And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.’. And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.’ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger.

Family bonds within a home setting can be very strong, with the potential to span a lifetime, well past when an orphan turns 18, at which age they are usually no longer accommodated within an institutional setting.ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful The numerous advantages of this approach include: an orphan stays in their home environment they receive personal adult-based attention and new social structures are fostered that provide both the widows and the orphans with the safety and security that the family-orientated environment provides.

Practically, the above situation implies that a widow opens up her home to care for one or more orphans as part of her own family.

Therefore, we choose to help the orphans find a new family and home. Husbands and fathers play an irreplaceable role in a family. God commands us to protect and care for orphans and widows (Psalm 82:3). The Bible reveals God’s attitude toward orphans and widows: He cares very deeply for them. Moreover, institutionalisation removes a child from his or her home environment. In biblical times, the main cause of a child being orphaned is that the orphan’s parents had died. However, such institutionalised care is relatively costly, and it is often detrimental to the children concerned who very rarely, under such circumstances, receive the personal attention that they need. Sadly, institutionalised orphanages are still widely seen as being the best form of orphan care.

Verse about widows and orphans