(9783110175745 - Tobit) Tobit

Joseph A.
Fitzmyer
Tobit
wDE
G
Commentaries on
Early Jewish Literature
(CEJL)
Edited by
Loren T. Stuckenbruck
and
Pieter W . van der Horst • Hermann Lichtenberger
Doron Mendels · James R. Mueller
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York

2003
Joseph A. Fitzmyer
Tobit
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York

2003
Θ Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines
of the ANSI to ensure permanence and durability
Library of Congress — Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fitzmyer, Joseph A.
Tobit / Joseph A. Fitzmyer.
p. cm. — (Commentaries on early Jewish literature)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 3-11-017574-6
1. Bible. O.T. Apocrypha. Tobit—Commentaries. I. Title. II. Series.
BS1725.53 .F58 2003
229'.22077-dc21
2002151347
ISBN 3-11-017574-6
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Preface
A modern commentary on the Book of Tobit must take on a different shape

in view of the discovery of the fragmentary Aramaic and Hebrew texts of
it among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Prior to that discovery the relation of the
different forms of the story of Tobit found in various ancient versions was
the subject of much debate, and even more of speculation. Such debate and
speculation were spurred in the nineteenth century, when Constantin von
Tischendorf discovered the manuscript Sinaiticus in the library of St.
Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai in 1844. In it a form of the story of
Tobit was recovered that was considerably longer than the Greek text of
Vaticanus and Alexandrinus or the Latin Vulgate text, which the Christian
Church of East and West had read for centuries.
In 1913, D. C. Simpson opened the introduction of his commentary on
"The Book of Tobit" with the following remarks:
This book, composed, possibly in Aramaic, in the last quarter of the third
century B.C., probably emanated from orthodox circles in Egypt. It therefore
throws considerable light upon the religious and ethical conditions of the
Diaspora in that country some 1 5 0 years after the date of the recently discovered
Aramaic papyri [meaning those of Elephantine].
The evidence of its popularity, almost from the moment of its composition
until the eighteenth or nineteenth century of our era, in themselves constitute
a long and interesting history. Its influence is apparent alike in Jewish writings,
in the New Testament, in the early Church and in mediaeval art. Carefully
revised by A.D. 1 5 0 in Jewish circles into the form most common today, but
almost immediately translated into Aramaic from the first Greek version and
later, and more than once, into Hebrew, and yet again revised in Greek in
Christian circles, it remained on the one hand a favourite Jewish work, and on
the other hand, translated into various languages, it followed the spread of the
Christian religion to Edessa in the East, to Rome and Africa in the West, and
Ethiopia in the South. (APOT, 1. 1 7 4 )
Much of such speculation about the origin, development, and growth of the
story, the value of its different ancient versions, and the date and place of
its composition now has to be seen in a new light because of the recovery
of the ancient Aramaic and Hebrew forms of the book among the fragments
of Qumran Cave 4, discovered in 1952.
VI Preface
Simpson's own commentary presented a detailed apparatus criticus

based on the various versions of the Book of Tobit known prior to the
Qumran discoveries. It is still of great value today, even though it lacks the
information from the Qumran texts; and I have no intention of trying to
supplant his critical work. Simpson rightly favored the Greek Long
Recension, and my commentary goes along with that preference, because
the Qumran texts support it.
Ideally, this commentary should be based on the Aramaic and Hebrew
texts from Qumran, but because they are fragmentary and hardly represent
a fifth of the Book of Tobit, one still has to have recourse to the Greek Long
Recension, known to us mainly from Codex Sinaiticus. In the commentary
that follows I shall concentrate on the Greek Long Recension, giving in
parallel columns its text along with that of the Greek Short Recension. In
the notes on each verse, the lemma on which the remarks are made will be
that of this Greek Long Recension. It will be followed by the evidence from
the Aramaic and Hebrew fragments from Qumran, when available, and
then from the Greek Short Recension, the Vetus Latina, and the Vulgate.
Details from the Syriac and the medieval Aramaic and Hebrew versions
will be offered from time to time, as they are appropriate, but it should be
recalled that the comparison of Qumran texts with the Greek and Latin
forms is now of far greater importance than any comparison with texts that
are of later usually secondary derivation, such as the Syriac, the medieval
Aramaic and Hebrew forms, etc.
My aim in this approach is to highlight the effect of the discovery of the
Qumran forms of the Book of Tobit and consequently to emphasize the
importance of the Long Recension in Greek, and especially its form in the
Vetus Latina for all present and future study of Tobit. I shall give a
translation of all passages of the Vetus Latina that are quoted, except when
it agrees in wording with the lemma from the Greek Long Recension. So
wherever the translation of the quoted Vetus Latina is lacking, it is to be
assumed to be the same as the Greek in the lemma. If it agrees only in part,
that too will be indicated by ..., and the differences.
One will note how the comparison of the different versions sometimes
aids in the comprehension of the Greek Long Recension, which is not
without its own deficiencies. The other versions often help the reader
understand the basic text being quoted, but sometimes they can be a
distraction or be in conflict with the Greek Long Recension or the Vetus
Latina, which are usually to be regarded as the form closest to the original
text of the Book of Tobit, unless parts of the Qumran Aramaic and Hebrew
forms are quoted. I have usually quoted the Latin Vulgate too. It can never
be regarded as an important witness to the original, even though Jerome
Preface vu
claimed that his version was based on an Aramaic form of the book, which
must have been considerably different from the Qumran Aramaic form, if
Jerome's version accurately reflects his Aramaic Vorlage. It remains,
however, a good example of how a later form of the Tobit story developed.
At times the testimony of the Syriac and the medieval Aramaic and Hebrew
forms will also be cited, when their differences are instructive or noteworthy.
The reader of this commentary will find footnotes that explain or
document assertions in the text. When a short title is used there or in the
particular bibliographies, the full data on the book or article will be found
in the general bibliography at the end of the introduction.
Finally, a word of thanks has to be expressed to a number of persons
who have helped me in the composition of this book. First of all, I must
express once again my grateful dependence on the work of J. T. Milik, who
originally pieced together the Aramaic and Hebrew Tobit fragments found
in Qumran Cave 4. This new commentary would not have been written
without the pioneering work that he did in establishing the texts of those
fragments. Second, I am indebted to Dom P.-M. Bogaert, O.S.B., who put
at my disposal the readings that he had made of several manuscripts of the
Vetus Latina of the Book of Tobit, a critical text of which is not yet
available. Third, I have profited greatly from the work of my former
student, V. T. M. Skemp, who wrote a dissertation on the Vulgate form of
the Book of Tobit under my direction; I have cited his book at a number
of places in the course of the commentary. Fourth, I owe thanks to the
director and staff of the Woodstock Theological Center Library at
Georgetown University, who assisted me in many ways in my research for
this commentary. Lastly, I am indebted to Dr. Loren T. Stuckenbruck, an
editor of the CEJL series, who has provided guidance and assistance with
his comments and technical skills.
Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J.
Contents
Preface ν
Abbreviations xi
INTRODUCTION
I. Title and Manuscript Evidence of the Text 3

II. Original Language 18
III. Subject Matter and Literary Genre 29
IV. Style and Sources of the Book 34
V. Integrity of the Book 42
VI. The Teaching of the Book 46
VII. Date and Place of Composition 50
VIII. Canonicity 55
IX. Structure and Outline 58
X. General Bibliography 59
COMMENTARY
TRANSLATION, GENERAL COMMENTS, AND NOTES
I. Prologue (1:1-2) 91
II. The Double Situation in Nineveh and Ecbatana (1:3-3:17) . . 98
A. Tobit's Background (1:3-22) 98
B. Tobit's Troubles and Prayer (2:1-3:6) 127
C. Sarah's Troubles and Prayer (3:7-15) 147
D. God's Commission of Raphael to Go to Their Aid (3:16-17) 159
III. Tobiah's Journey (4:1-12:22) 163
A. Preparation for the Journey and Tobit's Speech (4:1-21) . . 163
B. Raphael Engaged to Accompany Tobiah to Media (5:1-6:1) 181
C. Tobiah's Journey to Media (6:2-18) 200
D. Tobiah Arrives at Raguel's House and Marries Sarah
(7:1-17) 222
E. Sarah Is Cured of the Demon (8:1-21) 238
χ Contents
F. Raphael is Sent to Get Tobit's Money (9:1-6) 253

G.Tobiah Prepares to Return to Nineveh (10:1-13) 259
H.Homecoming of Tobiah and Cure of Tobit's Eyes (11:1-19) 271
I. Revelation of Raphael's Identity (12:1-22) 285
IV. Tobit's Song of Praise and His Death (13:1-14:2) 301
V. Epilogue (14:3-15) 321
Index of References 339

Index of Names and Subjects 362
Index of Modern Authors 367
Abbreviations
AB Anchor Bible
ABD D. N. Freedman (ed.), The Anchor Bible Dictionary (6 vols.; New
York: Doubleday, 1992)
AbhDOG Abhandlungen der deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft
ABRL Anchor Bible Reference Library
Abr-N Abr-Nahrain
Abr-NSup Supplements to Abr-Nahrain
ACW Ancient Christian Writers
AfO Archiv für Orientforschung
AGSU Arbeiten zur Geschichte des Spätjudentums und Urchristentums
AHW W. von Soden, Akkadisches Handwörterbuch (3 vols.; Wiesbaden:
Harrassowitz, 1965-1981)
AJT American Journal of Theology
ALGHJ Arbeiten zur Literatur und Geschichte des hellenistischen Judentums
AnBib Analecta biblica
ANET J. B. Pritchard (ed.), Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old
Testament (3d ed.; Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, 1955)
ANRW Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt (95 vols.; ed. H.
Temporini and W. Haase; Berlin/New York: de Gruyter, 1972-)
Ant. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews
APOT Charles, R. H. (ed.), The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old
Testament in English (2 vols.; Oxford: Clarendon, 1913)
ARAB D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia (2 vols.;
Chicago, IL: University of Chicago, 1926; repr. New York: Green-
wood, 1968)
AsSeign Assemblées du Seigneur
ASTI Annual of the Swedish Theological Institute
ATD Altes Testament deutsch
ATR Anglican Theological Review
ATTM K. Beyer, Die aramäischen Texte vom Toten Meer samt den Inschriften
aus Palästina, dem Testament Levis aus der Kairoer Genisa, der
Fastenrolle und den alten talmudischen Zitaten (Göttingen: Vanden-
hoeck & Ruprecht, 1984)
ATTME Ergänzungsband of ATTM (1994)
Aug Augustinianum
BA Biblical Archaeologist
xii Abbreviations
BA6 W. Bauer, Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch zu den Schriften des

Neuen Testaments und der frühchristlichen Literatur (6th ed., rev. Κ.
and Β. Aland; Berlin: de Gruyter, 1988)
BAC Biblioteca de autores cristianos
BAGD W. Bauer, W. F. Arndt, and F. W. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexi-
con of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (2d
ed., rev. F. W. Gingrich and F. W. Danker; Chicago, IL: University
of Chicago, 1979)
BARev Biblical Archaeology Review
BBB Bonner biblische Beiträge
BDF F. Blass and A. Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament
and Other Early Christian Literature (tr. R. W. Funk; Chicago, IL:
University of Chicago, 1961)
BDR F. Blass and A. Debrunner, Grammatik des neutestamentlichen
Griechisch (14th ed.; ed. F. Rehkopf; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck &
Ruprecht, 1976)
Bib Biblica
BibLeb Bibel und Leben
BibOr Biblica et orientalia
BibRev Bible Review
B]RL Bulletin of the John Rylands (University) Library (of Manchester)
BK Bibel und Kirche
BLit Bibel und Liturgie
BMAP E. G. Kraeling, The Brooklyn Museum Aramaic Papyri (New Haven,
CT: Yale University Press, 1953)
BO Bibliotheca orientalis
BR Biblical Research
BSac Bibliotheca Sacra
BT The Bible Translator
BVC Bible et vie chrétienne
BWANT Beiträge zur Wissenschaft von Alten und Neuen Testament
BZ Biblische Zeitschrift
BZAW Beihefte zur ZAW
BZNW Beihefte zur ZNW
CahEv Cahiers évangile
CB Cultura bíblica
CBCNEB Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible
CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CBQMS Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series
CBSC Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
CCHS E. F. Sutcliffe and B. Orchard (eds.), A Catholic Commentary on
Holy Scripture (London: Nelson, 1953)
CCLat Corpus Christianorum, Latin series
CD Damascus Document (from Cairo Genizah)
Abbreviations xiii
CentB Century Bible

CGTC Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary
CIG Corpus inscriptionum graecarum
CIL Corpus inscriptionum latinarum
CivCatt Civiltà cattolica
ClassQ Classical Quarterly
Cotte] Concordia Journal
CRINT Compendia rerum iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum
CSEL Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum
CSS Cursus sacrae Scripturae
CTM Concordia Theological Monthly
DBSup Dictionnaire de la Bible, Supplément
DH H. Denzinger and P. Hünermann, Enchiridion symbolorum defini-
tionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum (ed. 37; Freiburg im
Β.: Herder, 1991)
DJD Discoveries in the Judaean Desert
DNWSI J. Hoftijzer and K. Jongeling, Dictionary of North-West Semitic
Inscriptions (2 vols.; Leiden: Brill, 1995)
DSD Dead Sea Discoveries
DTC Dictionnaire de théologie catholique
EBib Études bibliques
EDNT H. Balz and G. Schneider (eds.), Exegetical Dictionary of the New
Testament (3 vols.; Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990-93)
EHAT Exegetisches Handbuch zum Alten Testament
EKL Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon (5 vols.; ed. E. Falbusch et al.; Göt-
tingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1986-97).
Ench. Bibl. Enchiridion Biblicum: Documenti della Chiesa sulla Sacra Scrittura,
Edizione bilingue (Collana Strumenti; Bologna: Edizioni Dehoniane,
1993)
Ep. Epistle, Epistula
Erlsr Eretz Israel
esp. especially
EstBíb Estudios bíblicos
EstEcl Estudios eclesiásticos
ETL Ephemerides theologicae lovanienses
EvErz Evangelische Erziehung
EvQ Evangelical Quarterly
EvT Evangelische Theologie
Expos Expositor
ExpTim Expository Times
FC Fathers of the Church
FEDSS R. H. Eisenman and J. M. Robinson (eds.), A Facsimile Edition of the
Dead Sea Scrolls Prepared with an Introduction and Index (2 vols.;
Washington, DC: Biblical Archaeology Society, 1991)
XIV Abbreviations
FTS Frankfurter theologische Studien

GBH P. Joüon and T. Muraoka, Grammar of Biblical Hebrew (Rome:
Biblical Institute, 1991)
GCS Griechische christliche Schriftsteller
GKC W. Gesenius, E. Kautzsch, and A. E. Cowley, Hebrew Grammar (2d
ed.; Oxford: Clarendon, 1910; repr. 1946)
GLeb Geist und Leben
GTT Gereformeerd theologisch tijdschrift
HALAT L. Koehler and W. Baumgartner (eds.), Hebräisches und aramäisches
Lexikon zum Alten Testament (3d ed.; 6 vols.; Leiden: Brill, 1967-
1996)
HBT Horizons in Biblical Theology
HF Medieval Hebrew Text of Tobit published by P. Fagius
HG Medieval Hebrew Text of Tobit published by M. Gaster
HL Medieval Hebrew Text of Tobit in London
HM Medieval Hebrew Text of Tobit published by S. Münster
HSS Harvard Semitic Studies
HTR Harvard Theological Review
HUCA Hebrew Onion College Annual
IB G. A. Buttrick (ed.), Interpreter's Bible (12 vols.; Nashville, TN/New
York: Abingdon, 1952-1957)
IBNTG C. F. D. Moule, An Idiom Book of New Testament Greek (Cam-
bridge, UK: Cambridge University, 1953)
ICC International Critical Commentary
IDB G. A. Buttrick (ed.), Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (4 vols.;
Nashville, TN/New York: Abingdon, 1962)
IDBSup K. Crim (ed.), Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible Supplementary
Volume (Nashville, TN/New York: Abingdon, 1976).
IEJ Israel Exploration Journal
Int Interpretation
ITQ Irish Theological Quarterly
JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society
JBC R. E. Brown et al. (eds.), The Jerome Biblical Commentary (2 vols.
in one; Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1968).
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JDS Judean Desert Studies
JJS Journal of Jewish Studies
JQR Jewish Quarterly Review
JR Journal of Religion
JRAS Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
JRS Journal of Roman Studies
JSJ Journal for the Study of Judaism
JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
JSOTSup Supplements to JSOT
Abbreviations xv
JSP Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha

JSS Journal of Semitic Studies
JSSSup Supplements to JSS
JTS Journal of Theological Studies
J.W. Josephus, Jewish War
KJV King James Version (Authorized Version of Bible, 1611)
k.t.l. kai ta loipa (= et cetera)
LavTP Laval théologique et philosophique
LCL Loeb Classical Library
LQ Lutheran Quarterly
LSJ H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, and H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (2
vols.; 9th ed.; Oxford: Clarendon, 1940).
LTK J. Höfer and K. Rahner (eds.), Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche (2
ed.; 11 vols.; Freiburg im B.: Herder, 1957-67)
LW Luther's Works
LXX Septuagint
MGWJ Monatsschrift für Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums
MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testa-
ment Illustrated from Papyri and Other Non-Literary Sources (Lon-
don: Hodder and Stoughton, 1930; repr. 1957)
MPAT J. A. Fitzmyer and D. J. Harrington, A Manual of Palestinian Ara-
maic Texts (BibOr 34; Rome: Biblical Institute, 1978)
MS(S) Manuscript(s)
MT Masoretic Text (Hebrew text of the OT)
MUSJ Mélanges de l'Université Saint Joseph
NAB New American Bible
NCCHS R. C. Fuller et al. (eds.) A New Catholic Commentary on Holy
Scripture (London: Nelson, 1969)
NClarB New Clarendon Bible
NDIEC G. H. R. Horsley and S. R. Llewelyn (eds.), New Documents Illus-
trating Early Christianity (8 vols.; North Ryde, NSW: Ancient His-
tory Documentary Research Centre; Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
1976-98)
NEB New English Bible
NIDNTT C. Brown (ed.), The New International Dictionary of New Testament
Theology (3 vols.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1975-78)
NIV New International Version (of the Bible)
NJB New Jerusalem Bible
NJBC R. E. Brown et al. (eds.), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary
(Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990)
NovT Novum Testamentum
NRSV New Revised Standard Version (of the Bible)
NT New Testament
NTAbh Neutestamentliche Abhandlungen
XVI Abbreviations
NTS New Testament Studies

OBO Orbis biblicus et orientalis
Or Orientalia
OrAnt Oriens antiquus
OT Old Testament
OTL Old Testament Library
OTM Old Testament Message
OTP J. H. Charlesworth (ed.), The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (2
vols.; New York: Doubleday, 1983, 1985)
OTS Oudtestamentische Studien
Oxy. Oxyrhynchus
P. Papyrus
PalCl Palestra del clero
PG J. P. Migne, Patrologia Graeca (1857-1886)
PL J. P. Migne, Patrologia Latina (1844-1866)
PLSup Supplements to PL
Ρ RS Perspectives in Religious Studies
PSB La Sainte Bible de Pirot-Clamer (12 vols.; Paris: Letouzey et Ané,
1951)
PSBA Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology
PSV Parola, Spirito e Vita
RB Revue biblique
RBén Revue Bénédictine
RCT Revista catalana de teologia
REB Revised English Bible
REJ Revue des études juives
RevExp Review and Expositor
RevistB Revista bíblica (Argentina)
RevQ Revue de Qumran
RevScRel Revue des sciences religieuses
RevSém Revue sémitique
RF Razón y fe
RGG Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart (3d ed.; 7 vols.; Tübingen:
Mohr [Siebeck], 1957-65)
RHPR Revue d'histoire et de philosophie religieuses
RHR Revue de l'histoire des religions
RicRel Ricerche religiose
RivB Rivista biblica
RNT Regensburger Neues Testament
RSO Rivista degli studi orientali
RSR Recherches de science religieuse
RSV Revised Standard Version (of the Bible)
RTL Revue théologique de Louvain
SANT Studien zum Alten und Neuen Testament
Abbreviations xvii
SBA Studies in Biblical Archaeology

SBFLA Studii biblici franciscani liber annuus
SB} La sainte Bible de Jérusalem
SBL Society of Biblical Literature
SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series
SBLMS Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series
SBLRBS Society of Biblical Literature Resources for Biblical Studies
SBLSCS Society of Biblical Literature Septuagint and Cognate Studies
SBLSP Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers
SBS Stuttgarter biblische Studien
SBT Studies in Biblical Theology
SC Sources chrétiennes
ScCatt Scuola cattolica
ScrHier Scripta hierosolymitana
SPIB Scripta Pontificii Instituti Biblici
TADAE Β. Porten and A. Yardeni, Textbook of Aramaic Documents from
Ancient Egypt (4 vols.; Jerusalem: Hebrew University, 1986, 1989,
1993, 2000)
TBT The Bible Today
TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich (eds.), Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament (10 vols.; Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964-76)
TDOT G. J. Botterweck and H. Ringgren (eds.), Theological Dictionary of
the Old Testament (11 vols, to date; Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
1974-)
TheolEv Theologia evangelica (Pretoria)
ThStud Theologische Studien
TLZ Theologische Literaturzeitung
TQ Theologische Quartalschrift
TRE Theologische Realenzyklopädie (29 vols, to date; Berlin: de Gruyter,
1977-)
TRu Theologische Rundschau
TSK Theologische Studien und Kritiken
TU Texte und Untersuchungen
TUAT Texte aus der Umwelt des Alten Testaments
TzF Texte zur Forschung
USQR Union Seminary Quarterly Review (New York)
USR Union Seminary Review (Richmond, VA)
UTB Uni-Taschenbücher
VC Vigiliae christianae
VDom Ver bum domini
Vg Vulgata Latina (Latin Vulgate, version of the Bible)
VL Vetus Latina (Old Latin version of the Bible)
vol. volume
VS Verbum Salutis
xviii Abbreviations
VT Vêtus Testamentum
VTSup Supplements to VT
WA J. A. Fitzmyer, A Wandering Aramean: Collected Aramaic Essays
(SBLMS 25; Missoula, MT: Scholars, 1979); repr. as part of The
Semitic Background of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI:
Eerdmans; Livonia, MI: Dove Booksellers, 1997)
WAusg Weimar Ausgabe (of works of M. Luther)
WBC Word Biblical Commentary
WD Wort und Dienst
WMANT Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament
WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament
ZA W Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
ZBG M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek Illustrated by Examples (Rome: Biblical
Institute, 1963)
ZDMG Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenländischen Gesellschaft
ZDMGSup Supplements to ZDMG
ZKT Zeitschrift für katholische Theologie
ZNW Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
ZWT Zeitschrift für die wissenschaftliche Theologie
INTRODUCTION
I. Title and Manuscript Evidence of the Text
Title
(1) The first three words of the Greek version are Βίβλος λόγων Τωβίθ,
which amount to a title, "Book of the Words of Tobit." The title is derived
from the principal character in the narrative, who in the Greek versions is
called Τωβίθ or Τωβίτ. It has been known sometimes as the "Book of
Tobias" in manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate (Vg), Liber Tobiae, and in
vernacular Bibles translated from it, because Latin-speaking translators
rendered his name as Tobias, which was used also by Jerome in his version
of the story. Since Tobit's son too is named Tobias in the Vg and because
he plays a significant role in the middle of the narrative, the Latin title for
the book in the Vg was sometimes liber utriusque Tobiae, "the Book of
both Tobiases." (Further comments will be made on the form of Tobit's
name in the N O T E on 1:1.)
Manuscript Evidence
(2) The manuscript transmission of the story of Tobit is unusually

complicated and has been rendered even more so by discoveries in the
twentieth century. So one has to make some chronological distinctions in
explaining the manuscript evidence of this book.
(3) Before 1952. Prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the text of
the Book of Tobit was known only from various ancient translations. The
most important of these were the versions in Greek and Latin, but the book
was preserved also in ancient Arabic, Armenian, Coptic (Sahidic), Ethiopie,
and Syriac translations. The latter versions are for the most part secondary
derivatives of different Greek versions of the book and only rarely supply
textual evidence of any moment. 1 Before 1952 the Book of Tobit was
known also from medieval Aramaic and Hebrew versions, about which
more will be said below.
1
For details, see R. Hanhart, Tobit (1983), 1 5 - 2 3 .
4 Introduction
(4) As for the Greek translation of the Book of Tobit, one has to distinguish
three forms known today:
(a) Short Recension (G1):2 It is found mainly in the MSS Vaticanus (B)
of the fourth century, Alexandrinus (A) of the fifth century, Venetus (V) of
the eighth century, 990 (= P. Oxy. 1594, of the third century, containing
T o b 12:14-19, 3 and also in a host of minuscule manuscripts of the ninth
and later centuries. 4 This form of the book seems to have been used in the
Christian church almost from the beginning, and certainly before the
discovery of MS Sinaiticus. It contains all the main parts of the Tobit story
and is written in good, idiomatic Greek. G1 differs from the Long Recension
in many minor instances, which are often striking for shortened, summary
statements and prosaic grammar and style, despite the fact that it agrees
with the Long Recension in the bulk of the story.
(b) Long Recension (G11):5 It is found in the MS Sinaiticus (S) of the
f o u r t h / f i f t h century, and in the fragmentary eleventh-century minuscule
MS 319 (Vatopedi 513, dated A.D. 1021), which contains this recension
for T o b 3:6-6:16 (up to δαιμονίου τούτου). 6 A bit of the Long Recension
is preserved also in the sixth-century papyrus MS 910 (= P. Oxy. 1076,
containing only Tob 2:2-5, 8). 7 The long Greek form really came to light
only in the nineteenth century, when C. von Tischendorf discovered MS S
in the library of St. Catherine's Monastery on M t . Sinai in 1844 and
published it in 1846 and 1862. 8 Then the value of MSS 319 and 910 was
recognized. Manuscript S contains the whole book, except for two lacunae;
2
The critical text of the short Greek recension is published by R. Hanhart, Tobit
(1983), 5 9 - 1 8 5 , where it is called G1 and given at the top of the pages.
See the older critical editions of this recension based on M S Β in Brooke-McLean-
Thackeray, The Old Testament in Greek, 3. 8 5 - 1 1 0 ; and in Η. B. Swete, Old-
Testament in Greek, 2. 8 1 5 - 4 8 (MS Β at the top of pages). Cf. A. Rahlfs, Septuaginta,
1. 1 0 0 2 - 3 9 (at the top of the pages [textus uulgaris]).
3
Edited by Grenfell and Hunt, The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, 13. 1 - 6 . This text of M S
9 9 0 is closer to MSS A, Β than to M S S, but it has some of its o w n peculiar readings.
4
See R. Hanhart, Tobit, (1983), 8 - 1 0 .
5
See R. Hanhart, Tobit ( 1 9 8 3 ) , 5 9 - 1 8 5 , where it is called G" and is found at the
bottom of the pages.
See the older critical editions of this recension based on M S S in Brooke-McLean-
Thackeray, The Old Testament in Greek, 3. 1 1 1 - 2 2 ; and in H. B. Swete, Old
Testament in Greek, 2. 8 1 5 - 4 8 (MS S at the bottom of pages). Cf. A. Rahlfs,
Septuaginta, 1. 1 0 0 2 - 3 9 (at the bottom of the pages).
6
The rest of M S 3 1 9 (from 1:1-3:5 and 6:16 [ότι] to 14:15) is another copy of G1.
7
Edited by Grenfell and Hunt, Oxyrhyncus Papyri, 8. 6 - 9 .
8
See Codex Friderico-Augustanus ( 1 8 4 6 ) , but the w h o l e M S appeared only in
Bibliorum Codex Sinaiticus Petropolitanus ( 1 8 6 2 ) .
Title and Manuscript Evidence of the Text 5
it has 1:1-4:6; 4:19c-13:6h; 13:10c-14:15, and the lacunae are 4 : 7 - 1 9 b

and 13:6i—10b. The first lacuna is compensated for by MS 319, but the
second lacuna is not found in any related Greek text so that for the missing
verses of chap. 13 one has to have recourse to the Vetus Latina or the short
Greek recension. Manuscript S also has a number of minor and usually
unimportant omissions of words or phrases (3:2, 5, 11, 15; 4:3; 5:12; 8:15;
10:4, 13; 12:6, 8, 15; 13:1, 5; 14:3, 5). Sometimes they make the
comprehension of its text difficult (e.g. 1:2, 4, 5; 2:2, 8; 9:5; 11:12, 13;
13:11). In such cases, one must consult either the VL or the Greek Short
Recension. At any rate, MS S was hailed as "the nearest approach which
can be made to the original text whether the latter first appeared in Greek
or in a Semitic language," 9 even though that was not universally admitted.
(c) Intermediate Recension (G ,n ): It is found in minuscule MSS 4 4
(Codex Cittaviensis), 106 (Codex Ferrariensis), 107 (Codex Ferrariensis,
ca. A.D. 1337), which may have some pertinence for Tob 6 : 9 - 1 2 : 2 2 , but
for the rest this recension reproduces the text of MS B. 10 It seems to be
composite, a compromise between the other two Greek recensions, but
basically related to G".
(5) Although some interpreters of the Book of Tobit have preferred to

regard the Greek Short Recension as the more original, 11 the studies of J.
R. Harris, D. C. Simpson, J. D. Thomas, R. Hanhart, J. R. Busto Saiz, and
C. A. Moore have shown that the Greek Short Recension is a redacted form
of the earlier Greek Long Recension, produced in an effort to improve the
Greek phraseology and literary character of the Tobit story. 12 It is clear that
the differences between G11 and G1 are most easily accounted for by a
process of curtailment and the elimination of Semitisms that are found in
G". Simpson especially summarized "the overwhelming evidence in favour
of the priority of R s [= Sinaiticus and certain Vetus Latina manuscripts]." 13
9 D. C. Simpson, "The Book of Tobit," APOT, 1. 175.

10 See further R. Hanhart, Text und Textgeschichte des Buches Tobit, 43—48.
11 Most recently, P. Deselaers, Das Buch Tobit (see p. 19 below); Β. Kollmann,
"Göttliche Offenbarung," ZAW 106 (1994) 2 8 9 - 9 9 .
12 See J. R. Harris, "The Double Text of Tobit," A]T 3 (1899) 5 4 1 - 5 4 ; D. C. Simpson,
"The Chief Recensions of the Book of Tobit," JTS 14 ( 1 9 1 2 - 1 3 ) 5 1 6 - 3 0 ; J. D.
Thomas, "The Greek Text of Tobit," JBL 91 (1972) 4 6 3 - 7 1 ; J. R. Busto Saiz,
"Algunas aportaciones de la Vetus Latina para una nueva edición crítica del libro
de Tobit," Sefarad 38 (1978) 5 3 - 6 9 ; C. A. Moore, "Tobit, Book of," ABD 6. 5 8 5 -
94, esp. 5 9 1 ; but see also Moore's discussion in "Scholarly Issues," JSP 5 (1989) 6 5 -
81.
13 "The Chief Recensions," 518.
6 Introduction
G1 is seen to be a modification of G", because it reflects the general

presuppositions and ideas, the historical conditions, and the religious
characteristics and theological developments "of an age long subsequent to
that in which R s was written."14
(6) Similarly, the Latin translation of the Book of Tobit is known in two
forms:
(a) Short Recension·. It is said to correspond in general to the short Greek
recension and is found in the Latin Vulgate (Vg), a translation produced by
St. Jerome.15 He claimed that his version was based on an Aramaic text,
which a learned Jew translated for him into Hebrew and he then rendered in
Latin (see further below). This Latin version prevailed in the Christian
Church of the West until the impact of von Tischendorf's discovery of Greek
MS S was noted. The relation of the Vg to the short Greek recension is
problematical, because, on the one hand, Jerome often retained words and
phrases from the Vetus Latina (VL), but on the other, he often paraphrased
sentences and clauses, and apparently exercised great freedom in adding
details to the text, which are not found in any other ancient version. Today
no one can say how accurately he rendered what he understood in Hebrew
of his Aramaic Vorlage.16 Jerome names both father and son Tobias and
recounts the narrative in 1:1-3:6 in the third person, as opposed to the Greek
Short Recension and other ancient versions; apart from 11:18, every mention
of Ahiqar and his nephew is omitted in the Vg. No matter what the relation
of the Vg is to the Greek Short Recension, the Vg is certainly shorter than the
Vetus Latina, and hence is regarded as the Latin Short Recension.
(b) Long Recension: It corresponds to the Greek Long Recension and is
found in the VL, the Old Latin form of the Book of Tobit that preceded
Jerome's version and was replaced by his more popular Vg.
The difficulty with the VL of Tobit is like that of many other books of
the OT in the Old Latin version: it did not exist in one form. The VL is
known from the Vetus Afra, used in the churches of Africa, and the Vetus
Italica, used in the churches of northern Italy,17 and the Vetus Hispana,
14 Ibid., 5 1 9 .
15 The Vg of Tobit is found in the critical edition prepared by the Benedictine monks
of San Girolamo in Rome, Biblia Sacra iuxta latinam vulgatam versionem, 8 (1950)
163-209.
16 For a defense of Jerome's translation, see R. Galdos, "Valor de la versión Jeronimiana
del libro de Tobit," EstEcl 7 (1928) 1 2 9 ^ 5 .
17 Sometimes mention is made of a Vetus Itala, as distinct from the Vetus Italica. See
H . A. A. Kennedy, "Latin Versions, The Old," 4 7 - 6 2 . Cf. Β. J. Roberts, The Old
Testament Text and Versions (Cardiff: University of Wales, 1 9 5 1 ) 237—46.
used in Spain. It was this confusing variety of the VL that Pope Damasus
wanted to correct, when he asked Jerome to revise the Latin Bible (ca. A.D.
382).
(7) Even today, when work is being done on a critical edition of various
books of the VL, there does not yet exist a critical text of the VL of Tobit. 1 8
Consequently, one has to begin the study of the Latin Long Recension of
Tobit with that given by Brooke-McLean-Thackeray, 19 which reproduces a
form of the Latin text of P. Sabatier. 20 This Latin text was based on two
ninth-century manuscripts: Q (Codex Regius, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationa-
le, fond. lat. 93), 2 1 and Ρ (Codex Corbeiensis, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationa-
le, fond. lat. 11505). 2 2 In his apparatus criticus, Sabatier added readings
from G (Codex Sangermanensis, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, fond. lat.
11553), 2 3 containing the text up to Tob 13:2 (Explicit Tobi iustus); and
from C (Codex Reginensis, Rome, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, lat. 7),
containing the text only as far as Tob 6:12 (the rest being a copy of the
Vulgate). Brooke-McLean-Thackeray consider MS C to be the "nearest to
that of the Sinaitic Greek Manuscript (S), but it is probably not the earliest
form of the Old Latin Version." 2 4 Yet, as they note, "the MSS. of the Old
Latin Version known to us, complete or incomplete, are not all of one
type." 25 In the absence of a critical text of the VL of Tobit, this variety
constitutes a problem, which still has to be resolved. Two other manuscripts
of the VL of Tobit have been studied, and the differences between them
amply illustrate the lack of "one type" of VL text. They are the ninth-
century MS X (Codex Complutensis 1, Madrid, Biblioteca Univers. Centr.
31), 2 6 and the tenth-century MS R (Biblia de Rosas, Paris, Bibliothèque
Nationale, fonds lat. 6). 27 Both of these have been published by F. Vattioni. 28
18 It has been reported recently that a critical text is being prepared by J.-M. Auwers
of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
19 The Old Testament in Greek, 3/1. 1 2 3 - 4 4 .
20 P. Sabatier, Bibliorum sacrorum latinae versiones antiquae, seu Vetus Italica ...
(1743, reedited 1976), 1. 7 0 6 - 4 3 .
21 Which Sabatier called ms. Regius 3564.
22 Which Sabatier called ms. Sangermanensis 4.
23 Which he called Sangerm. 15.
24 The Old Testament in Greek, 3/1, x.
25 Ibid., ix.
26 Often called the Prima Biblia de Alcalá.
27 Often called the Biblia de Roda.
28 F. Vattioni, "Tobia nello Speculum e nella prima Bibbia di Alcalá," Aug 15 (1975)
1 6 9 - 2 0 0 ; "La Vetus Latina di Tobia nella Bibbia di Roda," RCT 3 (1978) 1 7 3 - 2 0 0 .
8 Introduction
The Latin text of the Alcalá Bible is very paraphrastic, a much expanded
form of the Latin text found in Brooke-McLean-Thackeray, and really of
little use in text-critical work. In the first article Vattioni also supplies
numerous readings of the Tobit text found in the Speculum, a work
attributed to Augustine.29 A. Neubauer has also published a form of the
Vetus Itala,30 which Simpson regarded as "a carefully corrected text of
Sabatier's edition." 31 About that judgment, however, I am not too sure.
Finally, some patristic writers quoted verses from the VL of Tobit, and
these quotations prove to be important witnesses of the Latin Long
Recension.
(8) In my work on the Qumran texts of Tobit, I was greatly helped by Dom
P.-M. Bogaert, O.S.B., of Louvain-la-Neuve, who allowed me to record
many different readings of manuscripts of the VL of Tobit that he personally
had collated. Such readings will appear at times in parentheses, when the
Sabatier form of VL is quoted otherwise in the commentary.32
(9) Since 1952. Although the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls dates from
1947, the year in which Qumran Cave 1 was found, no fragmentary text
of the Book of Tobit turned up until the massive jigsaw puzzle of the
thousands of fragments of Qumran Cave 4 was being worked on. Cave 4
had been discovered by the Ta'amireh Bedouin in 1952, and the scouring
29 See F. Weihrich, Liber de diuinis scripturis siue Speculum quod fertur S. Augustini
(CSEL 12 [1887] 287-725).
30 The Book of Tobit: A Chaldee Text, lxviii-xc.
31 "The Book of Tobit," APOT, 1. 178.
32 The following is a list of the manuscripts of VL of Tobit:
Conventio- Beuron Date Name
nal Siglum Number
C 145 9 century Reginensis ( R o m e , Vatican Libr., Reg. Lat 7)
G 7 beg. 9 century Sangermanensis (Paris, Β. N . fonds lat. 1 1 5 5 3 )
H 134 1 2 century Oscensis, Biblia de Huesca (Madrid, M u s e o
Arqueológico 4 8 5 )
J 135 9 / 1 0 century Bobbiensis (Milan, Bibl. Ambrosiana E. 2 6 inf.)
L 133 AD 9 6 0 Gothicus Legionensis (Leon, S. Isidore)
M 130 8/9 century M o n a c e n s i s ( M u n i c h , Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
Clm 6 2 3 9 )
Ρ 150 AD 822 Corbeiensis (Paris, Β. Ν . fonds lat. 1 1 5 0 5 )
Q 148 9 century C o d e x Regius (Paris, Β. N . fonds lat. 9 3 )
R 62 1 0 century Biblia de Rosas ( R o d a ) (Paris, B. N . fonds lat. 6)
V 123 1 0 century Vercellensis (Vercelli 11 [22])
w 143 9 century Reginensis ( R o m e , Vatican Libr., Regin. lat. 7)
X 109 9 century Complutensis 1, Prima Biblia de Alcalá (Madrid,
Bibl. Univer. Centr. 3 1 )
of the cave was completed eventually by archaeologists in that year. It was

not until 1956, however, that the first report was published on the work
that was being done by the international team that had been assembled to
study the Cave 4 fragments. 33 In it J. T. Milik reported that the Book of
Tobit was represented by fragments of three manuscripts, one in Hebrew
and two in Aramaic. Another report was made by Milik at the Strasbourg
meeting of the International Organization of Old Testament Scholars later
in 1956, in which he announced that he had been able that very year to
identify a third Aramaic text written in a fine semi-cursive script, which
contained a small part of Tob 14:2-6. 3 4 Subsequently, a fourth Aramaic
copy of Tobit was discovered among the Cave 4 fragments.
(10) Unfortunately, these fragmentary texts were never published by Milik.

