D&C 83

Section Overview

What happens in D&C 83

Received April 30, 1832, in Independence, Missouri. This revelation addresses the temporal welfare of women and children in the Church, particularly widows and orphans. It establishes that women have a claim upon their husbands for maintenance and that the Church is responsible to care for those whose husbands or fathers have died or abandoned them.

Scripture

Widows and Orphans Have a Claim on the Church

Study note

Women whose husbands die have a claim on the Church for sustenance. Children have a claim on their parents and then on the Church for their maintenance.

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord, in addition to the laws of the church concerning women and children, those who belong to the church, who have lost their husbands or fathers:

2 Women have claim on their husbands for their maintenance, until their husbands are taken; and if they are not found transgressors they shall have fellowship in the church.

3 And if they are not faithful they shall not have fellowship in the church; yet they may remain upon their inheritances according to the laws of the land.

4 All children have claim upon their parents for their maintenance until they are of age.

The Lord's Storehouse as a Safety Net

Study note

The storehouse of the Lord is designated as the resource for caring for widows and orphans. The Lord commands His people to be organized in this sacred work of welfare.

5 And after that, they have claim upon the church, or in other words upon the Lord's storehouse, if their parents have not wherewith to give them inheritances.

6 And the storehouse shall be kept by the consecrations of the church; and widows and orphans shall be provided for, as also the poor. Amen.

Key Themes

Themes in D&C 83

Care for widows and orphans as sacred dutyWomen's right to financial supportThe Church's welfare responsibilityChildren's claim upon parents and communityThe storehouse as a safety net for the vulnerable

Scripture Connections

How this section connects to Christ

D&C 83 1-4 James 1:27

The commandment to care for widows and orphans fulfills James's definition of pure and undefiled religion—visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction.

D&C 83 5-6 Deuteronomy 14:29

The storehouse system echoes the Old Testament provision where tithes were stored so that the fatherless, widows, and strangers could eat and be satisfied.

Apply This Today

Living D&C 83

In just six verses, this revelation establishes a radical principle for its time: women and children have God-given rights to temporal support, and the community of Saints is obligated to ensure no one falls through the cracks. This is not charity—it is a divine claim, a right established by God Himself. In our modern world where many still struggle with poverty, single parenthood, and abandonment, this revelation calls every community of believers to be a safety net. How we treat our most vulnerable members reveals our true character as a covenant people.

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