Keluaran 22:22

22:22 “You must not afflict ¹  any widow or orphan.

Keluaran 22:24

22:24 and my anger will burn and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children will be fatherless. ² 

Ayub 31:17

31:17 If I ate my morsel of bread myself,

and did not share any of it with orphans ³  –

Ayub 31:21

31:21 if I have raised my hand ⁴  to vote against the orphan,

when I saw my support in the court, ⁵ 

Yesaya 10:2

10:2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,

and to deprive ⁶  the oppressed among my people of justice,

so they can steal what widows own,

and loot what belongs to orphans. ⁷ 

[22:22]  ¹ tn The verb “afflict” is a Piel imperfect from עָנָה (’anah); it has a wide range of meanings: “afflict, oppress, humiliate, rape.” These victims are at the mercy of the judges, businessmen, or villains. The righteous king and the righteous people will not mistreat them (see Isa 1:17; Job 31:16, 17, 21).

[22:24]  ² sn The punishment will follow the form of talionic justice, an eye for an eye, in which the punishment matches the crime. God will use invading armies (“sword” is a metonymy of adjunct here) to destroy them, making their wives widows and their children orphans.

[31:17]  ³ tn Heb “and an orphan did not eat from it.”

[31:21]  ⁴ tn The expression “raised my hand” refers to a threatening manner or gesture in the court rather than a threat of physical violence in the street. Thus the words “to vote” are supplied in the translation to indicate the setting.

[31:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “gate,” referring to the city gate where judicial decisions were rendered in the culture of the time. The translation uses the word “court” to indicate this to the modern reader, who might not associate a city gate complex with judicial functions.

[10:2]  ⁶ tn Or “rob” (ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); KJV “take away the right from the poor.”

[10:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “so that widows are their plunder, and they can loot orphans.”

[10:2]  sn On the socio-economic background of vv. 1-2, see the note at 1:23.