In 1991 I was asked by Emanuel Τον, the new editor-in-chief of the series,
Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, to see to the publication of the Tobit
texts. 35 The fragments were eventually published in 1995, 3 6 and I must once
again express my dependence on the remarkable pioneering work of Josef
Tadeusz Milik, who did all the drudgery of identifying and piecing together
the many fragments that make up the Qumran Aramaic and Hebrew texts
of Tobit, which we have today ( 4 Q 1 9 6 - 4 Q 2 0 0 ) . 3 7
(11) No one suspected before 1952 that texts of Tobit, if they were to show
up in the Qumran Scrolls, would agree normally with the long form of the
book found in the Greek recension of MSS S, 319, and 910 or with the long
recension of the VL. There are a few instances, however, where the Aramaic
33 See P. Benoit (ed.), "Le travail d'édition des fragments manuscrits de Qumrân," RB
63 (1956) 4 9 - 6 7 , esp. 60; "Editing the Manuscript Fragments from Qumran," BA
19 (1956) 7 5 - 9 6 , esp. 88.
34 "Le travail d'édition des manuscrits du Désert de Juda," Volume du Congrès,
Strasbourg 1956 (VTSup 4; Leiden: Brill, 1957) 1 7 - 2 6 , esp. 2 3 - 2 4 . See also Milik's
book, Ten Years of Discovery, 3 1 - 3 2 . Eventually one learned something about the
contents of the Aramaic and Hebrew fragments in his article, "La patrie de Tobie,"
RB 73 (1966) 5 2 2 - 3 0 , esp. 5 2 2 n. 3.
35 This he did with the consent of the Israel Antiquities Authority; see his article, "The
Unpublished Qumran Texts from Caves 4 and 11," BA 55 (1992) 9 4 - 1 0 4 .
36 See J. A. Fitzmyer, "Tobit," Qumran Cave 4: XIV (DJD 19) 1 - 7 6 (+ pis. I - X ) .
A form of the Aramaic texts ( 4 Q 1 9 6 - 4 Q 1 9 9 ) is also found in K. Beyer, ATTME,
1 3 4 - 4 7 , and of the Hebrew text (4Q200) in Β. Z. Wacholder and M. G. Abegg, A
Preliminary Edition of the Unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls, 3. 1 - 5 . The text given in
these publications should be compared with that of the editio princeps.
37 See further my article, "The Aramaic and Hebrew Fragments of Tobit from Qumran
Cave 4 , " CBQ 57 (1995) 6 5 5 - 7 5 .
10 Introduction
or Hebrew forms in the Qumran texts agree with G1, but it is more
noteworthy that the Qumran fragments of Tobit not only support the
Greek Long Recension and VL, but are at times even fuller than the so-
called long recension, and that they agree at times more with the long
recension of the VL than of Greek MS S. This had been noted early on by
Milik himself.
Contents of the Qumran Aramaic and Hebrew Texts of Tobit
(12) In the five fragmentary texts of Tobit there are all told 69 fragments
or groups of fragments (a group being defined as joined fragments that
belong together or related fragments that cannot be physically joined).
The following table gives an overview of the identified fragments. The
numbering of chapters and verses follows that of G" in the Hanhart edition.
Tob a ar Tob b ar Tob c ar Tob d ar Tob e

Frg. Passage Frg. Passage Frg. Passage Frg. Passage Frg. Passage
1 1:17
2 1:19-2:2
3 2:3
4 2:10-11
5 3:5 3:6-8 1 i 3:6
6 3:9-15 1 ii 3 : 1 0 - 1 1
7 3:17
8 4:2
9 4:5 2 4:3-9
10 4:7
11 4:21-5:1 2 4:21-5:1 3 5:2
12 5 : 9 3 5:12-14
13 6:6-8 4 i 5:19-6:12
14 6:13-18 4 ii 6:12-18
14 ii 6 : 1 8 - 7 : 5 4 iii 6:18-7:10
1 7:11
15 7:13 8:17-9:4
10:7-9
11:10-14
16 12:1
17 i 12:18-13:6 6 12:20-13:4
17 ii 13:6-12 7 i 13:13-14
18 13:12-14:3 1 14:2-6 7 ii 1 3 : 1 8 - 1 4 : 3
19 14:7 2 14:10 2 14:10 8 ?
20-49? 6-7 ? 9 3:3—4?
(13) Of the Aramaic texts, the first, 4QpapTob a ar, is written on light
brown papyrus in a late semiformal Hasmonean script (ca. 50-25 B.C.).38
It uses a looped taw; there are no ligatures, and the yods are clearly
distinguished from waws, as are the beths from kaphs. The second, 4QTob b
ar, is written on brown skin in a beautiful early formal Herodian script (ca.
25 B.C.-A.D. 25).39 The third, 4QTob c ar, is also written on light tan skin
in a late Hasmonean or early Herodian book hand (ca. 50 B.C.),40 and the
fourth, 4QTob d ar, is inscribed on brown skin in a typical Hasmonean
script (dating from ca. 100 B.C.).41 The Hebrew text of Tobit (4QTobe) is
written on light brown skin in an early Herodian formal hand (ca. 30 B.C.-
A.D. 20).42 It must be remembered that these dates, roughly 100 B.C. to
A.D. 25, are those of copies found in Qumran Cave 4.
(14) The Qumran fragments of Tobit differ considerably from the medieval
Aramaic and Hebrew forms of the Book of Tobit that were known prior
to 1952.
The medieval Aramaic form, found in part of a fifteenth-century MS of
the Bodleian Library (Hebrew Ms. 2339), was published in the late
nineteenth century by A. Neubauer. 43 That Aramaic form of the story
agrees with the Vg in telling the story of Tobit in the third person in chaps.
1-3, but the prayer in 3:1-6 is in the first person. Otherwise it differs from
the Vg in many ways: it omits all mention of the dog; it abbreviates chap.
12 and omits chap. 13 and most of 14, which is present only in a greatly
reduced form and ends with a short epilogue in Hebrew. Neubauer claimed
that this "Chaldee text in a more complete form was the original from
which the translation of the Vulgate was made," 44 a claim that one must
38
Compare F. M. Cross, "The Development of the Jewish Scripts," The Bible and the
Ancient Near East: Essays in Honor of William Foxwell Albright (ed. G. E. Wright;
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1961) 133-202, esp. 149 §2.
39
Ibid., 138 §5.
40
Ibid., 138 §3. This is the text that Milik considered written in a semi-cursive script.
41
Ibid., 138 §4. There are so few letters preserved on this text, and none of them very
distinctive, that one cannot establish a more precise date for these two fragments.
42
Ibid., 138 §5.
43
The Book of Tobit: A Chaldee Text ... (Oxford: Clarendon, 1878). The MS bears
the title ΓΤΟΙΒ ΠΒΙ?0 and is an extract of Midrash Rabbah de Rabbah on Gen 28:22.
That passage in Genesis mentions Jacob's vow, as he sets up a pillar in Bethel, that
he would give God a tithe. That is the reason why the Book of Tobit with its stress
on tithes is used to illustrate Gen 28:22 in the medieval midrash.—"Chaldee" was
a nineteenth-century name for Aramaic, which was commonly used before the great
discoveries of Aramaic texts in the twentieth century.
44
The Book of Tobit, vii; see also p. x. Simpson ( A P O T , 1.178) commented: "This sup-
position is not supported by the evidence derived from a comparison of the two texts."
12 Introduction
question today. Moreover, Neubauer maintained that the medieval Aramaic

form "agrees for the greater part with the Sinaitic text, and consequently
with the Itala." 45 He also admitted that "the Chaldee text has sentences
which are to be found sometimes in one, sometimes in another of the
above-mentioned texts; others are peculiar to the Chaldee text or the
Hebrew translation." 46 Neubauer was convinced, moreover, "that the ori-
ginal composition of the book was in Hebrew, although no such text is
mentioned by Origen and his contemporaries." 47
(15) Neubauer argued that the medieval Aramaic text that he was publishing
"does not admit for a moment the possibility of its being a translation from
a non-Semitic text." 48 About that, however, I am not so sure. For the name
of Ahiqar turns up in this medieval text as^XOn "Qlp^pK (1:21), not aslpTIK,
the form that correctly appears in Qumran Aramaic fragments and agrees
with that attested in Elephantine papyri. The medieval Aramaic form, with
a qopb instead of a heth, clearly reflects the Greek Άχίχαρον τον Άναήλ ...
uióv or the Latin Achicarum of the VL. Again, the "good meal" set before
Tobit on the Feast of Weeks is called in the medieval Aramaic 2 Ί "ρΐΕΟΉΚ
(2:1; also 8:19), which is clearly an attempt to render the Greek άριστον
καλόν, such as one finds in MS S (2:1). Similarly, the medieval text uses
MOÔ Π01 for "what sign" (5:2). This reflects something in a Greek Vorlage,
such as τί ση μείον in MS S. Again, the use of KpTEnta (5:15) as the name of
a coin, the half-denarius, reflects the Greek τροτταϊκός. Another strange form
in the medieval Aramaic text is KPatölN for "guest" (5:6), which can only
reflect the Latin hospes. Whereas in Qumran Aramaic the name of the Tigris
River is Π"ρρΐ, preserved also in Syriac as deqlat, the medieval Aramaic form
of Tobit (6:2) has "pHTI, which is clearly a transcription of the Greek name
Τίγρις, in the accusative case. Other examples of this usage could be added,49
45 The Book of Tobit, xi. In this agreement with MS S, he was followed by E. Schürer,
Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes im Zeitalter Jesu Christi (4th ed.; Leipzig: Hinrichs,
1 9 0 9 - 1 1 ) , 3. 2 4 5 ; G. Bickell, Z K T 2 ( 1 8 7 8 ) 2 1 8 .
46 The Book of Tobit, xi. By "Hebrew translation," Neubauer meant the medieval
Hebrew translation of Tobit published by S. Münster, to be mentioned below.
47 Ibid., x i v - x v .
48 Ibid., xi. Bickell agreed ( Z K T 2 [ 1 8 7 8 ] 2 1 9 ) .
49 For example, in this medieval Aramaic text the place name for Ecbatana is O^rQJR,
a strange form with a final samekh. That reflects Έκβατάνοις, which occurs in Greek
versions in the dative (3:7; 4 : 1 ; 5 : 5 ; 6:5). Similarly, in the medieval text the name
'Pàyoïç (4:1) becomes ΕΠΉ (or töMKI 5:5), again with a final sin. Greek υυμφώνα of
MSS A, B, S becomes Aramaic Κ]1~Π]Κ, which is a transcription of άυδρώυ. Ταμιεΐον
(8:1, 4 , 12, 13) becomes ΓΡΕΠΙΗ (9:2, 5), whereas MS S has χειρόγραφου, " b o n d . "
but, in my opinion, they show that the medieval Aramaic form of Tobit that
Neubauer published was certainly a translation from Greek.
(16) The Aramaic in which the medieval form is written is not Middle
Aramaic, in which the Q u m r a n texts of Tobit are composed, but rather
Late Aramaic, like the language of the Babylonian Talmud or Syriac. 50 It
was scarcely the Vorlage of the Vg, as H . B. Swete once maintained, 5 1
probably in dependence on A. Neubauer. As J. T. Marshall long ago rightly
concluded, the medieval Aramaic form of Tobit is a translation of a Greek
Vorlage, probably not of MS S (as Schürer thought), but of MS B.52
(17) Furthermore, it is clear that the Q u m r a n Hebrew text of Tobit has little
to do with the medieval Hebrew forms of the story, of which four are extant:
(a) Hebrew Tobit of Sebastian Münster (HM), said to be a fifth-century
A.D. version, was first published in Constantinople in 1516, republished in
1542, and reproduced in the London Polyglott of B. Walton. 5 3 It is said to
be closely related to the medieval Aramaic text of N e u b a u e r in its
phraseology and vocabulary, sequence and displacements, but its content
is much fuller, and it quotes many O T phrases not found in the ancient
versions. It is not possible to establish its background, origin, or precise
relation to the medieval Aramaic form, but G. Bickell thought that it was
translated from that Aramaic. 54 In chaps. 12 and 13, where the Aramaic of
Neubauer is abbreviated or simply lacking, H M has an eclectic text that
agrees mainly with the Syriac version of those verses, but for 13:3-18 it has
a very brief doxology, and omits chap. 14 altogether.
50
See T. Nöldeke, "Die Texte des Buches Tobit," 54: "dem 4ten Jahrhundert η. Chr."
But G. Dalman ( G r a m m a t i k , 37) more rightly thought that the medieval Aramaic
Tobit was composed not before the seventh century A.D. and listed all the pecu-
liarities of Late Aramaic, which he found to be "vorwiegend dem Targum des
Onkelos verwandt." They date, however, from a time much later than Tg. Onqelos
in reality! Other marks of Late Aramaic are found in such enclitic forms as ]13ΠΠι?Β'
(10:11), W i n (5:6), WUT (5:6).
Whether the Greek version on which the medieval Aramaic form of text depends
is that of S or of A/B is debated. For the former opt E. Schürer, "Apokryphen des
Alten Testaments," Realencyklopädie, 1. 6 2 2 - 5 3 , esp. 6 4 2 ^ 4 ; "Jewish Literature
Composed in Hebrew or Aramaic," The History of the Jewish People in the Age of
Jesus Christ, 3/1. 2 2 2 - 3 2 ; J. Müller, Beiträge, 2 8 - 3 3 .
51
The Old Testament in Greek according to the Septuagint, 1. 131 n. 2.
52
J. T. Marshall, "Tobit, Book of," A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with Its
Language, Literature, and Contents, 4. 7 8 5 - 8 9 .
53
See B. Walton, SS. Biblia Polyglotta, 4. 3 5 - 6 3 (along with Münster's Latin version
of it); also A. Neubauer, The Book of Tobit, 1 5 - 3 7 .
54
ZKT 2 (1878) 219.
14 Introduction
(b) Hebrew Tobit of Paul Fagius (HF), said to date from the twelfth
century, was first published in 1517, reprinted in 1542, and is also found
in the London Polyglot. 55 It is usually judged to be a paraphrastic translation
or a free recasting of a Greek text like G1, made by a medieval Jew of
Western Europe, who introduced much OT phraseology.
(c) Hebrew Tobit of London (HL), found in British Museum Add.
11639 and dated to the 13th century (ca. A.D. 1276), was published by
Moses Gaster, 56 who said of it, "We have here, if not the very original of
Jerome's text, at least a version which comes nearer to that ancient version
than any other, and may be the old original." 57 It makes no mention of the
dog or of Ahiqar, and the latter part of chap. 13 and all of chap. 14 are
missing. The narrative of 1:1-3:6 is recounted in the third person. All of
this makes one suspect that HL is dependent on Jerome's version.
(d) Hebrew Tobit of Gaster (HG), another translation derived from a
fifteenth-century Midrash on the Pentateuch that condenses and greatly
abbreviates in Hebrew the narrative found in the medieval Aramaic text,
with which it otherwise largely agrees.58 The narrative in 1:1-3:6 is again
cast in the third person; the story in HG eliminates much of the dialogue
and prayers and stresses the obligation of tithing, a reason why it was
introduced into the pentateuchal midrash.
When appropriate, attention will be called to these medieval Aramaic
and Hebrew versions in the notes of the commentary, but otherwise they
are of little help today in the study of the original Book of Tobit.
(18) Among the other ancient versions, the most important is Syriac. 59 The
Peshitta text of Tobit has been lost. What is preserved in Syriac today is
known in two forms: (a) Tob 1:1-7:1 l a , extant only in a 7th-8th century
Syro-Hexaplaric MS 8fl (Wadi Natrun, Deir es-Suryan, Syr. MS 27, fols.
55 SS. Biblia Polyglotta, 4. 3 5 - 6 3 . It is thought to be dependent on the Greek of MS B.

56 See M . Gaster, " T w o Unknown Hebrew Versions of the Tobit Legend," PSBA 18
( 1 8 9 6 ) 2 0 8 - 2 2 , 2 5 9 - 7 1 and 1 9 ( 1 8 9 7 ) 2 7 - 3 3 ) . It is written in cento-style Hebrew,
imitating many biblical phrases.
57 PSBA 18 ( 1 8 9 6 ) 2 1 4 . Further on, Gaster maintains that H L was "undoubtedly the
oldest Semitic text extant—older than Jerome and Vetus Latina, and coming nearest
to the lost Hebrew original, if it does not faithfully represent it" (p. 2 1 8 ) .
58 See M . Gaster, " T w o Unknown Hebrew Versions of the Tobit Legend," PSBA 19
( 1 8 9 7 ) 3 3 - 3 8 ; see also 18 ( 1 8 9 6 ) 2 1 8 - 2 2 for his introduction to HG. Gaster never
published the Hebrew text of H L or H G ; we know them only in his English
translation.
59 The critical text is found in J. C. H. Lebram, Tobit (Vetus Testamentum syriace 4 / 6 ;
Leiden: Brill, 1 9 7 2 ) i-xiv + 1 - 5 5 . An older edition is P. A. de Lagarde, Libri Veteris
Testamenti apocryphi syriace (Leipzig: Brockhaus, 1 8 6 1 ) xii-xiii, 7 4 - 8 8 .
[83 a ]—[94 a ]); this is a copy of the Hexaplaric translation of Paul of Telia
made in A.D. 6 1 6 . (b) Tob 7 : l l b - 1 4 : 1 5 , extant in two text-traditions: in
the same 7th-8th century Syro-Hexaplaric MS 8 f l , and in all the other
Syriac MSS (neither Peshitta nor Syro-Hexaplaric), the most important of
which are MS 1 2 a l (Cambridge, University Library, MS O o . l . l , 2, fols.
2 3 4 a - 2 3 6 b ) and MS 1 8 / 1 6 g 6 (Woodbrooke, Selly Oak Colleges Library,
Mingana Syr. MS 2 7 9 , fols. 3 4 8 a - 3 5 3 a , dated A.D. 1 7 5 0 - 5 1 ) . However,
Tob 1 3 : 9 - 1 8 is extant only in the Syro-Hexaplaric form. According to
Lebram, the Syro-Hexaplaric MS 8 f l , which contains almost all the story
of Tobit, is dependent on G111.60
The Ethiopie version, published by A. Dillmann, is said to be dependent
on G 1 , 61 as is the Coptic (Sahidic) version.
Bibliography
Anon., Esra III, Tobias und Prediger [i.e. Ecclesiasticus]: Faksimile-Ausgabe im

Originalformat der Blätter 112-144 von Codex Vindobonensis 2761 und 170-
206 von Codex Vindobonensis 2763 aus dem Besitz der oesterreichischen
Nationalbibliothek Band 8 (Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt,
1988) 132r-144v.
Belsheim, J., Liber Tobit, Liber Judit, Liber Ester, 31-50.
Benedictines of Abbazia S. Girolamo, Biblia Sacra iuxta latinam vulgatam
versionem, 8 (Libri Ezrae, Tobiae, Iudith ..., 1950) 163-209.
Berger, S., "Notices sur quelques textes latins inédits de l'Ancien Testament," 142.
Beyer, Κ., ATTME, 1 3 4 ^ 7 .
Bickell, G., "Der chaldäische Text des Buches Tobias," ZKT 2 (1878) 216-22.
Bogaert, P.-M., "La Bible latine des origines au moyen âge: Aperçue historique, état
des questions," RTL 19 (1988) 137-59, 276-314.
—, "Fragments de la vieille version latine du livre de Tobie," RBén 80 (1970) 166-69.
—, "Recensions de la vieille version latine de Judith," RBén 86 (1976) 181-217.
Brooke, Α. Ε., N. McLean, and H. St. J. Thackeray, The Old Testament in Greek,
3 / 1 (1940) 85-144 (MS Β, 85-110; MS S, 111-22; VL, 123-44).
Busto Saiz, J. R., "Algunas aportaciones de la Vetus Latina para una nueva edición
crítica del libro de Tobit," Sefarad 38 (1978) 53-69.
Dalman, G., Grammatik des jüdisch-palästinischen Aramäisch, 35-37.
Dillmann, Α., Veteris Testamenti aethiopici tomus quintus, 11-27.
Fagius, P., "'WQltû ρ Oltû Ή21: Tobias hebraice cum versione latina," in Β. Walton
Polyglott (see below), 4. 3 5 - 6 3 . "
60 Tobit, iii. See also his article, "Die Peschitta zu Tobit 7,11-14,15," ZAW 69 (1957)
185-211.
61 Veteris Testamenti aethiopici tomus quintus, 11-27.
16 Introduction
Fitzmyer, J. Α., "The Aramaic and Hebrew Fragments of Tobit from Qumran Cave
4 , " CBQ 57 (1995) 655-75.
—, "Tobit," Qumran Cave 4 (DJD 19), 1 - 7 6 (+ pis. I-X).
Gaster, M., "Two Unknown Hebrew Versions of the Tobit Legend," PSBA 18
(1896) 208-22, 259-71; 19 (1897) 27-38.
Grenfell, B. P. and A. S. Hunt, The Oxyrhynchus Papyri 8 (1911) 6 - 9 §1076; 13
(1919) 1 - 6 §1594.
Hanhart, R., Text und Textgeschichte des Buches Tobit.
—, Tobit (Septuaginta: Vetus Testamentum graecum 8/5; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck
& Ruprecht, 1983).
Harris, J. R., "The Double Text of Tobit," AJT 3 (1899) 541-54.
Kennedy, Η. Α. Α., "Latin Versions, The Old," A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing
with Its Language, Literature, and Contents, 3. 47-62.
Klein, P., "Date et scriptorium de la Bible de Roda."
Lagarde, P. A. de, Libri Veteris Testamenti apocryphi syriace, xii-xiii, 74-88.
Lebram, J. C. H., Tobit (Vetus Testamentum syriace 4 / 6 ; Leiden: Brill, 1972).
Lohr, M., "Alexandrinus und Sinaiticus zum Buche Tobit," ZAW 20 (1900) 243-63.
Marshall, J. T., "Tobit, Book of," A Dictionary of the Bible, 4. 785-89.
Milik, J. T., Ten Years of Discovery, 31-32.
Müller, J., Beiträge zur Erklärung und Kritik des Buches Tobit, 1-53.
Münster, S., "Ό1Ι3 130: Historia Tobiae iuxta hebraismum versa," in B. Walton,
Polyglott (see below), 4. 35-63.*
Neubauer, Α., The Book of Tobit: A Chaldee Text.
Nöldeke, T., "Die Texte des Buches Tobit," 54-59.
Rahlfs, Α., Septuaginta, 1. 1002-39.
Reusch, F. H., Libellus Tobit e codice Sinaitico editus.
Sabatier, P., Bibliorum sacrorum latinae versiones antiquae, 1. 706-43.
Schürer, E., "Apokryphen des Alten Testaments," Realencyklopädie für protestan-
tische Theologie und Kirche, 1. 622-53, esp. 642—44.
—, "Ein chaldäischer Text des Buches Tobit," TLZ 3 (1878) 21-22.
—, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ, 3/1. 177—469, esp.
222-32.
— Review of A. Neubauer, The Book of Tobit, TLZ 3 (1878) 333-35.
Schulte, Α., "Die aramäische Bearbeitung des Büchleins Tobias verglichen mit dem
Vulgatatext," TQ 90 (1908) 182-204.
—, "In welchem Verhältnis steht der Cod. Alex, zum Cod. Vat. im Buche Tobias?,"
BZ 6 (1908) 262-65.
Simpson, D. C., "The Chief Recensions of the Book of Tobit," JTS 14 (1912-13)
516-30.
Swete, Η. B., The Old Testament in Greek according to the Septuagint, 2. 815-48.
Thomas, J. D., "The Greek Text of Tobit," JBL 91 (1972) 463-71.
Tischendorf, C. von, Bibliorum Codex Sinaiticus Petropolitanus, 2. 2 - 8 .
—, Codex Friderico-Augustanus sive fragmenta Veteris Testamenti e codice graeco,
19-20.
Τον, E., The Dead Sea Scrolls on Microfiche: A Comprehensive Facsimile Edition
of the Text from the Judean Desert (Leiden: Brill, 1993); also Companion
Volume (1993).
Wacholder, Β. Ζ. and M. G. Abegg, A Preliminary Edition of the Unpublished
Dead Sea Scrolls, 3. 1-5 (4Q200 Tobit).
Walton, B., SS. Biblia Polyglotta complectentia textus originales, 4. 35-63.
Weber, R. (ed.), Biblia Sacra iuxta Vulgatam versionem, 1. 676-90.
II. Original Language
(19) In the last two centuries the original language of the Book of Tobit has
been discussed and debated often. Although the book was known from
ancient versions, Latin, Greek, Syriac, etc., sometimes it was judged to have
been composed in a Semitic language.
There were a number of scholars, however, who argued that the Greek
Short Recension was the original form, 6 2 and others argued for the Greek
Long Recension, as in MS S, when it became known. 6 3 This was actually
an inner-Greek debate about the shape of Tobit, whether the difference in
recensions proceeded from short to long or vice versa, involving a process
of expansion or abridgement.
(20) Yet there were some who insisted and still insist that Tobit was
originally composed in Greek. 6 4 Even after the Qumran discoveries were
61 E.g. O. F. Fritzsche, Die Bücher Tobi und Judith erklärt, 8; M. Lohr, ZA W 20 (1900)
243-63; idem, "Das Buch Tobit," Oie Apokryphen und Pseudepigraphen des Alten
Testaments, 1. 136; J. Müller, Beiträge zur Erklärung und Kritik des Buches Tobit,
1-53; T. Nöldeke, "Die Texte des Buches Tobit," Monatsberichte der königlichen
preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 60: "Von allen bekannten
Tobit-Recensionen bleibt also nach wie vor die griechische A die ursprünglichste";
M. Rosenmann, Studien zum Buche Tobit; P. Vetter, "Das Buch Tobias und die
Achikar-Sage," TQ 96 (1904) 321-64, 512-39; 87 (1905) 321-70, 497-546; J.
Göttsberger, Einleitung, 173-81, n. 246; G. Bickell, ZKT 2 (1878) 216-21; A.
Hilgenfeld, ZV/T 5 (1862) 181-85; J. W. Wevers, "Septuaginta Forschungen," TRu
22/2 (1954) 85-138.
63 So e.g. H. Grätz, "Das Buch Tobias oder Tobit: Seine Ursprache, seine Abfassungs-
zeit und Tendenz," MGWJ 28 (1879) 388-89; J. R. Harris, "The Double Text of
Tobit," AJT 3 (1899) 541-54; E. Nestle, "Zum Buche Tobit," Septuagintastudien
III (Stuttgart: Maulbronn, 1899) 22-27; F. H. Reusch, Libellus Tobit e codice
Sinaitico editus et recensitus; E. Schürer, "Ein chaldäischer Text des Buches Tobit,"
TLZ 3 (1878) 21-22; Review of Α. Neubauer, The Book of Tobit,TLZ 3 (1878)
333-35; D. Simonsen, "Tobit-Aphorismen," Gedenkbuch zur Erinnerung an David
Kaufmann, 106-16; A. Clamer, Tobie, 399; A. Miller, Das Buch Tobias, 21; D. de
Bruyne, RBén 45 (1933) 260-62; D. C. Simpson, APOT, 1. 174-76.
64 E.g., O. F. Fritzsche, Die Bücher Tobi und ]udith, 8; A. Guillaumont, "Tobit," La
Bible: Ancien Testament (Bibliothèque de la Pléiade), 2. 1569-97; E. Schürer in the
third edition of his Geschichte (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1898), 3. 174-81 (but cf. 4th ed.,
Original Language 19
made known, P. Deselaers argued in 1982 for a Greek original narrative of

the type of MS B, composed in the mid-third century B.C. in Alexandria. 65
His theory has found little support or following, 66 because it has been spun
out of whole cloth by someone who had not seen the Semitic texts of Tobit.
(21) Sometimes comments of writers in the patristic period about the book
had been recalled and have been used in the ongoing modern discussion.
In his Letter to Africanus, written ca. A.D. 240, Origen cited a form of Tob
2:3, which agreed verbatim with none of the extant Greek versions but did
correspond to them in sense, telling of persons "strangled and thrown on
the streets unburied." Having thus alluded to the text of Tobit, Origen
commented:
Concerning it, we must recognize that Jews do not use Tobit; nor do they use
Judith. They do not have them even among the Apocrypha in Hebrew, as we
know, having learned (this) from them. But because the churches use Tobit, one
must recognize that some of the captives even in their captivity became rich and
well to do. 6 7
The Tobit texts from Qumran now show that some Jews at least in pre-
Christian Palestine did read the Tobit story in Hebrew, and not only in
Hebrew, but also in Aramaic. The Qumran texts thus correct the ignorance
of Origen and reveal that the Greek form of the story, with which he was
acquainted, was a version of it produced perhaps in Alexandria, along with
the rest of the Greek OT.
(22) Nor did Jerome know of a Hebrew form of Tobit, for he seems to
have regarded it only as an Aramaic composition. The Qumran Aramaic
form of the Tobit story may supply, then, a background for Jerome's
explanation of the way he produced his translation, but certainly not for
his Latin translation of it, known as liber Tobiae or sometimes Liber
3. 240); M. Lohr, "Das Buch Tobit," 1. 136; W. O. E. Oesterley, The Books of the
Apocrypha, 3 4 9 - 7 1 ; O. Zöckler, Die Apokryphen des Alten Testaments, 1 6 2 - 8 4 ;
L. E. T. André, Les apocryphes de l'Ancien Testament, 181; T. Nöldeke, "Die Texte
des Buches Tobit," 60.
65 P. Deselaers, Das Buch Tobit: Studien zu seiner Entstehung, Komposition und
Theologie (OBO 4 3 ; Fribourg/Göttingen: Universitätsverlag, 1982).
66 See further below, p. 44.
67 Ep. ad Africanum 19 (SC 302. 562). The Greek text runs as follows: Περί ού ή pas
εχρην έγνωκέναι δτι Εβραίοι τω Τωβία ού χρώνται, ούδέ τή Ίουδίθ· ουδέ γαρ εχουσιν
αί/τά καν εν άττοκρύφοις έβραιστί, ώζ άττ' αυτών μαθόντες έγνώκαμεν· Άλλ' εττεί
χρώνται τω Τωβία Α Ϊ εκκλησίαι, ίστέον ότι καί έν τή αιχμαλωσία TIVÈÇ τών αιχμαλώτων
εττλούτουν καί εδ εττραττον.
See further J. Ruwet, "Les 'antilegomena' dans les oeuvres d'Origène," Bib 25
(1944) 1 4 3 - 6 6 , 3 1 1 - 3 4 .
20 Introduction
utriusque Tobiae, which he produced for the Vg. In his letter to Bishop
Chromatius of Aquileia and Bishop Heliodorus of Altinum, which is used
in the Vg as the preface to his Latin translation, Jerome tells how Jews had
excised Tobit from their collection of Sacred Scriptures and relegated the
book, written in "Chaldee," to what he called "the Hagiographa" (meaning
"Apocrypha"?). Although he was not really interested in translating the
Aramaic text of Tobit, he thought it wiser to yield to the episcopal demand
for a new Latin translation, even though he knew that that would go
against the judgment of contemporary Pharisees. He wrote:
Because the language of the Chaldeans is related to the Hebrew tongue and
since I had found someone who was an expert speaker in both languages, I
devoted the work of one day (to the translation): Whatever he rendered for me
in Hebrew, I would express in Latin for an engaged secretary.68
That is Jerome's own account of the form of the Tobit story that one has
in Vg. Modern studies of the Vg, however, show that Jerome's version was
also heavily dependent on the V L , even though his rendering is a
considerable abridgement of that long Latin form, for the Vg form of Tobit
normally lines itself up with the Greek Short Recension. 69 If Jerome's
i8 The Latin text of Jerome's letter runs as follows: "Cromatio et Heliodoro episcopis
Hieronymus presbyter in Domino salutem!
Mirari non desino exactionis vestrae instantiam: Exigitis enim, ut librum Chaldeo
sermone conscriptum ad Latinum stylum traham, librum utique Tobiae, quem
Hebrei de catalogo divinarum Scripturarum secantes, his, quae Agiografa memorant,
manciparunt. Feci satis desiderio vestro, non tarnen meo studio. Arguunt enim nos
Hebreorum studia et imputant nobis, contra suum canonem latinis auribus ista
transferre. Sed melius esse iudicans Phariseorum displicere iudicio et episcoporum
iussionibus deservire, institi ut potui, et quia vicina est Chaldeorum lingua sermoni
hebraico, utriusque linguae peritissimum loquacem repperiens, unius diei laborem
arripui et quicquid ille mihi hebraicis verbis expressit, haec ego aceito notario
sermonibus latinis exposui. Orationibus vestris mercedem huius operis compensabo,
cum gratum vobis didicero me quod iubere estis dignati, complesse" (Biblia Sacra
iuxta latinam Vulgatam versionem ..., 8 [1950] 155-56; cf. PL 29. 23-26).
On this letter, see J. Gamberoni, Die Auslegung des Buches Tobias, 74-82.
69 G. Dalman commented (Grammatik, 35-37): "da dieselbe [Jerome's translation of
Tobit] sich aber also blosse Überarbeitung der Vetus Latina gibt [in a footnote
Dalman refers to Fritzsche, Libri apocryphi Veteris Testamenti graece, xviii], lassen
sich von daher keine sicheren Schlüsse aus seinem aramäischen Text ziehen, und es
muss zweifelhaft bleiben, ob auch nur eine ältere Rezension des uns bekannten
aram[äischen] Textes Hieronymus vorgelegen hat" (pp. 35-36). Dalman's suspicion
about "eine ältere Rezension" is verified in the Qumran Aramaic fragments of
Tobit. The known Aramaic version of which he speaks was the medieval text of
Neubauer, the only Aramaic text extant before 1952.
version is indeed based on an Aramaic form of the story, then it must have
been considerably different in places from the form now known from the
Qumran fragments, 7 0 as the commentary below will make clear time and
again. Jerome himself admitted in his preface to the Book of Judith that he
had translated that book tnagis sensum e sensu quam ex verbo verbum
transferens, "translating more sense for sense than word for w o r d . " 7 1 It
may be that we shall have to reckon with that judgment for his version of
the Book of Tobit too.
(23) Before the discovery and publication of the Qumran texts of Tobit,
either in dependence on the testimony of Jerome or on Neubauer's publication
of the medieval Aramaic Tobit, or, once it was reported that Aramaic texts
of Tobit had been found in Qumran Cave 4 , and because of Origen's denial
of the existence of a Hebrew Tobit, many maintained that Aramaic was the
language of the original composition of the Book of Tobit. 7 2 Some, however,
70 One of my students has written a dissertation, studying the differences of the Vg text
of Tobit from the Latin of the VL, the two main Greek recensions, and the Aramaic
and Hebrew texts of Qumran in great detail. See V. T. M. Skemp, The Vulgate of
Tobit Compared with Other Ancient Witnesses (SBLDS 180; Atlanta, GA: Society
of Biblical Literature, 2000). Also important in this book are Skemp's analysis of
Jerome's letter to the two bishops (pp. 15-21) and his discussion of Jerome's
translation techniques (pp. 21-28).
71 "Incipit Prologus Iudith," Biblia Sacra iuxta Latinam Vulgatam versionem ..., 8.
213. See also Jerome, Ep. 57.5 (CSEL 54. 508): ego enim non solum fateor, sed
libera voce profitero me in interpretatione Graecorum absque scripturis sanctis, ubi
et verborum ordo mysterium est, non verbum e verbo, sed sensum exprimere de
sensu, "Not only do I acknowledge, but I openly profess that, in the interpretation
of the Greeks apart from the Holy Scriptures, where even the word order is a
mystery, I translate not word for word, but sense for sense" (Skemp's translation).
72 So J. H. Moulton, "The Iranian Background of Tobit," ExpTim 11 (1899-1900)
257-60; J. R. Harris, "The Double Text of Tobit," A]T 3 (1899) 541-54; D. C.
Simpson, "The Book of Tobit," APOT, 1. 180-82; L. H. Brockington, A Critical
Introduction to the Apocrypha, 35; A. P. Wikgren, "Tobit, Book of," IDB, 4. 661;
O. Eissfeldt, The Old Testament: An Introduction ..., 583-85, 771; W. Dommers-
hausen, "Tobias (Buch)," Bibel Lexikon, 1759-61; J. M. Fuller, "Tobit," The Holy
Bible: Apocrypha (Speaker's Commentary), 1. 152-55; J. C. Greenfield, "Studies in
Aramaic Lexicography, I,"/AOS 82 (1962) 290-99; "Ahiqar in the Book of Tobit,"
329; J. T. Marshall, A Dictionary of the Bible, 4. 785, 788; G. W. E. Nickelsburg,
"Tobit," Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period, 2/2. 45; R. H. Pfeiffer,
History of New Testament Times, 272; L. Rost, Judaism outside the Hebrew Canon,
60-64; J. D. Thomas, "The Greek Text of Tobit," JBL 91 (1972) 463-71; C. C.
Torrey, The Apocryphal Literature, 86-87; F. Vattioni, "Studi e note sul libro di
Tobia," Aug 10 (1970) 241-84. For F. Zimmermann (The Book of Tobit, 137-49),
22 Introduction
thought that it had been composed in Hebrew; 73 and finally some others
insisted that the original was written in a Semitic language, but could not
decide whether it was Aramaic or Hebrew. 74
(24) The fact that we now have both Aramaic and Hebrew fragments of
Tobit from Qumran reveals something about the book that neither Origen
nor Jerome knew, and the debate is engaged anew about whether the
original language was Aramaic or Hebrew. The multiple copies of the
Qumran Aramaic text of Tobit might suggest that it was read more often
in that language than in Hebrew. That, however, is no sign that it was
originally composed in Aramaic. So little of the Qumran Aramaic and
Hebrew forms overlap that one cannot derive any certain argument from
the overlaps about which might have been the original language. 75 While
Milik was still joining fragments of the Tobit texts, he wrote, "a preliminary
investigation suggests that Aramaic was the original language of the book." 7 6
The question is to what extent Milik's view can be substantiated.
(25) In 1984 K. Beyer proposed that Hebrew was the original language. 77
In that publication he collected eleven fragmentary lines or words of
Greek MS S was more original than the other Greek forms, but its Vorlage was a
Hebrew translation of an Aramaic original.
73 So P. Joiion, "Quelques hébraïsmes du Codex Sinaiticus de Tobie," Bib 4 ( 1 9 2 3 )
1 6 8 - 7 4 ; H. Bévenot, "The Primitive Book of Tobit," Β Sac 8 2 ( 1 9 2 6 ) 5 7 ; G. Bickell,
"Der chaldäische T e x t des Buches Tobias," ZKT2 ( 1 8 7 8 ) 2 1 6 - 2 2 ; J. C. Dancy, The
Shorter Books of the Apocrypha, 10; A. Dupont-Sommer, "L'Essénisme à la lumière
des manuscrits de la Mer M o r t e , " Annuaire du Collège de France 68 ( 1 9 6 8 - 6 9 )
4 1 4 - 2 6 ; H. Grätz, "Das Buch Tobias oder Tobit," MGWJ 28 (1879) 1 4 5 - 6 3 , 3 8 5 -
4 0 8 , 4 3 3 - 5 5 , 5 0 9 - 2 0 ; D. Heller, ",T31ta Ί 3 0 , " t m s v m ΟΉΕΙΟΠ (ed. A. Kahana), 2 .
2 9 1 - 3 4 7 ; M . Iglesias González and L. Alonso Schökel, Rut, Tobias, Judit, Ester, 4 2 ;
I. Lévi, " L a langue originale de Tobit," RE] 4 4 ( 1 9 0 2 ) 2 8 8 - 9 1 ; W . O. E. Oesterley,
An Introduction to the Books of the Apocrypha, 1 6 1 - 7 1 ; but see his The Books of
the Apocrypha: Their Origin, Teaching and Contents, 3 4 9 - 7 1 ; G. Priero, Il libro di
Tobia, 12; E. Renan, Histoire des origines du christianisme, 6. 5 5 4 - 6 1 ; P. Saydon,
"Some Mistranslations in the Codex Sinaiticus of the Book of Tobit," Bib 3 3 ( 1 9 5 2 )
363-65.
74 E.g., A. Clamer, Tobie, 3 9 9 ; M . M . Schumpp, Das Buch Tobias übersetzt und
erklärt, xlvii; D. C. Simpson, " T h e Book of Tobit," APOT, 1. 18; J . Müller, Beiträge
zur Erklärung und Kritik des Buches Tobit ( B Z A W 13; Glessen: Töpelmann, 1 9 0 8 )
1-53.
75 A short comparative list can be found in my article, "The Significance of the Hebrew
and Aramaic Texts of Tobit from Qumran for the Study of Tobit," 4 2 0 n. 7; repr.
The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christian Origins, 144—45.
76 Ten Years of Discovery, 31.
77 ATTM, 299.
Aramaic Tobit that Milik had revealed at times in various publications.

