כׇּל־אַלְמָנָ֥ה וְיָת֖וֹם לֹ֥א תְעַנּֽוּן׃
You* shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan.
* You Addressing the community’s leaders, or perhaps all householders.
(The above rendering and its footnote come from the RJPS translation, an adaptation of the NJPS translation.)
The verb is plural, but to whom is this directive addressed?
The topic of this directive had gender implications for the ancient audience that might not normally be recognized by the contemporary one. In ancient Israel (and the Near East), the responsibility for assisting and protecting widows and the fatherless was understood to rest upon local householders, elders, priests, and the king. See, e.g., Zech 7:10; Ezek 22:6–7; Isa 1:23; Jer 22:3. Such roles were typically—but not exclusively—filled by men rather than women. Hence the added footnote.