, in his own dwelling, his quiet heavens - if we look most closely at his character, we shall find that character best represented by the kind and benignant traits of a father - in his care for widows and orphans. In other words, the more we see of God - the more we become intimately acquainted with his real nature - the more evidence we shall find that he is benevolent and kind.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain are illustrated by the protection to the helpless, vindication…
are illustrated by the protection to the helpless, vindication of the innocent, and punishment of rebels, ascribed to Him.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 5. Father of the fatherless—This fatherly tenderness toward the…
5. Father of the fatherless—This fatherly tenderness toward the most helpless of our race is “Jah’s” especial honour, while coupled with the character of a righteous judge, as in the next sentence.
Is God in his holy habitation—Of which the place of the shekinah in the “holy of holies” was the symbol.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 5. The orphan and the widow are typical examples…
5. The orphan and the widow are typical examples of the friendless and unprotected who are under God’s special guardianship (Psa_10:14; Psa_146:9; Hos_14:3). They are the subjects of a special clause in the earliest legislation (Exo_22:22 ff.), which is reechoed by the latest of the prophets (Mal_3:5). Cp. Isa_1:17; Isa_1:23.
his holy habitation] Not the temple but heaven, whence He ‘looks down’ to bless His people (Deu_26:15), and rules the world, espousing the cause of the humblest, whom men are most prone to despise. For the phrase cp. Jer_25:30; Zec_2:13; 2Ch_30:27. In Isa_63:15 a different Heb. word is used.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (5) The LXX. and Vulg. prefix to this verse,…
(5) The LXX. and Vulg. prefix to this verse, “They shall be troubled by the face of Him who is,” &c, which seems to indicate that the abrupt introduction of this description of God is due to some loss in the text.
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows.—These epithets of God seem to have become at a very early period almost proverbial.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain A father of the fatherless, and a judge of…
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God. A defender, i.e., of the oppressed and downtrodden. (comp. Isa_1:17) In his holy habitation. The heavenly and not the earthly dwelling place whether tabernacle or temple seems to be intended. God from his holy seat in the highest heaven pours clown his grace and mercy, his defence and protection, on all those who specially need his aid.
Vers. 5, 6. Comfort for the desolate.
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I EARTHLY CROSSES. What significance in the terms "fatherless" and "widows"! They tell of death, of war and pestilence and famine, of desolated homes and broken hearts and innumerable sorrows. Then in "the solitary," all the ills of life seem gathered up.
II HEAVENLY COMFORTS. It is a great comfort to believe that there is a God who made the world, and cares for the world that he has made. But there is much more here. God is represented as not only great, but kind; not only as mighty, but merciful; not only as ruling over all his works in righteousness, but as making the weak and the sorrowful his special care. There are three great comforts here.
1. God"s Fatherhood. (Jer_49:11)
2. The brotherhood of man.
3. The blessedness of home.
"God setteth the solitary in families." This is in part fulfilled here. Perhaps "the solitary," like Moses in the desert, finds a home. instead of wandering alone, he is blessed with a wife and children, and the sweet joys of family life. Again, "the solitary" may have friends raised up to him. In the Church and in society he finds true companionships and healthy occupation, and walks no more with aimless feet. Or it may be that God works such a change in his heart that he rises superior to circumstances. There are "spiritual presences" with him. Though alone, he is yet not alone, because God is with him. (Act_8:39 2Ti_4:17) But the highest fulfilment is to come. Heaven is the eternal home. There is no "solitary" there. It is the house of God, of many mansions, of happy families, and of endless fellowships and joys. While the text shows the Divine origin and the manifold blessings of "the family," it hints also at its immortality. It has withstood the greatest shocks of time, and it may, in some higher way, survive in the eternal world. (Pro_12:7; cf. Eph_3:15, Revised Version) W.F.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain Ver. 5. A father of the fatherless, and a…
Ver. 5. 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.
Ver. 5. A father of the fatherless. In a spiritual sense, the orphans, whose father God is, says Hilary, are those who have renounced their father the Devil, and those to whom Christ, at his departure, sent another Comforter, according to his promise--"I will not leave you orphans." Lorinus.
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Ver. 5. Does not Jas 1:27 refer to this verse, for we have the fatherless, the widow, and then the holiness, of the God we serve? Andrew A. Bonar.
Ver. 5. God in his holy habitation. Albeit the Lord be infinite and uncomprehended by any place, yet hath he appointed a trysting place where his people shall find him by his own ordinance, to wit, the assembly of his saints, his holy temple shadowing forth Christ to be incarnate, who now is in heaven, now is incarnate, and sitting at the right hand of God, in whom dwells the Godhead; here, here is God to be found. David Dickson.
Ver. 5. The claims of widows and orphans upon the church of God, from God's relation to them and his indwelling in the church.
Psalms 68:6*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 68:5 God, the Father of all marginalized and needy…
68:5 God, the Father of all marginalized and needy people, shows them compassion and protects their rights (see 10:14, 18; 69:33; 82:3). • Like his dwelling, the Lord is holy. The supreme example of the holy God coming down to rescue humanity is Jesus Christ.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.