Even before he had seen either the Aramaic or the Hebrew fragments of
Qumran Tobit, Beyer spoke of them as "probably ... the Hebrew original
and the widely used Aramaic targum, popular because of its story." 78
Consequently, he classified the Qumran Aramaic story of Tobit with the
targums in his book. In the Ergänzungsband of 1994 he repeated the same
opinion and presented the Aramaic Tobit texts along with other Qumran
targums: 79 "The original of the Book of Tobit is written in Middle Hebrew
... and the Aramaic text has been translated from Hebrew." 80
(26) Beyer maintains that Tobit was composed originally in Hebrew for
two main reasons: (1) The Aramaic text uses five Hebrew words:
"idol" (4Q198 1:13 [= Greek 14:6]); ΊΠΚ, "cursed (be)" (4Q196 17 ii 15-
16 [13:12]); [florin, "psalms" (4Q196 17 ii 7 [13:8]); Sip, "call!" (4Q196
12:1 [5:9]); ^nnatSÜ, "my family" (4Q196 2:9 [1:22]). (2) Two features are
said to be "un-Aramaic": (a) the use of Π3Κ 8Π, "Here I am," as an answer
to a call (4Q197 4 i 16 [6:11]), which for Beyer is a clumsy translation of
Hebrew 133Π, "behold me"; and (b) the use of four dots as a substitute for
the tetragrammaton ΓΠΓΡ (4Q196 18:15).
(27) I would agree that "idol," T^nn, "psalms," and Tinstöü, "my
family," are Hebrew words; at least they are not attested in contemporary
Aramaic texts. 81 I find it strange, however, that such a phenomenon is
offered as proof that Tobit was composed originally in Hebrew, since it is
well known that the Palestinian Aramaic of this period was influenced at
times by Hebrew. 82 Moreover, what Beyer writes as ΊΠΝ, I have written as
78
Ibid.: "wahrscheinlich ... das hebräische Original und das wegen der grossen Beliebt-
heit dieser Geschichte weiter verbreitete aramäische Targum."
79
ATTME, 1 3 7 - 4 7 .
80
Ibid., 134.
81
This last word TinatSÖ is found in the Late Aramaic form of the Cairo Genizah
Testament of Levi (copied ca. A.D. 1000; Bodleian Library, Ms. Heb. c. 2 7 fol. 56),
column b, line 16. See R. H. Charles and A. Cowley, "An Early Source of the
Testaments of the Patriarchs," JQR 19 ( 1 9 0 6 - 7 ) 5 6 6 - 8 3 (+ photograph); cf. J. C.
Greenfield and M. E. Stone, "Remarks on the Aramaic Testament of Levi from the
Geniza," RB 86 (1979) 2 1 4 - 3 0 . Unfortunately, the Cave 4 fragments of the Levi
Document have not preserved the counterpart of this section of the Genizah text so
that one cannot be sure that the word was also used in the contemporary language
of Middle Aramaic.
82
See S. E. Fassberg, "Hebraisms in the Aramaic Documents from Qumran," Studies
in Qumran Aramaic (Abr-NSup 3; ed. T. Muraoka; Louvain: Peeters, 1992) 4 8 - 6 9 .
Cf. my book, The Genesis Apocryphon of Qumran Cave I: A Commentary (BibOr
18A; Rome: Biblical Institute, 1971) 26.
24 Introduction
·ρ"ΡΊΚ (4Q196 17 ii 15-16), 8 3 because in this instance it is difficult to

distinguish the waw and the yod. Although ΊΊΚ is not otherwise attested
in contemporary Aramaic, it occurs in 4 Q 1 9 6 three times over, twice in
fragmentary form. 84 Perhaps it is a Hebrew loanword, but that scarcely
shows that Tobit was originally composed in Hebrew. Again, that the
imperative ΝΊρ, "call!" is found in 4 Q 1 9 6 12:1 is no proof of original
Hebrew composition either. That verb occurs many times in earlier and
contemporary Aramaic. 85
(28) Similarly, the features that Beyer regards as un-Aramaic provide no

proof for his position. Π3Κ Κ Π is regularly the translation of Hebrew "ODil
as an answer to a call in the later targums. Tg. Onqelos, Tg. Jonathan, and
Tg. Pseudo-Jonathan write it in a contracted form as Π3ΧΠ or Κ3ΚΠ, whereas
Tg. Neofiti 1 has it as two words, Π3Ν ΚΠ (see Gen 27:1; 31:11; 37:13; 1
Sam 3:4, 6, 8). Since Tobit is here employing an obviously biblical
expression, that can scarcely be evidence for an original Hebrew com-
position. 86 Finally, why should not an Aramaic text of Tobit use four dots
as a substitute for the writing of the tetragrammaton? The device is known
elsewhere in Qumran texts. 87 For that reason it might even indicate that
Aramaic Tobit was actually copied in the Qumran scrollery.88 In any case,
the substitute for m IT or the four dots in Aramaic would have been
pronounced differently from that used when one was reading a Hebrew
text that contained the dots. Consequently, I find it difficult to go along
with Beyer's judgment that the Book of Tobit was originally written in
Hebrew and that the Aramaic text was only a targum of that. 89
83 See Qumran Cave 4, XIV (DJD 19), 2 7 .

84 It is found in the later Tg. Jonathan 2 Kgs 9 : 3 4 : Ν1Π ΝΠΊ1ΊΚ, "this accursed w o m a n . "
85 See E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae Veteris Testamenti documentis antiquis
illustratum (Rome: Biblical Institute, 1 9 7 1 ) 1 5 1 ; J. A. Fitzmyer and D. J. Harrington,
MPAT, 3 3 6 ; J. Hoftijzer and K. Jongeling, DNWSI, 2. 1 0 2 6 .
86 E. M . Cook ( " O u r Translated Tobit," 1 6 0 ) notes that Π3Κ ΚΠ as used here suggests
that the expression had become natural in Aramaic."
87 Three of the four dots are also extant in 4 Q 1 9 6 1 7 i 5 (= Tob 1 2 : 2 2 ) ; see further 1QS
8 : 1 4 (quoting Isa 4 0 : 3 ) ; 4QTestim ( 4 Q 1 7 5 ) 1, 19 (quoting Deut 5 : 2 8 and 3 3 : 1 1 ) ;
4QTanhumim ( 4 Q 1 7 6 ) 1 - 2 i 6 , 7 , 9 ; 1 - 2 ii 3; 8 - 1 1 : 6 , 8 , 1 0 . Cf. my article, "The Semitic
Background of the New Testament Kynos-Title," WA, 1 1 5 - 4 2 , esp. 1 2 7 .
88 I mention this only as a remote possibility, because it seems that most of the Aramaic
texts of Qumran were imported from elsewhere. Very few, if any, of the sectarian
writings were composed in Aramaic.
89 E. M . Cook also finds Beyer's analysis unconvincing ( " O u r Translated Tobit," 1 5 5 -
5 6 ) . He is skeptical too about Beyer's thesis that the Greek versions of Tobit were
based on a Hebrew original.
(29) M . O . Wise t o o has spoken of Hebrew Tobit as the original, citing its
"tendency to use the infinitive absolute in place of finite verbal forms," and
considering such usage "surprising if this text is translation Hebrew, not
least because one rarely encounters the infinitive absolute at all in Qumran
H e b r e w . " 9 0 The infinitive absolute with prefixed waw, consecutive to a
finite verb, is found five times in Hebrew Tobit, 4 Q 2 0 0 2 : 2 ; 4 : 3 ; 5 : 2 ; 6 : 4 ;
7 i 2 . It imitates examples of such infinitives in late postexilic biblical
Hebrew (Hag 1:6; Esth 8 : 8 ; Neh 9 : 8 , 1 3 ; Dan 9 : 5 ) . At least t w o other
Qumran instances of it have been overlooked by Wise: 4 Q M M T C 2 6
(m*7031) and 4QTNaphtali 2 : 1 0 (]1Π31). That phenomenon, however, is
hardly a probative argument that Tobit was composed originally in
Hebrew. 9 1 Hebrew Tobit is simply using a construction that is otherwise
known in the Hebrew language, 9 2 even though it may not be very c o m m o n
in what we call Qumran Hebrew. 9 3 Moreover, there is no reason to think
that Hebrew Tobit was produced at Qumran.
(30) These, then, are some of the reasons why I prefer to echo Milik's
judgment that Tobit was an original Aramaic composition, and that the
Hebrew form of it is a translation of that. In other words, Aramaic Tobit
is not a targum (in the normal sense). 94
50 See "A Note on 4Q196," 569 n. 4.

91 Unfortunatley, none of the instances in 4Q200 is found in passages that overlap with
Aramaic texts; so there is no way to be certain about what their counterparts might
be in Aramaic. Cook ("Our Translated Tobit," 156 n. 13) argues: "If the liberal use
of the infinitive absolute is otherwise absent in free Hebrew composition at Qumran,
then its use in Tobit indicates that it is not freely composed Hebrew, but a
translation—perhaps an effort to duplicate the nuance of the narrative participle in
Aramaic" (his emphasis).
92 See GKC §113z; Joüon-Muraoka, GBH §123x; G. Bergsträsser, Hebräische Gram-
matik (Hildesheim: Olms, 1962), 2. §12m.
93 See E. Qimron, The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls (HSS 29; Atlanta, GA: Scholars,
1986) 48 §310.14.
94 One knows from the targums that biblical Hebrew texts were translated into
Aramaic, but are there instances of the reverse process? Milik (Books of Enoch, 59)
cited examples of Qumran texts originally composed in Aramaic that were translated
into Hebrew: "... the books of Tobias and Job. A tiny fragment ... 4Q232 ... seems
to provide us with a specimen of the Hebrew version of the Aramaic work edited
under the title Description of the New Jerusalem."
I find it difficult, however, to think that Tobit was "composed" at Qumran, since
there is nothing in the book that betrays sectarian concerns. According to some
commentators, the Book of Daniel was originally written in Aramaic, and then
parts of it were translated into Hebrew, to insure its place in the Jewish biblical
canon. Cf. D. Marcus, "Is the book of Nehemiah a Translation from Aramaic?,"
26 Introduction
(31) The Aramaic fragments of Tobit are good examples of Middle Aramaic
and are related to other Qumran Aramaic texts such as the Genesis
Apocryphon, Enoch and the Targum of Job.95 In making this judgment, I
am following the lead of Kutscher in his study of the Genesis Apocryphon96
and of van der Ploeg and van der Woude in their edition of the Cave 11
Targum of Job 91 Kutscher dated the Genesis Apocryphon to "the 1st
century B.C.E. ( - 1st century C.E.)," and van der Ploeg and van der Woude
maintained that that Targum of Job had to be dated between the Book of
Daniel and the Genesis Apocryphon. My own conclusion about the Aramaic
Tobit texts is that it should be dated about the same time as the Targum
of Job.
(32) In support of this judgment, I offer the following brief considerations:

(a) The masculine proximal demonstrative pronoun is always never
the earlier {<31 or Π31 (not to mention the Π3Γ of Imperial Aramaic).98
(b) The relative or determinative pronoun is always Ή (never the earlier
Τ or the later l). On one occasion (4Q196 18:11) the word appears.
This is an anomalous form for "for in you" (fem., referring to Jerusalem),
and it is undoubtedly an isolated scribal metathesis for Ό1 Ή, because the
VL has quoniam in te benedicent.
(c) The adverb for "there" is )ΏΏ (4Q196 17 i 3), as in 4QEnoch texts
and the Genesis Apocryphon, never ΠΟΠ of Biblical or Imperial Aramaic.
Similarly, the adverb for "here" is Κ3Π (4Q197 5:9; 4Q199 1:1), as in
Imperial Aramaic, 4QEnoch texts, and the Genesis Apocryphon.
(d) The third plural masculine pronoun is always 113« (4Q196 2:4;
4Q197 4 iii 4, 5), as in 4QEnoch and the Genesis Apocryphon, never 10Π
or 110Π, which do occur earlier in Biblical Aramaic."
Boundaries of the Ancient Near Eastern World: A Tribute to Cyrus H. Gordon

(JSOTSup 2 7 3 ; ed. M . Lubetski et al.; Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic, 1 9 9 8 )
103-10.
95 See my article, "The Phases of the Aramaic Language," WA, 5 7 - 8 4 , esp. 6 1 - 6 2 , 7 1 -
7 4 . Cf. Ε. Y . Kutscher, " A r a m a i c , " Linguistics in South West Asia and North Africa
(Current Trends in Linguistics 6; The Hague: Mouton, 1 9 7 1 ) 3 4 7 - 4 1 2 , esp. 3 4 7 -
4 8 ; A. Vivian, "Dialetti giudaici dell'Aramaico medio e t a r d o , " OrAnt 15 ( 1 9 7 6 )
56-60.
96 " T h e Language of the 'Genesis Apocryphon': A Preliminary Study," Aspects of the
Dead Sea Scrolls (ScrHier 4 ; ed. C. Rabin and Y . Yadin; Jerusalem: Magnes, 1 9 5 8 )
1-35.
97 Le targum de Job de la grotte xi de Qutnrân (Koninklijke nederlandse Akademie van
Wetenschappen; Leiden: Brill, 1 9 7 1 ) 4. They too depend on Kutscher.
98 ρ occurs in 4 Q 1 9 6 14 i 10; 4 Q 1 9 7 4 ii 3, 6, 13; 4 iii 5.
99 The form ]1ΰΠ occurs in l l Q t g J o b 3 5 : 2 , but in none of the Tobit texts.
(e) The causative conjugation of the verb is normally aphel, with an

initial aleph (4Q196 2:5, 8, 11; 17 i 2; 4 Q 1 9 7 4 i [7], 8bis, [15]; 4 ii 3, [16];
4 iii 4, [13]; 5:6; 4Q198 1:9), 100 but there are nine instances of haphel
(4Q196 2:1, [12]; 12:2; 14 ii 6; 17 ii 3bis, [9]; 4Q198 1:1, [1]). In contrast,
the Genesis Apocryphon has only aphel forms. Similarly, the dervied
conjugations like ithpeel, ittaphal, or ophal have forms that begin with
aleph, not with he; in this regard they are like the Genesis Apocryphon and
differ from Biblical Aramaic and the Targum of Job (the latter has both
aleph and he as the first letter of derived forms).
(f) The letter nun at the end of a closed syllable is sometimes assimilated
to the first consonant of the following syllable, but there are a number of
instances where the nun is not assimilated (nine instances of the latter
versus four of the former).
(g) The sign of the accusative is always (when it is used), never "ΓΡ.101
(33) My own revered teacher, W. F. Albright, once claimed that the
Aramaic of the Tobit texts was "in large part Imperial Aramaic, earlier
than Daniel," 102 but I do not find that to be so. That was a judgment made
before the texts were published. Moreover, if this estimate of mine about
the Aramaic in which the Tobit story is preserved in the Qumran fragments
is correct, then the form of the language may bear somewhat on the date
of composition of the story, an issue that will be discussed further below,
but one must remember that copyists have often modernized the spelling of
words.
Even if the Aramaic of the Qumran texts were to prove to be later than
Daniel, it differs considerably from the Aramaic text of Tobit found in part
of the fifteenth-century copy of the Bodleian Library, published by Neu-
bauer and mentioned above.
100 Numbers enclosed in square brackets mean that a part of the word has been restored.
In no case, however, is a word listed that is wholly restored.
101 An anomalous form nrPTtnX occurs in 4 Q 1 9 6 2:13, which is probably to be
understood as an ittaphal impv. of TIR, "come," but it seems to have also a
pronominal suffix. Since it is all written as one word, it cannot be thought to be a
form involving the sign of the accusative "ΓΡ, which is found rarely in Imperial and
Biblical Aramaic, and in 4QEnoch and llQtgJob.
102 BO 17 (1960) 242. Albright's opinion seems to have been picked up by others. See
J. M. Grintz, ,3t9 IT2 ΠΠ*71Π3 ΕΓρΊΞ / Chapters in the History of the Second Temple
Times, 66 n. 46; D. Flusser, "Psalms, Hymns and Prayers" (CRINT 2/2), 556.
28 Introduction
Bibliography
Beyer, Κ., ATTM, 298-300; ATTME, 134-47.

Cook, Ε. M., "Our Translated Tobit," Targumic and Cognate Studies, 153-62.
Fitzmyer, J. Α., "The Significance of the Hebrew and Aramaic Texts of Tobit from
Qumran for the Study of Tobit," The Dead Sea Scrolls Fifty Years after Their
Discovery, 418-25, esp. 420 n. 7; repr. in my book, The Dead Sea Scrolls and
Christian Origins (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000) 144-45.
Grätz, Η., "Das Buch Tobias oder Tobit," MGWJ 28 (1897) 145-63, 385-408,
433-55, 509-20.
Lévi, I., "La langue originale de Tobit," REJ 44 (1902) 288-91.
Wise, Μ. O., "A Note on 4Q196 (papTob ara) and Tobit i 22," VT43 (1993) 5 6 6 -
70.
III. Subject Matter and Literary Genre
(34) The narrative in the Book of Tobit recounts events in the lives of two
Jewish families that were related. It tells how in the eighth century B.C.
Tobit of the tribe of Naphtali in northern Israel lived as a loyal Jew and
did not join in the idolatry of the rest of his tribe, but went faithfully to
Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts and offer his tithes. Eventually he was
deported with his wife, Hannah, and his son, Tobiah, to Assyrian Captivity
and made to dwell in the city of Nineveh. There he tried to live in fidelity
to the Mosaic law and Jewish traditions and customs. He lived simply and
uprightly before God and sought to care for others, especially fellow exiled
Jews, whom he helped with alms, concern, and proper burial. He gained
the favor of the Assyrian king and became his purveyor. On a business trip
to Media he laid up a sum of money on deposit with a friend there. With
the accession of Sennacherib to the Assyrian throne, his fortunes changed.
Because he sought to provide decent burial for fellow Jews, he suffered
from the Assyrian king, who confiscated his belongings. But he was
reinstated under Esarhaddon, thanks to the intervention of Ahiqar. On the
feast of Pentecost one year he interrupted his festive dinner to go bury
someone who had been strangled and abandoned. Afterwards he went to
sleep in his courtyard and was blinded by bird-droppings. In his blindness
he was cared for by his wife Hannah who worked at weaving cloth and
once was rewarded with a small goat, a bonus in addition to her wages.
Blind Tobit suspected that it was a stolen animal and insisted on the return
of it, only to bring upon himself the reproaches of his wife. Because of this
quarrel with his wife, and in distress about his persecuted status and
blindness, he begged God in prayer to take him from this life.
(35) Simultaneously, a young relative of Tobit, Sarah, the daughter of

Raguel, was suffering taunts and reproaches from a maidservant in her
father's house in faraway Ecbatana of Media. She had been given in
marriage to seven husbands, each of whom died on the night of the
marriage, because she was under the spell of a demon, Asmodeus, who slew
them as they tried to approach her. In her distress she too prayed to God
to be taken from this life. The prayer of each of them, Tobit and Sarah, was
heard by God, who sent the angel Raphael to cure them.
30 Introduction
(36) Because To bit had asked to die, it occurred to him to summon his son
Tobiah, and with many wise and paternal counsels told him to prepare to
go to Rages in Media, where he had deposited ten silver talents many years
before. Tobiah was to find someone who would guide him there and get
the money and bring it back to Nineveh. Tobiah quickly found a guide,
named Azariah, the angel Raphael in disguise. After Tobit ascertained that
Azariah was a fitting companion, the two of them set out for Rages. At the
end of the first day of their journey, Tobiah went down to bathe in the
Tigris, where a huge fish emerged and tried to swallow his foot. At
Azariah's command, Tobiah caught the fish and landed it, in order to take
out its heart, gall, and liver for medicinal purpose. On their way to
Ecbatana, Azariah told Tobiah about his kinswoman, Sarah, counselling
him that he should seek her hand in marriage. When they arrived at
Raguel's house, Tobiah met Sarah and married her. As he prepared to go
to bed with her, he followed Azariah's advice to burn the heart and the liver
of the fish on incense-coals in the bed chamber, the odor of which drove
the demon Asmodeus far off, and Tobiah was not slain by it. Because
Raguel, Sarah's father, adjured Tobiah by oath to spend the next two
weeks celebrating the marriage, Tobiah asked Azariah to go get the silver
talents from Gabael of Rages. This Azariah did. When the two-week
wedding celebration was over, Tobiah took his wife and half of the
possessions to which he was entitled as the husband of Sarah, who was also
an only child, and started off to return home. Meanwhile, Tobit and
Hannah had become alarmed at the delay of their son's return. As Tobiah,
Azariah, and the others were drawing near to Nineveh, Azariah suggested
to Tobiah that the two of them should hurry on ahead and leave the rest
to follow more leisurely. As they approached the city, Hannah spied their
coming and alerted blind Tobit about his son's return. When Tobiah met
his father Tobit, he applied the fish's gall to his father's eyes, and Tobit was
cured of his blindness. Then Tobit welcomed his daughter-in-law Sarah at
the city-gates of Nineveh.
(37) Finally, Azariah revealed his identity, when Tobit and Tobiah tried to
recompense him for the help that he had been to Tobiah. He told them that
he was Raphael, one of the seven angels of God's presence, who had been
sent by God to cure Tobit and Sarah. Before he disappeared, Raphael
instructed Tobit to give thanks to God for all the blessings that had come
upon him and his family. This Tobit did in his Song of Praise. As Tobit lay
dying, he counselled Tobiah further, especially urging him not to remain in
Nineveh, once his mother would die. Tobiah eventually buried both his
father and his mother in Nineveh, and then moved with Sarah and his own
Subject Matter and Literary Genre 31
sons to Ecbatana to live with his parents-in-law. There he died in due

course.
(38) Although attempts were made at times in the early part of the
twentienth century to regard the Book of Tobit as a piece of historical
writing or at least as having a historical nucleus, 1 0 3 the vast majority of
modern commentators recognize it as a piece of fiction, a Jewish religious
romance composed for an edifying and didactic purpose, with some
references to historical events. 1 0 4 In his preface to the Book of Tobit, Martin
Luther wrote:
What was said about the book of Judith may also be said about this book of
Tobit. If the events really happened, then it is a fine and holy history. But if they
are all made up, then it is indeed a very beautiful, wholesome, and useful fiction
or drama by a gifted poet. It may even be assumed that beautiful compositions
and plays like this were common among the Jews. On their festivals and
sabbaths they steeped themselves in them; and through them, especially in times
of peace and good government, they liked to instill God's Word and work into
their young people ... Therefore this book is useful and good for us Christians
to read. It is the work of a fine Hebrew author who deals not with trivial but
important issues, and whose writing and concerns are extraordinarily Christi-
an. 105
(39) The religious character of the Jewish writing is clear, not only in the
dramatis personae, but also in its regard for the Mosaic law and ancestral
traditions and customs. Its characters are not heroes or patriarchs, but
simple Jews who live ordinary lives and are aware of God's providence for
them. Likewise, God is depicted as one who has not abandoned His faithful
servants, even though they are put to the test at times. Although the story
lacks any real plot, its narrative echoes the accounts of the patriarchs of
Israel, extols monogamous marriage and family life, and blesses God for
His providential care. Its didactic purpose is seen in its effort to inculcate
103 For example, by F. Vigouroux, Les livres saints et la critique rationaliste ..., 4. 550;
Α. Miller, Das Buch Tobias übersetzt und erklärt, 8; A. Schulte, "Die aramäische
Bearbeitung des Büchleins Tobias verglichen mit dem Vulgatatext," TQ 90 (1908)
182-204; E. Cosquin, "Le livre de Tobie et l"Histoire du sage Ahikar,'" RB 8 (1899)
50-82, 510-31; A. Clamer, Tobie, 395. Cf. P. Deselaers, Das Buch Tobit (1982),
265-66.
104 It has been called a heroic folk tale and also a novella. See W. L. Humphreys,
"Novella," in Saga, Legend, Tale, Novella, Fable: Narrative Forms in Old Testa-
ment Literature (JSOTSup 35; ed. G. W. Coats; Sheffield, UK: JSOT, 1985) 82-96.
105 LW 35 (1960) 345, 347.
32 Introduction
righteous conduct, almsgiving, proper burial of the dead, and edifying

family life. All of this is the way Jews should learn to live in the diaspora. 106
(40) Its fictional character is evident in the improbability of several of its
chronological and topographical details. For instance:
(a) Tobit speaks of the apostasy of his entire ancestral tribe (Naphtali)
as having happened in his youth (1:4-5). Yet that tribe broke away from
the house of David in the time of Jeroboam I, who reigned from 9 2 2 - 9 0 1
B.C. (1 Kgs 1 2 : 1 9 - 2 0 , 2 5 - 2 9 ) . That break with the house of David took
place two centuries earlier, well before all the people of Naphtali were
carried off to Assyria. When Tobit was thus deported in 732 B.C. (1:10),
almost two centuries later, he had hardly been an eyewitness of the apostasy
of which he speaks. The apostasy, however, provides a reasonable
background for the story in which Tobit is involved.
(b) According to 1:2, Tobit "of the tribe of Naphtali" was taken captive
"in the days of Shalmaneser," but according to 2 Kgs 15:29 it was that
king's father, Tiglathpileser III ( 7 4 4 - 7 2 7 ) who conquered "all the land of
Naphtali and deported the people to Assyria" (ca. 732 B.C.).
(c) According to 1:15, "when Shalmaneser died, his son Sennacherib
came to rule in his stead." Shalmaneser reigned from 7 2 7 - 7 2 2 and was
succeeded by a usurper, Sargon II (722-705), under whom the siege of
Samaria continued until 721, when the city finally fell to the Assyrians.
Sargon II was in turn succeeded by his son, Sennacherib, who reigned from
7 0 5 - 6 8 1 (2 Kgs 18:13-19:37). The author of the Book of Tobit has confused
two Assyrian kings, in making Sennacherib the son of Shalmaneser. 107
(d) Tobiah, Tobit's only son, was born before the deportation to Assyria
(1:9-10) and would have gone to Nineveh as a young child (ca. 732 B.C.).
He is said to have lived until he was 117 years of age (14:14). So how
would he have been able to see and hear about the destruction of Nineveh
in 612 B.C. (14:15)?
(e) The narrative makes Ahiqar, the wise counsellor of Assyrian kings,
not only an acquaintance of Tobit, but even a Jewish relative, in calling him
the "son of my brother 'Anael" (1:21). There is good reason to consider
Ahiqar a historical person and a Gentile, but to imply that he was son of
a Jewish άδελφός goes too far.
106 A.-J. Levine, "Tobit: Teaching Jews How to Live in the Diaspora," BibRev 8/4
(1992) 4 2 - 5 1 , 64.
107 But see 2 Kgs 1 7 : 1 - 6 and 1 8 : 9 - 1 3 , which may help to explain the confusion. See
further A. Millard, "Judith, Tobit, Ahiqar and History," New Heaven and New
Earth, 1 9 5 - 2 0 3 : "These matters are not all serious, and some may only appear to
be erroneous" (198).
Subject Matter and Literary Genre 33
(f) Ecbatana (modern Hamadan) lies about 2,010 meters above sea level
near the Zagros Mountains and is about 200 miles away from Rages (near
modern Teheran), which lies at 1,132 meters above sea level. These details
create a problem when one reads 5:6, which says, "It is a journey of two
full days from Ecbatana to Rages, for it lies in the mountains, whereas
Ecbatana is in the midst of a plain" (cf. 9:2).
(g) Nineveh had been built on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, so
that anyone travelling from Nineveh to Rages, which is almost due East of
Nineveh (as the crow flies), would scarcely have crossed the Tigris en route,
which does not flow in any such direction. This creates a problem when it
is said in 6:2, "they camped by the River Tigris."
(h) "Kaserin ... opposite Nineveh" (11:1) is similarly problematic,
because such a place is not only unknown, but its location would again
seem to demand a crossing of the Tigris for one coming from Ecbatana in
the East.
(i) Finally, there are primitive conceptions and beliefs about angels
subduing demons and supplying remedies for bodily afflictions. They all
make a good folktale, but hardly convince one of their historical substance:
such as bird droppings causing blindness and fish gall removing white films
from blind eyes, even though attempts have been made to explain the latter
procedure as congruent with ancient medical remedies.108
(41) Even if one has to admit the reality of such chronological and
topographical difficulties, they do not affect the basic thrust of the religious
and didactic romance, which attains its edifying purpose even through
legendary and folkloric details. The Book of Tobit should not be read as
if it were a historical account. Its religious end is achieved, even when it is
recognized as fiction. As D. C. Simpson once put it, "Its religious and moral
outlook, with a delightful mixture of real piety and Oriental superstition,
is still refreshing to the modern reader." 109
108 B. Kollmann, "Göttliche Offenbarung magisch-pharmakologischer Heilkunst im

Buch Tobit," ZAW 106 (1994) 2 8 9 - 9 9 .
109 "The Book of Tobit," APOT, 1. 174.
IV. Style and Sources of the Book
(42) The Book of Tobit begins and ends as a narrative, but it also
incorporates a number of passages that would align it more with wisdom
literature. For instance, Tobit instructs his son Tobiah in 4:3-19 and 14:3-
11. The latter is a sort of farewell discourse, and the former, while having
some of the same features, is rather an instruction preparing Tobiah for a
coming important journey that he has to make. In both cases, however, the
counsels given transcend the immediate situation and become instructions
about how Jewish people should live uprightly even in a diaspora context.
Similarly, in 12:6-10 the angel Raphael, as he about to reveal his identity
and then depart, gives counsel to both Tobit and Tobiah. These three
passages, then, are examples of Jewish wisdom literature within the narrative
of Tobit.
(43) It has often been noted that the story of Tobit really lacks a plot; there
is no suspense and no buildup to a climax. There is, however, a certain
"compositional scheme," according to which the reader knows from 3:16-
17, when the prayers of Tobit and Sarah are heard in heaven and God
decides to send the angel Raphael to cure them both, that all will go well
in the end, despite the delays and problems that arise in the course of the
narrative. From 6:6-8, when Tobiah learns from Raphael the medicinal
value of the fish's entrails, one likewise knows how all will come about
eventually. Tobiah is made to play dumb, for he never comments on what
he learns from the angel about the remedial effects of the fish's gall and the
possible use of it to cure his father's blindness, or on the possible cure of
Sarah, about whom he still has to learn.
(44) When one studies the characters of the story, Tobit and his wife
Hannah, Raguel and his wife Edna, Tobiah and his wife-to-be Sarah, none
of them is portrayed with heroic stature or even the greatness of the
patriarchs of the Book of Genesis. They all turn out to be simple folk
striving to live ordinary upright lives. They are depicted with certain
virtues, but these are hardly extraordinary. The style of the book, then, is
more characterized by a lack of art than by consummate artistry. It is a
good example of Kleinliteratur, i.e. of no epic pretensions.
Style and Sources of the Book 35
(45) One aspect of the narrative, however, does stand out and has to be
noted, viz. the irony in the development of the story. Irony is detected when
there are two levels of understanding, that of the actor and that of the
observer or reader; when the levels are opposed and when there is an
element of innocence or lack of sophistication. For instance, it is ironic that
the good deed that Tobit does in burying the strangled fellow Jew abandoned
in Nineveh's market place results in his being blinded (2:3-4, 7 , 1 0 ) . Again,
having made the final arrangements with Azariah to guide Tobiah to Rages
in Media, Tobit calls his son and prays, "May His [God's] angel accompany
you both for your safety, my boy!" (5:17d). The reader knows that Azariah
is God's angel, but Tobit does not. That is repeated in a different form in
5:22. The sharp-tongued wife of Tobit is given the name "Hannah," which
means "graciousness" (1:20; 2:14c), and her plight is recounted in 1 0 : 4 - 7 .
Sarah's father is called Raguel, "friend of God," despite the fact that he has
an only daughter who is plagued by an evil demon (3:7). His distraught
situation is described in 5 : 9 - 1 8 . The result is that the narrative turns out
to be a story dominated in many respects by irony. 110
(46) As for the sources used by the author of the Book of Tobit, it is clear
that he was a devout Jew, well acquainted with his Hebrew Scriptures, for
his writing is heavily Jewish, deriving much of its phraseology and the
development of its episodes from biblical books, such as Genesis, Job,
Deutero-Isaiah, and Deuteronomy.
The marriage of Tobiah and Sarah echoes details of the pentateuchal
story of Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24) and of Jacob and Rachel (Genesis
29). The story is developed along patriarchal lines, especially as in the story
of Joseph in Genesis 37 and 39-50. 1 1 1 Just as Jacob sends his young son on
a risky journey to a foreign land, so Tobit sends Tobiah. Moreover,
Abrahams showed that in Genesis "there are more references to the duty
of burial of the dead than in any other Scriptural book." 1 1 2
110 See I. Nowell, "Irony in the Book of Tobit," T B T 3 3 ( 1 9 9 5 ) 7 9 - 8 3 .

111 See further A. Chester, "Citing the Old Testament," It Is Written: Scripture Citing
Scripture: Essays in Honour of Barnabas Lindars, SSF (ed. D. A. Carson and H . G.
M . Williamson; Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University, 1 9 8 8 ) 1 4 1 - 6 9 , esp. 1 5 4 -
5 7 ; L. Ruppert, "Das Buch Tobias: Ein Modellfall nachgestaltener Erzählung,"
Wort, Lied, und Gottesspruch: Beiträge zur Septuaginta: Festschrift Josef Ziegler
(Forschung zur Bibel 1; ed. J. Schreiner; Würzburg: Echter-V., 1 9 7 2 ) 1 0 9 - 1 9 .
112 "Tobit and Genesis," JQR 5 ( 1 8 9 2 - 9 3 ) 3 4 8 - 5 0 , esp. 2 4 9 (his italics). See also M .
Rabenau, Studien zum Buch Tobit, 107-12.
36 Introduction
(47) The God of the Tobit story is like the God of the Book of Job, who
is deeply involved in the suffering of His faithful servant. There is a certain
similarity in the undeserved suffering of the righteous one in each story, in
the loss of property and illness. Hannah, in asking Tobit, "Where are all
your alms? Where are your righteous deeds?" (2:14), speaks as does the
wife of Job, " D o you still hold fast to your integrity?" (2:9). Tobit prays,
"It is better for me to die than to see excessive distress in my life" (3:6);
compare Job 7:15, "I would choose strangling and death rather than my
bones; I loathe my life." 113
(48) In a special way the Tobit story is dominated by the teaching of

Deuteronomy and to a lesser extent by motifs of the Book of Judges. This
is particularly true of the teaching of Deuteronomy 28, where Moses
assures the people of Israel that "all these blessings will come upon you and
overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God" (v. 2); but if you
do not, then the curses will come upon you and overtake you (v. 15). This
Deuteronomic teaching runs throughout the Book of Tobit. 1 1 4 The story of
Manoah and his wife in Judg 1 3 : 2 - 2 0 is reflected at times in the Book of
Tobit. 1 1 5
The author's dependence on the prophetic writings of the Hebrew
Scriptures is likewise apparent. The Book of Amos is quoted in 2:6, and the
prophecy of Nahum about the fate of Nineveh is mentioned in 14:3 (G1
makes it the prophecy of Jonah!). See also Mie 4:2 and Zech 8:22 in Tob
13:11; Mie 5:45; Zeph 2:13 in Tob 14:4; Isa 2:18; Jer 16:19 in Tob 14:6.
There is also a marked relationship to Sirach. Both stress the salvific
value of good works: Tob 4:11, "almsgiving is a good gift in the sight of
the Most High," it "saves one from death; it wipes out all sin." Compare
Sir 29:12; 40:24. Tob 12:10, "Those who commit sin and do wrong are
their own worst enemies." Compare Sir 18:21; 38:15. Care for the burial
of the dead is important in Tob 1:17; 2:4, 7; 4 : 3 - 4 . Compare Sir 7 : 3 3 - 3 4 ;
30:18; 38:16. But though the teaching is often quite similar, there is no
verbatim quotation of Sirach.
(49) Besides such Old Testament writings, which serve, indeed, as sources
for the composition of the Book of Tobit, many commentators have noted
the similarity of certain passages of the book to secular folkloric writings
113 Cf. R. H. Pfeiffer, History, 2 6 7 - 6 8 .

114 See further A. A. Di Leila, "The Deuteronomic Background of the Farewell Discourse
in Tob 1 4 : 3 - 1 1 , " CBQ 41 (1979) 3 8 0 - 8 9 .
115 See A. A. Di Leila, "The Book of Tobit and the Book of Judges: An Intertextual
Analysis," Henoch 2 2 (2000) 1 9 7 - 2 0 6 .
such as The Story and Wisdom of Ahiqar, The Tractate of Khons, The
Fable of the Grateful Dead, and The Monster in the Bridal Chamber.116
(50) Clear allusions to the Ahiqar story are found in 1:21-22; 2:10; 11:18;
14:10, so that it would have to be regarded as a source that the author used.
The Story and Wisdom of Ahiqar is a venerable tale, undoubtedly of
Assyrian origin; but the earliest attested form of it comes from fragmentary
fifth-century Elephantine papyri, written in Aramaic. It tells the story of
Ahiqar, who may well have been a historical figure,117 and recounts how
he was a "learned and skilled scribe" and "counsellor of all Assyria" at the
royal court under Sennacherib (705-681) and Esarhaddon (680-669 B.C.).
Having no son of his own, Ahiqar adopted his nephew Nadin and educated
him in wisdom so that he might succeed him at court. The story accordingly
incorporates many maxims and proverbs used in such education. 118 Ahiqar
eventually presents Nadin to the Assyrian king Esarhaddon (681-669
B.C.), and he in due course takes over Ahiqar's post. Nadin, however,
instead of treating his uncle gratefully, treacherously plots against him,
discredits him in the eyes of the king, and convinces Esarhaddon that
Ahiqar is scheming against him. In great anger, Esarhaddon orders the
execution of Ahiqar, but the officer who is to execute him, Nabu-sum-
iskun, is one whom Ahiqar once rescued from death. The officer recalls the
favor that Ahiqar had shown him, slays instead a convicted slave, and thus
rescues Ahiqar, who goes into hiding. Eventually, the king, confronted with
problems, wishes that he still had the counsel of Ahiqar, and regrets having
had him slain. Nabu-sum-iskun then reveals that the counselor is still alive
116
E.g. W. Soil, "Tobit, Book of," Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (ed. D. N .
Freedman; Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000) 1318.
117
In an Akkadian text from the Seleucid period, his real name is given as "Aba'enlil-
dari, ummannu ['the sage'], w h o m the Ahlamu [i.e. Arameans] call Ahuqar." See J.
van Dijk, XVIII vorläufiger Bericht... Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka, Winter 1959/
60 (AbhDOG 7; ed. H. J. Lenzen; Berlin: Gebr. Mann, 1962) 4 3 - 5 2 , esp. 45, 5 1 -
52. J. C. Greenfield ("Two Proverbs of Ahiqar," Lingering over Words, 195) dates
the Akkadian text ca. 165 B.C. In Aramaic ΊρΤΓΚ would be a syncopated form of
meaning "My brother is precious, honored." It turns up in Akkadian form
as Ahï-ya-qar (Κ. L. Tallqvist, Assyrian Personal Names [Acta societatis scientiarum
fennicae 43/1; Helsinki, 1914] 16). In Greek the name is given as Άχίχαρος (G") or
Άχιάχαροζ (G1); in Latin as Achicarus (VL). In the KJV he is Achiacharus; in the
RSV, Ahikar.
118
The proverbs of the Ahiqar story were probably an independent collection of
maxims, written perhaps in Aramaic, that were early on attached to the narrative
itself. See J. M. Lindenberger, The Aramaic Proverbs of Ahiqar (Baltimore, M D :
Johns Hopkins University, 1983) 1 7 - 1 9 .
38 Introduction
and brings him out of hiding. Ahiqar is reinstated, and Nadin is punished
with imprisonment, dying in a dark dungeon. 119 Certain counsels that Tobit
gives to his son are said to echo those of Ahiqar (e.g. Tob 3:15; 4:10, 15,
17, 18; 14:10), especially in the later forms of the Ahiqar story preserved
in Syriac, etc. The author of the Tobit story certainly has used the Ahiqar
tale as a source. As J. C. Greenfield put it, "The author of Tobit assumed
familiarity with the details of the Ahiqar story on the part of his readers.
More than a vague verisimilitude emerged from the use of Ahiqar." 1 2 0
(51) It is highly debatable, however, whether the author depends in any

similar way on the other folkloric writings mentioned above. The issue of
this debate is whether one should call such folkloric writings sources that
the author actually used or whether they are merely interesting literary
parallels to certain motifs of the Book of Tobit.
For instance, anyone who reads the so-called Tractate of Khons121 finds
there the Egyptian legend of Bint-resh, a possessed princess of Bekhten, to
whom the god of Thebes sends Khonsu, the Implementer of Plans, the great
god, who exorcises disease-demons, to cure her. This motif is similar,
indeed, to the cure of Sarah by the angel Raphael, whom God, to whom
she had prayed, has sent to her. That the Book of Tobit, however, is a direct
remodelling of such an Egyptian tractate, even in an effort to counteract its
baleful influence on Jews in Egypt, still has to be shown. There is nothing
about a marriage in the tractate and no one who resembles the young
Tobiah; nor is there any certainty that the town of Bekhten in the tractate
is actually an Egyptian spelling for Ecbatana. 122
119 See B. Porten and A. Yardeni, TADAE, 3. 2 4 - 5 7 ; J. M . Lindenberger, The Aramaic

Proverbs of Ahiqar, "Ahiqar," OTP, 2. 4 7 9 - 5 0 7 ; ANET, 4 2 7 - 3 0 . For later and
more developed forms of the Ahiqar story, see F. D. Conybeare, J. R. Harris, and
A. S. Lewis, "The Story of Ahiqar," APOT, 2. 7 1 5 - 8 4 ; The Story of Ahikar from
the Aramaic, Syriac, Arabic, Armenian, Ethiopie, Old Turkish, Greek and Slavonic
Versions (London: Clay & Sons, 1 8 9 8 ; 2d ed.; Cambridge; Cambridge University,
1913).—See further F. Nau, Histoire et sagesse d'Ahikar l'Assyrien (Paris: Letouzey
et Ané, 1 9 0 9 ) ; S. P. Brock, "Notes on Same Texts in the Mingana Collection," JSS
1 4 ( 1 9 6 9 ) 2 0 5 - 6 ; L. Ruppert, " Z u r Funktion der Achikar-Notizen im Buch Tobias,"
BZ 2 0 ( 1 9 7 6 ) 2 3 2 - 3 7 ; J. C. Greenfield, "Ahiqar in the Book of Tobit," De la Tôrah
au Messie: Mélanges: Etudes d'exégèse et d'herméneutique bibliques offertes à Henri
Gazelles ... (ed. M . Carrez et al.; Paris: Desclée, 1 9 8 1 ) 3 2 9 - 3 6 ; J. Strugnell, "Prob-
lems in the Development of the Ahîqar Tale," Frank Moore Cross Volume (Erlsr 2 6 ;
Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1 9 9 9 ) 2 0 4 * - 2 1 1 * .
120 See "Ahiqar in the Book of Tobit," 3 3 1 .
121 The more correct title is "The Bentresh Stela" of Karnak from the 4 t h - 3 d century
B.C.; see ANET, 29-31.
122 See further R. H. Pfeiffer, History, 271.
(52) Similarly, the Fable of the Grateful Dead is said to be an ancient tale,
mentioned even by Cicero (De divinatione 1.27.56-57 [composed ca. 4 5 -
4 4 B.C.]):
about Simonides, who had seen the dead body of some unknown person lying
exposed and buried it. Then when he had it in mind to embark on a ship, he
was admonished in a vision by the person whom he had buried not to do so;
for if he would have taken ship, he would perish in a shipwreck.
This fable takes many forms throughout the centuries, 123 but basically it
tells the story of a person who went to great expense to bury a dead person
and was subsequently rewarded by the deceased. This tale has often been
said to have "provided the author with the major portion of the general
outline of his story, infused with romantic interest, and furnished several
of the most exciting crises in the plot—a fact denied by only a very few
scholars." 124
(53) The problem with such an analysis of Tobit and the comparison with
this folktale is twofold: (a) to find any evidence of grateful dead person in
the Book of Tobit; 125 and (b) to find any trace of the motif earlier than the
Book of Tobit on which it allegedly depends. Gerould's discussion of the
history of the tale lists the Tobit story in the first place in his chronologically-
ordered bibliography (chap. 2), 126 and when he treats the 2 4 stories that tell
of the grateful dead and the poison maiden, the Tobit story is again the first
example. 127 This may be the reason why some commentators have thought
that the folktale has its origin in the Book of Tobit rather than the other
way round. 128 Gerould rightly showed that the folktale was not of Germanic
or European origin, and in his conclusion he significantly admits:
Certainly it is more reasonable from the evidence at hand to believe in the

Oriental origin of the mär chert. As to the particular region of Asia where it was
probably first related, nothing can be said with security. Yet there is no evidence
that it has ever been known in India, Western Asia, and perhaps the region
inhabited by the Semites may be considered, at least tentatively, its first home. 1 2 9
123 See G. H. Gerould, The Grateful Dead: The History of a Folk Story, 4 5 - 4 7 .
124 Simpson, "The Book of Tobit, " APOT, 1 . 1 8 8 . Indeed, Harris, Lewis, and Conybeare
(ibid., 2. 715) go so far as to say, "Tobit is a tale of a Grateful Ghost, and how he
made recompense to his benefactor, who had cared for his dead body"!
125 Or as T. F. Glasson once put it, "There is no hint [in the Book of Tobit] that the
dead man expresses his gratitude in any way" ( Z A W 71 [1959] 275).
126 The Grateful Dead, 7.
127 Ibid., 45.
128 E.g. A. Miller, Das Buch Tobias, 10; A. Clamer, Tobie, 395.
129 The Grateful Dead, 167.
40 Introduction
(54) The Monster in the Bridal Chamber is said likewise to be an ancient

tale that was eventually joined to "The Grateful Dead." In this tale the hero
is advised by a stranger to marry a wealthy princess whose former fiancés
all perished in the bridal chamber. The stranger, however, keeps watch to
slay the serpent that comes forth from the princess's mouth to kill the hero.
As a result, the stranger gets half of the bride-price as payment for his
work.
As Moore notes, however,
In contrast to most scholars, who see both tales integrated before the author of
Tobit made use of them, Ruppert ( 1 9 7 2 ) would make 'The Grateful Dead' the
basic tale for Tobit, while Deselaers ( 1 9 8 2 a : 2 8 0 - 9 1 ) regarded 'The Bride of the
Monster' as primary. Although Miller ( 1 9 4 0 ) and Clamer ( 1 9 4 9 ) thought "The
Grateful Dead' folktale might be based on Tobit, most scholars disagree and
either follow Gerould ( 1 9 0 8 : 4 6 - 4 7 ) or conclude that Tobit's relationship to the
folktale cannot be established. 130
In a more recent discussion of these folktales and their relation to the Book
of Tobit, W. Soli has studied the book in light of Vladimir Propp's classic,
The Morphology of the Folktale.131 In the course of his interesting
comparative study, Soil admits that the Book of Tobit is not "a heroic fairy
tale," because of the characters who are situated in a definite time and
place." 132 Yet Soil states that these folktales were "the kind of story on
which Tobit was based." 133 He maintains that it is "commonly acknowl-
edged that Tobit had a fairy tale source." 134 Soil's analysis of the motifs of
the book is helpful in light of Propp's "functions," but nowhere does he ask
himself about the evidence of a pre-Tobit tale in antiquity (Jewish or
otherwise), on which the author would be dependent. The upshot seems to
be that Gerould's evidence and Propp's morphology prove no more than
that the Book of Tobit shares details with such folktales, but hardly that
the book was based on them or that such tales were a source of the Book
of Tobit.
130 Tobit (AB), 1 1 - 1 2 .

131 W. Soil, "Misfortune and Exile in Tobit: The Juncture of a Fairy Tale Source and
Deuteronomic Theology," CBQ 51 (1989) 2 0 9 - 3 1 ; cf. V. Propp, The Morphology
of the Folktale (2d rev. ed. by L. A. Wagner; Austin, T X : University of Texas, 1968).
132 CBQ 51 (1989) 2 1 9 : If it were a fairy tale, it would end with the wedding
celebration of chap. 11, and Soil insists that chaps. 13 and 14 have not been tacked
on, but are really needed in the narrative (p. 230).
133 Ibid., 213.
134 Ibid., 220; see also p. 221 ("Tobit's origin as a fairy tale," even if its final form is
a sacred book).
As far as I can see, these ancient tales provide interesting parallels, but
I find it difficult to conclude that the author of the Book of Tobit was
deliberately imitating them or using them as a source, since there is
practically no evidence that the tales predate the Tobit story. 135
Bibliography
Abrahams, I., "Tobit and Genesis," JQR 5 (1892-93) 348-50.

Gerould, G. H., The Grateful Dead: The History of a Folk Story (Publications of
the Folklore Society 60; London: D. Nutt, 1908; repr. Folcroft, PA: Folcroft
Library Editions, 1973) 45-47.
Glasson, T. F., "The Main Source of Tobit," ZAW 71 (1959) 275-77.
Good, Ε. M., Irony in the Old Testament (Philadelphia, PA: Westsminster, 1965).
Huet, G., "Le conte du 'mort reconnaissant' et le livre de Tobie," RHR 71 (1915)
1-29
Köhler, R., "Die dankbaren Todten und der gute Gerhard," Germania 3 (1858)
199-209.
Lévi, I., "La langue originale de Tobit," RE] 44 (1902) 288-91 ("in Hebrew").
Nowell, I., "Irony in the Book of Tobit," TBT 37 (1995) 79-83.
Ruppert, L., "Das Buch Tobias: Ein Modellfall nachgestaltener Erzählung," Wort,
Lied, und Gottesspruch: Beiträge zur Septuaginta: Festschrift Josef Ziegler
(Forschung zur Bibel 1; ed. J. Schreiner; Würzburg: Echter-V., 1972) 109-19.
—, "Zur Funktion der Achikar-Notizen im Buch Tobias," BZ 20 (1976) 232-37.
Simrock, K., Der gute Gerhard und die dankbaren Todten: Ein Beitrag zur deut-
schen Mythologie und Sagenkunde (Bonn: Marcus, 1856) 131-32.
Soll, W., "Misfortune and Exile in Tobit: The Juncture of a Fairy Tale Source and
Deuteronomic Theology," CBQ 51 (1989) 209-31.
—, "Tobit and Folklore Studies: With Emphasis on Propp's Morphology," SBL
1988 Seminar Papers (ed. D. J. Lull; Atlanta, GA: Scholars, 1988) 39-53.
135 The same would have to be said about T. F. Glasson's attempt to use the Greek
legend about Admetus and Alcestis found in The Library of Apollodorus of Athens
(1.9.15), who was born ca. 180 B.C. (ZAW 71 [1959] 275-77). Does the parallel
predate the Book of Tobit?
V. Integrity of the Book
(56) Is the Book of Tobit, as we have it today, an integral piece of writing?

Because interpreters of the book have discerned its mixed style and varied
sources, it is not surprising that some have questioned whether it was all
composed at one time.
One reason for asking the question about its composition and its integrity
is the shift from the first-person narration in 1:1-3:6 to the third person,
which begins at 3:7 and continues to the end of the book. Moreover, the
mixture of religious prayer (six formal instances), sapiential aphorisms (in
4 : 3 - 1 9 ; 12:6-10; 14:3-11), an angelic actor, and a secular narrative about
the journey of Tobiah to get his father's money and his marriage to his
kinswoman Sarah has made literary critics query the integrity of the book.
The matter is compounded also by the forms that the story of Tobit takes
in the Greek recensions, G1 and G". If one prescinds from the two lacunae
in MS S, which may be owing to scribal omissions, the difference between
the two Greek recensions does not affect the number of verses, which is
almost the same in both, but the transmission of individual verses in fuller
or less full form.
(57) As early as 1800, K. D. Ilgen distinguished the first-person narrative

(1:1-3:6) from that of 3 : 7 - 1 2 : 2 2 , and both from chap. 13. 136 The most
radical analysis stemmed from W. Erbt who rejected all allusions to the
Ahiqar story and refused to admit the sapiential sayings of chap. 4 and
other parts of the book as integral to the original story of Tobit. 137
The two most problematic parts of Tobit are chap. 13, Tobit's final song
of praise, and chap. 14, the epilogue to the present story; they have often
been thought to be later additions to the original form. This view was
proposed by G. F. Hitzig; 138 others who gave the same or a similar
136 K. D. Ilgen, Die Geschichte Tobi's nach drey verschiedenen Originalen (Jena: Göpfert,
1800). He ascribed 1:1-3:6 to the seventh century B.C.; 3 : 7 - 1 2 : 2 2 to 2 8 0 B.C.; and
chap. 13 to 10 B.C.
137 W. Erbt, "Tobit," Encyclopaedia Biblica, 4. 5 1 1 3 - 5 1 2 8 .
138 G. F. Hitzig, "Zur Kritik der apokryphischen Bücher des Alten Testaments," ZWT
3 (I860) 250-61.
Integrity of the Book 43
explanation were H. Grätz, G. A. Kohut, M. Rosenthal, Α. Neubauer; 139

and more recently F. Zimmermann, 140 P. Deselaers, D. Flusser, M. Rabenau,
L. Rost, and A. Wikgren. 141
(58) Part of the reason for such views about the growth of the text is found
in the absence of some of these parts in ancient versions. For instance, the
omission of the Ahiqar allusions in the Vg; Neubauer's medieval Aramaic
form has only twelve chapters and lacks entirely the latter part of chap. 13
and all of chap. 14; similarly the medieval Hebrew of Münster.
(59) The Qumran texts, however, contain fragments of chaps. 13 and 14;
so that clearly shows they were already part of the book in the second and
first centuries B.C. Verses of chap. 13 are preserved in 4QTob a ' e , and verses
of chap. 14 are found in 4QTob a ' c ' d ' e . 142 So ingrained had the interpretation
of these chapters become, however, that even after the discovery of the
Qumran fragments a commentator could still write that "such testimony,
however, does not mean that all of chapters 13 and /or 14 were part of the
original Tobit. Nor does their presence at Qumran even preclude the
possibility that one or both of them were a very early addition to the
author's work (Richardson 1971: 527)." 1 4 3 Such literary criticism is strange
and extreme, even if one is willing to acknowledge some "literary and
theological grounds for considering these chapters an integral part of the
book." Granted, the Qumran texts of Tobit 1 3 - 1 4 are fragmentary; but
what solid reason is there for denying that these chapters in their entirety
were part of the original?
(60) Moreover, the hymn in chap. 13 may well be an apocalyptic psalm

with a vision of the new Jerusalem, to which God will again show mercy
139 H. Grätz, Geschichte der Juden, 4. 4 6 5 - 6 7 ; G. A. Kohut, "Etwas über die Moral und
die Abfassungszeit des Buches Tobias," 4 9 - 7 3 ; M. Rosenthal, Vier apokryphische
Bücher, 1 0 4 - 5 0 ; A. Neubauer, The Book of Tobit, xvii.
140 F. Zimmermann, The Book of Tobit, 21: "There was first the simple narrative in ch.
1 - 1 2 ; chapter 14 stems from a later hand, and chapter 13, a psalm attributed to
Tobit, was probably inserted as the last piece in the book." He dates chap. 14 "after
7 0 , " but refuses to advance the date beyond A.D. 1 1 3 - 1 5 , "when Trajan left Rome
to war against Parthia, annexed Armenia and Mesopotamia (114) and captured
Ctesiphon (115)" (p. 27).
141 P. Deselaers, Das Buch Tobit: Studien, 4 1 3 - 1 7 ; D. Flusser, "Psalms, Hymns and
Prayers," 556; M. Rabeneau, Studien zum Buch Tobit (BZAW 220; Berlin/New
York: de Gruyter, 1994) 6 7 - 9 3 ; L. Rost, Judaism Outside the Hebrew Canon, 6 2 -
63; A. Wikgren, "Tobit, Book of," IDB, 4. 661.
142 See Fitzmyer, "Tobit," Qumran Cave 4: XIV (DJD 19), 2.
143 Moore, Tobit (AB), 2 2 (his italics).
44 Introduction
and gather there Jews from all the nations among which they have been
scattered; but that is a theme that is hardly irrelevant to the story in Tobit
1 - 1 2 . Furthermore, even L. Rost had to admit that "the style of chapter 14
does not differ from that found in the rest of the book." 1 4 4
(61) As for the shift from the first person to the third in 3:7, one should
recall that Jerome solved that problem in the Vg by recounting everything
in the book in the third person, from 1:1 on. That, however, was a
translator's decision, in order to simplify things, as he did so often in the
Vg of Tobit. However, the story begins in the first person, when Tobit
recounts his own past experience, and fragments 2 and 5 of Aramaic
4QTob a and fragment 1 i of Hebrew 4QTob e attest that the first person was
part of the original composition. 145 The shift to the third person is explained
easily enough, because 3:7 is where the narrative shifts from Tobit's plight
to that of Sarah in Ecbatana of Media, and Tobit is no longer personally
involved. The literary parallelism of Sarah's and Tobit's condition domi-
nating the story would demand such a shift. 146
(62) More recently, P. Deselaers, using literary criticism as a tool for

diachronic analysis, argued in 1982 for a Greek original narrative of the
type of MS B, composed in the mid-third century B.C. in Alexandria. This
would have been expanded subsequently by the sapiential instructions of
4:3b-19, 12:6b-14, and the hymn of 1 3 : l - 9 a , and then would have been
rendered in Aramaic for a Palestinian readership in Jerusalem ca. 220 B.C.
This Aramaic form would have been expanded further by elements of the
Ahiqar story in a Greek form in Alexandria, as in MS S (ca. 195 B.C.), and
subsequently with eschatological elements such as 13:10b-18 in Jerusalem
(ca. 185 B.C.). 147
(63) A more plausible diachronic analysis of the development of the account

would be found in M. Rabenau, Studien zum Buch Tobit.148 For him the
original narrative of the Tobit story was composed in Samaritan Palestine
144 Judaism Outside the Hebrew Canon, 63.

145 See Fitzmyer, "Tobit," Qumran Cave 4: XIV (DJD 19), 8, 12, 63.
146 See also the interesting comparison made by J. E. Miller in "The Redaction of Tobit
and the Genesis Apocryphon," JSP 8 (1991) 5 3 - 6 1 .
147 P. Deselaers, Das Buch Tobit: Studien, 3 7 4 - 5 0 0 . See the review of this book by I.
Nowell, CBQ 4 6 (1984) 3 0 6 - 7 ; cf. R. Doran, "Narrative Literature," Early Judaism
and Its Modern Interpreters, 2 9 6 - 9 7 ; R. Hanhart, Text und Textgeschichte, 2 1 - 2 2
η. 1; P. J. Griffin, The Theology and Function of Prayer in the Book of Tobit, 3 6 3 -
77; C. A. Moore, Tobit (AB), 17.
148 See n. 141 above.
Integrity of the Book 45
in the third century B.C. in a Semitic language, probably Aramaic. Three

expansions of the narrative took place in Palestine: the first in 1 4 7 - 1 4 1
B.C., which would have dealt with concern to bury the dead in the troubled
days of that time; the second after 140 B.C., which reflects inner-Jewish
problems; and the third during the last third of the second century B.C.,
which stresses Torah piety. In all, G11 better reflects the Urtext than G1. All
of this would have happened in Palestine, even though "the Diaspora
orientation cannot be denied" (p. 190). This analysis is certainly more
convincing than that of Deselaers, but is either of them really plausible?
(64) G. W. E. Nickelsburg raised the real question about this sort of literary
dissection of an ancient story:
Does a coherent set of themes necessarily indicate a compositional stratum that

is to be differentiated from other strata composed on their own sets of coherent
themes? Do narrative tensions necessarily reveal the hand of an editor who is
bringing together disparate material or expanding received tradition? The first
question involves the issue of simplicity versus complexity. Need we reduce the
heart of the book to a single theme or set of themes, or can an author's
composition embrace a number of related and sometimes disparate matters?
The second question has often been raised since the development of biblical
source criticism. Can we impose modern standards of coherence and narrative
flow on ancient texts? 1 4 9
In short, there is no serious reason to think that the Book of Tobit, as we

have it today, is not integral or does not represent the original form of the
account. The arguments often proposed for alleged differences and
expansions, especially in chaps. 4, 1 3 - 1 4 , simply do not hold up, when
scrutinized.
149 G. W. E. Nickelsburg, Review of M. Rabenau, Studien zum Buch Tobit, JBL 116
(1997) 3 4 8 - 5 0 , esp. 349.
VI. The Teaching of the Book
(65) The teaching of the Book of Tobit is not confined to the sapiential
instructions of 4:3-19; 12:6-10; and 14:3-11, because the narrative itself
proposes its own message as well. Like the Book of Job, this writing tells
the story of two individuals who suffer despite their uprightness. Tobit,
despite his faithful observance of the law and his fidelity to ancestral
traditions, his almsgiving, his burial of abandoned dead, is deprived of his
possessions, blinded, and vituperated by his wife (1:20; 2:10, 15). Sarah,
despite her innocence as a young girl married to seven husbands, each of
whom dies on the wedding night, is reproached by a maidservant of her
father's house (3:7-9). In their plight, both importune heaven that they
might die: "it is better for me to die than to live" (3:6). Calumny, misfortune,
and demonic mischief are the causes of their plight. Their prayers are heard
(3:16), and the angel Raphael eventually explains why (12:12-15): divine
providence cares for the faithful Jew in his or her adversity.
(66) The book does not propose a recipe for curing blind human eyes, but
rather for dealing with the blindness of the human heart and intellect. Tobit
refuses to curse God for his affliction and allows divine providence to use
ordinary means to achieve its solution to human misfortune. Tobit realizes
that his suffering is not a punishment but a test of his fidelity. He knows
that God rewards those who are faithful and sees to the recompense of the
wicked (like Sennacherib). He also praises God for the good that has come
to him despite his blindness. He manifests his trust in a merciful and
righteous God, whose providence reacts to the prayers of His faithful
people.
(67) There are various themes of religious teaching in this writing:
(a) God: The monotheism of postexilic Israel is clearly in the background
of the story (4:5; 7:17; 13:1-6; 14:5). The deity is recognized as the "God
of Israel" (13:18); "God of our ancestors" (8:5), "the Lord of the ages"
(13:10), "King of ages" (13:6). God's "glory" or "glorious presence" is
acknowledged (3:16; 12:12, 15), and His "name" is extolled (3:11; 8:5;
11:14; 12:6; 13:18). He is said to be "our God" and "our Father" (13:4);
"judge of the world" (3:2), creator of Adam and Eve (8:6). "Nothing
escapes His hand" (13:2). God's attributes are extolled: "righteousness"
The Teaching of the Book 47
(3:2; 13:6); "majesty" (13:1, 6); "mercy" (6:18; 8:16; 11:17; 13:2, 5). Most
of these epithets are derived from the O T itself.
(b) Deuteronomio retribution: As A. A. Di Leila has shown, this is seen
especially in nine points of Tobit's discourse (14:3-11), which speaks of a
long and prosperous life in the good land as a result of fidelity (14:4-5),
as in Deut 4:40; of the offer of mercy after sin and judgment (14:4-6), as
in Deut 3 0 : 1 - 4 ; of rest and security in the land (14:7), as in Deut 1 2 : 1 0 -
11 L X X ; of the blessing of joy (14:7), as in Deut 12:12; of the fear and love
of God (14:6-7, 9), as in Deut 6:13; of the command to bless and praise
God (14:9), as in Deut 8:10; of remembering (14:9), as in Deut 9:27; of
centralizing the cult (14:5), as in Deut 1 2 : 1 - 1 4 ; 16:6; of Tobit's final
exhortation (14:9), as in Deut 30:19-20. 1 5 0 Other instances of the same
ideas can be found elsewhere in the Book of Tobit. God has scattered
Israelites, but He will gather them in again (13:3, 5).
(c) Prayer: Six formal examples of it are given: 3 : 2 - 6 (Tobit); 3 : 1 1 - 1 5
(Sarah); 8 : 5 - 8 (Tobiah); 8 : 1 5 - 1 7 (Raguel); 1 1 : 1 3 - 1 5 (Tobit); 1 3 : 1 - 1 8
(Tobit). The prayers punctuate the story at important intervals: the plight
of Tobit and Sarah, the time of the consummation of the marriage of
Tobiah and Sarah, Tobit's song of praise after all the good has been done.
The prayers are integral to the narrative and offer a way of understanding
it, even though they are often formulaic. Those who pray do so standing,
or they face Jerusalem (symbol of God's presence). Usually, God is invoked,
praised and adored, and then a petition is made. The double affirmation,
"Amen, amen!" is used (8:8). Chapter 3 is important because it recounts
the simultaneous prayer of Tobit and Sarah in their time of plight. Their
prayers echo those of Moses in Num 11:15, Elijah in 1 Kgs 19:4, and
Baruch in Bar 1 : 1 5 - 2 2 . Unwittingly, they are united in their prayer to die,
and the narrative reveals that their prayers are answered. The effect of
prayer is noted explicitly in 3 : 1 6 - 1 7 : it is heard in God's glorious presence;
and Raphael instructs Tobit and Tobiah on the value of prayer (12:6-8)
and on the role that he has played in it (12:12). 1 5 1
(d) Righteousness: The prayers of Tobit and Sarah are those of righteous
individual Jews. Righteous conduct is extolled in the book (1:3; 2:14; 4 : 5 -
150 A. A. Di Leila, "The Deuteronomic Background of the Farewell Discourse in Tob

14:3-11," CBQ 41 ( 1 9 7 9 ) 3 8 0 - 8 9 ; I, Nowell, The Book of Tobit: Narrative
Technique and Theology, 2 5 9 - 7 1 ; J. Craghan, Esther, Judith, Tobit, Jonah, Ruth,
132.
151 See further F. Graf-Stuhlhofer, "Das betende Volk Gottes vor Jesu erstem Kommen:
Die grosse Bedeutung des Gebets in den Deuterokanonika," Erbe und Auftrag 76
(2000) 149-52.
48 Introduction
6; 12:8; 13:6; 14:7). To this mode of conduct is related what the Romans
called pietas, which is not so much "piety" in English, as "fidelity" to one's
obligation. Latin Church Fathers often wrote of Tobit's officium pietatis,
"duty of piety," i.e. his concern for his obligation to God and other human
beings.152
(e) Mutual respect: Concern is expressed by Tobit for tribal relations,
family life and its simple fidelity (1:3), monogamous and consanguineous
marriage (1:9), tithing (1:6-8), recognition of the cult of the Jerusalem
Temple (1:4, 6 - 8 ; 13:11, 18), and care for the burial of the dead (1:17-19;
2:3-4; 4:2, 17; 14:1, 10-11).
(f) Almsgiving: This concern expresses itself many times in the book
(1:3, 16; 2:14; 4 : 7 - 1 1 , 16; 12:9; 14:9), so that it becomes one of the its
major motifs.
(g) Marriage: The marriage of Tobiah to Sarah is treated in a special
way in the book, even though in some respects it imitates the marriage of
patriarchs in Genesis and is carried out "according to the ordinance of the
Book of Moses" (7:11, 12; cf. 6:13). The new element is the idea that the
marriage of the two young people has been foreseen by God's providence
and so their joining together is heaven-blest: Raphael tells Tobiah, "It has
been determined for you to take her in marriage" (6:13). "She has been
destined for you since the world came to be. So you will save her, and she
will go with you" (6:18). Even Raguel, Sarah's father, acknowledges that
Sarah "has been given to you [Tobiah] according to the ordinance of the
Book of Moses, for Heaven has ordained that she be given to you" (7:11).
Even the affliction of Sarah by the demon Asmodeus is related to the
marriage of her to Tobiah; the seven earlier suitors were removed by
Asmodeus in order that she might be preserved for Tobiah. Moreover,
Tobiah's prayer on the night of his marriage praises God as the author of
the institution of human marriage and begs God that he and Sarah may find
mercy (deliverance from Asmodeus) and grow old together (8:5-7).
(h) Escbatology: Death is conceived of as a release from "the face of the
earth" and a becoming "dust" (3:6), or as a passage to Hades (3:10) or
"Darkness" (4:10). One is saved from death, however, by almsgiving,
which also "wipes out all sin" (12:9). Whether one should derive from such
teaching an awareness of a mode of life beyond the grave is not easy to say.
There is also in the Book of Tobit a trace of apocalyptic expectation
regarding the New Jerusalem, which will be rebuilt and to which the
152 See Ambrose, De Tobia 1.3 (CSEL 32/2.519); Leo the Great, Tract. X, 74 (CCLat
138A.43).
The Teaching of the Book 49
scattered tribes will return in God's good time (13:9-10; 14:4-5)—indeed,

to it many nations (Gentiles) will flock (13:11).
(i) Angelology: God's dealings with human beings in the story are
carried out through the agency of Raphael, who is one of the main actors
in the Tobit story. His very name, meaning "God has healed," sums up the
mission on which he has been sent by God. Even the name he uses in his
human disguise, Azariah, means "Yahweh has helped" (5:13). Tobit,
however, also expresses his pious belief in the protection of human beings
by God's angels (5:17). In this regard, the Book of Tobit goes beyond the
Hebrew Scriptures and is related more to parabiblical literature, such as
1 Enoch or Jubilees. Indeed, chapter 12 has been said to be "without
parallel in the extant literature of Judaism." 153
By contrast, the evil spirit that afflicts Sarah, whom Raphael was sent
to cure, bears no Semitic or Greek name, but one that is undoubtedly
Persian in origin, Asmodeus (3:8 [see NOTE there]). This name has been
seen as a remnant of an alleged source that the author has used, but a
loanword hardly supports such a contention about a source. After all, the
LXX borrows Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, as the equivalent
of Sheol (εις άδου, Gen 42:38; 44:29 [= eis οίκον άδου, "to the house of
Hades"]). 154
Liturgical readings are taken from the Book of Tobit in the Proper
of Seasons for the ninth week of Year I (Mon.: Tob 1:1-2, 2:1-9; Tues.:
2:9-14; Wed.: 3:1-11,16; Thürs.: 6:11, 7:1,9-14, 8:4-7; Fri.: 11:5-15;
Sat.: 12:1,5-15,20), and in the liturgy of weddings (Tob 7:9-10,11-15 or
8:5-7).
Bibliography
Edmunds, A. J., "The Book of Tobit and the Hindu-Christian Marriage-Ideal,"

Open Court 33 (1919) 3 3 6 - 4 4 .
Reardon, P. H., "Under the Gaze of God & Angels: The Meaning of Tobit for the
Christian Reader," Touchstone 1 2 / 3 (1999) 4 1 - 4 5 .
153
D. C. Simpson, "The Book of Tobit," APOT, 1. 197.
154
See further P. H. Reardon, "Under the Gaze of God 8c Angels: The Meaning of
Tobit for the Christian Reader," Touchstone 12/3 (1999) 41-45.
VII. Date and Place of Composition
(68) Date. Although the Qumran copies of Tobit have been dated
palaeographically from roughly 100 B.C. to A.D. 25, that is no indication
of the time when the book was composed. They provide, however, a
terminus ante quem.
(69) The events narrated in the Book of Tobit take place in Assyria and
Media in the Neo-Assyrian period of the eight-seventh centuries B.C. The
background for the events is the Assyrian deportation mentioned in 2 Kgs
15:29, when Tiglath-pileser III (744-727 B.C.) in his campaign of 733-732
conquered towns in northern Israel, including "all the land of Naphtali"
and "took the people to Assyria." The domination of northern Israel was
continued by the Assyrian kings, Shalmaneser V (727-722) and Sargon II
(722-705), under whom Samaria, the capital, was captured and more
Israelites were carried off "to Assyria" and "cities of the Medes" (2 Kgs
17:6), 27,290 of them according to Assyrian records.155 Tobit of the tribe
of Naphtali and his family and relatives are portrayed as deported to
Nineveh in that Assyrian Captivity ca. 732 (Tob 1:3). His relatives dwell
in Ecbatana of Media (7:1) or Rages of Media (9:2). Also mentioned in the
Book of Tobit is the Assyrian sage Ahiqar (1:22; 2:10; 11:18; 14:10), who
was also a personality in the Neo-Assyrian period, under Sennacherib
(705-681 B.C.) and Esarhaddon (681-669 B.C.). In Tob 1:22 he is
mentioned as interceding with Esarhaddon on behalf of Tobit; and he
otherwise helps him (2:10). That, however, is the time of the setting of the
story, and it says little about the time of the composition of the Book of
Tobit. Yet it became the basis of the dating of the book for C. Gutberlet:
the seventh century B.C.156 However, the author of the Book of Tobit seems
155 See the Assyrian account of the fall of Samaria in the Annals of Sargon II: First Year
1 0 - 1 7 , 2 3 - 2 6 (A. G. Lie, The Inscriptions of Sargon II, King of Assyria, Part I: The
Annals [Paris: Geuthner, 1 9 2 9 ] ; D. D. Luckenbill, ARAB, 2. 2 §4; H. Winckler,
Die Keilschrifttexte Sargons (2 vols.; Leipzig: E. Pfeiffer, 1 8 8 9 ) , 1. 1 4 7 - ^ 9 ; ANET,
284-85.
156 C. Gutberlet, Das Buch Tobias übersetzt und erklärt. See also F. Kaulen, Einleitung
in die Heilige Schrift Alten und Neuen Testament (Freiburg im B.: Herder, 1 8 7 6 -
8 1 ) 2 1 9 ; F. Vigouroux, Les Livres Saints et la critique rationaliste ... (3d ed.; Paris:
Roger & Chernoviz, 1 8 9 1 ) , 4. 5 4 9 .
Date and Place of Composition 51
to speak of the return of Jews from the later Babylonian Captivity (14:5)
as something that has already taken place.
(70) There has been a tendency to relate the Aramaic of To bit to the
Imperial phase of the language, which served as the lingua franca of the
Fertile Crescent for several centuries (at least from the fall of Nineveh in
621 B.C. to the conquest of Alexander, when Greek took over). I have
already mentioned the opinion of W. F. Albright, who claimed that the
Aramaic of the Tobit texts was "in large part Imperial Aramaic, earlier
than Daniel," 1 5 7 and disagreed with it. His opinion, however, has led a
number of scholars to date the Book of Tobit to the Persian period. 158
Because Tobiah is one of the heroes of the Tobit story, some have thought
that his name reflects the Tobiah of history, the enemy of Nehemiah ca.
4 5 0 B.C. 1 5 9 This too has been used to situate the composition of the book
in the Persian period.
(71) A widely-held dating of the Book of Tobit situates it rather somewhere

between 2 2 5 and 175 B.C. The reasons for this dating are mainly three: (a)
Tob 14:4 declares that "all that was announced by the prophets of Israel,
whom God sent, will come about. Not one word of all their utterances will
fall short." Likewise, the prophecy of Amos is quoted in 2:6. This is
interpreted as a sign that the writings of the O T prophets were already
regarded as authoritative and what Christians would call canonical; hence
the book must have been composed after the recognition of them as
Scripture. Moreover, the phrases, "the Book of Moses" (Tob 6:13; 7 : 1 1 -
13) or "the Law of Moses" (Tob 7:13) echo that of 2 Chr 23:18; 25:4;
30:16 and clearly call for a late postexilic dating, after the fourth century
B.C., when the authoritative status of the Pentateuch was acknowledged
widely, (b) There is no awareness in the book of the Seleucid attempts,
especially under Antiochus IV Epiphanes ( 1 7 5 - 1 6 4 B.C.), to hellenize the
Jews of Judea (1 Macc 1:41-50) or of the turmoil that surrounded the
Maccabean revolt against him in 165 B.C. (1 Macc 2 : 1 - 4 8 ) . There is no
sense of the persecution of the Jews such as ensued under the Seleucids; not
even Sennacherib's treatment of Jews in Nineveh reflects anything like that,
except to build up the impression of the city as evil in chap. 14. An entirely
157 BO 17 (1960) 242.

158 Albright has been followed by J. M. Grintz, •'iE» ITO ΠΠ^ΊΠα CPpia / Chapters in the
History of the Second Temple Times, 66 n. 46; D. Flusser, "Psalms, Hymns and
Prayers" (CRINT 2/2), 5 5 5 - 5 6 : "probably the fifth to fourth century B.C.E."; J. C.
Greenfield, "Ahiqar in the Book of Tobit," 329: "during the late fourth century
BCE"; similarly J. Strugnell, Frank Moore Cross Volume, 205*: " c a . 330."
159 See T. C. Eskenazi, "Tobiah," ABD, 6. 5 8 4 - 8 5 (§3).
52 Introduction
different attitude is displayed toward Gentile nations in Tob 13:11; 1 4 : 6 -

7. (c) In the Book of Tobit, there is none of the characteristic sectarian
tenets of the Qumran community or of its apocalyptic or messianic
expectations, which came into existence sometime between 150 and
125 B.C.
(72) I tend to agree with this commonly-held dating, somewhere between

225 and 175 B.C., preferring a date toward the end of that period. Since
there are slight differences among the Qumran Aramaic copies, 160 they
show that copyists often changed forms to their customary modes of
writing. 161 So one should clearly distinguish the date of the Qumran copies
from the date of composition; and, a fortiori, the date of the Qumran
copies written in Middle Aramaic from the medieval Aramaic version of
Tobit, written in Late Aramaic.
(73) Some commentators, however, have dated the final redaction of Tobit,
if not the entire composition of the book, to the Christian period. Hitzig
dated the book to A.D. 116; 1 6 2 Rosenthal, to A.D. 139-41; 1 6 3 Zimmer-
mann, who ascribes the main narrative (chaps. 1 - 1 2 ) to "the latter half of
the second century" [B.C.], dates chap. 14 "after 7 0 " [A.D.]. 164 Neubauer
followed Grätz in ascribing Tobit to the time of Hadrian (ca. A.D. 135).
One argument used was that it "can scarcely have been composed earlier,
since it was not known to Josephus," 1 6 5 who died sometime after A.D. 100.
Kohut sought to date Tobit as late as A.D. 226, in the reign of Ardeshir I
of Persia. 166 Finally, a commentator such as Simpson, who speaks of the
"comparatively early date of the book, as it appears in the earliest form
known to us" [= G11], dates the Greek Short Recension to "the second
century of the Christian era." 1 6 7
(74) Place. There is no clear indication in the Book of Tobit about where
it was composed; nor is there any consensus about it among modern
interpreters of the book. The book shares with Daniel and Esther a common
160 See my article, "The Aramaic and Hebrew Fragments of Tobit," 6 6 4 - 6 5 .

161 Moore (Tobit [AB], 40—41) has slightly misunderstood my position.
162 "Zur Kritik," 2 5 0 - 6 1 ; similarly F. Kaulen, Einleitung, 2. 8 7 - 9 6 .
163 Vier apokryphische Bücher, 1 0 4 - 5 0 .
164 The Book of Tobit, 2 4 - 2 7 .
165 A. Neubauer, Book of Tobit, xvii. As has been pointed out often, Polycarp of
Smyrna (ca. A.D. 6 9 - 1 5 5 ) knew of the book, for he quotes Tob 4 : 1 0 and 12:9 in
Ep. ad Philip. 10:2.
166 "Etwas über die Moral," 4 9 - 7 3 . See further Moore, Tobit (AB), 4 1 - 4 2 .
167 "The Book of Tobit," APOT, 1. 183; cf. p. 175: "in the reign of Antoninus Pius."
Date and Place of Composition 53
geographical setting of its story in the eastern Diaspora of Mesopotamia. 168

Events in it take place mainly in Nineveh in Assyria, where deported Jews
were living, as well as in Ecbatana and Rages in Media. Nevertheless, there
is a lively concern for the homeland of Israel, and especially for the Temple
in Jerusalem. The mention of Mesopotamian places and the distance
between some of them reveal that the author was not too familiar with the
geography of that eastern Diaspora.
(75) The fact that there is now a copy of Tobit in Hebrew might indicate
that the work originated in ancient Palestine, as some have held; 169 but that
copy would indicate only that the story was translated into Hebrew in
Palestine. If Aramaic was rather the original language, as seems more
likely, then the book might have been composed anywhere in the Fertile
Crescent. Nevertheless, Palestine still has to be considered, because of the
picture of the faithful Jew Tobit and his dedication to the Temple, tithing,
and Jewish customs, all of which are logically at home there. It too would
explain some of the geographical problems in the book, if it were written
by someone unacquainted with the distances between towns in the eastern
Diaspora.
(76) Zimmermann argued that Tobit was composed in Syria because Tobit,
"in chronicling his acts of pietas in burying the dead, reveals indirectly
where and under whom he is living," viz. under the Seleucid king, Antiochus
IV Epiphanes, who forbade the burial of Jews who were slain (2 Macc
9:15). 1 7 0 But that is highly unlikely, because the Tobit story does not use
code-words for names of Assyrian kings.
(77) This explanation leads to the more general proposal that the author
composed the book in the Jewish Diaspora, either in the Diaspora of the
West (Egypt) or that of the East (Assyria and Babylonia). Egypt was
considered the place of composition by Nöldeke as early as 1879, 1 7 1 at a
time when interpreters worked mainly with the Greek and Latin forms of
the story, well before the Aramaic version of the Story and Wisdom of
Ahiqar, who is mentioned in Tob 1 : 2 1 - 2 2 ; 2:10; 11:18; 14:10, turned up
on the Isle of Elephantine in the Nile. The subsequent discovery of the
168 See G. W. E. Nickelsburg, RevQ 17 ( 1 9 9 6 - 9 7 ) 341.

169 J. C. Dancy, The Shorter Books of the Apocrypha, 10: R. C. Dentan, The Apocrypha,
55; A. Miller, Das Buch Tobias, 23; J. Müller, Beiträge, 24; R. Pautrel, Tobie, 9;
R. H. Pfeiffer, History, 275: "more specifically in Judea (presumably in Jerusalem
or its environs").
171 « D i e X e x t e d e s Buches Tobit," 5 4 - 5 9 .
54 Introduction
Elephantine version of Ahiqar was thought to support that explanation, as

well as the mention of the flight of the demon Asmodeus to Egypt (Tob
8:3). 172 For those who sought the source of the Book of Tobit in the
Egyptian Tractate of Khons, that was an added reason; "only Egyptian
Jews could need an antidote to the Tractate."173 More recently, Alexandria
in Egypt has been proposed as the place of composition by Deselaers and
Schwartz. 174 None of the reasons given for this provenience of the Book of
Tobit is really convincing, because they do not adequately explain the
Assyrian setting of the events or the connection with Palestine in the book.
(78) The eastern Diaspora would be a more logical setting for the
composition, because it is the scene of most of the events in the book. The
Aramaic language was used there, and Jews lived in that area as a result
of both the Assyrian and the Babylonian captivities.175 Kohut, Greenfield,
and Soil have argued in favor of a Persian provenience,176 whereas Moulton
preferred Media. 177 The great difficulty with this explanation of the book's
provenience is to account for the author's failure to allow for proper
distances between towns and other geographical and historical anomalies,
if he came from such an area.
(79) Although it is difficult to choose between Palestine and the eastern

diaspora as the place of composition of the Tobit story, the likelihood is
that it was composed within Palestinian Judaism, which can be seen in
Tobit's interest in his homeland and in the Jerusalem Temple to be rebuilt.
172 See further L. E. T. André, Les Apocryphes de l'Ancien Testament, 1 8 3 ; E. J.

Goodspeed, The Story of the Apocrypha, 13; M . Lohr, "Das Buch Tobit," Die
Apokryphen und Pseudepigraphen, 1. 1 3 6 ; D. C. Simpson, " T o b i t , " APOT, 1. 185—
87.
173 Simpson, "The Book of Tobit," APOT, 1. 1 9 5 .
174 P. Deselaers, Das Buch Tobit: Studien, 3 3 0 - 4 3 ; J. Schwartz, "Remarques littéraires,"
293.
175 See R. Bauckham, "Anna of the Tribe of Asher (Luke 2 : 3 6 - 3 8 ) , " RB 1 0 4 ( 1 9 9 7 )
1 6 1 - 9 1 , esp. 1 8 7 - 9 1 .
176 G. A. Kohut, "Etwas über die M o r a l , " 4 9 - 7 3 ; J. C. Greenfield, "Ahiqar in the Book
of Tobit," 3 2 9 ; W . Soil, "Misfortune and Exile," 2 3 0 n. 5 5 (admitting also a
possible "Hellenistic diaspora" provenience).
177 J. H. Moulton, "The Iranian Background," 2 5 7 - 6 0 ; cf. his Early Zoroastrianism,
99, 332^40.
Vili. Canonicity
(80) The Book of Tobit is not part of the Palestinian Jewish canon (i.e. of
the Hebrew Scriptures). It has sometimes been said that it was composed
"too late to be included in the canon of the Old Testament, when it was
set up about A.D. 100." 1 7 8 That, however, is a judgment based on the
situation prior to the discovery of the Qumran fragments.
(81) The reason for not including Tobit in the Hebrew Scriptures is not easy
to explain. Milik once thought that the book was of Samaritan origin. 179
That may have been a reason, if true. However, Jewish scholars have
explained at times that the Book of Tobit was excluded from the Jeivish
Scriptures for a halakhic reason, because Raguel writes the marriage
document, 180 which runs counter to a rabbinic decision that the document
should be written by the groom, and not by the bride's father.
(82) The Book of Tobit is found, however, in the collection of Alexandrian
Jewish writings preserved in the L X X . From its use in that Greek collection,
early Christians derived it for their canon, which came to be more or less fixed
by the end of the fourth century. In the earlier centuries of the Christian era,
some Fathers and theologians denied the Book of Tobit canonical status:
Melito of Sardis, 181 Athanasius, 182 Cyril of Jerusalem, 183 Epiphanius, 184
178 Dancy, The Shorter Books of the Apocrypha, 12.

179 See RB 7 3 ( 1 9 6 6 ) 5 3 0 : "d'origine samaritaine."
180 See H . Orlinsky, " T h e Canonization of the Bible and the Exclusion of the
Apocrypha," Essays in Biblical Culture and Bible Translation, 2 5 7 - 8 6 , esp. 2 8 4 :
"This law, according to Shabbat 14b, was changed by Simon ben Shetah (early first
century B.C.E.), so that henceforth the groom (not the bride's father) wrote the
document of marriage (ketubah, rather than shetar) and thus gave the bride greater
protection. The Pharisees could not canonize the book of Tobit when its halakhah
on marriage contradicted its o w n . "
]81 As quoted in Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 4 . 2 6 . 1 4 (GCS 9/1. 3 8 8 ) .
182 Ep. 3 9 (PG 2 6 . 1 4 3 6 - 3 7 ; Ench. Bibl. §14).
183 Catechesis 4 . 3 5 (PG 3 3 . 5 0 0 ; Ench. Bibl. § 9 ; FC 6 1 . 1 3 6 - 3 7 ) .
184 De mensuris et ponderibus 4 and 2 3 (PG 4 3 . 2 4 4 and 2 7 7 - 8 0 ) ; see also Panarion
8 . 6 . 1 - 5 (GCS 2 5 . 1 9 1 - 9 2 ) .
56 Introduction
Gregory of Nazianzus. 18s It is not listed in the canon of the Council of

Laodicea (A.D. 360). 1 8 6
(83) Origen testified that "the churches use Tobit." 1 8 7 Clement of Alexan-
dria quotes Tob 4:15 (Golden Rule) as ή γραφή (Scripture). 188 Dionysius of
Alexandria quotes Tob 12:7 as Scripture. Western writers of the patristic
period generally recognized the Book of Tobit as canonical or quoted
passages from it as authoritative: Cyprian, Hilary, Ambrose, Innocent I
(A.D. 405), Augustine. 189 Rufinus did not consider Tobit as one of the
protocanonical writings, but insisted that one could not dismiss it. 190
(84) Because Jerome did not regard the Book of Tobit as canonical, 191 he
had difficulty in acceding to the wishes of Bps. Heliodorus and Chromatius
that he should translate it anew into Latin. That was the reason why he
dashed off the translation in one day. 192
(85) The Book of Tobit is listed in the canon of the Councils of Hippo (A.D.
393), Carthage (A.D. 397), and Florence (1442). 1 9 3 Today the Book of
Tobit is part of the canon of the Roman Catholic Church, and also of
Eastern Orthodox Churches. 194 The term "deuterocanonical" is often used
for it by Roman Catholics, i.e. canonical of a secondary class. 195
185 Carmina 1.12 (PG 37. 4 8 3 - 7 4 ) .

186 Canon 60 (Ench. Bibl. §12).
187 Ep. ad Africanum 19 (SC 302. 562).
188 Stromata 2.23 § 1 3 9 (GCS 2. 190).
189 Cyprian, Our Father 32 (CSEL 3/1. 290); Hilary, Tractatus super Psalmos, Instructio
psalmorum 15 (CSEL 22. 13); In Ps. 129 7 (CSEL 22. 6 5 2 - 5 3 ) ; Ambrose, De Tobia
1.1 (considers it to be propheticus liber, CSEL 32. 519); Innocent I, Ep. "Consulenti
tibi" (Ench. Bibl. §21); Augustine, De doctrina Christiana 2.8.13 (CCLat 32. 39).
190 Expositio symboli 36 (CCLat 20. 171).
191 See Prologus in libris Salomonis (Biblia Sacra iuxta Latinam Vulgataam versionem
..., 11 (1957) 3 - 5 ; PL 28. 1308: Sicut ergo Iudith et Tobi et Macchabaeorum libros
legit quidem Ecclesia, sed inter canónicas scripturas non recipit, sic et haec duo
volumina [Sirach et Sapientia] legat ad aedificationem plebis, non ad auctoritatem
ecclesiasticorum dogmatum confirmandam. See also his Praefatio in libros Samuel
et Malachim, PL 28. 6 0 1 - 3 : Igitur Sapientia, ... et Jesu filii Sirach liber, et Judith,
et Tobias, et Pastor non sunt in canone ....
192 See p. 20 above; cf. J. Gamberoni, Die Auslegung des Buches Tobias in der grie-
chisch-lateinischen Kirche der Antike, 5 6 - 9 9 .
193 See Ench. Bibl. §16 (Hippo); DH §186 (Carthage), §1335 (Florence, Decretum pro
lacobitis).
194 See the Council of Trent, session IV (1546), decree 1 (Recipiuntur libri sacri et
traditiones apostolicae) in Ench. Bibl. §58; DH §15.
195 The term is traced to Sixtus of Siena, O.P. ( 1 5 2 0 - 1 5 6 9 ) , who in Bibliotheca sancta
Canonicity 57
Bibliography
Beckwith, R., The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church and Its
Background in Early Judaism (London: SPCK; Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
1985) 55, 57, 96, 376, 388, 4 1 4 - 1 5 , 422.
Marucci, C., "L'estensione del canone biblico secondo M. Lutero," RivB 47 (1999)
3-59.
Stemberger, G., "Jabne und der Kanon," Zum Problem des biblischen Kanons
(Jahrbuch für biblische Theologie 3; Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener-V., 1988)
163-74.
... (rev. ed. J. Hay; Lyons: Landry, 1592) 10 explained it thus: canonici secundi
ordinis (qui olim Ecclesiastici vocabantur & nunc a nobis Deuterocanonici dicuntur).
The term is used for seven books found in the LXX (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach
[Ecclesiasticus], Baruch, and 1-2 Maccabees) and for the additions to Daniel (Song
of the Three Young Men, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon) and to Esther.
IX. Structure and Outline
(86) The book has a prologue (1:1-2) and an epilogue (14:3-15), and in
this it resembles the frame of the Book of Job. Between this framework,
1:3-3:17 explains the double situation of two Jewish families in the Assyrian
Captivity, introducing the plight of blind Tobit in Nineveh and abandoned
Sarah in Ecbatana of Media. To this corresponds toward the end of the
book the denouement in 13:1-14:2, Tobit's song of praise and the account
of his death. These episodes surround the heart of the story (4:1-12:22),
which recounts the activity of Tobit's son, Tobiah, who is sent to get ten
silver talents that Tobit had left deposited in Rages, a town in Media: it tells
how he sets out with the angel Raphael as a guide, disguised as a human
being named Azariah, and comes to Ecbatana, where he meets and marries
his kinswoman, Sarah, with whom he eventually returns (along with the
talents) to Nineveh to the cure of Tobit his father and the consolation of
Hannah his mother. Hence the book can be outlined thus:
(87) Outline:
I. Prologue (1:1-2)
II. The Double Situation in Nineveh and Ecbatana (1:3-3:17)
A. Tobit's Background (1:3-22)
B. Tobit's Troubles and Prayer (2:1-3:6)
C. Sarah's Troubles and Prayer (3:7-15)
D. God's Commission of Raphael to Go to Their Aid (3:16-17)
III. Tobiah's Journey (4:1-12:22)
A. Preparation for the Journey and Tobit's Speech (4:1-21)
B. Raphael Engaged to Accompany Tobiah to Media (5:1-6:1)
C. Tobiah's Journey to Media (6:2-18)
D. Tobiah Arrives at Raguel's House and Marries Sarah (7:1-17)
E. Sarah Is Cured of the Demon (8:1-21)
F. Raphael Is Sent to Get Tobit's Money (9:1-6)
G. Tobiah Prepares to Return to Nineveh (10:1-13)
H. Homecoming of Tobiah and Cure of Tobit's Eyes (11:1-19)
I. Revelation of Raphael's Identity (12:1-22)
IV. Tobit's Song of Praise and His Death (13:1-14:2)
V. Epilogue (14:3-15)
X . General Bibliography
Editions
Aramaic and Hebrew

Beyer, K., Die aramäischen Texte vom Toten Meer samt den Inschriften aus
Palästina, dem Testament Levis aus der Kairoer Genisa, der Fastenrolle und den
alten talmudischen Zitaten (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1984) 2 9 8 -
300; Ergänzungsband (1994) 134-47.
Fagius, P., "'WDIta ρ "aita Ή31: Tobias hebraice cum versione latina," (Constan-
tinople, 1517, repr. Jena, 1542; Venice, 1544; in Β. Walton, Polyglott [see
below], 4 [1657] 35-63).
Fitzmyer, J. Α., "Tobit," Qumran Cave 4: XIV. Parabiblical Texts, Part 2 (DJD 19;
ed. M. Broshi et al.; Oxford: Clarendon, 1995) 1-76 (+ pis. I-X). Editio
princeps of 4Q196 (4QpapTob a ar), 4Q197 (4QTob b ar), 4Q198 (4QTob c ar),
4Q199 (4QTob d ar), 4Q200 (4QTob e ). 196
García Martínez, F. and E. J. C. Tigchelaar, The Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition
(2 vols.; Leiden: Brill; Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997, 1998), 1.382-98.
196 Photographs of the fragments of 4Q196-4Q200 can also be found in FEDSS:

For 4Q196, see FEDSS: §1230-1234 (= PAM 43.175-179*)
§711-716 (= PAM 42.210-215)
§367-369 (= PAM 646-648)
(also §63, 89-91, 516, 630, 635)
§717-718 (= PAM 42.216-17*)
(also §42, 84-85, 261, 492)
For 4Q198, see FEDSS: §1237 (= PAM 43.182*)
§770 (= PAM 42.325)
(also §356, 511)
For 4Q199, see FEDSS: §1237 (= PAM 43.192*)
§770 (= PAM 42.325)
(also §525)
§719 (= PAM 42.218)
§769 (= PAM 42.324)
(also §265, 381)
PAM 40.602, 40.610, 40.624 are not in FEDSS::.
* denotes photographs used in the editio princeps
60 Introduction
Gaster, M., "Two Unknown Hebrew Versions of the Tobit Legend," PSBA 18
(1896) 208-22, 259-71; 19 (1897) 27-38; repr. in Studies and Texts in Folk-
lore, Magic, Mediaeval Romance, Hebrew Apocrypha, and Samaritan Archae-
ology ... (3 vols.; London, 1928; repr. with prolegomenon by T. Gaster; New
York: Ktav, 1971), 1. 1-38; 3.1-11, 11-14.
Münster, S., '"'Dita Ί20: Historia Tobiae iuxta hebraismum versa," (Constantinople,
1516; repr. Basel, 1542); in Β. Walton, Polyglott [see below], 4. 35-63.
Neubauer, Α., The Book of Tobit: A Chaldee Text from a Unique Ms. in the
Bodleian Library, with Other Rabbinical Texts, English Translations and the
Itala (Oxford: Clarendon, 1878).
Wacholder, Β. Ζ. and M. G. Abegg, A Preliminary Edition of the Unpublished
Dead Sea Scrolls: The Hebrew and Aramaic Texts from Cave Four, Fascicle 3
(Washington, DC: Biblical Archaeology Society, 1995) 1-5 (4Q200 Tobit).
Walton, B., SS. Biblia Polyglotta complectentia textus originales hebraicos cum
Pentat. Samarit.: Chaldaicos graecos versionumque antiquarum samarit. graec.
sept, chaldaic., syriacae, lat. vulg. arabicae, aethiopicae, persicae (6 vols.; Lon-
don: Roycroft, 1653-1657), 4. 35-63.
Translations
Greek:
Brooke, Α. Ε., Ν. McLean, and Η. St J. Thackeray, The Old Testament in Greek
(3 vols.; Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1906-40) 3/1 (1940) 85-144
(Codex B, 85-110; Codex S, 111-22; VL, 123-44).
Grenfell, B. P. and A. S. Hunt, The Oxyrhynchus Papyri (London: Egypt Explo-
ration Fund), 8 (1911) 6 - 9 §1076; 13 (1919) 1-6 §1594.
Hanhart, R., Tobit (Septuaginta: Vetus Testamentum graecum 8/5; Göttingen:
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1983). Modern critical text.197
Rahlfs, Α., Septuaginta: Id est Vetus Testamentum graece iuxta LXX interpretes (2
vols.; 8th ed.; Stuttgart: Württembergische Bibelanstalt, 1935; repr. 1965; re-
duced form, two vols, in one, 1979), 1. 1002-39.
Swete, Η. B., The Old Testament in Greek according to the Septuagint (2 vols.; 3d
ed.; Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University, 1907), 2.815—48 (upper text is B,
lower is S), 877 (appendix).
Tischendorf, C. von, Bibliorum Codex Sinaiticus Petropolitanus (3 vols.; St. Peters-
burg: no publisher, 1862), 2. 2-8.
—, Codex Friderico-Augustanus sive fragmenta Veteris Testamenti e codice graeco
... (Leipzig: C. F. Koehler, 1846) 19-20.
197 See the reviews by J. A. Lee, JBL 105 (1986) 324-25; J. Schreiner, BZ 31 (1987)
129-30; I. Willi-Plein, TLZ 112 (1987) 800-802.
General Bibliography 61
Latin:
Auwers, J.-M., Tobit. Forthcoming critical text.
Benedictines of Abbazia S. Girolamo, Biblia Sacra iuxta latinam vulgatam verstörtem
ad codicum fidem ... edita (17 vols.; Rome: Vatican Polyglott Press, 1926-87),
8 (Libri Ezrae, Tobiae, Iudith ..., 1950) 163-209. Critical text.
Bianchini, G., Vindiciae cartonicarum Scripturarum Vulgatae latinae editionis ...
(Rome: Mainard, 1740) cccxlvii-ccclix.
Sabatier, P., Bibliorum sacrorum latinae versiones antiquae, seu Vetus Italica ...
(Rheims: Reginald Florentain, 1743; 2d ed., Paris: F. Didot, 1751; repr.: Additur
index codicum manuscriptorum quibus P. Sabatier usus est (ed. B. Fischer; 3
vols.; Turnhout: Brepols, 1976), 1. 7 0 6 ^ 3 .
Vattioni, F., "Tobia nello Speculum e nella prima Bibbia di Alcalá," Aug 15 (1975)
169-200.
— , " L a Vetus Latina di Tobia nella Bibbia di Roda," RCT 3 (1978) 173-201.
Weber, R. (ed.), Biblia Sacra iuxta Vulgatam versionem (2 vols.; Stuttgart: Würt-
tembergische Bibelanstalt, 1969), 1. 676-90.
Syriac:
Lagarde, P. A. de, Libri Veteris Testamenti apocryphi syriace (Leipzig: Brockhaus;
London: Williams & Norgate, 1861) xii-xiii, 74-88.
Lebram, J. C. H., Tobit (Vetus Testamentum syriace 4/6; ed. Peshitta Institute;
Leiden: Brill, 1972). (Also in Sample Edition [Leiden: Brill, 1966].) Critical text.
Ethiopie:
Dillmann, Α., Veteris Testamenti aethiopici tomus quintus, quo continentur libri
apocryphi ... Tobith ... (Berlin: Asher et Socii, 1894) 11-27.
English:
Abegg, M., Jr. et al., The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible
Translated for the First Time into English (San Francisco, CA: HarperSan-
Francisco, 1999) 636-46. (Based on Qumran fragments only)
The Catholic Study Bible: The New American Bible (ed. D. Senior et al.; Oxford/
New York: Oxford University, 1990) 503-19. (Based on G11)
The Complete Parallel Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the
Apocryphal /Deutero canonical Books (Oxford/New York: Oxford University,
1993) 2120-51. (NRSV, REB, NAB, NJB).
The New English Bible with the Apocrypha: Oxford Study Edition (ed. S. Sandmel
et al.; Oxford/New York: Oxford University, 1976) AP53-AP66. (Based on G")
The New Jerusalem Bible (ed. H. Wansbrough; Garden City, NY: Doubleday,
1985) 625-40. (Based on G", but more eclectic than other English versions)
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books:
New Revised Standard Version (3d ed.; ed. M. D. Coogan; Oxford/New York:
Oxford University, 2001) AP11-AP31. (Based on G")
62 Introduction
The Revised English Bible with the Apocrypha (Oxford: Oxford University; Cam-
bridge: Cambridge University, 1989) AP42-53. (Based on G")
Simpson, D. C., "The Book of Tobit," A P O T , 1.174-241. (Based on G")
French:
La Bible de Jérusalem: La Sainte Bible traduite en français sous la direction de
l'Ecole Biblique de Jérusalem (Paris: Cerf, 1973) 537-49.
Crampon, Α., La Sainte Bible traduite en français sur les textes originaux, avec
introductions et notes et la Vulgate latine en regard (Tournai: Société de Saint
Jean l'Evangéliste, 1901), 3.86-119.
Guillaumont, Α., "Tobit," La Bible: Ancien Testament (Bibliothèque de la Pléiade
120, 139; 2 vols.; Paris: Gallimard, 1956, 1959), 2.1569-97.
Osty, E. and J. Trinquet, "Livre de Tobie," La Bible (Rencontre edition; Lausanne:
Editions Rencontre, 1970) 155-219.
Pautrel, R., Tobie (SBJ; 2d ed.; Paris: Cerf, 1957; 3d ed., 1968) 1 - 5 5 .
German:
Gross, H., Tobit, Judit (Neue Echter-Bibel, Altes Testament 19; Würzburg: Echter-
V., 1987) 5 - 5 4 (Einheitsübersetzung).
Lohr, M., "Das Buch Tobit," Die Apokryphen und Pseudepigraphen des Alten
Testaments (ed. E. Kautzsch; 2 vols.; Tübingen/Leipzig: Mohr [Siebeck], 1900;
repr. 1921; Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1962), 1.135-47.
Luther, M., "Das Buch Tobie," D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausga-
be, Deutsche Bibel 12 (Weimar: Böhlaus Nachfolger, 1961) 112-48.
Spanish:
Iglesias González, M. and L. Alonso Schökel, Rut, Tobias, Judit, Ester (Los Libros
Sagrados 8; Madrid: Cristiandad, 1973) 37-98.
Biblia de Jerusalén (Nueva edición; ed. J. A. Ubieta; Bilbao: Desclée de Brouwer,
1976) 531-45.
Commentaries
Patristic and Medieval

Ambrose of Milan (339-397), De Tobia (CSEL 3 2 / 2 ; ed. C. Schenkl; 1897) 5 1 7 -
73. See L. M. Zucker, S. Ambrosii De Tobia: Commentary, with an Introduc-
tion and Translation (Washington, DC: Dissertation, Catholic University of
America, 1933).
Bede, Venerable (673-735), "In librum beati patris Tobiae," Bedae Venerabilis
Opera: Pars II, Opera exegetica 2B (CCLat 119B [ed. D. Hurst; Turnhout:
Brepols, 1983] 1-19).
—, In librum beati patris Tobiae allegorica interpretatio (The Complete Works of
Venerable Bede; 12 vols.; ed. J. A. Giles; London: Whittaker and Co., 1844),
9.427^14.
—, Bede: On Tobit and on the Canticle of Habakkuk (ed. S. Connolly; Dublin/

Portland, OR: Four Courts, 1997) 39-63.
Fifteenth to Eighteenth Century

Anon., Tobie, Judith et Esther traduits en français, avec explication tirée des saints
Pères et des auteurs ecclésiastiques (Paris, 1688).
Calmet, Augustin (1672-1757), Les deux livres d'Esdras, Tobie, Judith, et Esther
(Commentaire littéral sur tous les livres de l'Ancien et du Nouveau Testament
8; 2d ed.; Paris: Emery, Saugrain, Martin, 1722) 195-329.
—, "In Tobiam prolegomenon," Scripturae Sacrae cursus completus ... (28 vols.;
ed. J. P. Migne; Paris: Barrière d'Enfer, 1839), 12.443-68; "In librum
Tobiae commentarium," 12. 469-632; "In daemonem Asmodaeum," 12.633-
48; "Variae quaestiunculae quae in libro Tobiae passim occurrunt," 12.649-
786.
Celada, D. de, Commentarius litteralis ac moralis in Tobiae historiam (Leyden,
1644).
Dereser, Thaddäus Anton (1757-1827), Tobias, Judith und Esther übersetzt und
erklärt (Frankfurt am M., 1803).
Drexel, Jeremias (1581-1638), Tobias (tr. J. Pichler; 3 vols, in one; Vienna:
Mechitaristen-Congregations-Buchhandlung, 1849).
—, Tobias morali doctrina illustratus (Munich, 1641; Antwerp: Vid. Ioann.
Cnobbari, 1652).
Drusius, Johannes (1550-1616), Critici sacri III: Annotata ad apocryphos (Frank-
furt am M., 1695).
—, Tobias graece (Frankfurt am M., 1591).
Fabricius, Johann Albert (1668-1736), Liber Tobiae, Judith (Frankfurt/Leipzig,
1691)13-50.
Giustiniani, Fabiano (1578-1627), Tobias explanationibus historicis et documentis
moralibus illustratus (Rome, 1621; Antwerp /Cologne, 1629).
Grotius, Hugo (1583-1645), Annotationes in Vetus Testamentum ... (3 vols, in
one; ed. J. L. Vogel; Halle a. d. Saale: J. J. Curt, 1775-76), 3.1-10.
Lapide, Cornelius a (1567-1637), "Commentarla in Tobiam," Commentarla in
Scripturam Sacram (20 vols.; ed. J. M. Peronne; Paris: Vivès, 1866), 4.265-312.
Mauden, D. van, Speculum aureum vitae moralis sive Tobias ad vivum delineatus,
explicatus et per selectiora moralia illustratus (Antwerp: J. Meurs, 1631).
Michaelis, Johann David (1717-1791), Uebersetzung der Apocryphen mit Anmer-
kungen für Ungelehrte (Göttingen/Gotha, 1783).
Oslander, Lucas (1534-1604), Scripta apocrypha, quae Lutherus in germanam
linguam transtulit, secundum veterem S. Vulgatae translationem ad graecum
exemplar emendata et brevi ac perspicua explicatione illustrata (Tübingen:
Gruppenbach, 1586).
Pellicanus, C., Commentarium in libros sacros ecclesiasticos ... in librum Tobiae (6
vols.; Zurich: Froschower, 1535), 5.1-33.
Sanctius, G., In libros Ruth, Esdrae, Nehemiae, Tobiae, Judith ... (Lyon, 1628).
64 Introduction
Serarius, Nikolaus (1558-1609), In sacros divinorutn libromm libros Tobiam,

Iudith, Esther, Machabaeos commentarius ... (2d ed.; Mainz: B. Lippius, 1610)
1-138.
Silvestre de Sacy, Antoine Isaac, Tobie, Judith et Esther traduits (Paris: G. Desprez,
1688).
Nineteenth to Twenty-first Century

Arnald, R. et al., A Critical Commentary and Paraphrase on the Old and New
Testament and the Apocrypha (6 vols.; ed. J. R. Pitman; London: Priestley,
1822), 4.610-42.
Arnaldich, L., Tobit (Biblia comentada 2; BAC 201; Madrid: Editorial Católica,
1963) 797-844.
Ball, C. J., Tobit (The Apocrypha Edited with Various Renderings and Readings...;
London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1892).
Bardi, G., Il libro di Tobia con note storiche e commenti (Milan: Calvi, 1936).
Belsheim, J., Liber Tobit, Liber Judit, Liber Ester: Tobias, Judits og Esters Boger
i gammellatinsk Oversaettelse efter et Haandskrift i det Kgl. Bibliothek i Mün-
chen ... (Trondheim: Interessentskabstrykeriet, 1893) 31-50.
Bettencourt, E., Tobias, Judite e Ester: Traduçào, introduçào e notas (A Santa
Biblia; Rio de Janeiro: Agir, 1955) 19-70.
Bissell, E. C., "The Book of Tobit," The Apocrypha of the Old Testament (New
York: Scribner's Sons, 1880) 110-56.
Bückers, H., Die Bücher Esdras, Nehemias, Tobias, Judith und Esther (Herders
Bibelkommentar: Die Heilige Schrift für das Leben erklärt 4/2; Freiburg im B.:
Herder, 1953) 179-247.
Cabezudo Melero, E., Historia episódica: Rut, Tobias, Judit y Ester (El mensaje del
Antiguo Testamento 10; Madrid: Atenas; Salamanca: Sigúeme, 1992) 43-100.
Carrières, L. de, "Tobie," Sainte Bible (15 vols.; Lyons: Rusand, 1834), 5.111-56.
Carter, A. G., The Book of Tobit (London: Mandrake, 1929).
Chieregatti, Α., Tobia: Lettura spirituale (Conversazioni bibliche; Bologna: EDB,
1993).
Clamer, Α., Tobie (La Sainte Bible [de Pirot-Clamer] 4; 4th ed.; Paris: Letouzey et
Ané, 1949) 385-480.
Craghan, J., Esther, Judith, Tobit, Jonah, Ruth (OTM 16; Wilmington, DE: Gla-
zier, 1982) 127-62.
Dancy, J. C., "Tobit," The Shorter Books of the Apocrypha (Cambridge Bible
Commentary on the NEB; Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University, 1972) 1-66.
Deselaers, P., Das Buch Tobit (Geistliche Schriftlesung 11; Düsseldorf: Patmos, 1990).
DeVine, C. F., "The Book of Tobias," CCHS, 393-402.
Drioux, C. J., "Tobie," La Sainte Bible (8 vols.; Paris: Berche et Tralin, 1872),
3.149-76.
Dumm, D., "Tobit, Judith, Esther," JBC, 1.620-32, esp. 620-24.
Estradé, M. M., Tobit (La Biblia: Versió dels textos originals i comentan pels
monjos de Montserrat 8; Montserrat: Monestir, 1960) 11-99.
Fillion, L.-Cl., "Le livre de Tobie," La Sainte Bible (8 vols.; Paris: Letouzey et Ané,
1890-1904), 3 (1891) 333-75.
Fritzsche, O. F., Die Bücher Tobi und Judith erklärt (Kurzgefasstes exegetisches
Handbuch zu den Apokryphen des Alten Testaments 2; Leipzig: Hirzel, 1853)
1-110.
—, Libri apocryphi Veteris Testamenti graece (Leipzig: Brockhaus, 1871) 108-65.
Fuller, J. M., "Tobit," The Holy Bible: Apocrypha (Speaker's Commentary; 2 vols.;
ed. H. Wace; London: John Murray, 1888), 1.149-240.
Galdos, R., Commentarius in librum Tobit (CSS 12/1; Paris: Lethielleux, 1930).
Giffin, P., "Tobit," NCCHS, 397-402 §336-46.
Gillet, Α., Tobie, Judith et Esther (La Sainte Bible ... avec commentaires 15-16;
Paris: Lethielleux, 1879) 1-66.
Gross, H., Tobit, Judit (Neue Echter-Bibel, Altes Testament 19; Würzburg: Echter-
V., 1987) 5-54.
Grzybek, S., Ksiçga Tobiasza: Wstçp-Przlad ζ Oryginalu Komentarz (Pismo Swiçte
Starego Testamentu 6 / 1 ; Poznán: Pallottinum, 1963) 1-156.
Gutberiet, C., Das Buch Tobias übersetzt und erklärt (Münster: Theissing, 1877).
Gutmann, M., "Das Buch Tobi: Einleitung und Übersetzung," Die Apokryphen des
Alten Testaments auf's Neue aus dem griechischen Texte übersetzt und durch
Einleitungen und Anmerkungen erläutert (Altona, 1811).
Hezel, W. F., Die Apokryphen Alten Testaments mit vollständig erklärenden An-
merkungen: Ein Anhang zum Bibelwerke (2 vols.; Lemgo: Meyer, 1862).
Lamparter, H., Die Apokryphen II: Weisheit Salomos, Tobias, Judith, Baruch
(Die Botschaft des Alten Testaments 2 5 / 1 - 2 ; Stuttgart: Calwer-V., 1972), 2 . 9 5 -
134.
Lohr, M., "Das Buch Tobit," Die Apokryphen und Pseudepigraphen des Alten
Testaments (ed. E. Kautzsch; 2 vols.; Tübingen/Leipzig: Mohr [Siebeck], 1900;
repr. 1921; Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1962), 1.135-47.
Miller, Α., Das Buch Tobias übersetzt und erklärt (Die Heilige Schrift des Alten
Testaments 4 / 3 ; Bonn: Hanstein, 1940) 1-116.
Montague, G. T., The Books of Ruth & Tobit with a Commentary (Pamphlet Bible
Series 20; New York: Paulist, 1973).
Moore, C. Α., Tobit: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (AB
40A; New York: Doubleday, 1996).
Nickelsburg, G. W. E., "Tobit," Harper's Bible Commentary (ed. J. L. Mays et al.;
San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row, 1988) 791-803.
Nowell, I., Jonah, Tobit, Judith (Collegeville Bible Commentary 25; Collegeville,
MN: Liturgical, 1986; repr. 1992) 832-43.
Nowell, I. et al., "Tobit, Judith, Esther," NJBC, 568-79, esp. 568-71.
Pautrel, R., Tobie (SBJ; 2d ed.; Paris: Cerf, 1957; 3d ed., 1968) 1-55.
Petersen, Ν. R., "Tobit," The Books of the Bible (2 vols.; ed. Β. W. Anderson; New
York: Scribner's Sons, 1989), 2. 35-42.
Poulssen, N., Tobit: Een Bijbels reisverhaal (Boxtel: Katholieke Bijbelstichting,
1969).
66 Introduction
—, Tobit uit de grondtekst vertaald en uitgelegd (De boeken van het Oude Testa-
ment 6/2; Roermond: Romen & Zonen, 1968).
Prado, J., Tobias: Introducción, versión y comentario teológico-popular (Biblia y
predicación 4; Madrid: Perpetuo Socorro, 1950).
Priero, G., II libro di Tobia: Testi e introduzioni: Studio filologico, critico-analitico,
esegetico (Como: Ostinelli di Cesare Nani, 1924).
—, Tobia (La Sacra Bibbia; Turin/Rome: Marietti, 1953; 2d ed., 1963).
Reusch, F. H., Das Buch Tobias übersetzt und erklärt (Freiburg im Β.: Herder,
1857).
Reuss, E., La Bible: Traduction nouvelle avec introductions et commentaires:
Ancien Testament, VI. partie (Paris: Sandoz et Fischbacher, 1874-81) 6 (1878)
581-608.
Richardson, H. Ν., "The Book of Tobit," The Interpreter's One-Volume Commen-
tary on the Bible (ed. C. M. Laymon; Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1971) 526-34.
Rotermund, Η.-M., Das Buch Tobias (Stuttgart: Privilegierte Württembergische
Bibelanstalt, 1960).
Schmid, Β., Das Buch Tobias dem katholischen Volke erklärt (Munich: Lentner,
1899).
Scholz, Α., Commentar zum Buche Tobias (Würzburg/Vienna: L. Wörl, 1889).
Schuller, E. M., "The Apocrypha," The Women's Bible Commentary (ed. C. Α.
Newsom and S. H. Ringe; Louisville, KY: John Knox, 1992) 235-43, esp. 2 3 9 -
40.
Schumpp, M. M., Das Buch Tobias übersetzt und erklärt (EHAT 11; Münster in
W.: Aschendorff, 1933).
Schweitzer, R., Tobie (La Bible et la vie 5; Paris: Ligel, 1966).
Sengelmann, H., Das Buch Tobit erklärt (Hamburg: Perthes-Besser & Mauke,
1857).
Sloyan, G. S., The Books of Ruth and Tobit (Old Testament Reading Guide;
Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1968) 21-51.
Stummer, F., Das Buch Tobit (Echter-Bibel 11; Würzburg: Echter-V., 1950) 3-35.
Thackeray, H. St. J., "Tobit," A New Commentary on the Holy Scripture Including
the Apocrypha: Part II, The Apocrypha (ed. C. Gore et al.; London: Macmillan,
1928) 42-58.
Vianna, Α., Tobias (Lisbon: Ferin, 1901).
Vilchez, J., Tobit (La Sagrada Escritura 3; BAC 287; Madrid: Editorial Católica,
1969) 69-124.
Virgulin, S., Tobia: Versione, introduzione, note (Rome: Edizioni Paoline, 1978).
Vuilleumier, R., Le livre de Tobit (Aubonne: Ed. du Moulin, 1992).
Zenger, H. et al., Judit und Tobit (ATD Apokryphen 3; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck
Sc Ruprecht, 200?) forthcoming.
Zimmermann, F., The Book of Tobit: An English Translation with Introduction
and Commentary (Jewish Apocryphal Literature; New York: Harper & Bros,
for Dropsie College, 1958).
Zöckler, O., Die Apokryphen des Alten Testaments nebst einem Anhang über die
Pseudepigraphenliteratur (Kurzgefasster Kommentar zu den Apokryphen 9;
Munich: Beck, 1891) 162-84.
Secondary Literature
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1554).
—, Storia di Tobia e sposizione della Salveregina: Testi di lingua, citati nel
vocabulario della Crusca, ora per le prima volta pubblicati (Livorno: Bodoniani,
1799) 3-47.
—, "Tobit, Book of," Encyclopaedia Britannica (Chicago, IL: Encyclopaedia
Britannica, 1964), 22.267-68.
—, Tobit: Le bonheur retrouvé (Kinshasa: Editions Saint Paul Afrique, 1984).
Abrahams, I., "Tobit and Genesis," JQR 5 (1892-93) 348-50.
—, "The Tobit Drama in the Sixteenth Century," Judaica: Festschrift zu Hermann
Cohens siebzigsten Geburtstage (Berlin: Cassirer, 1912) 25-30.
—, "Tobit's Dog," JQR 1 (1888-89) 288.
Aitken, K. T., "The Wooing of Rebekah: A Study in the Development of the
Tradition," JSOT 30 (1984) 3-23.
Alon, G., Jews, Judaism, and the Classical World: Studies in Jewish History in the
Times of the Second Temple and Talmud (Jerusalem: Magnes, 1977) 146-89.
Alonso Díaz, J., "Tobit curado de su ceguera (Tb 11,7-8)," CB 26 (1969) 67-72.
Altheim, F. and R. Stiehl, "Ahikar und Tobit," Die aramäische Sprache unter den
Achaimeniden II (Frankfurt am M.: Klostermann, 1960) 182-95.
André, L. E. T., Les apocryphes de l'Ancien Testament (Florence: Paggi, 1903)
170-89.
Andrews, H. T., An Introduction to the Apocryphal Books of the Old and New
Testament (5th ed. rev. C. F. Pfeiffer; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House,
1964) 37-39.
Arnaldich, L., "Tobit, Libro de," Enciclopedia de la Biblia (ed. A. Diez Macho et
al.; Barcelona: Garriga, 1963), 6.1038-41.
Arzt, P. and A. Hampel, "Tobits Lobgesang: Sprachlicher Schlüssel zu Tob 13,1-
14,1," Protokolle zur Bibel 4 (1995) 59-72.
Auneau, J., "Ecrits didactiques: Le Livre de Tobie," Les psaumes et les autres écrits
(Petite bibliothèque des sciences bibliques A. T. 5; Tournai: Desclée, 1990) 353-
66.
Auwers, J.-M., " T o b i e 2,12-18 (Vulgate) et la tradition latine d'interprétation du
livre de Tobie," L'esegesi dei Padri latini dalle origini a Gregorio Magno:
XXVIII incontro di studiosi dell'antichità cristiana Roma, 6-8 maggio 1999
(Studia Ephemeridis Augustinianum 68; Rome: Institutum Patristicum Augusti-
nianum, 2000) 77-82.
Ayuso Marazuela, T., "Los elementos extrabíblicos de los Paralipómenos, Esdras,
Tobias, Judith y Ester," EstBib 5 (1946) 5-40, esp. 27-29.
68 Introduction
Bamburger, Β. J., J. Gutman, and A. Marmorstein, "Angels and Angelology,"

Encyclopaedia Judaica (16 vols.; ed. C. Roth; New York: Macmillan; Jerusa-
lem: Keter, 1971), 2.956-77, esp. 956-66.
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1969).
Bauckham, R., "Anna of the Tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36-38)," RB 104 (1997) 161-
91, esp. 187-91 ("Additional Note: The Place of Origin of the Book of Tobit").
Beckwith, R., The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church and Its
Background in Early Judaism (London: SPCK; Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
1985) 55, 57, 96, 376, 388, 414-15, 422.
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Een bundel studies en bijdragen van vrienden en vereerders bij de zestigste
verjaardag van Prof. Dr. G. van der Leeuw (ed. W. J. Kooiman and J. M. van
Veen; Nijkerk: Callenbach, 1950) 19-29.
Benoit, P. (ed.), "Le travail d'édition des fragments manuscrits de Qumrân," RB 63
(1956) 49-67, esp. 60; "Editing the Manuscript Fragments from Qumran," BA
19 (1956) 75-96, esp. 88.
Benson, S., The Far-away Bride (New York: Press of the Readers Club, 1941).
—, Tobit Transplanted (London: Macmillan, 1931).
Bentzen, Α., Introduction to the Old Testament (2 vols, in one; 3d ed.; Copenha-
gen: Gad, 1957), 2.223-25.
Berger, S., "Notices sur quelques textes latins inédits de l'Ancien Testament,"
Notices et extraits des manuscrits de la Bibliothèque Nationale et autres
bibliothèques 3 4 / 2 (1895) 119-52, esp. 142.
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RHPR 71 (1991) 33-37.
—, "Le chevreau d'Anna: La signification de l'anecdotique dans le livre de Tobit,"
RHPR 68 (1988) 269-74.
Bévenot, H. G., "The Primitive Book of Tobit: An Essay in Textual Reconstruc-
tion," BSac 83 (1926) 55-84.
Bickell, G., "Der chaldäische Text des Buches Tobias," ZKT 2 (1878) 216-22.
—, "A Source of the Book of Tobit," The Athenaeum 3291 (1890) 700; 3300
(1891) 123.
— Review of C. Gutberiet, Das Buch Tobias, ZKT 2 (1878) 378-85.
—, Review of A. Neubauer, The Book of Tobit, ZKT 2 (1878) 764-68.
Blenkinsopp, J., "Biographical Patterns in Biblical Narrative," JSOT20 (1981) 2 7 -
46.
Böcher, O., Dämonenfurcht und Dämonenabwehr: Ein Beitrag zur Vorgeschichte
der christlichen Taufe ( Β WANT 5/10; Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 1970) 129,
152-60, 170, 181.
Bogaard, L. van den, "Tobit: Een man en een boek," Schrift 72 (1980) 202-23.
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des questions," RTL 19 (1988) 137-59, 276-314.
—, "Bulletin de la Bible latine," RevBén 85 (1975) [l]-[28], nos. 1-83; 87 (1977)
[29]—[64], nos. 8 4 - 1 8 1 ; 88 (1978) [65]-[92], nos. 1 8 2 - 2 4 8 ; 90 (1980) [93]-

[116], nos. 2 4 9 - 3 1 3 ; 91 (1981) [117]-[136], nos. 3 1 4 - 3 7 2 ; 93 (1983) [137]-
[164], nos. 373—444; 95(1985) [165]-[196], nos. 4 4 5 - 5 3 4 ; 96 (1986) [197]-
[220], nos. 5 3 5 - 6 0 1 ; 98 (1988) [221]-[252], nos. 6 0 2 - 7 0 1 ; 99 (1989)
[ 2 5 3 H 2 8 0 ] , nos. 7 0 2 - 7 7 4 ; 101 (1991) [281]-[308], nos. 7 7 5 - 8 6 1 .
—, "Fragments de la vieille version latine du livre de Tobie," RevBén 80 (1970)
166-69.
—, "Recensions de la vieille version latine de Judith," RevBén 86 (1976) 1 8 1 - 2 1 7 .
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Bow, Β. and G. W. E. Nickelsburg, "Patriarchy with a Twist: Men and Women in
Tobit," "Women like This": New Perspectives on Jewish Women in the Greco-
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Bretschneider, K. G., Systematische Darstellung der Dogmatik und Moral der
apocryphischen Schriften des Alten Testaments (Leipzig: S. L. Crusius, 1805).
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(1973) 1 - 5 4 .
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2 0 5 - 2 6 , esp. 2 0 5 - 6 .
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London: Duckworth, 1961) 3 3 - 3 9 .
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crítica del libro de Tobit," Sefarad 38 (1978) 5 3 - 6 9 .
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Antiguo Testamento 10; Madrid: Atenas; Salamanca: Sigúeme, 1992) 4 3 - 1 0 0 .
Cantera Ortiz de Urbina, J., "Paul Claudel y la Biblia: Comentarios en torno a su
obra teatral 'L'Histoire de Tobie et de Sara,'" Sefarad 46 (1986) 8 9 - 1 0 3 .
Carrières, L. de, "Tobie," Sainte Bible (15 vols.; Lyon: Rusand, 1834), 5 . 1 1 1 - 5 6 .
Casper, J., "Was lehrt uns Tobias, der Almosengeber?" BLit 10 (1935-36) 5 1 7 -
19.
Cavedo, R., "La speranza del povero in Tobia," Evangelizare pauperibus: Atti della
XXIV settimana biblica (Brescia: Paideia, 1978) 3 1 7 - 2 4 .
Cazelles, H., "Le personnage d'Achior dans le livre de Judith," RSR 39 (1951) 1 2 5 -
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Ceriani, A. M., Monumenta sacra et profana ex codicibus praesertim Bibliothecae
Ambrosianae (4 vols.; Milan: Bibliotheca Ambrosiana), 3 / 1 (1864) 2 1 0 - 2 3 .
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(SBLSCS 7; Missoula, MT: Scholars, 1981) 7 5 - 7 7 .
Chester, Α., "Citing the Old Testament," It Is Written: Scripture Citing Scripture:
Essays in Honour of Barnabas Lindars, SSF (ed. D. A. Carson and H. G. M.
Williamson; Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1988) 1 4 1 - 6 9 , esp. 1 5 4 - 5 7 .
70 Introduction
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Editions Lidis, 1982-85), 7 (1984) 15-47.
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—, The Story ofAhikar from the Aramaic, Syriac, Arabic, Armenian, Ethiopie, Old
Turkish, Greek and Slavonic Versions (London: Clay & Sons, 1898; 2d ed.;
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Cook, E. M., "Our Translated Tobit," Targumic and Cognate Studies: Essays in
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Corley, J., "Rediscovering Tobit," Scripture Bulletin 29 (1999) 22-31.
Comely, R., Histórica et critica introductio in U. T. libros sacros (3 vols.; CSS 1/
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Cosquin, E., "Encore THistoire du sage Ahikar,'" RB 8 (1899) 510-31.
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Couroyer, B., "Tobie, vii, 9: Problème de critique textuelle," RB 91 (1984) 3 5 1 -
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Cowley, Α., Aramaic Papyri of the Fifth Century B.C. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1923;
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Craven, T., '"From Where Will My Help Come?' Women and Prayer in the
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Honor of John T. Willis (JSOTSup 284; Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic,
1999) 95-109.
Curci, C. M., Le virtù domestiche ossia il libro di Tobia esposto in 18 lezioni ...
(Florence: Manuelli, 1877).
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Dahms, J. V., "The Johannine Use of Monogenes Reconsidered," NTS 29 (1983)
222-32.
Dalman, G., Grammatik des jüdisch-palästinischen Aramäisch ... Aramäische
Dialektproben (2d ed.; Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1905 and 1927; repr., Darmstadt:
Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1960 and 1981) 35-37.
Day, L., "Power, Otherness, and Gender in the Biblical Short Stories," HBT 20
(1998)109-27.
Degen, R., "Achikar," Enzyklopädie des Märchens (8 vols.; ed. K. Ranke; Berlin/
New York: de Gruyter, 1977-93), 1.53-59.
Delcor, M., "The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Hellenistic Period: Tobit,"
The Cambridge History of Judaism: Volume Two, The Hellenistic Age (2 vols.;
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1989) 409-503, esp. 472-77, 697.
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76 Introduction
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Ε. T. Bachman; Philadelphia, PA: Muhlenberg, 1960) 345-47.
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401-18.
McCullough, W. S., "Dog," IDB 1. 862.
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(1891) 44-57, 288-302; repr. as separatum, Rome, 1891.
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Zeit (Texte und Studien zum antiken Judentum 34; Tübingen: Mohr [Siebeck],
1992) 141, 144-45, 220-27.
Madamana, G., "The Spirituality of the Family of Tobit," Bible Bhashyam 17
(1991)161-80.
Maiworm, J., "Die drei Tobias-Nächte," BK 14 (1959) 20-23.
Manuzzi, G., Storia di Tobia e di Tobiolo e della cintola di M. V., che si conserva
in Prato (Florence: Stamperia all'Insegna di Dante, 1832).
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Marocco, G., "Il libro di Tobia," Il messagio della salvezza (5 vols.; Corso completo
di studi biblici; Turin-Leumann: Elle di Ci, 1966-70), 3.321-39.
—, "Tobia," La Bibbia: Parola di Dio scritta per noi (3 vols.; Turin: Marietti,
1980), 1.1157-89.
Marshall, J. T., "Asmodaeus," A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with Its Lan-
guage, Literature, and Contents (5 vols.; ed. J. Hastings; Edinburgh: Clark,
1898-1904; repr. New York: Scribner's Sons, 1903), 1.172-73.
—, "Tobit, Book of," A Dictionary of the Bible, 4.785-89.
Martyn, F., Homilies on the Book of Tobias ... (York, UK: Wilson and Sons, 1817;
Baltimore, MD: F. Lucas, 1831).
Marucci, C., "L'Estensione del canone biblico secondo M. Lutero," RivB 47 (1999)
3-59.
Mayer, G., "Die Funktion der Gebete in den alttestamentlichen Apokryphen,"
Festgabe für Karl Heinrich Rengstorf... (Theokratia 2; ed. W. Dietrich and H.
Schreckenberg; Leiden: Brill, 1973) 16-25.
Merk, Α., "Bibelfragmente aus den Oxyrhynchus-Papyri," ZKT 36 (1912) 167-80,
esp. 177-80.
Metzger, Β. M., An Introduction to the Apocrypha (Oxford/New York: Oxford
University, 1957) 3 1 ^ 1 .
Meyer, R., "Tobitbuch," RGG3 6 (1962) 907.
Michelini Tocci, F., La letteratura ebraica (Florence: Sansoni-Accademia, 1970) 97.
Milik, J. T., The Books of Enoch: Aramaic Fragments ofQumrân Cave 4 (Oxford:
Clarendon, 1976) 163, 186.
—, Dédicaces faites par des dieux (Palmyre, Hatra, Tyr) et des thiases sémitiques
à l'époque romaine (Institut français d'archéologie de Beyrouth, Bibliothèque
archéologique et historique 92; Paris: Geuthner, 1972) 149, 199, 210, 379,
384-85.
—, "Les modèles araméens du livre d'Esther dans la grotte 4 de Qumrân," RevQ
15 (1991-92) 321-406, esp. 327, 338, 340, 349, 351, 385-89.
80 Introduction
—, "La patrie de Tobie," RB 73 (1966) 522-30.

—, "Recherches sur la version grecque du livre des Jubilés," RB 78 (1971) 545-57.
—, Ten Years of Discovery in the Wilderness of Judaea (SBT 26; Naperville, IL:
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—, "Le travail d'édition des manuscrits du Désert de Juda," Volume du Congrès,
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Millard, Α., "Judith, Tobit, Ahiqar and History," New Heaven and New Earth:
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53-61.
Milne, P. J., "Folktales and Fairy Tales: An Evaluation of Two Proppian Analyses
of Biblical Narratives," JSOT 34 (1986) 35-60.
—, Vladimir Propp and the Study of Structure in Hebrew Biblical Narrative (Bible
and Literature Series 13; Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic, 1988) 1 2 6 , 1 4 1 - 4 4 ,
156, 168-69, 172, 175, 179.
Moor, F. de, "Le livre de Tobie et les premiers monarques sargonides d'Assyrie,"
Revue des questions historiques 57 [ns 13] (1895) 5 - 5 1 .
—, "Tobie et Akhiakar," Le Muséon ns 2 (1901) 445-89.
Moore, C. Α., "Scholarly Issues in the Book of Tobit before Qumran and After: An
Assessment," JSP 5 (1989) 65-81.
—, "Tobit, Book of," ABD, 6. 585-94.
Morgenstern, M., "Language and Literature in the Second Temple Period," JJS 48
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Moulton, J. H., "The Iranian Background of Tobit," ExpTim 11 (1899-1900)
257-60.
—, "The Magian Material of Tobit," Early Zoroastrianism ... (Hibbert Lectures
1912; 2d series; London: Williams and Norgate, 1913) 99, 3 3 2 ^ 0 .
Müller, J., Beiträge zur Erklärung und Kritik des Buches Tobit (BZAW 13; Glessen:
Töpelmann, 1908) 1 - 5 3 .
Nau, F., "Ahiqar et les papyrus d'Eléphantine," RB 9 (1912) 68-79, esp. 68.
—, Histoire et sagesse d'Ahikar l'Assyrien (Fils d'Anael, neveu de Tobie): Traduction
des versions syriaques ... (Paris: Letouzey et Ané, 1909).
Nestle, E., "Miscellen: 16. Eine vergessene Abhandlung über das Buch Tobias,"
ZAW 25 (1905) 222-23.
—, "The Story of Ahikar," ExpTim 10 (1898-99) 276-77.
—, " Z u m Buche Tobit," Septuagintastudien III (Stuttgart: Maulbronn, 1899) 2 2 -
35.
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10.
Neubauer, Α., Review of M. Rosenmann, Studien zum Buche Tobit (Berlin: Mayer
& Müller, 1894), JQR 7 (1895) 349-50.
New, D. S., "The Confusion of Taw with Waw-Nun in Reading lQIsa3 29:13,"
RevQ 15 (1991-92) 609-10.
Nickelsburg, G. W. E., Jewish Literature Between the Bible and the Mishnah: A
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—, "The Search for Tobit's Mixed Ancestry: A Historical and Hermeneutical
Odyssey," RevQ 17 (1996-97) 339-49.
—, "Tobit," Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period (CRINT 2/2; ed. Μ. E.
Stone; Assen: Van Gorcum; Philadelphia, PA: Fortress, 1984) 40-46.
—, "Tobit and Enoch: Distant Cousins with a Recognizable Resemblance," SBL
Nicolas, M., Des doctrines religieuses des Juifs pendant les deux siècles antérieurs
à l'ère chrétienne (Paris: M. Levy, 1860; 2d ed., 1867) 267-70.
Niditch, S. and R. Doran, "The Success Story of the Wise Courtier: A Formal
Approach," JBL 96 (1977) 179-93.
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Kirche (Marburger theologische Studien 18; Marburg: Elwert V., 1985) 13, 2 1 -
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Nöldeke, T., "Die Texte des Buches Tobit," Monatsberichte der königlichen
preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin (1879) 45-69.
Noth, M., Die israelitischen Personennamen im Rahmen der gemein-semitischen
Namengebung (BWANT 3/10; Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 1928; repr. Hildes-
heim: Olms, 1966) 18η, 19η, 110η, 153.
Nowell, I., "Aging in the Book of Tobit," ΤBT 37 (1999) 74-79.
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Dissertation, Catholic University of America, 1983).
—, "Irony in the Book of Tobit," T B T 33 (1995) 79-83.
—, "The Narrator in the Book of Tobit," SBL 1988 Seminar Papers (ed. D. J. Lull;
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—, "Tobit: Attitude toward the Nations," TBT 25 (1987) 283-88.
O'Carroll, J., "Tobias and Achikar," Dublin Review 185 (1929) 252-63.
Oeming, M., "Ethik in der Spätzeit des Alten Testaments am Beispiel von Hiob 31
und Tobit 4 , " Altes Testament: Forschung und Wirkung: Festschrift für Hen-
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Lang, 1994) 159-73.
Oesterley, W. Ο. E., The Books of the Apocrypha: Their Origin, Teaching and
Contents (London: Robert Scott, 1914; repr. 1916) 349-71.
—, An Introduction to the Books of the Apocrypha (London: SPCK, 1935) 161-
71.
Orlinsky, H. L., Essays in Biblical Culture and Bible Translation (New York: Ktav,
1974) 257-86.
Otzen, B., "Aramaeiske Tobitfragmenter fra Qumran," Forum for Bibelsk Eksegese
4 (1993) 193-205 (see JSJ 30 [1999] 220); repr. Tro og historie: Festskrift til
Niels Hyldahl ... (Forum for bibelsk Eksegese 7; ed. L. Fatum and M. Müller;
Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum, 1996) 193-205.
82 Introduction
Papayannopoulos, I. G., "Tobit's Blindness," Koroth 9 (1985) 181-87.

Pautrel, R. and M. Lefebvre, "Trois textes de Tobie sur Raphaël (Tob. V, 22; III,
16s; XII, 12-15)," RSR 39 (1951) 115-24.
Perrella, G. M. and L. Vagaggini, Guida allo studio dell'Antico Testamento (2
vols.; Padua: Editrice Gregoriana, 1965), 2.145-53.
Pfeiffer, R. H., History of New Testament Times: With an Introduction to the
Apocrypha (New York: Harper & Bros., 1949) 258-84.
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Nouveau Testament: L'exemple de Luc 16, 9," RevScRel 73 (1999) 177-83.
Pirot, L., "Ahikar," DBSup, 1.198-207.
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Plautz, W., "Die Form der Eheschliessung im Alten Testament," ZAW 76 (1964)
298-318.
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vols.; ed. J. H. Hayes; Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1999), 2.577-81.
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—, "La índole literaria del libro de Tobit," Sefarad 7 (1947) 373-94.
Prato, S., "Une particularité du livre de Tobie," La Tradition 3 (1889) 33-39.
Preiss, H., "Zum Buche Tobit," Z W T 28 (1885) 24-51.
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—, "Structure and History in the Study of the Fairy Tale," Semeia 10 (1978) 5 7 -
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das Septuagint-Unternehmen (Nachrichten von der königlichen Gesellschaft der
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de Gruyter, 1977-93), 1.880-82.
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—, "The Wide World of Tobit," Touchstone 1 2 / 2 (1999) 36-39,
Réau, L., Iconographie de l'art chrétien (3 vols in 6; Paris: Presses Universitaires de
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seum Inventory Numbers (SBLRBS 32; rev. M. J. Lundberg and M. B. Phelps;
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Reichardt, W., Die Briefe des Sextus Julius Africanus an Aristides und Orígenes
(TU 3 4 / 3 ; Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1909) 65.
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REJ 38 (1899) 1 - 1 3 .
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Formula," JBL 57 (1938) 289-303, esp. 295-97.
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Rosenmann, M., Studien zum Buche Tobit (Berlin: Mayer & Müller, 1894).
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(Leipzig: Schulze, 1885) 104-50.
Rosso, L., "Un'antica variante del libro di Tobit (Tob., VII, 9)," RSO 50 (1976)
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Lied, und Gottesspruch: Beiträge zur Septuaginta: Festschrift Josef Ziegler
(Forschung zur Bibel 1; ed. J. Schreiner; Würzburg: Echter-V., 1972) 109-19.
—, " Z u r Funktion der Achikar-Notizen im Buch Tobias," BZ 20 (1976) 232-37.
Russell, D., "Angels and Demons," The Method & Message of Jewish Apocalyptic,
200 BC-AD 100 (OTL; Philadelphia, PA: Westminster, 1964) 235-62.
Ruwet, J., "Les 'antilegomena' dans les oeuvres d'Origène," Bib 24 (1943) 18-58.
—, "Les apocryphes dans les oeuvres d'Origène," Bib 25 (1944) 143-66, 311-34.
Sachau, E., Aramäische Papyrus und Ostraka aus einer jüdischen Militär-Kolonie
zu Elephantine (2 vols.; Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1911), 1.147-84; 2.40-50.
Sartori, P., Die Speisung der Toten (Dortmund: no publisher, 1903).
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Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, n.d.) i-xiii, 1-26.
Saydon, P., "Some Mistranslations in the Codex Sinaiticus of the Book of Tobit,"
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Qumran," RSO 37 (1962) 199-209.
84 Introduction
Scharbert, J., "Unsere Sünden und die Sünden unserer Väter," BZ 2 (1958) 14-26.
Schiefner, Α., "Zu den dankbaren Todten," Orient und Occident 2 (1862) 174-76.
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—, "Ein chaldäischer Text des Buches Tobit," TLZ 3 (1878) 21-22.
—, Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes im Zeitalter Jesu Christi (3d ed.; Leipzig:
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—, "Jewish Literature Composed in Hebrew or Aramaic," The History of the
Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (3 vols, in 4; ed. G. Vermes et al.;
Edinburgh: Clark, 1973-87), 3 / 1 . 1 7 7 - 4 6 9 , esp. 222-32.
—, Review of A. Neubauer, The Book of Tobit, TLZ 3 (1878) 333-35.
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—, Beiträge zur Erklärung und Textkritik des Buches Tobias (Biblische Studien 19/
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Simpson, D. C., "The Chief Recensions of the Book of Tobit," JTS 14 (1912-13)
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Simrock, K., Der gute Gerhard und die dankbaren Todten: Ein Beitrag zur deut-
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—, "Zur Abfolge Maleachi—Jona in 4Q76 (4QXII 3 )," ZAW 108 (1996) 249-53.
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86 Introduction
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Thurén, J., "Raphael," Opuscula exegetica aboensia in honorem Rafael Gyllenberg
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University, 1945) 82-88.
—, "'Nineveh' in the Book of Tobit," JBL 41 (1922) 237-45.
Tournay, R., Review of Le Psautier de la Bible de Jérusalem (Paris: Cerf, 1961),
RB 69 (1962) 139-41, esp. 140.
Touzard, J., "Le développement de la doctrine de l'immortalité à propos d'un livre
récent," RB 7 (1898) 207^11, esp. 232.
Τον, E., The Dead Sea Scrolls on Microfiche: A Comprehensive Facsimile Edition
of the Texts from the Judean Desert (Leiden: Brill, 1993); also Companion
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—, "The Unpublished Qumran Texts from Caves 4 and 11," BA 55 (1992) 9 4 -
104.
Τον, E. and E. Ulrich, "Letter to the Editor (International Team: We Want to Work
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Treves, M., "Les dates des livres de Tobie et de Judith," Cahiers du Cercle Ernest
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88 Introduction
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COMMENTARY
TRANSLATION, GENERAL C O M M E N T S , AND NOTES
The first column of the translation presents an English version of G11

alongside of which there is a similar English version of G1 in the second
column. The translation of G n is based on MSS S and 319. The words or
phrases that are italicized represent what corresponds to the Aramaic or
Hebrew fragments of Tobit from Qumran. Those that are enclosed in
parentheses represent differences or additions found in the Qumran texts.
I. Prologue (1:1-2)
G": 1:1 This is the book of the story of G1: 1:1 This is the book of the story of
Tobit, son of Tobiel, son of Hananiel, Tobit, son of Tobiel, son of Hananiel,
son of Aduel, son of Gabael, son of son of Aduel, son of Gabael, of the
Raphael, son of Raguel, of the descend- descendants of Asiel, of the tribe of
ants of Asiel, of the tribe of Naphtali, Naphtali,
2 who in the days of Shalmaneser, king 2 who in the days of Shalmaneser, king
of the Assyrians, was taken captive from of the Assyrians, was taken captive from
Thisbe, which is south of Kedesh Naph- Thisbe, which is south of Kedesh Naph-
tali in Upper Galilee, above Hazor to- tali in Galilee, above Asher.
ward the west, north of Peor.
COMMENT
Since there is no main verb in vv. 1-2, these verses act as the title of the
book. The introductory verses identify the hero of the story, Tobit of
Thisbe, and tell of his deportation from his native place to Assyrian
captivity. These verses are thus the beginning of an account that purports
to be that written at the behest of the angel Raphael in 12:10. The account
tells of the life and conduct of Tobit, his fidelity to the Mosaic law and the
Jewish way of life, his misfortune in losing his possessions, becoming blind,
and having to suffer contumely even from his wife. It also tells of his
consequent reward sent by God through an angel, Raphael, who sees to his
being cured of his blindness and restored to a happy family life.
The ancient story-teller was guided by the famous dictum preserved in
Latin as Quis, quid, ubi, quibus auxiliis, cur, quomodo, quando, "Who,
what, where, by what means, why, how, and when?" Each of these elements
of the good story is eventually recounted. In the introductory verses, quis is
Tobit, whose ancestry is given to seven generations, and he is said to be a
Jew of the tribe of Naphtali. The ubi is explained in two ways: his origin is
Thisbe in Upper Galilee, but he is said to have been deported to Assyria as
a captive. The quomodo and quando are explained by "in the days of
Shalmaneser, king of the Assyrians," who carried off Jews of the northern
kingdom. The story still to be told will answer the quid, quibus auxiliis, and
cur.
92 Prologue ( 1 : 1 - 2 )
Tobit's seven ancestors in G" and five in G1 all bear theophoric names,
i.e. names formed with -el (^X), one of the names for God in the OT.
Normally, Palestinian Jewish male names in the exilic and postexilic period
made use of a different theophoric ending, -yah or -yahu, a way of writing
Yahweh (m¡T). The author of the Tobit story fits out Tobit with ancestors
who bear the more ancient form of names characteristic of preexilic days,
especially of the eighth-seventh centuries in northern Israel. In any case, the
'el elements serve to accentuate the theocentric thrust of the story to be
recounted, as Zimmermann has noted: they have been "devisedly chosen
for coloring the narration and to forecast the God-conscious nature of
Tobit." 1
NOTES
1:1. This is the book of the story of Tobit, son ofTobiel. Lit. "Book of the
words of Tobit." G1 and VL agree in wording with G": Liber sermonum
Thobi, filii Thobiel. Vg has nothing that corresponds.
The word λόγος is being used in the sense of "account," as in Acts 1:1;
Philo, Quod omnis probus liber sit 1.1 §445. The exact phrase, with a
slightly different meaning, is found in Luke 3:4 (έν βίβλω λόγων Ήσαϊου
του προφήτου).
The name of Tobit is given in G n as Τωβίθ, and in G1 as Τωβίτ, whence
the common English spelling. VL, however, has Thobi, which better reflects
the form of the name in the Qumran Aramaic and Hebrew texts, "Qlta
(4Q196 18:[12]; 4 Q 1 9 7 4 iii 5, 6; 4 Q 2 0 0 4:7; 6:1), which is also used in
the medieval Aramaic version. Vg normally employs Tobias for both the
father and the son, except for two instances: in 11:18, both Tobiae (genitive)
and Tobin (accusative) occur as the name of the father (Tobit); and in 14:1
Tobi occurs as the genitive of Tobit's name (with variants in different MSS:
Tobin, Thobis, Tobiae). In 13:1 one finds Tobias senior, making it clear
that Tobit, not Tobiah, is the author of the song of praise. In Vg 8:21 the
genitive of Tobiah's name is given as Tobis.
''Sita, " T o b i , " is a hypocoristicon or shortened name of either ITDltû, the
name of Tobit's son, or ''PKO'ltÛ, the name of Tobit's father. The former
means "Yahweh is my good," a name found also in Ezra 2:60; Neh 2:10,
19; 7:62; Zech 6:10, 14; cf. 2 Chr 17:8 (VTaitû), whereas the latter means
"God is my good," a male name not attested elsewhere.2 In either case, the
1 The Book of Tobit, 44.

2 See P.-E. Dion, " D e u x notes épigraphiques sur Tobit," Bib 5 6 ( 1 9 7 5 ) 4 1 6 - 1 9 , esp.
4 1 6 - 1 8 ("Les noms théophores en 'ël").
Prologue (1:1-2) 93
name describes what God does for both Tobit and Tobiah in this book. The
short "'Sita has turned up outside the Bible on Masada tags 400 and 409,
dating from about A.D. 70-73. 3
Furthermore, the name "Qlü is related to various historical persons who
bore the name Tobiah, the most famous of whom was an Ammonite
opponent of Nehemiah and his work in Jerusalem in the third quarter of
the fifth century B.C. (Neh 2:9-20). 4
The Greek forms Τωβίθ and Τωβίτ are anomalous, in that a t-sound has
been added to Töbi, allegedly to make the name indeclinable in Greek (so
Zimmermann, Moore). It is analogous to Έλισαβέθ, the Greek form for
in®''1'?Κ in L X X Exod 6:23. 5 Compare the same name given as Ελισάβετ
(Luke 1:5,7). There is also Ναζαρέθ/Ναζαρέτ (Matt 2:23; Luke 2:39), whereas
Luke 4:16 has Ναζαρά; as well as Π^ΊΓ! (Gen 2:11) with the L X X Έυιλάτ. 6
son of Hananiel. Hananiel appears again in 1:8, where he is said to be
Tobit's πατήρ, which must mean "ancestor" there. His name means "God
has shown me favor" (see Gen 33:11), but it is not found as a personal
name in the MT, where one rather finds ΓΡ33Π, "Yahweh has shown favor"
(Jer 28:1, 5; Ezra 10:28). The name of a Jerusalem tower is given in Jer
31:38; Zech 14:10; Neh 3:1 as Hananel, which becomes in the L X X
Άνανεήλ. is the form found in HL and HM. The name Hananiel is
found on the Calah (Nimrud) Ostracon 2 (from 7 2 5 - 6 7 5 B.C.).
3 See Y. Yadin and J. Naveh, Masada I: The Yigael Yadin Excavations 1963-1965,
Final Reports: The Aramaic and Hebrew Ostraca and Jar Inscriptions ... (Jerusalem:
Israel Exploration Society and Hebrew University, 1989) 21-22 (1110-1480/3;
12106-548/1 and 1084-2507/1).
4 See B. Mazar, "The Tobiads," IEJ 7 (1957) 137-45, 229-38; cf. T. C. Eskenazi,
"Tobiah," ABD, 6. 584-85.
5 The prima manus of MS A wrote Έλισαβέ, which is corrected in most of the other
MSS. If this were the only instance of the added -th, one might suspect that
dittography was involved, because in the LXX Έλισαβέθ is followed immediately by
θυγατέρα Άμιναδάβ, as in G1 one finds Τωβίτ του Τωβιήλ, which might explain
Τωβίτ in G1, but it does not explain Τωβίθ in G".
6 For earlier, often unconvincing, discussions of such names, see E. König, "Elisa-
beth," ExpTim 20 (1908-9) 185-86; L. Köhler, "Septuaginta-Eigennamen und ihre
Entartung," Festgabe Adolf Kaegi ... (Frauenfeld: Huber, 1919) 182-88, esp. 186;
J. K. Zenner, "Philologisches zum Namen 'Nazareth,'" ZKT 18 (1894) 7 4 4 ^ 7 .
There is an anomalous instance of an added -t in "Ι^ΟΠ ΓΠ nSQBUT, "Jehoshbath,
daughter of the king," in 2 Chr 22:11, whereas 2 Kgs 11:2 has "^ΟΠ m ΐηΖΜΓΡ,
"Jehosheba, daughter of the king" (pointed out to me by J. P. M. Walsh, S.J.). In
this instance, the Hebrew forms explain the difference in the LXX: Ίωσάβεε (2 Kgs),
but Ίοοσάβεθ (2 Chr); but note the form of the same name in Josephus, Ant. 9.7.1
§141: Ώσαβέθη.
94 Prologue (1:1-2)
son of Aduel. VL omits this phrase. The name Άδουήλ is attested

nowhere else, and its meaning is obscure. It has been thought to be related
to "Adiel" (Zimmermann, Moore), but that is ^tOtl? (1 Chr 4:36), which
turns up in the L X X as Έδιήλ and is hardly the same.
son of Gabael. The name Γαβαήλ, unattested elsewhere, further appears
as Γαβαήλος in 1:14; 4:1, 20; 5:6; 9:2, 5; 10:2, but then it is the name of
the person with whom Tobit has left a deposit of money, for which Tobit
will send his son Tobiah. The name might possibly mean "God has lifted
up." Syr reads Gabriel, a more usual name, but a likely translator's or
copyist's change. HM reads ^{033, and HL has Gabatiel.
son of Raphael. This phrase is omitted in VL, G1, and Vg. The name is
found also in 1 Chr 26:7 for the son of Shemaiah; it will be used later for
the angel who will accompany young Tobiah to Media. Here it is given as
an ancestor of Tobit. It means "God has healed." Cf. 1 Enoch 10:4; 20:3.
This name and the following one, being the same as two important
characters in the rest of the Tobit story and omitted in other ancient
versions of the book, have been considered secondary additions to the text
of G" by M. Lohr. 7 That would mean that in these two names G" does not
have the most original text.
son of Raguel. This phrase too is omitted in VL, G1, Vg, and Syriac. The
name will appear later for the father of Sarah (3:7), whom Tobiah will
marry. In that case, it is merely that of another kinsman of Tobit, whereas
it is used as the name of an angel in 1 Enoch 20:4; 23:4. In the L X X of Gen
36:4, 10, 13, 17 'Ραγουήλ translates Hebrew ^KlITI, or Re'û'ël, meaning
"friend of El (God)," and is the name of Moses' father-in-law (Exod 2:18;
Num 10:29). Cf. also Gen 36:4; Num 2:14; 1 Chr 1:35, 37.
of the descendants of Asiel. Lit. "of the seed of A." G1 agrees in wording
with G"; in VL one reads rather filii Asiel, "son of Asiel." The L X X lists
Άσιήλ (= Hebrew ^Κ^Π"1) among the sons of Naphtali in Gen 46:24; Num
26:48, but in 1 Chr 7:13 the name is given as Ίασιήλ. Of all the ancestors
of Tobit mentioned in this verse, Asiel is the only one mentioned as part
of the tribe of Naphtali in other books of the OT. In 1 Chr 4:35 the name
is rendered as Άσιήλ in the L X X .
of the tribe of Naphtali. VL and G1 agree with G"; Vg has: "of the tribe
and town of Naphtali."
Tobit's tribe is named after its eponymous ancestor, Naphtali, the
second son of Jacob born to Rachel's maidservant Bilhah (Gen 30:7-8;
35:25; 46:24; 49:21; 1 Chr 2:2). The name means "my wrestling," and a
folk etymology is given for it in Gen 30:8: "I have wrestled mightily with
7 See ZAW 20 (1900) 2 4 3 - 6 3 .

Prologue (1:1-2) 95
my sister, and I have won; so she named him Naphtali." He became the
eponymous hero of a tribe of Israel (Num 1:42^43; 10:27; 34:28; Josh
19:32-39; Judg 1:33; 4:6, 10; 5:18; Deut 33:23). The name is written in
both Greek texts Νεφθαλείμ, as in the New Testament (Matt 4:13, 15; Rev
7:6; Luke 4:31 [MS D]), with an anomalous final -m, whereas the LXX
usually has Νεφθαλί; but see the LXX of Isa 8:23, where a scribe perhaps
was influenced by Matt 4:13, 15, and Gen 49:21; Judg 4:6; Deut 33:23 in
some MSS. 8 In VL and Vg it is Nepthalim.
The tribe's territory lay to the W and N W of the Sea of Galilee (Sea of
Chinnereth) and bordered in the S on the tribe of Issachar and in the W on
the tribes of Zebulun and Asher. The O T gives no indication of its northern
boundary, but it must have been close to the Litani River; its eastern border
would have been the Jordan River, Lake Huleh, and the Sea of Galilee. It
was near Beth-Shemesh and Beth-anath (Judg 1:33). Sixteen of its fortified
cities are listed in Josh 19:35-38, the first six of which were in Lower
Galilee and the other ten in Upper Galilee. 9
2. who in the days of Shalmaneser, king of the Assyrians. Both Greek texts
give the name of the king as Ένεμεσσαρος, Enemessaros, a form that occurs
only here and in vv. 13, 15, 16. In the O T the name is given as "IDMö'W
(2 Kgs 17:3; 18:9), and otherwise in the LXX as Σαλ(α)μανασ(σ)άρ, both
being attempts to write Akkadian Sulmanu-asarid, "(the god) Sulman is
chief." 10 VL and Vg read Salmanassar.
Undoubtedly, Shalmaneser V (727-722 B.C.) is meant, but according to
2 Kgs 15:29 it was his father and predecessor on the Assyrian throne,
Tiglath-pileser III (745-727 B.C.), who conquered "Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead,
and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he deported the people to
Assyria," sometime about 732 B.C. After Tiglath-Pileser's death, Shalma-
neser inherited the dual monarchy of Assyria and Babylonia in 727 B.C.
and ruled for about five years (727-722). Hence, the author of the Book
of Tobit either has incorporated unwittingly misinformation or possibly
means that not all the people were sent to Assyria under Tiglath-pileser III
and that Tobit was deported later under Shalmaneser V. The latter
explanation is only a possibility, and the former is the more likely. Gross,
however, maintains that the crown prince Shalmaneser would have been
involved in the deportation, but offers no basis for that explanation. 11
8
See P. Katz, TLZ 61 (1936) 281.
9
Nineteen are mentioned in Josh 19:38; to the sixteen, three others listed in 19:33
(Adami-nekeb, Heleph, and Jabneel) most likely have to be added.
10
See W. Muss-Arnolt, "The Names of the Assyrian-Babylonian Months and Their
Regents," JBL 11 (1892) 7 2 - 9 4 , esp. 79 n. 22.
11
See Tobit Judit, 15.
96 Prologue ( 1 : 1 - 2 )
Shalmaneser's conquest of northern Israel is described in 2 Kgs 17:3-23,

and of Samaria in 2 Kgs 17:5-6 and 18:9-11, both of which tell of the
deportation of Israelites to Halah, Gozan on the Khabur River, and cities
of the Medes. Actually, Shalmaneser died in 722 B.C. and was succeeded
by the usurper Sargon II (722-705 B.C.), under whom the siege of Samaria
continued until 720 B.C. and who was responsible for the further
deportation of Israelites (2 Kgs 17:6). See the Annals of Sargon II, Year 1,
which reports that 27,290 inhabitants of Samaria were taken as booty.12
was taken captive from Thisbe. In both Greek texts Tobit's home-town
is given as Θισβή, which is not mentioned among the towns of Naphtali in
Josh 19:32-39. Milik identified it with Tûbâs, about 20 km NE of Nablus
on the ancient Roman road between Wadi Far'â and the village of Teyâsîr.13
This town is not to be confused with Elijah's town, Tishbe in Gilead (1 Kgs
17:1). VL has garbled the name of the town (Bihel, Bibel, Viel, Cibiel, Sibiel
in different MSS). Syriac reads tybs.
which is south of Kedesh Naphtali in Upper Galilee, above Hazor. Lit.
"which is from the right of Kedesh," for a person facing east, as in Ps
89:13. Both Kedesh (ΒΠρ) and Hazor (Ί12Π) are mentioned in Josh 19:36-
3 7.14 As located here, Thisbe would be a town between those two cities,
roughly west of Lake Huleh. The name of Kedesh Naphtali in Greek Tobit
is written as Κυδιώς της Νεφθαλίμ, whereas the LXX uses Κάδες or Κέδες,
depending on the MS.15
Greek Tobit names the second town Άσ(σ)ήρ, but the LXX otherwise
writes Άσώρ for Hazor. Syriac reads 'syr. Some English versions translate
Άσ(σ)ήρ as "Asher," a different place. VL translates: Cidisse civitatis
Nephtalim ... supra Naasson (Naasor, Nasor) posita. Vg has: Tobias ex
tribu et civitate Nepthalim quae est in superioribus Galileae supra Naasson,
i.e. it fails to give a specific name of Tobit's town, using Nepthalim for both
the tribe and the town; HM likewise omits the name of the town. Vg
follows VL in calling Hazor Naasson.
Kedesh Naphtali is known from Judg 4:6 as the home-town of Barak,
son of Abinoam, and from Josh 12:22; 19:37; 20:7 as a Canaanite town
12 See further Introduction § 4 0 b - c and A N E T , 2 8 4 - 8 5 ; cf. M . Cogan and H . Tadmor,

II Kings (AB 11; New York: Doubleday, 1 9 8 8 ) 1 9 9 - 2 0 0 ; K. L. Younger, Jr., "The
Fall of Samaria in Light of Recent Research," CBQ 61 ( 1 9 9 9 ) 4 6 1 - 8 2 . The Nimrud
Prism, D and E 31 gives the number of deportees as 2 7 , 2 8 0 (see C. J. Gadd, "The
Prism Inscriptions of Sargon," Iraq 16 [ 1 9 5 4 ] 1 7 9 - 8 2 ) .
13 J. T. Milik, " L a patrie de Tobie," RB 7 3 ( 1 9 6 6 ) 5 2 2 - 3 0 .
14 Kedesh is named in Josh 1 2 : 2 2 ; 2 0 : 7 .
15 It is also called "Kedesh in Galilee" (Josh 2 0 : 7 ; 1 M a c c 1 1 : 6 3 , 73). See the preliminary
archaeological report on "Tel Kedesh 1 9 9 7 - 1 9 9 9 , " IE] 5 0 ( 2 0 0 0 ) 1 1 8 - 2 3 .
Prologue (1:1-2) 97
conquered by Joshua. As a town in Israel, it was captured by Tiglath-pileser

III, and its inhabitants were deported to Assyria (2 Kgs 15:29). It is later
mentioned in 1 Macc 11:63, 73.
In the OT four cities are called Hazor, but the one meant here is the
fortified town in northern Galilee at the SW corner of the plain of Huleh
and 15 km Ν of the Sea of Galilee at Tell el-Qedah (see Josh 11:1, 10-13;
1 Kgs 9:15; 2 Kgs 15:29; 1 Macc 11:67). 16
toward the west, north of Phogor. Lit. "behind the setting of the sun,
from the left of Phogor." Cf. Gen 14:14 for north as left. This entire phrase
is missing in G1. VL: quae est ad occidentem solem ex sinistra parte
Raphaim, "which is toward the setting sun, to the left of Raphaim." The
last-named place is scarcely the Valley of Rephaim, WSW of Jerusalem. Vg
reads rather: "beyond the road that leads to the setting (sun), having the
town Sephet to the left." Sephet is perhaps to be identified with Sépat
(modern Safed in Upper Galilee), to the WSW of Hazor, known to Josephus
as Σέττφ {J.W. 2.20.6 §573). 17 Compare Deut 11:30 for the expression used
for the west.
The town Phogor is unknown and not mentioned in the MT. According
to Milik, it would rather be Tell el-Fâr'a.18 A mountain in Moab, called
Peor ("11173, Num 23:28), is translated as Φογώρ (LXX); that is scarcely the
place meant here in Tobit.
Bibliography
Bauckham, R., "Anna of the Tribe of Asher (Luke 2 : 3 6 - 3 8 ) , " RB 1 0 4 ( 1 9 9 7 ) 1 6 1 -

9 1 , esp. 1 8 7 - 9 1 ("Additional Note: The Place of Origin of the Book of Tobit").
Milik, J. T., " L a patrie de Tobie," RB 7 3 ( 1 9 6 6 ) 5 2 2 - 3 0 .
16 See Y. Yadin et al., Hazor: An Account of the Excavations, 1955-1958 (5 vols, in

4; Jerusalem: Magnes Press, Hebrew University 1 9 5 8 - 9 7 ) ; A. Ben-Tor, "Hazor,"
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East (5 vols.; ed. Ε. M.
Meyers; New York: Oxford University, 1997), 3 . 1 - 5 . The other three are mentioned
in Josh 1 5 : 2 3 - 2 5 (in the Negeb); Jer 4 9 : 2 8 - 3 3 (in the desert); and Neh 11:33 (in the
tribe of Benjamin). Cf. J. M. Hamilton, "Hazor," ABD, 3. 8 7 - 8 8 .
17 F.-M. Abel, Géographie de la Palestine (EBib; 2 vols.; Paris: Gabalda, 1933, 1938),
2. 4 5 6 .
18 For the representation of Ì3 or Semitic g by Greek y, see BDF §39.3.
II. The Double Situation in Nineveh and Ecbatana
(1:3-3:17)
A. Tobit's Background (1:3-22)
G": 3I, Tobit, walked the paths of fidel- G1: 3I, Tobit, walked the paths of fidel-
ity and righteousness all the days of my ity and righteousness all the days of my
life. I gave many alms to my relatives life. I gave many alms to my relatives
and those of my nation who went with and those of my nation who went with
me in captivity to Nineveh in the land me in captivity to Nineveh in the land
of the Assyrians. of the Assyrians.
4 4
While I was still young in my own While I was still young in my own
land of Israel, the entire tribe of my land of Israel, the entire tribe of my
ancestor Naphtali broke away from the ancestor Naphtali broke away from the
house of David, my ancestor, and from House of Jerusalem, the city chosen
Jerusalem, the city of all the tribes of from all the tribes of Israel, where they
Israel, where they might all offer sacri- might all offer sacrifice. The dwelling-
fice. In it God's dwelling-place, the Tem- place of the Most High, the Temple,
ple, had been built and consecrated for had been built and consecrated for all
all generations to come. generations to come.
5 5
A11 my relatives and the house of A11 the tribes that apostatized and
my ancestor Naphtali used to sacrifice the house of my ancestor Naphtali used
rather on all the mountains of Galilee, to sacrifice rather to Baal the heifer.
to the calf that Jeroboam, king of Israel,
had set up in Dan.
6 6
I was the only one to go frequently to I alone used to go frequently to Jeru-
Jerusalem on feast days, as was pre- salem on feast days, as was prescribed
scribed in a standing decree for all Is- in a standing decree for all Israel, taking
rael. Taking along the firstfruits of crops along with me the firstfruits and
and the firstlings of flocks, the tithes of the tithes of my produce, and the first
the cattle, and the first shearings of the shearings.
sheep, I used to run off to Jerusalem.
7 7
I gave them to the priests, the sons of I gave them to the priests, the sons of
Aaron, at the altar of sacrifice. To the Aaron, at the altar of sacrifice. To the
Levites ministering in Jerusalem I would Levites ministering in Jerusalem I would
give the tithes of wine, grain, olive oil, give the tithe of all my produce. The sec-
pomegranates, and other fruit. The second tithe I would sell, and I would go
ond tithe for the sixth years I saved as and dispense it in Jerusalem each year.
Tobit's Background (1:3-22) 99
money, and I would go and dispense it

in Jerusalem each of those years.
8 I gave it to the orphans, the widows, 8 The third tithe I gave to those to
and the proselytes who joined the chil- whom I had to, as Deborah, my father's
dren of Israel. When I brought and do- mother, instructed, for I was left an
nated it to them in the third year, we orphan by my father.
feasted on it, in keeping with the decree
set down about them in the law of
Moses and according to the instructions
given by Deborah, the mother of our
ancestor Hananiel, for my father had
died and left me an orphan.
'When I reached manhood, I married 'When I reached manhood, I married
a woman from our ancestral kindred Hannah, a woman from our ancestral
and had by her a son whom I named kindred, and by her I became the father
Tobiah. of Tobiah.
10 After deportation to the Assyrians, 10 When I was taken captive to Nine-
when I was taken captive and came to veh, everyone of my relatives and my
Nineveh, everyone of my relatives and people there used to eat the food of
my people there used to eat the food of Gentiles,
Gentiles,
11 but I kept myself from eating such 11 but I kept myself from eating it,
food.
12 Because I was duly mindful of my 19 12 because I was duly mindful of God.
God,
13 the Most High granted me favor and 13 The Most High granted me favor
good standing before Shalmaneser, and and good standing before Shalmaneser,
I used to buy for him all that he needed. and I became his purveyor.
14 I used to go to Media and would 14 I used to go to Media, and at Rages
buy for him until he died. I left sacks of in Media I left silver worth ten talents in
silver worth ten talents in trust with trust with Gabael, the brother of Gabri.
Gabael, the brother of Gabri, in the
land of Media.
15 When Shalmaneser died, his son 15When Shalmaneser died, his son
Sennacherib came to rule in his stead, Sennacherib came to rule in his stead,
and the roads to Media passed out of and the roads to Media became unsafe;
control; and I was no longer able to and I was no longer able to journey
journey there. there.
16 In the days of Shalmaneser, I gave 16In the days of Shalmaneser I gave
many alms to my relatives, to those of many alms to my relatives.

my people.
19 Hanhart adds "my."

100 The Double Situation in Nineveh and Ecbatana (1:3-3:17)
17 17
I shared my food with the hungry I shared my food with the hungry
and my clothing with the naked; and if and my clothing with the naked; and if
I saw the dead body of anyone of my I saw the dead body of anyone of my
nation tossed beyond the wall of Nine- people tossed beyond the wall of Nine-
veh, I would bury it. veh, I would bury it.
18 18
I also buried anyone whom Sen- If Sennacherib the king had put any-
nacherib had put to death after he came one to death after he came back in flight
back in flight from Judea in the days from Judea, I would steal and bury
when the King of Heaven passed judg- them, for in his anger he slew many
ment on him for all his blasphemies. In people. When the corpses were sought
his anger he slew many of the Israelites, by the king, they were not found.
but I would steal their bodies and bury
them; when Sennacherib looked for
them, he did not find them.
19 19
But one of the Ninevites went and But one of the Ninevites went and
informed the king about me, that I was informed the king about me, that I was
burying them; so I hid myself. When I burying them; and I hid myself. When I
learned that the king knew about me learned that I was being sought for ex-
and I was being sought for execution, I ecution, I became afraid and left.
became afraid and ran away.
20 20
All my property was confiscated, All my property was confiscated,
and nothing was left to me that did not and nothing was left to me except Han-
become part of royal holdings, except nah, my wife, and Tobiah, my son.
Hannah, my wife, and Tobiah, my son.
21 21
Forty days did not pass before two Fifty days did not pass before two of
of his sons killed Sennacherib, and they his sons killed Sennacherib, and they
fled to the mountains of Ararat. His son fled to the mountains of Ararat. His son
Esarhaddow came to reign after him, Esarhaddon came to reign instead of
and he appointed Ahiqar, the son of my him, and he appointed Ahiqar, the son
brother 'Anael, over all the credit ac- of my brother 'Anael, over all the credit
counts of his kingdom; he had control accounts of his kingdom and over all
of all the treasury accounts (of the king). the treasury accounts.
22 22
Then Ahiqar interceded on my fee- Then Ahiqar interceded on my be-
half, and I came back to Nineveh. For half, and I came back to Nineveh. For
Ahiqar had been the chief cup-bearer, Ahiqar had been the cup-bearer, keeper
keeper of the signet ring(s), comptrol- of the signet ring, comptroller, and treas-
ler, and treasury accountant under Sen- ury accountant; now Esarhaddon put
nacherib, the king of Assyria. Now him in charge as second to himself.
Esarhaddon put him in charge as sec- Ahiqar was my nephew.
ond to himself. Ahiqar was my nephew
and one of my kindred (and of my fam-
ily)•
COMMENT
Tobit tells of his past up to the time of the events and troubles which are
part of the story now to be recounted. It is narrated in the first person in
most of the ancient versions, apart from the Vg, where Jerome has presented
Tobit's background in the third person. The third person is used also in the
medieval Aramaic version of Neubauer and the medieval Hebrew of Mün-
ster. Since the story of Tobit is related to that of Ahiqar (1:21) and that
story also used the first person in its narrative, one sees that a literary
device is being employed by the author of this novel, who does not guarantee
what he recounts, but makes his chief character report it. It is thus a good
example of an ego-narrative, a literary form used in ancient romances. 20
This section falls into two parts: (a) 1:3-9, Tobit's background in Palestine,
as he recalls it; and (b) 1 : 1 0 - 2 2 , the immediate background of his life in
Assyrian captivity. At first, Tobit modestly recounts his fidelity to the Jewish
way of life in Palestine, despite what the rest of his tribe has been doing. He
mentions his pursuit of righteousness and his almsgiving, even before his
deportation to Nineveh. He went regularly to the Jerusalem Temple on stated
holy days and practised tithing. When he became an adult, he married
Hannah, a Jewish woman from his ancestral kindred and had a son by her,
whom he named Tobiah. Once taken into Assyrian captivity, Tobit remained
resolutely faithful to Judaism. He refused to eat the food of Gentiles,
continued to observe the customary dietary regulations, and persisted in
aiding his fellow Jews with alms. Eventually he won the confidence of the
Assyrian king Shalmaneser and became his purveyor or purchasing agent.
Once on a journey to Media, Tobit deposited ten silver talents in trust with
Gabael in the town of Rages. When Sennacherib became king of Assyria,
things changed: travel to Media was no longer safe; Israelite captives often
were slain and left to die unburied. So Tobit would get their bodies latently
and bury them. For this he was delated in time to the king, who confiscated
his belongings and sought to do away with him. So Tobit had to hide, until
two sons of Sennacherib assassinated the king. When Esarhaddon, a young
son of Sennacherib, became king in his stead, he made Ahiqar, a relative of
Tobit, second in command in the Assyrian empire; and Ahiqar then interceded
on behalf of Tobit, who was reinstated. So the reader learns about Tobit's life
up to the point where the further story is to take over.
20 See Β. E. Perry, The Ancient Romances: A Literary-Historical Account of Their

Origins (Sather Classical Lectures 37; Berkeley/Los Angeles, CA: University of
California, 1967) 3 2 5 - 2 7 . Note also the similarity with the Genesis Apocryphon of
Qumran Cave 1; cf. J. E. Miller, JSP 8 (1991) 5 3 - 6 1 .
Moore has done well to point out how this section of the Tobit story
introduces three characteristic features: "irony, the demands of true religion,
and the importance of the family."21 Irony is seen in Tobit's lot: though he
acted as a faithful Jew and did not follow the example of his fellow
Naphtalites, he was left an orphan (v. 9) and was deported to Assyrian
captivity (v. 3). Other ironies will follow in the story still to be narrated.
The demands of Jewish religion are set forth in vv. 3-8: worship only in
Jerusalem (vv. 4, 6), tithing (vv. 6-8), acts of charity for fellow Jews (vv.
3, 8). Further instances will occur as the story unfolds. The importance of
the family is seen in his concern for his "relatives" (v. 3), respect for his
great grandmother Deborah (v. 8), marriage to Hannah of ancestral kindred
(v. 9), and fathering of son Tobiah (v. 9). All these relationships will be
developed as the story progresses.
The tithing mentioned in vv. 6b-8 is not easily understood, partly
because the versions do not wholly agree, and partly because the mention
of tithing in the different versions reflect diverse passages of the Pentateuch,
which have come from different sources, historical periods, and changing
regulations. Analysis of details is also compounded by the information that
Josephus and the Mishnah supply about the regulations of tithing, which
reflect a still later understanding of the biblical regulations themselves.
NOTES
3. I, Tobit, walked the paths of fidelity and righteousness all the days of
my life. G1 and VL agree with G", but Vg curtails, using the third person:
"but taken into captivity he did not forsake the way of fidelity."
Two qualities of Tobit's life are άλήθεια and δικαιοσύνη, the former of
which is not so much "truth" as "faithfulness," as in LXX 1 Kgs 2:4; 3:6
(where it is joined with "righteousness"); cf. Neh 7:2. As will soon become
evident, Tobit's fidelity is seen in his clinging to a strictly Jewish way of life,
and above all in his loyalty to the God of Israel. His righteousness will be
clear in his good relations with others and his acts of charity, as mentioned
in 1:17. The description of Tobit's conduct makes use of OT phraseology:
for "paths of righteousness," see Prov 16:31; 17:23; Job 24:13; for "the
path of fidelity," see Wis 5:6; Ps 119:30.
I gave many alms to my relatives and those of my nation who went with
me in captivity to Nineveh in the land of the Assyrians. G1 agrees in
wording with G", and VL almost does: et eleemosynas feci multas fratribus
21
Tobit (AB), 111.
Tobit's Background ( 1 : 3 - 2 2 ) 103
meis et nationi meae et omnibus qui fuerunt mecum in captiuitate in terra

Assyriorum in Niniue. The alms that Tobit gave in abundance went to two
groups according to G", but to three groups according to VL: his relatives,
nation, and fellow captives, i.e. not only to fellow Jews in Palestine, but
also to those in captivity. Jerome's version, however, simplifies, making
them all one group: " s o that he would give all that he could get each day
to his fellow captive relatives who were of (his) nation."
A third quality of Tobit's life was ελεημοσύναι, " a l m s , " which is a mark
of his Jewish pietas. This is a very important theme in the Book of Tobit,
though not its leading topic. Ελεημοσύνη occurs in this writing more
frequently than in any other book in the L X X (1:6; 2 : 1 4 ; 4 : 7 , 8bis, 10, 11,
16; 7:7; 12:8bis, 9bis; 1 4 : 2 , 1 0 , 1 1 ) ; only Sirach comes close to it. Sometimes
the word has a wider meaning than merely "almsgiving," denoting
charitable acts of various sorts. The three qualities, fidelity, righteousness,
and almsgiving, will appear again in 14:9, as dying Tobit gives his parting
advice to his son and grandsons—thus creating a literary inclusio.
The first instance in this writing of άδελφός used in a broad sense is
found here. Sometimes it has the sense of "compatriot," as here, and in
1:10, 16; 2 : 2 , 3, 10; 4 : 1 2 , 13; 5 : 5 , 9; 10:6. Sometimes it means "kinsman,
relative," as in 3 : 1 5 ; 5:6, 13, 14; 6 : 1 8 ; 7:1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 11; 1 0 : 1 2 ; 14:4. It
thus designates someone in an imprecise, but close (often familial)
relationship, which differs from blood-brother or sibling. 22 But there are
also times when άδελφός is used in a generic sense by a speaker who does
not (yet) comprehend the relationship (e.g. 7:1, 3); see also the N O T E on
5:21.
Tobit says he was deported to Nineveh, which became the capital of
Assyria under Sennacherib ( 7 0 5 - 6 8 1 ) . It was situated on the east bank of
the upper Tigris River, at the modern mounds of Quyunjiq and Nebi
Yunus, which lie across the river from Mosul. This administrative center
of the Assyrian empire was later the scene of Jonah's preaching and is
described as "an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth"
(Jon 3:3); "that great city in which there are more than a hundred and
twenty thousand persons" (Jon 4 : 1 1 ) . Nineveh is mentioned as the
residential city of the Assyrian King Sennacherib in 2 Kgs 1 9 : 3 6 ; Isa 3 7 : 3 7 ;
this detail is confirmed by the Akkadian text of the Annals of Sennacherib,
Third Campaign 3 . 4 7 : "Nineveh, my lordly city." See also Gen 1 0 : 1 1 ;
2 3
Zeph 2 : 1 3 ; and the prophecy of Nahum ( 2 : 7 - 8 ; 3 : 1 - 1 9 ) . This important
22 See P. Grelot, RevQ 17 ( 1 9 9 6 - 9 7 ) 3 2 7 - 3 7 .

23 D. D. Luckenbill, ARAB, 2 . 1 2 1 ( § 2 4 0 ad finem); The Annals of Sennacherib (OIP
2; Chicago, IL: University of Chicago, 1 9 2 4 ) 3 3 ; cf. ANET, 288.
city's influence came to an end, when it fell to the attack of Medes and
Chaldeans in 612 B.C. (see N O T E on 14:15). 2 4
This notice in Tobit is the only one that reports captives from Israel
deported to Nineveh (see N O T E on 1:2 above, about Shalmaneser). Moore
thinks that Tobit was deported to Nineveh because that was the residence
of the wise man Ahiqar (see 1:21-22). Zimmermann, however, argues that
"Nineveh" is to be understood as a code-name for Antioch in Syria, the
capital of the Seleucid world from 3 1 2 - 9 5 B.C. The author of Tobit did not
want to "risk personal peril by openly disclosing his whereabouts." So he
concealed his deeds by recounting them as "taking place long before, under
the Assyrian empire in its now desolate capital of Nineveh." 25 Such an
interpretation raises more problems than it solves, because there is no real
reason why code-names should be used in such a writing as this, which
reflects no animus toward Gentiles such as is found in later writings as
Daniel, Esther, and Maccabees. 26
4. While I was still young in my own land of Israel. G" uses veos for
"young," whereas G1 has νεώτερος, "younger"; VL: inter omnes iunior, Vg:
"younger than all (others) in the tribe of Naphtali." Jerome adds: nihil
tamen puerile gessit in opere, "but he did nothing childish in (his) deed(s),"
an addition found in no other version.
the entire tribe of my ancestor Naphtali broke away from the house
of David, my ancestor. G1 omits "the house of David, my ancestor,"
and reads "house of Jerusalem" instead. VL omits the second "my
ancestor," which actually may be a dittograph of the first one. 27 Vg has
nothing that corresponds to this part of v. 4. Neubauer's Aramaic has
i m ΚΠΌ^ΟΙΙ m o , "rebelled against the kingdom of David."
The verse records the defection of the tribe of Naphtali from traditions
inherited from David, viz. the offering of sacrifices to Yahweh in Jerusalem.
See NOTE on 1:5 about the time and apostasy of Jeroboam; this creates
a problem, if one is to conclude that this defection took place, while Tobit
"was still young."
"House of David" is a phrase derived from the account about the schism
of Jeroboam I, who led the northern tribes into apostasy (1 Kgs 12:26; see
24 See R. C. Thompson and R. W. Hutchinson, A Century of Exploration at Nineveh

(London: Luzac & Co., 1929); A. Parrot, Ninive and the Old Testament (SBA 3;
London: SCM, 1955); H. A. Layard, Nineveh and Its Remains (rev. H. W. F. Saggs;
New York: Praeger, 1970).
26 See further Moore, Tobit (AB), 107.
27 So Zimmermann, The Book of Tobit, 46.
N O T E on v. 5 below). The phrase is also found extrabiblically in the Tel

Dan inscription, line 9, which thus attests the historicity of that dynasty.28
Cf. Luke 1:69.
and from Jerusalem, the city of all the tribes of Israel, where they might
all offer sacrifice. G1 reads, " . . . from the House of Jerusalem, the city
chosen ... . " VL: et ab Hierusalem ciuitate, quae est electa ex omnibus
tribubus Israel, ubi altare constitutum est omnibus tribubus Israel, quod
sanctificatum est in saecula, " . . . where the altar has been set up for all the
tribes of Israel, which has been made holy forever." Vg has nothing that
corresponds. MS S has no word corresponding to electa of VL or εκλεγείσης
of G1, which makes the meaning of the phrase της έκ πασών φυλών Ισραήλ
a bit obscure. VL and G1 speak of Jerusalem as "chosen," referring to a
status that the city would not have had in the eighth century, when Tobit
lived. That resulted rather from the centralization of the cult of Yahweh in
the reform of King Josiah ( 6 4 0 - 6 0 5 B.C.), who was remembered for this
in 2 Kgs 2 3 : 4 - 2 3 .
The wording of this part of the verse is influenced by L X X 1 Kgs 8:48d;
11:36c; 14:21d; but the idea of the worship of Yahweh in Jerusalem is
derived from the law of Moses itself, Deut 1 2 : 1 - 1 4 , esp. v. 11: "You shall
seek the place that the Lord, your God, chooses out of all your tribes to put
his name and make his dwelling; there you shall go and there you shall
bring your holocausts and sacrifices, your tithes and personal contributions,
your votive and freewill offerings." This place was in time determined as
"the city of David" (2 Sam 6:16), and eventually the temple in Jerusalem
that Solomon built (1 Kgs 6:12-13). Cf. 1 Kgs 5:5; 2 Kgs 23:23.
In it God's dwelling-place, the Temple, had been built and consecrated
for all generations to come. G reads "the dwelling place of the Most
1
High." VL has incorporated already part of this in the preceding sentence.

Vg has nothing that corresponds.
For the consecration of the Solomonic Temple, see 1 Kgs 8 : 6 3 - 6 4 ; 9:3;
2 Chr 7:9, 16.
5. All my relatives and the house of my ancestor Naphtali used to sacrifice
rather on all the mountains of Galilee, to the calf that Jeroboam, king of
Israel, had set up in Dan. VL has a slightly different word order; it also
speaks of uitulo aureo, "golden calf," and omnibus altissimis montibus,
"all the highest mountains." G1 curtails: "All the tribes that apostatized and
the house of my ancestor Naphtali used to sacrifice rather to Baal the
28 See A. Biran and J. Naveh, "An Aramaic Stele Fragment from Tel Dan," IEJ 43
(1993) 8 1 - 9 8 ; cf. IEJ 4 5 (1995) 1 - 1 8 .
106 The Double Situation in Nineveh and Ecbatana ( 1 : 3 - 3 : 1 7 )
heifer." Here the object of worship is τη Βάαλ τη δαμάλει, whereas in G"

the calf is μόσχω. Vg abridges: "Finally, when all were going to the golden
calves that Jeroboam, king of Israel, had made."
Tobit speaks of this defection of his tribe as if it took place in his youth.
Moreover, he reports in G n about his "relatives" (άδελφοί, VL fratres) as
well as "the house of Naphtali"; see NOTE on 1:3. Moore, however,
understands άδελφοί here to mean "countrymen," because Tobit is "indicting
all the tribes of the Northern Kingdom, including his own," 29 but he offers
no justification for such a translation. "All the tribes that apostatized" is
the basis of his interpretation, but that is the translation of G1, a deliberate
change from the text of G11 and VL.
The apostasy of Jeroboam I is recounted in 1 Kgs 12:19-20, 25-33: Lest
the people would turn to "the house of David," go to Jerusalem to offer
their sacrifices, and give their allegiance to Rehoboam, king of Judah,
Jeroboam, son of Nebat, king of Israel (the northern kingdom), made "two
calves of gold" and set them up, one in Bethel and one in Dan, and
persuaded the people to sacrifice there instead of in Jerusalem. The calf was
probably intended as a base for Yahweh's throne, but it soon came to be
an object of worship in itself. In reality, however, it was a political move
on Jeroboam's part to undercut the influence of Rehoboam. Jeroboam I
reigned in the northern kingdom of Israel from 930-910 B.C., roughly two
hundred years before the setting of the Tobit story and its context of the
Assyrian Captivity (732 and 721). That Tobit's relatives and the tribe of
Naphtali were still being misled two centuries later by Jeroboam's apostasy
is a peculiar anachronism.
G" and VL speak of Jeroboam's "calf" (singular) in Dan, whereas Vg
has "golden calves" with no mention of the place or places of worship.
Neubauer's Aramaic speaks of "calves" in "Bethel and Dan," as does also
HM. Strikingly, G1 calls the object of worship "Baal the heifer," omitting
all reference to Jeroboam. This looks as though the redactor of G1 was
aware of the historical difficulty that the other versions have not avoided.
The Greek phrase in G1 τη Βάαλ τή δαμάλει is strange, because Βάαλ was
the name of a Canaanite god, or Ba'al, and therefore should be
masculine, as Josephus attests (Ant. 9.6.6 §138: ó Βάαλ). It is preceded
here, however, by a feminine article. That may be owing to the following
word that stands in apposition, δάμαλις, "heifer, young cow," but it may
also be an instance of what one finds in Rom 11:4, where 1 Kgs 19:18 is
quoted, and in LXX 2 Kgs 21:3; Jer 2:8; 12:16; Hos 13:1. In these cases
τη Βάαλ is used, which reflects a Jewish custom of substituting the feminine
29
Tobit (AB), 1 0 7 (his italics).
noun αισχύνη (PEQ), "shameful thing," for the masculine name, Baal
(BAGD, 129). Pace Moore, this has nothing to do with hermaphroditic and
androgynous deities worshiped by the Greeks. 30 Zimmermann revived an
old suggestion, once made by Grätz, that " B a a l " was a corruption of
"Bethel," 3 1 but he gives no explanation of the syntactical problem that the
substitution of that name would create in the Greek text. The suggestion
is best forgotten.
on all the mountains. In time Jeroboam also encouraged the offering of
sacrifice on high places (1 Kgs 14:9). High places are mentioned as an
abomination in Hos 10:5, 8; Ezek 6 : 1 - 1 4 . Recall the role of high places in
the reform of Josiah (2 Kgs 2 3 : 5 , 8 - 9 ) .
6. I was the only one to go frequently to Jerusalem on feast days, as was

prescribed in a standing decree for all Israel. VL agrees with the wording
of G", and G1 does too, despite the use of two synonyms. Jerome's Vg reads
rather: "he alone used to flee the company of all (of them) and would go
to Jerusalem, to the temple of the Lord."
So Tobit records his faithful observance of what was prescribed in Exod
2 3 : 1 4 - 1 7 : "Three times a year you shall observe a feast for me: ...
unleavened bread ... harvest ... ingathering. Three times a year shall all
your males appear before the Lord God." Cf. Exod 3 4 : 2 2 - 2 3 ; Deut 16:16.
These became the feasts of Passover (Lev 2 3 : 5 - 6 ) , Weeks (or Pentecost, Lev
2 3 : 1 5 - 2 1 ) , and Booths (or Tabernacles, Lev 2 3 : 3 3 - 3 6 ) , feasts when the
males were not to appear before the Lord empty-handed. Tobit's words
hyperbolically stress the loneliness and isolation that he experienced in his
fidelity to such ancient regulations: κάγώ μονώτατος. See, however, 5:14,
where a correction of this statement is made in the story itself. The author
is clearly concerned about the centrality of the Jerusalem cult and the
exclusive priority of the Jerusalem Temple (Deut 1 2 : 1 - 2 8 ) , but that
centralization was not fully established in the eighth century (see N O T E on
1:4). The "standing decree" probably refers to Exod 2 3 : 1 4 - 1 7 ; cf. 3 4 : 2 2 .
Neubauer's Aramaic reads: ΠΪ30Ί K m i « ΊΏΌ2 mriDT Π03, "as it is written
in the book of the law of Moses."
Taking along the firstfruits of crops and the firstlings of flocks, the tithes
of the cattle, and the first shearings of the sheep, I used to run off to
Jerusalem. G1 considerably shortens the statement, using a participle έχων
that modifies the subject έγώ of the beginning of the verse: "taking along
with me the firstfruits and the tithes of my produce, and the first shearings."
30 Ibid., 108.
31 The Book of Tobit, 47. "Bethel" is the reading in the medieval Aramaic text and
HM.
VL corresponds largely to G11, but with the participle at the end: primitias
et decimas armentorum et pecorum et initia tonsurae pecorum meorum
haec habens mecum·, it omits the running off to Jerusalem. Vg curtails:
"faithfully offering all his firstlings and his tithes."
Four different Greek words are used: απαρχή, "firstfruit" (lit. "start
off"), πρωτογένημα, "first born," δεκάτη, "tithe" (lit. "tenth part"), and
πρωτοκουρά, "first shearing." In one way or another, they express the
initial produce of the harvest or herds considered suitable for offering to the
Lord as a blessing on the whole harvest in gratitude to God for its success.
Underlying the idea was the conviction that all such firsts belong to God.
Tobit was thus carrying out the regulations laid down in the Priestly
Document of Lev 27:30-32: "All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed
of the earth or the fruit of the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the
Lord. If someone wants to redeem any of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to
it. And all the tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass
under the herdsman's staff, shall be holy to the Lord." Cf. Num 18:21-32.
Although the Priestly Document of the Pentateuch comes mainly from
postexilic times, it sometimes preserved older material. The details about
the tithe of the land and of herds and flocks may well be part of such older
legislation in vogue in Tobit's day. Cf. Exod 22:29-30.
G" and VL link "firstfruits" closely with "tithes," as in Deut 26:2 and
10-12, treating the former as though they were a form of the latter.
7. I gave them to the priests, the sons of Aaron, at the altar of sacrifice. G1
agrees in wording with G"; VL has only: Dabam sacerdotibus filiis Aaron,
omitting the last phrase. Vg has nothing that corresponds.
"Priests, the sons of Aaron," denotes members of the priestly families
descended from Aaron via Zadok, to whom the Lord said, "You shall have
no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among
them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel"
(Num 18:20). They were to serve God in his sanctuary, eventually the
Temple of Jerusalem, especially in offering sacrifices, incense, and other
burnt offerings (Deut 33:10). They were also to instruct the people, seeking
God's guidance with the Urim and Thummim (Judg 18:5-6), and teaching
the Torah (Jer 18:18; Hag 2:11-13).
To the Levites ministering in Jerusalem I would give the tithes of wine,
grain, olive oil, pomegranates, and other fruit. Hanhart in his reading of
G" adds "figs" after pomegranates, which was inserted by a corrector of
MS S.32 VL basically agrees in wording with G", but adds at the beginning,
32 Hanhart, Tobit, 63.

et quod moris erat, "and as was the custom"; it too mentions "figs." G1
shortens: "the tithe of all my produce." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
The tithing of wine, grain, and oil are specified in Deut 14:23;
pomegranates and other fruit would fall under the regulation of Lev 27:30.
The Levites were often distinguished from the priests in ancient Israel as
subordinate Temple functionaries who were charged with the less important
tasks in the cult of Jerusalem. Whereas the priests were involved in sacrifices
proper to the Temple, the Levites often conducted other liturgical services
(see Num 18:1-32).
The Priestly Document of Num 1 8 : 2 1 - 2 8 specifies that all the tithes in
Israel are to go to the Levites in return for their service in the sanctuary,
and the Levites were then to give a tithe of what they received to the
Aaronid priests who served the Lord at the altar and within the veil of the
tent of meeting. This distinction seems to underlie the distribution of tithes
and gifts here in Tobit, some to priests and some to Levites.33 In the
excavations of Masada, Yadin found an ostracon inscribed with ΊΠ3 ΊΒϋΟ,
"priest's tithe," a phrase not otherwise attested in rabbinic literature, but
which he related to tërûmat hamma'âsër, the "tithe of the tithe," which was
to be given to the priest.34
The author of the Book of Tobit seems to be following the postexilic
interpretation of pentateuchal texts on tithing, according to which the
tithes were numbered: the firstlings and firstfruits went to the priests (Lev
2 7 : 2 6 - 2 7 , 3 0 - 3 2 ) and the first tithe to the Levites (Num 18:21-24); the
second tithe to the sacrificial banquet (Deut 14:22-23); and the third to the
poor, orphans, and widows (Deut 14:28-29).
The second tithe of the six years I saved as money, and I would go and
dispense it in Jerusalem each of those years. VL basically agrees with G"
but uses in loco sancto, "in the holy place," instead of "in Jerusalem." G1
omits "of the six years." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
"The second tithe of the six years" is a reference to the specification in
Deut 1 4 : 2 4 - 2 6 , which the author of the Book of Tobit joins to that of Deut
1 4 : 2 8 - 2 9 or Deut 2 6 : 1 2 - 1 5 . The regulations in Deuteronomy 14 are not
explicitly numbered, but the distinction of them gave rise in time to the way
tithing was counted and practised in postexilic times.
33 See further Η. H. Guthrie, Jr., "Tithe," IDB, 4. 6 5 4 - 5 5 ; H. Jagersma, "The Tithes

in the Old Testament," OTS 21 (1981) 1 1 6 - 2 8 ; J. C. Wilson, "Tithe," ABD, 6. 5 7 8 -
80; Y. Elman, " M M T Β 3 - 5 and Its Ritual Context," DSD 6 (1999) 1 4 8 - 4 6 (on
tithes to Levites).
34 See Y. Yadin and J. Naveh, Masada I, 3 2 - 3 3 (Mas 441 [1042-62]).
The Deuteronomic regulation on tithing introduced specifications that

were related to the centralization of the cult in Jerusalem (undoubtedly
connected with the reform of King Josiah in the late seventh century). There
we learn that the tithes were to be brought to Jerusalem and associated with
a sacrificial banquet (Deut 12:6-19; 14:22-23). A second specification was
the substitute tithe: "If the way [to Jerusalem] is too long for you, so that
you are not able to bring the tithe ... because the place is too far off, ...
then you shall turn it into money and bind the money in your hand and go
the place which the Lord your God chooses, and spend the money for what
you desire, oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite
craves and eat it there" (Deut 14:24-26). A third specification: "At the end
of every three years you shall bring all the tithe of your produce ... and lay
it up within your towns; and the Levite ... and resident alien, the orphan,
the widow who are within your towns shall come to eat and be filled . . . "
(Deut 2 6 : 1 2 - 1 5 ; cf. Deut 14:28-29). Whether this was a distinct use of the
usual tithe every three years or an additional tithe is debated by com-
mentators.
A still later form of the regulations for tithing can be found in Josephus,
who numbers them: Ant. 4.4.3 §68 (first tithe for the Levites and Aaronid
priests); 4.8.8 §205 (second tithe, the substitute of Deut 14:24-26); 4.8.22
§240 (third tithe, for the poor).
The "six years" are mentioned because there was no tithe in the
sabbatical or seventh year; see Lev 2 5 : 4 - 7 for Israel's understanding of the
sabbatical year.
8. I gave it to the orphans, the widows, and the proselytes who joined the
children of Israel. G1 has rather: "The third tithe I gave to those to whom
I had to." VL: tertii anni decimationem ferebam proselytis et orphanis et
uiduis, faciens omnia quae praecepta sunt in Israel, "I used to bring the
tithe of the third year to proselytes, orphans, and widows, doing everything
that was commanded in Israel." Vg: "so that in the third year he would
administer all the tithe to proselytes and resident aliens."
Deut 26:12 prescribes: "When you have finished paying all the tithes of
your produce in the third year, ..., and have given them to the Levite, the
alien, the orphan, and the widow, that they may eat their fill within the
gates of your community, you shall declare before the LORD ..., I have
given it to the Levite, the alien, the orphan, and the widow, in accordance
with all your commandment."
In this tithe Tobit includes the "proselytes," who are not mentioned in
the biblical prescriptions about such tithing, but he says nothing of the
levites or the resident aliens, except in Jerome's version, where proselytes
and resident aliens are named. Προσήλυτος, "one who has come over," is
a technical term for a "convert" to Judaism, one who has submitted to
circumcision and has decided to live by the Mosaic law, having been won
over by Jewish missionary efforts among pagans (cf. Matt 23:15; Acts 6:9;
Philo, De spec. leg. 1.9 $51; 1.57 §308). In a less technical sense it occurs
in the L X X as the translation of Hebrew Ί3, "resident alien" (Exod 12:48;
22:21; Ezek 14:7). Since the author adds "who joined the children of
Israel," the word is being used in the technical sense. The difference in
meaning, however, explains proselytis et advenís of the Vg.
When I brought and donated it to them in the third year, we feasted on
it, in keeping with the decree set down about them, in the law of Moses.
Whereas VL is almost a literal translation of G", G1 has nothing that
corresponds. Vg is quite different: "These and similar things in accordance
with God's law he observed as a mere boy."
See the Mosaic decree in Deut 14:28-29. Deut 14:23 speaks also of
eating some of the tithe of grain, wine, oil, and the firstlings of herd and
flock, so that one understands that Tobit himself would have shared in
what he was dispensing to others. The phrase "about them" probably
refers to the people among whom the tithe was to be distributed, but it
could also refer to the "tithes," which are expressed by αυτά, "them."
and according to the instructions given by Deborah, the mother of our
ancestor Hananiel, for my father had died and left me an orphan. G1 reads:
"as Deborah, my father's mother, instructed, for I was left an orphan by
my father." VL: et sicut praecepit Debbora, mater patris mei Thobihel,
matri meae et patri meo, qui orphanum me reliquit et mortuus est, "as
Deborah, the mother of my father Tobiel, instructed my mother and my
father, who died and left me an orphan." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
G" contains a notorious problem, if Άνανιήλ του πατρός ημών were to
be translated, "Hananiel, our father," that would contradict Tob 1:1. VL
here names Tobit's father as Tobiel, which may be original or possibly a
correction that agrees with 1:1. G1 solves the problem by making Deborah
Tobit's grandmother and omitting the father's name, as does HM. However,
πατήρ meaning more generically "ancestor" is found in other Greek writings
(Rom 9:10; Matt 23:30; Josephus, Ant. 14.10.22 §255). For sheer
speculation about how "Hananiel" got into the text of G", see Zimmer-
mann.35
Nothing more is known about Tobit's (great) grandmother except the
name she bears, Deborah, which is that of another famous woman, a
prophetess of the tribe of Naphtali mentioned in Judg 4:4-6. Deborah's

influence is singled out for inculcating in her family religious duties and
fidelity to the Mosaic law. This detail explains in part the background of
Tobit's own loyalty to ancestral traditions. Compare Prov 31:1; 2 Macc
7:1—41.
9. When I reached manhood, I married a woman from our ancestral
kindred and had by her a son whom I named Tobiah. Lit. "when I became
a man (άνήρ)." VL translates άνήρ as iuuenis and adds the woman's name
Anna, as does G1 ("Αννα), which MS S omits. G1 has only "by her I became
the father of Tobiah." Vg translates freely: "But when he became a man,
he took Hannah as a wife from his tribe and had a son by her, giving him
his own name."
Tobit's wife's name "Αννα, "Hannah," would be in Aramaic or Hebrew
Π3Π, meaning "graciousness." It is also the name of the mother of Samuel
in 1 Sam 1:2, and of Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (one
of the northern tribes).36
The name of Tobit's son is ΓΤΟΙΒ (4Q196 2:3, 10, 12; 4Q200 4:3, 6); in
Greek Τωβίας, in Latin Thobias or Tobias, derived from Greek. For its
meaning, see NOTE on 1:1.
Tobit's marriage to a woman εκ τοΰ σπέρματος της ττατριάς ημών, lit.
"from the seed of our family," again reveals his loyalty to ancestral
traditions, as he followed the endogamy or consanguineous marriage of the
patriarchs (Gen 24:7, 37-38; 28:1-9; 29:19), which in time was understood
as intratribal marriage (Num 36:3-9; Jdt 8:2). For fear of apostasy from
Judaism, OT writers formulated legislation against exogamy, especially
marriage with non-Jewish women (Exod 34:16; Deut 7:3-4; 1 Kgs 11:1-
8, and later Ezra 9:2-4, 12; 10:2-3, 10-11; Neh 10:28-30; 13:23-27).
Jerome's version adds a sentence that is not found in other versions:
"from (his) infancy she [Hannah] taught him to fear God and abstain from
all sin." 37 That may have been part of Jerome's Aramaic Vorlage, but more
likely a pious addition of his own.
10. After deportation to the Assyrians, when I was taken captive and came
to Nineveh. VL more or less agrees in wording with G"; G1 abbreviates:
"When I was taken captive to Nineveh." Vg paraphrases: "Then when he
came in captivity with his wife and son to the city of Nineveh with all his
tribe." See NOTES on 1:2 and 3 above. Neubauer's Aramaic adds to
Nineveh, ΚΓΟΊ Kmp, "the great city," as does also HM (Π^ΠΙΠ TS?H).
36
See R. Bauckham, "Anna of the Tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36-38)," RB 104 (1997)
161-91.
37
See Skemp, Vulgate of Tobit, 47.
Zimmermann thinks that the tautology in μετά τό αίχμαλωτισθήναι and

δτε ήχμαλωτίσθην has resulted from the confusion of two Hebrew verbs
and and so he translates, "After my exile to Assyria, and when I
was liberated." 38 That is hardly a likely solution, because it is not evident
that the original was in Hebrew, as he claims.
Everyone of my relatives and my people there used to eat the food of
Gentiles. Lit. "the breads of the nations." VL and G1 agree with G", but Vg
abridges: "and all were eating of the food of Gentiles."
Another example of Tobit's fidelity: he observes scrupulously the dietary
regulations. Unclean food, eaten by Gentiles, caused ritual impurity for
Jews (Ezek 4 : 1 3 - 1 4 ) . Lev 1 7 : 1 4 - 1 5 proscribed the eating of blood, of what
dies of itself, and of what has been torn by wild beasts; likewise forbidden
was food offered to pagan idols (Exod 34:15) and that from unclean
animals, fish, and birds (Lev 1 1 : 1 - 4 7 ; Deut 14:3-21). See further Lev 7 : 2 6 -
27; Hos 9 : 3 - 4 ; Jdt 10:5; 12:1-2; ]ub. 22:16; Acts 1 0 : 1 1 - 1 4 ; 15:20; 21:25.
11. but I kept myself from eating the food of Gentiles. Lit. "I kept my soul
from ... ." VL and G1 agree with G", but Vg has a fuller formulation: "he
guarded himself and never was contaminated by their food."
In keeping to the dietary regulations even in captivity, Tobit conducts
himself as did Daniel and his companions from the tribe of Judah at the
court the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 1:8-16), and as Judith
and Esther did (Jdt 12:1-3; Esth 14:17). Cf. Ezek 4:13; Hos 9:3. Such
abstention manifested Tobit's reverence for God and his loyalty to ancestral
Jewish traditions; it did not stem from any antagonism against Gentiles.
12. Because I was duly mindful of my God. Lit. "with all my spirit." This
clause is the first part of the sentence that follows in v. 13 in G", VL, and
Vg, whereas in G1 it gives the reason for the statement in v. 11.
Tobit's recollection of God's role in his life is in accord with the wisdom
of Qoh 12:1; Jer 51:50; Isa 64:4; Ezek 6:9; Ps 42:7.
13. the Most High granted me favor and good standing before Shalmaneser.
Lit. "favor and form." G1 agrees in wording with G", but VL renders: dedit
mihi Dominus summus gratiam penes Salmanassar, "the Lord Most High
granted me favor before Shalmaneser." Similarly Vg. Neubauer's Aramaic
reads: ΓΡ1? ΠΙΠΙ ΠΟ ÏV ΙΟΊ ΓΡΓϊ> ΌΟΙ, "and he appointed him master over
all that he had to the day of his death."
In v. 10 above Tobit says that he had been deported to Nineveh, and the
implication here is that Shalmaneser was then reigning in Nineveh,
38 The Book of Tobit, 5 0 - 5 1 . It is far from clear that the same confusion is found in
Ezek 11:15. See the criticism of Moore, Tobit (AB), 116.
understood as the capital of Assyria. However, some commentators think

that some confusion has entered the story, because Tiglath-pileser III,
Shalmaneser V, and Sargon II had their capitals rather at Calah. 39
Ό ύψιστος, "the Most High," is the Greek translation of Hebrew
which turns up in Aramaic as "p1?!? (Sefire I A 11). It was the name of a
Canaanite god and eventually became the epithet of El. 'El 'Elyôn was
adopted by early Hebrews as an epithet for Yahweh in the patriarchal cult of
Jerusalem (Gen 14:18-20; see also Deut 32:8-9; Num 24:16). In the form of
Aramaic ΐΟ^υ, it turns up in Dan 3:26; 5:18. Cf. Mark 5:7; Acts 7:48, where
it is even used as a substantive, "the Most High," as it occurs here.
God has granted Tobit favor because of his fidelity and loyalty, which
is in accord with the deuteronomic teaching of retribution (Deut 2 8 : 1 - 6 8 )
that the upright are rewarded and the wicked are punished. From this
comes Tobit's prosperity as well as the prominence he enjoyed in the
Assyrian court.
The pair χάριν καί μορφήν ενώπιον Ένεμεσσάρου finds a parallel in P.
Leid. D1·11 of 162 B.C.: χάριν, μορφήν προς τον βασιλέα (MM, 417). The
word μορφή denotes "outward form, appearance," and describes the way
that Tobit was seen and regarded by others, i.e. the image that he projected
or his recognized status at the royal court. Once again Tobit's statement is
similar to God's gift of learning, skill in letters, and wisdom given to Daniel
(Dan 1:17). Tobit became an important servant of a powerful Assyrian
ruler, just as Joseph had become under Potiphar and Pharaoh in Egypt (Gen
39:2-4, 21; 4 1 : 3 9 ^ 5 ) , Nehemiah under Artaxerxes in Persia (Neh 2:6-8),
Daniel under Nebuchadnezzar in Babylonia (Dan 1:17-21; 2:48—49), and
Mordecai under Ahasuerus in Persia (Esth 10:2). On Shalmaneser, see
NOTE on 1:2.
I used to buy for him all that he needed. Lit. "all according to his need."
VL renders the sentence almost exactly as G11, but G1 has simply, "I became
his purveyor." Vg has nothing that corresponds, but states instead: "and he
(Shalmaneser) gave him authority to go wherever he wanted, with freedom
to do whatever he wished; therefore he went about among all who were in
captivity and gave them salutary advice." 40 Whether all this was in Jerome's
Aramaic Vorlage is questionable.
14. 7 used to go to Media and would buy for him. VL renders the sentence
almost identically as G", using only a participle tens, "going." G1 begins the
verse with the same verb, but immediately passes to the next sentence. Vg
has nothing that corresponds.
39 See Deselaers, Das Buch Tobit: Studien, 64 n. 16.

40 See Skemp, Vulgate of Tobit, 51.
Μηδία was the ancient homeland of the Medes, SW of the Caspian Sea
and NE of the Zagros Mountains; it would correspond today to north-
western Iran. At the time of the Tobit story, Media was a part of the
Assyrian empire (from 750 on), and Israelites were deported by the Assyrians
to towns in Media (2 Kgs 17:6; 18:10-11). Later (about 670 B.C.) the
powerful Medes won their independence, and Media became a kingdom of
its own. In 612 B.C. Cyaxares, the warrior king of the Medes, captured
Nineveh, and that marked the end of the Assyrian empire. The Medes and
the Persians then dominated the area.
until he died. The VL has the same clause, but G1 and Vg have nothing
similar. This refers to the death of Shalmaneser V, who is mentioned in
v. 13.
I left sacks of silver worth ten talents in trust with Gabael, the brother
of Gabri, in the land of Media. Lit. "I deposited." VL: Et commendaui
Gabelo fratri meo filio [MS M: Raguaeli] Gabahel in Rages, ciuitate
regionis Medorum, decern talenta argenti, "and I entrusted to Gabael, my
kinsman, the son [of Raguel], in Rages, a city of the region of the Medes,
ten talents of silver." G1 curtails: "at Rages in Media I left silver worth ten
talents in trust with Gabael, the brother of Gabri." Vg is quite different:
"but when he came to Rages, a city of the Medes, and from that with which
he had been honored by the king he had ten talents of silver; and when he
saw Gabael, who was one of his tribe, in need along with a great number
of his people, he gave him the aforementioned amount of money for a
handwritten bond." G11 does not mention the city Rages, which other
versions do.
As a measure of weight, τάλαντον varied between 26 to 36 kg; as a unit
of money, it also varied from place to place, but it always represented a
comparatively high amount, depending on the metal. "Ten silver talents"
are mentioned in 2 Kgs 5:5, and the L X X of Esth 3:9 speaks of "ten
thousand silver talents." BAGD ([1979] 803) gave the value of the silver
talent of Aegina as "about $ 1 , 6 2 5 . " Whatever the amount, "ten silver
talents" would have been a considerable sum of money.
The money left in trust with Gabael becomes a major factor in the story
of Tobit. It is the reason why Tobiah goes off on a journey to Media, on
which he gets the entrails of the fish that will not only cure his father's
blindness but also dispel the demon that is afflicting Sarah, so that he can
marry her.
Gabael is the same name as one of Tobit's ancestors (see N O T E on 1:1).
This Gabael in Media is said to be the brother of Gabri in G" and G1, but
in VL he is said to be a kinsman of Tobit, to which is added filio, which
is strange, unless one follows MS M, which adds Raguaeli, "son of Raguel";

that addition might make the latter the same person as the father of Sarah
(3:7). In 4:20, however, Gabael is said to be "son of Gabri," whence the
added filio in VL may have come. "Gabri" is a shortened form of Gabriel,
meaning "God is my hero" or "my man of war."
Rages (or Rhaga), a city in ancient Media, is the modern mound called
Rey (sometimes spelled Ra'i) in present-day Iran, about 13 km SE of
Teheran; its altitude is 1,132 meters above sea level. Although it is not
mentioned here in G n , it is named in G1 and VL. Cf. Tob 4:1. In the RSV
of Jdt 1:15 it is called Ragae. See the NOTE on 5:6.
15. When Shalmaneser died, his son Sennacherib came to rule in his stead.
G1 agrees with G", and VL adds rex Assyriorum to Shalmaneser's name. Vg:
"But much later, after Shalmaneser died, when Sennacherib, his son, reigned
in his stead." That more or less agrees in wording with G", but then Vg
adds: "and the Israelites became detestable in his [Sennacherib's] sight."
The last detail in Vg is probably a reference to the failed attempt of
Sennacherib to take Jerusalem mentioned in 2 Kgs 19:35-36; Isa 37:36-37,
and to the king's subsequent reaction to Jews living in Nineveh, to which
they had been deported earlier.
As already mentioned (in NOTE on 1:2), Shalmaneser died in 722 B.C.,
having reigned from 727. He was succeeded by the usurper Sargon II (722-
705). Then Sennacherib, the son of Sargon, became king and ruled from
705-681 (see 2 Kgs 18:13-19:37). In making Sennacherib the son of
Shalmaneser, the author of the Book of Tobit has confused Shalmaneser
with Sargon. He obviously is not concerned about such historical minutia,
or the conflict between them. As Zimmermann notes, this confusion of the
royal succession is "one of the signs that our book cannot be con-
temporaneous with the events related." 41 More than likely the information
about the succession of Assyrian rulers is derived from 2 Kgs 17:1-6; 18:9-
13, where Sargon is not mentioned.
The name Sennacherib is written in Aramaic 4Q196 2:8 as ΙΡΊΠΊΟΚ,
which is anomalous. In the Elephantine Aramaic text of Ahiqar it appears
as THNmtS (line 3) or ΧΠΚΓΠΟ (lines 50, 51, 55); in the MT of 2 Kgs 19:16,
20, 36; Isa 36: 1; 37:17, 21, 37 as ΠΉΠίΟ. These are attempts to write the
Akkadian name Sin-ahhë-erib(a), "Sin has replaced the brothers." In 4Q196,
however, the scribe apparently started to write Esarhaddon and merely
continued with the second part of Sennacherib's name, without deleting or
changing the first part. The anomalous form 3ΉΓΠ0Κ finds an equally
41
The Book of Tobit, 50.
strange counterpart in the Elephantine text of Ahiqar, where the name of

Esarhaddon appears as 3ΉΚΓΠ0Κ.42 The Greek form of Sennacherib's name
in many MSS of Tobit and elsewhere in the L X X is Σενναχηρ(ε)ίμ, which
is close to the form in Aramaic and Hebrew, save for final bilabial. The
form in VL and Vg follows Greek Sennacherim, as does Syriac snhrym.
MS Β of Tobit, however, reads Άχηρείλ, another anomaly, which can be
explained as the result of scribal haplography: εβασίλευσεν (σεν)αχηρείμ.43
the roads to Media passed out of control; and I was no longer able to
journey there. Lit. "journey to Media." Whereas G n reads άπέστησαν,
"became withdrawn," G1 has ήκαταστάτησαν, "became unstable," i.e.
unsafe. VL: inconstantes erant et nemo poterai illuc ire postea, "were
unstable, and no one could go there subsequently." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
No reason is given why the roads were no longer safe, apart from the
implication that the Assyrians no longer controlled them. It seems to allude
to the trouble that Sennacherib had with Elam and Media. 44 Neubauer's
Aramaic adds: "in those days the tribute became great, and Tobit could not
go to the land of Media, for the travelling ceased by reason of the trouble."
16. In the days of Shalmaneser, I gave many alms to my relatives, to those

of my people. VL agrees in wording with G", but G1 omits the last phrase.
Vg: "Tobiah went about among all his kindred and consoled them and
distributed to each one as he was able from his own belongings." Neubauer's
Aramaic reads: ΧΗΠ30 "OTQ, "in the days of Sennacherib," an obvious
scribal correction, since Shalmaneser is said to have died in v. 15.
Tobit assigns to Shalmaneser's reign the acts of charity that he performed.
His generosity is extolled because he practised it even when it was dangerous
for him to do so in his status as a captive. The theme of almsgiving has been
important for the Book of Tobit (see NOTE on 1:3). In the present context
ελεημοσύνη has to be understood more broadly as "act of charity," as the
next sentence shows. 45
17. I shared my food with the hungry and my clothing with the naked. G1
and VL agree in wording with G"; Vg: "he nourished the hungry (and)
offered clothes to the naked."
42 See B. Porten and A. Yardeni, TADAE, 3. 2 4 - 2 5 .

43 So Simpson, A P O T , 1. 2 0 4 .
44 See J . Bright, A History of Israel (3d ed.; Philadelphia, PA: Westminster, 1 9 8 1 ) 2 8 4 -
88.
45 See further R. Heiligenthal, "Werke der Barmherzigkeit oder Almosen? Zur Bedeu-
tung von ελεημοσύνη," N o v T 2 5 ( 1 9 8 3 ) 2 8 9 - 3 0 1 .
Tobit is a model practitioner of corporal works of mercy. Compare Job

31:16-20; Isa 58:7; Ezek 18:5-9 for counsels about such works in the
Jewish tradition. Similar conduct is recommended in Akkadian Counsels of
Wisdom ii.12-16, composed before 700 B.C.: "Give food to eat, date wine
to drink; the one begging for alms honor and clothe. Over this his god
rejoices; this is pleasing unto the god Shamash. He rewards it with good.
Be helpful, do good." 46
if I saw the dead body of anyone of my nation tossed beyond the wall
of Nineveh, I would bury it. Lit. "I would bury him." G1 agrees in wording
with G"; VL: et qui proiecti erant post murum Nineue ex natione mea
mortui, sepeliebam tilos, "and as for the dead of my nation that were
thrown over the wall of Nineveh, I would bury them." Vg: "he solicitously
provided burial for the dead and the slain." Here one encounters the first
fragmentary Qumran Aramaic text; 4Q196 1 reads: [ ]ΓΠΓ3 Ή ΚΠΪ5[ ],
agreeing with G11 and other versions: "the wall of Nineveh."
The wall is mentioned because beyond it would have been the rubbish
heap, where the bodies of executed criminals were often tossed to become
carrion for birds of prey. Shalmaneser apparently did not forbid what
Sennacherib later did. The burial of fellow Jews is again a mark of Tobit's
fidelity to ancestral Jewish traditions; see further 1:18; 2:3-8; 4:3—4; 6:15;
14:10-13. His activity in burying the dead reflects the Jewish horror of
corpses left unburied, especially those of fellow Jews. Recall Abraham's
concern to bury Sarah properly (Genesis 23; cf. Gen 25:9; 49:31) and the
burial of the embalmed body of Joseph in Israel (Gen 50:26). In time,
family burial plots came into use, and still later secondary burials of the
bones of the dead in ossuaries, found in abundance in the environs of
Jerusalem from the last pre-Christian centuries. There was, above all, the
traditional concern for the proper burial of all the dead; the height of
disgrace was not to be buried (Deut 28:26; 1 Kgs 14:11; Qoh 6:3; Isa 14:20;
Jer 7:33; 22:18-19; cf. Ezek 29:5; 39:15). For the psalmist had sung,
"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his pious ones" (Ps
116:15). See the much later rabbinic tradition about met miswäh in b.
Megillah 3b.
18. J also buried anyone whom Sennacherib had put to death after he came
back in flight from Judea in the days when the King of Heaven passed
judgment on him for all his blasphemies. VL agrees in wording with G n but
adds rex to Sennacherib's name, and instead of "in the days when"
substitutes "because of the judicial act." G1 shortens: "If Sennacherib the
46 ANET, 426.
king had put anyone to death after he came back in flight from Judea, I
would steal and bury them." Vg paraphrases: "finally because king
Sennacherib had returned from Judea fleeing the plague that God had
prepared for him because of his blasphemy."
The author of the Book of Tobit elaborates on what Isa 37:36-38 and
2 Kgs 19:35-36 report as the departure and return of Sennacherib to
Nineveh from his failed attempt to take Jerusalem in 701 B.C. That attempt
constituted his "blasphemy," and divine judgment for it saw to the slaughter
of 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians by "the angel of the Lord,"
i.e. a plague in which they died (as Jerome's version interprets the angelic
intervention).
In his anger he slew many of the Israelites, but I would steal their bodies
and bury them; when Sennacherib looked for them, he did not find them.
VL agrees in wording with G", but G1 shortens: "in his anger he slew many
people. When the corpses were sought by the king, they were not found."
Vg: "and (because) in his anger he slew many of the Israelites, Tobias
buried their corpses."
Tobit refers to the wrath of Sennacherib against Jewish people resident
in Nineveh as a result of his humiliating retreat from Jerusalem. 2 Chr
32:21 tells how the Assyrian king "returned with shame of face to his own
land." Tobit's snatching of the corpses and burying them were against the
will of Sennacherib, who had had the corpses thrown over the wall like
those of executed criminals. This was, then, a case of lèse majesté on
Tobit's part, who was more mindful of such passages in the OT as Ps 79:3;
Deut 28:26; 1 Kgs 14:11; 21:24; Jer 7:33 that called by implication for the
compassionate burial of dead Jewish people. Josephus speaks of duties
imposed by Jewish law, among which he mentions άταφον μή περιοράν,
"not leaving (a corpse) unburied" (Ag.Ap. 2.29 §211). 47 For Sennacherib's
own boastful record of his cruelty, see the Annals of Ashurbanipal (Rassam
Cylinder).48
19. one of the Ninevites went and informed the king about me, that I was
burying them; so I hid myself. With G" agrees G1, and 4Q196 2:1 basically
does too, lacking only the equivalent of "went and": "ΊΠΠΊ mí"1] "Ώ ~1Π]
ΓΓΊΠΚ[1 i m 1]np Π3Κ •'[Ί ΐψ'ρα'λ VL has: et renuntiatum est illi quoniam
ego sepeliebam illos et quaerebat me occidere; ego autem fugi, "and it was
reported to him that I was burying them, and he sought to kill me, but I
fled." Vg: "but when it was reported to the king, he ordered him to be
killed."
47 Thackeray's footnote in LCL 1 refers to Deut 21:23; Tob 1:17ff.

48 ANET, 288.
"One of the Ninevites" refers to a loyal supporter of the Assyrian king,

who is now Sennacherib, not the one with whom Tobit had found favor
(1:13). The civil disobedience of Tobit is now reported.
The Aramaic text has a strange form, ΓΗΠΧ, "I hid," a variant spelling
of ΠΌΠΚ. For similar consonantal shifts, see 4QEng 1 iv 17 (tûlWpl = tültöpa);
4QpNah 3 - 4 ii 4 (ΟΓΓΙΠ = ΟΓΤΊ» [cf. MT Nah 3:3]).
When I learned that the king knew about me and I was being sought
for execution, I became afraid and ran away. Aramaic 4Q196 2:1-2:
npiIJl rfrrn ^[tapo1? nun ^l] Ό ITP [Ή] ΓΊΒΤ Ή3Ί, which undoubtedly has the
more original form of the second object clause, "and when I learned [that]
he knew about me and was seeking to kill (me), I feared and ran away,"
with which VL agrees (see above). The Greek of both Gn and G1 has ότι
ζητούμαι (του) άττοθανεΐυ, lit. "that I was being sought to kill," which is not
elegant, even if intelligible. Vg: "and he [the king] took from him all his
property; but Tobias fled with his son and his wife and without anything
hid himself." So Jerome has expressed the substance of this and the following
verse in his own words.
20. All my property was confiscated, and nothing was left to me that
did not become part of royal holdings, except Hannah, my wife, and
Tobiah, my son. What remains in Aramaic 4Q196 2:2-3 agrees with G":
n n rraitai Tirm π[3π ρ]·7[ Dir]-no ^d ^ p^to ^ mn[ "[a]ll that
I had, and nothi[ng] was left for me at all ... ex[cept Han]nah my wife and
Tobiah my son." VL: et direpta est omnis substantia mea; et nihil mihi
remansit plus quam uxor mea Anna et Thobias filius meus (MS X: ita ut
nidi amplius remaneret mici in domo). Neither VL, G1, nor the Aramaic has
the equivalent of "that did not become part of royal holdings," which is
found in MS S. See above for the little agreement the Vg has.
The royal confiscation of Tobit's property was the consequence of his
contravening the desires of Sennacherib because of the king's treatment of
Jewish people in his realm. The irony is that despite all the good that he
has been doing, misery comes into Tobit's life: he loses all his possessions.
Here Tobit says that he still had his wife and son, but compare 2:1,
where it is said that Hannah and Tobiah were returned to him.49 Like other
ancient writers, the author of the Book of Tobit is not concerned about
such conflict of detail. His concern is to stress the confiscation of everything.
21. Forty days did not pass before two of his sons killed Sennacherib, and
they fled to the mountains of Ararat. Fragmentary Aramaic 4Q196 2:3-4
49 For an improbable solution, involving a mistranslation of an alleged Aramaic form

lehod, see Zimmermann, The Book of Tobit, 5 2 - 5 3 .
agrees with G": ΕΠΊΚ ΉΙΙΰ'? ΐρπίί 113X1 Yl[lJa Ή Π yum]« fOT1 ΠΊΠ Κ1?!. G1
likewise agrees, save for "fifty," instead of the "forty" of G". VL begins
rather: Et contigit dum laterem post dies quadraginta quinqué occiderunt,
"and it happened (that), while I was in hiding, after forty-five days ...
killed." Vg: "but after forty-five days his own sons killed the king." Syr:
"Fifty days did not pass." Neubauer's Aramaic has "five and forty days,"
as does HL. The fragmentary text of 4Q196 has a doubtfully read aleph,
which is all that remains of the number of the days; it seems to support the
reading of G" τεσσαράκοντα, = "ρίΠΊΧ, "forty," but there is room in the
lacuna for ΠΕΟΓΠ "pmiN, "forty-five," so that it would agree with VL, Vg,
and Neubauer's Aramaic.
The biblical account in 2 Kgs 19:37 and Isa 37:38 records the
assassination of Sennacherib: "As he was worshiping in the temple of
Nisroch, his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him with a
sword, and they fled to the land of Ararat." Cf. 2 Chr 32:21. Sennacherib
died in 681 B.C. The names of his sons are not mentioned in Esarhaddon's
account of his brothers' revolt recorded in the Prism of Esarhaddon B,50 but
they are given in Neubauer 's Aramaic, and in an elaborate paraphrase in
HM, In HL the sons are called "Esarhaddon and Sharezer."
Ararat appears in 4Q196 2:4 as ΕΠΚ, as in MT of Gen 8:4, the place
where Noah's ark came to settle in the ancient region of Urartu, which
would have been the Armenian area between Lake Van and the Black Sea
south of the Caucasus Mountains, in what is today Eastern Turkey. In
lQapGen 10:12 one finds the spelling ΕΊΊΚΠ, where the aleph seems to be
a mater lectionis for Hararat. In lQIsa 3 31:19 (= MT Isa 37:38) the form
is ΕΠΊΐη, possibly Hûrârat, reflecting the Akkadian form of the name
Urartu. Neubauer's Aramaic reads m p .
The assassination of Sennacherib meant a dramatic turn of fortune for
Tobit and his family.
From this point on in chap. 1, Vg has nothing that corresponds to the
other versions of Tobit; for its concluding verse, see below. This means that
the relation of Tobit to Ahiqar, who is mentioned in the next few verses,
has disappeared from Jerome's version of the story.51
His sort Esarhaddon came to reign after him. What remains in Aramaic
4Q196 2:4 agrees with G": ][nmON {"[^m} IÔl, as does G1; VL adds pro
ilio, "in his stead."
See 2 Kgs 19:37d; Isa 37:38d; Ezra 4:2. Esarhaddon was king in
Assyria from 681-669 B.C. His own historical records tell of the struggle
50
ANET, 289-90.
51
See Skemp, Vulgate of Tobit, 63-65.
that he had, as the youngest son, to become king according to his father's
wishes.52
The new king's name is given in Aramaic as 1ΠΓΠ0Κ (4Q196 2:8), as in
the MT; in G1·11 as Σαχερδονόξ, and as Arc(h)edonassar or Sarcedonassar in
different MSS of VL. The L X X of Isaiah and 2 Kings has Άσορδάν, and
Syriac has Srhdwnnsr. These are variant ways of writing the Akkadian
name Assur-ah-iddin, "(The god) Ashur has given a brother." For a strange
spelling of his name, see NOTE on 1:15.
he appointed Ahiqar, the son of my brother 'Anael, over all the credit
accounts of his kingdom. Fragmentary 4Q196 2:5-6 has: tû^BKf Kim]
[nniD'JO] n[l33P]0 iv T!K ^JI? "Ο Ίρνίκ1?, "[and he] put Ahiqar, son of
'Anael, my brother, in charge of all the c[redit accoun]ts [of his kingdom],"
with which G1 also agrees. VL: Et constituit Achicarum filium fratris mei
Annanihel super omnem curam (MS M: actionem·, MS W: exactionem)
regni. Syriac: I'hywr hw dhnn'yl br' d'h' dyly.
Ahiqar, who is mentioned again in 2:10; 11:18; 14:10, is well known
from the fifth-century Elephantine Aramaic account of The Story and
Wisdom of Ahiqar.52, He is, however, the subject of a much older (probably
Assyrian) story in ancient Near Eastern literature, and that story has come
down to us in many forms: in Greek writers (Democritus, Theophrastus,
Aesop), and even in the Arabian Thousand and One Nights. See further
Introduction, §50.
Here in the Book of Tobit, Ahiqar is said to be the son of Tobit's "brother,
'Anael." This means that the author has made Ahiqar a Jew, whereas in the
original story he is an Assyrian Gentile. The association of Tobit with Ahiqar
enhances his status, despite his condition as a captive Israelite.
The name is not found in the OT, but it has turned up in the Calah
(Nimrud) Ostracon 1, 2. 54 It is similar in meaning to ΓΡ]!? (Neh 8:4).
Neubauer's Aramaic has ^ΚΟΠ, and Syriac and HM have *?Κ]3Π.
52 See "Prism Β 1 . 1 - 2 . 1 1 , " in R. C. Thompson, The Prisms of Esarhaddon and of

Ashurbanipal (London: British Museum/Humphrey Milford, 1 9 3 1 ) 9 - 1 1 ; cf. ANET,
288-90.
53 See Porten and Yardeni, TADAE, 3. 2 4 - 5 7 ; J. M . Lindenberger, The Aramaic
Proverbs of Ahiqar (Baltimore, M D : The Johns Hopkins University, 1 9 8 3 ) ; "Ahiqar,"
OTP, 2. 4 7 9 - 5 0 7 ; ANET, 4 2 7 - 3 0 . Cf. the later and more developed form of the
account published by F. D. Conybeare, J. R. Harris, and A. S. Lewis, "The Story of
Ahiqar," APOT, 2 . 7 1 5 - 8 4 ; The Story of Ahikar from the Aramaic, Syriac, Arabic,
Armenian, Ethiopie, Old Turkish, Greek and Slavonic Versions (London: Clay &
Sons, 1 8 9 8 ; 2d ed.; Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University, 1 9 1 3 ) .
54 See W . F. Albright, "An Ostracon from Calah and the North-Israelite Diaspora,"
BASOR 149 (1958) 33-36.
The "credit accounts of his kingdom" (4Q196 2:5) is ηΠΌ^α HESPÍS,

which contains a shaphel form of "borrow," as the abstract name of
the function; in 4 Q 1 9 6 2:8 a cognate form denoting the person who had
that function is found as 13PS5. The first is rendered as cura in VL and in
Greek as έκλογιστία in G n and G1, a form that appears in P. Oxy. 1436.23, 5 5
which is translated as "impost" due to the office of εκλογιστής, an
Alexandrian official appointed to collect revenues of the nomes of Egypt.
he had control of all the treasury accounts (of the king). Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6
2:6 reads: KDÔ ΠΙ^ΠΟΠ ^[D ρ 1 ? ^ ΓΠΠ Π*71], which agrees with G". VL
agrees too except for the last phrase, super omnem regionem, "over every
region," with which G1 agrees.
"Treasury accounts" is m'PDIön, translated into Greek as διοίκησις, and
into Latin as regio (VL). The word is known from Egyptian Aramaic texts,
which have a related form in p i U O Q Τ Κ Ή 3 Ί 0 Π , "the accountants who are
in Egypt." 56 It is derived from the Persian term hamarakara and has been
studied by Greenfield.57
22. Then Ahiqar interceded on my behalf, and I came back to Nineveh.

What remains in Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 2:6 agrees with the first clause of G" and
G1: ΊρτίΚ ΠΙΠΊ. VL: Tunc locutus est Achicarus pro me. Tunc descendi
in Ninive et erat amicus meus, qui ..., "Then Ahiqar spoke on my behalf.
Then I came down to Niniveh, and he was my friend, who ... . "
Ahiqar used his influence at the Assyrian court of Esarhaddon to bring
about the restoration of Tobit, his nephew.
For Ahiqar had been the chief cup-bearer, keeper of the signet ring(s),
comptroller, and treasury accountant under Sennacherib, the king of
Assyria. Lit. "the king of the Assyrians." 4 Q 1 9 6 2 : 7 - 8 reads: πρ[Τ!Κ "ΠΚ]
π η κ i'pa ι π π - ι ο κ D i p iapt»[i] tanom prir α π npts m m n τ ι κ , which agrees
in wording with G" and G1, but the latter lacks "under Sennacherib, the
king of Assyria." VL: qui erat praepositus super annulis et procurator
domus et exactor et suasit regi Assyriorum, "who was put in charge of the
signet rings, was majordomo, tax collector, and counselor to the king of the
Assyrians."
The term nptü "chief cup-bearer," is translated into Greek as
άρχιοιυοχόος (G11) or simply as οινοχόος (G1), but is omitted in VL. The
55 Grenfell and Hunt, 1 2 . 1 0 3 .

56 See G. R. Driver, Aramaic Documents of the Fifth Century B.C. (abridged, revised
ed.; Oxford: Clarendon, 1 9 5 7 ) 3 0 , 3 2 , 3 3 (texts 8 . 1 * ; 9 . 1 * ; 1 0 . 1 * ) .
57 J. C. Greenfield, " "'Hamarakara > 'Amarkal," W. B. Henning Memorial Volume
(Asia Major Library; ed. M . Boyce and I. Gershevitch; London: Lund Humphries,
1970) 180-86.
Akkadian phrase (= rab saqê) is found in the Hebrew of 2 Kgs 18:17, 19,
2 6 , 2 7 , 2 8 , 3 7 ; 19:4, 8 (and parallels in Isaiah 3 6 - 3 7 ) . 5 8 The L X X does not
translate it, but transcribes it as Ραψακής (RSV: Rabshakeh; NAB:
commander). This was an appointment made by the king with great
confidence. Nehemiah boasted of having such an appointment (Neh 1 : 1 1 -
2:1). Cf. 1 Kgs 10:5.
p r y m is a phrase of the same formation, but is it attested elsewhere?
In Ahiqar 3 and 19 one finds npîîî ΠΌ25, "bearer of the signet ring." 5 9 This
too denoted a trusted appointment, because the person was the keeper of
the official seal for authenticating royal documents. Cf. Esth 3:10; 8:2,8;
Gen 4 1 : 4 2 .
Greek διοικητής is here translated "comptroller," and εκλογιστής,
"treasury accountant" (on which see N O T E on 1:21 [έκλογιστία]). For the
Aramaic form of Sennacherib's name, see N O T E on 1:15.
Now Esarhaddon put him in charge as second to himself. Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 6 2:8 reads: rb p n ]ΠΠΊ0Κ ΠΕΛΕΚΙ, which agrees with G " and G1. VL
changes the meaning: et praestituit me rex Archedonosor iterum, "and
Esarhaddon put me in charge again," obviously misunderstanding the force
of the Aramaic "ρ3Π or the Greek έκ δευτέρας, the reading of both G' and G",
as have many modern translations of Tobit. (The iterum, "again," probably
induced the change of the object to " m e , " making it tell of Tobit's
reinstatement.)
The term "second to himself" (Γ0 "pin) is important, because it means
that Ahiqar was made a very high official in the Assyrian court and clarifies
the often-misunderstood sense of the Greek κατέστησεν αυτόν ... εκ δευτέρας.
For instance, La Sainte Bible de Jérusalem mistranslated it as "et Assar-
haddon l'avait maintenu en fonction." 6 0 An expression, however, found in
the Greek text of Jdt 2:4 supplies a more accurate rendering: δεύτερον όντα
μετά αυτόν, "being second after him." This renders better the Qumran
Aramaic expression describing Ahiqar's status, as "the Second" to the king,
i.e. the first man in the court after the sovereign. Compare the Hebrew of
Esth 10:3, η^Ο1? rutöö, or Gen 4 1 : 4 3 , lb ~\m ΠίΒΟΠ; and Akkadian turtänu
or tartänu, "man in the second place." 6 1 Cf. 2 Kgs 18:17; Isa 2 0 : 1 (]ΓΠΓΙ).
58 See S. A. Kaufman, The Akkadian Influences on Aramaic (Assyriological Studies 19;

Chicago, IL: University of Chicago, 1974) 140 n. 11.
59 See Kaufman, ibid., 6 0 - 6 1 , for the controversy surrounding the relation of this word
to Akkadian izqäti.
60 Similarly The New Jerusalem Bible: "Esarhaddon kept him in office"; NAB and
NRSV: "Esarhaddon reappointed him."
61 von Soden, AHW, 3.1332.
Ahiqar was my nephew and one of my kindred (and of my family). The

phrase in parentheses is in Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 2 : 8 - 9 : p i Π1ΓΙ TIR "Q ΉΚ
Τ!Π352ΰ p i "QR ΠΌ, "for he was a son of my brother and (one) of my father's
house and of my family," which contains an addition to G". G1 has only
the first identification. VL changes the last element: et cognatione regis,
"and of a king's family," whatever that might mean.
This last sentence is meant to stress the kinship of Tobit and Ahiqar,
which again insists that the latter is a Jew! In the Greek texts Ahiqar is
called εξάδελφος, as also in 11:18. Although the proper meaning of that
Greek term is "cousin-german," it was used also of a "nephew," as the
Aramaic (TIR "•) makes clear. So too in Josephus, Ant. 2 0 . 1 0 . 3 $ 2 3 6 .
Vg and Neubauer's Aramaic conclude the chapter with the return of
Tobit to his house, which in other versions is 2:1a.
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Wise, Μ. O., "A Note on 4Q196 (papTob ar a ) and Tobit i 22," VT 43 (1993) 5 6 6 -
70.
Β. Tobit's Troubles and Prayer (2:1-3:6)
G": 2 : 1 Under King Esarbaddon (when) I G1: 2:1When I returned to my house and
returned to my house, Hannah, my Hannah, my wife, and Tobiah, my son,
wife, and Tobiah, my son, were restored were restored to me, on our festival of
to me. On our festival of Pentecost, Pentecost, which is the sacred Feast of
which is the sacred Feast of Weeks, a Seven Weeks, a fine dinner was pre-
fine dinner was prepared for me, and I pared for me, and I reclined to eat.
reclined to eat.
2 When they set the table before me, (I 2 I saw that the cooked foods were
saw that) the cooked foods offered on it many. So I said to my son, "Go and get
were many. So I said to Tobiah, my son, any poor person you find of our kins-
"Go, my boy, and get any poor person folk who is duly mindful of the Lord; I
you find of our kinsfolk among the cap- shall wait for you."
tives of Nineveh who is duly mindful of
God; (my son, go) and get him; (let him
be brought in that) he may eat together
with me. Look, I shall wait, my boy,
until you come back."
Tobiah went out to look for some But he came back and said, "Father,
3
poor person of our kindred, but he one of our people has been strangled
came back and said, "Father!" I replied, and cast into the market place."
"Yes, my child?" He spoke up, "Look,
father, one of our nation has been mur-
dered and cast into the market place; he
was strangled there moments ago."
4 I jumped up and left the dinner with- 4 Before I even tasted the food, I
out even tasting it. I took him away jumped up and took him to an out-
from the square and put him in one of house until the sun would set.
the outhouses until the sun would set
and I might bury him.
5Then when I returned, I bathed and 5 When I returned, I bathed and ate
ate my food in sorrow. my food in grief.
6 I recalled the saying of the prophet 6I recalled the prophecy of Amos, how
Amos, how he spoke out against Bethel he said, "Your feasts shall be turned
and said, "Your feasts shall be turned into mourning, and all your celebra-
into mourning, and all your paths into tions into lamentation,"
lamentation,"
7and I wept. When the sun had set, I 7and I wept. When the sun had set, I
went and dug a grave and buried him. went and dug a grave and buried him.
8 My neighbors mocked me, saying, 8 My neighbors mocked me, saying,
"Is he still unafraid? He has already "Is he still unafraid to be put to death
been hunted down to be put to death for this very deed? He once ran away,
for this very deed! He once ran away, but now he is burying the dead again!"
but now he is burying the dead again!"
'That same night I bathed and went ' T h a t same night I returned from
into my courtyard. I lay down to sleep burying; because I was defiled, I lay
beside the courtyard wall, leaving my down to sleep beside the courtyard wall,
face uncovered because of the heat. and my face was uncovered.
10 10
I did not know that sparrows were I did not know that there were spar-
on the wall above me. Their droppings rows on the wall, and they discharged
settled, still warm, into my eyes and pro- their droppings, still warm, into my
duced white films. I went to doctors to be uncovered eyes, and white films were
healed, but the more they applied their formed in my eyes. I went to doctors,
ointments, the more my eyes grew dim but they did not help me. Ahiqar cared
because of the white films until I became for me until he went to Elymais.
completely blind. For four years I remained
incapable of seeing. All my relatives
grieved over me, and Ahiqar cared for me
for two years before he went to Elymais
n
At that time my wife Hannah was " M y wife Hannah was earning money
earning money by doing women's work. by doing women's work.
12 12
She used to send off the work she She used to send off the work to her
had done to her employers, and they employers , and they would pay her the
would pay her the wages. One day, the wages, adding once a kid.
seventh of Dystrus, she cut off the piece
that she had woven and took it off to
the employers. They not only paid her
wages, but gave her a kid from their
herd of goats to take home.
13 13
When it came in to me, the kid be- When it came to me, it began to
gan to bleat. So I called her and asked, bleat. So I called her and asked, "Where
"Where did that goat come from? It is did the goat come from? It is not stolen,
not stolen, is it? Give it back to its is it? Give it back to its owners. It is not
owners. We have no right to eat any- right to eat anything stolen."
thing stolen."
14 14
She said to me, "It was given to me She said, "It was given to me as a
as a gift over and above my wages." I gift over and above my wages." I did
did not believe her and told her to re- not believe her and told her to return it
turn it to its owners; I became flushed to its owners; I became flushed with
with anger at her because of this. Then anger at her. Then she retorted, "And
she retorted, "And where are your alms? where are all your alms and your right-
Where are your righteous deeds? Look, eous deeds? Look, all the things about
the things about you are well known!" you are well known!"
3:1 3:1
Being deeply saddened at heart, I Then in my grief I wept, and in an-
groaned and wept, and with the groans guish I prayed.
I began to pray.
Tobit's Troubles and Prayer (2:1-3:6) 129
2 "You are righteous, O Lord, and all 2 "You are righteous, O Lord; all your
your deeds are just; all your ways are deeds and all your ways are mercy and
mercy and fidelity. You are the judge of fidelity. You make true and righteous
the world. judgments forever.
3 Now remember me, O Lord, and 3Remember me and look kindly upon
look kindly upon me. Do not punish me me. Do not punish me for my sins or for
for my sins or for my oversights, or for my oversights, or for those of my ances-
those of my ancestors. I sinned against tors, who sinned against you
you
4and disobeyed your commandments; 4and disobeyed your commandments;
you have given us over to plunder, cap- you have given us over to plunder, cap-
tivity, and death so that we have be- tivity, and death and made us a byword
come a byword, a proverb, and a taunt of reproach in all the nations among
in all the nations among which you have which we have been scattered.
scattered us.
sNow your many judgments are right J Now your many judgments are right
in dealing with me according to my sins, in dealing with me according to my sins
because we have not kept your com- and those of my ancestors, because we
mandments and have not walked faith- have not kept your commandments and
fully before you. have not walked faithfully before you.
6 So deal with me as you see fit; com- 6 So deal with me as you see fit; com-
mand that my spirit be taken away from mand that my spirit be taken away, that
me, that I may be released from the face I may be released and become dust. Thus
of the earth and become dust. Thus it is it is better for me to die than to live,
better for me to die than to live, since I since I have listened to untrue re-
have listened to untrue reproaches; and proaches; and excessive is the grief
excessive is the grief within me. Com- within me. Command that I be loosed
mand, O Lord, that I be loosed from at once from distress to go to my ever-
this distress; release me to go to my lasting home. Do not turn your face
everlasting home. Do not, O Lord, turn away from me."
your face away from me. For it is better
for me to die than to see excessive dis-
tress in my life and to listen to such
reproaches."
COMMENT
Tobit continues to tell his story, especially how on the Feast of Weeks
(Pentecost) he cared for the burial of a Jew strangled in the market place
of Nineveh, how he was blinded by bird droppings, and how he was cared
for by relatives. Even on a day of festive joy Tobit met misery in being
blinded. He also recounts how he quarreled with his wife Hannah over a
goat that she had been given by her employers; thinking that it might be
stolen property, he insisted on her returning it. His suspicion elicited only
sarcastic comments from Hannah, which further distressed Tobit so much
that he wanted to die. In this distress he uttered a prayer to God, asking
for mercy and understanding.
The irony of Tobit's situation is noteworthy. In his righteousness and
fidelity to Jewish tradition, Tobit becomes blind as the result of his doing
a good deed (vv. 7-10). His blindness makes him suspicious of his wife,
when she brings home a kid that she received as a bonus. His suspicion
serves only to evoke from her a retort, "And where are all your alms and
your righteous deeds?" (v. 14). In his distress, Tobit prays to die, but the
reader soon learns that he will be cured, though not immediately, and that
God takes care of his faithful servants.
Tobit's prayer is the first example of formal prayer in the book; it will
be followed by five other instances. In it Tobit begs for God's pardon for
offenses unwittingly committed and for release from this life, which he
finds so heavy with affliction. The prayer can be divided into two parts: ( 1 )
vv. 2 - 5 : Tobit acknowledges his own and Israel's disobedience and God's
righteousness in judging it. He asks for forgiveness. Note how this part of
the prayer shifts from " I " to "we." (2) v. 6: Tobit prays to be allowed to
die and thus be relieved from his present distress.
NOTES
2:1. Under King Esarhaddon (when) I returned to my bouse, Hannah, my

wife, and Tobiah, my son, were restored to me. Lit. "I came down."
Aramaic 4Q196 2 : 9 - 1 0 reads: ^ ΓΟΠΚΙ ΤΤα1? ΓΟΗ Ή3 KD|>Q] ΤΠΓΓΙΟΚ "OTQ1
"HS (Tmtai ΤΙΓΠΚ Π3Π, "and in the days of King Esarhaddon when I returned
to my house, Hannah, my wife, was returned to me, and (also) Tobiah, my
son." G" and VL have κατήλθον and descendi, "came down." G1 is closer
to 4Q196, reading the conjunction δτε, but κατήλθον follows it. It also
omits all reference to Esarhaddon's time, as does Vg: "and Tobit returned
to his house, and all his property was restored to him."
For Esarhaddon, see NOTE on 1:21. Tobit's statement here, about the
return of Hannah and Tobiah to him at the time that the Assyrian king
reinstated him, creates a problem when it is compared with 1:20, where
Tobit says that all his possessions were confiscated except Hannah and
Tobiah. Only Jerome's Vg gets around the problem by stating merely that
"all his property was restored to him," perhaps because Jerome was aware
of what he had translated earlier about Tobit's flight with his wife and son.
Tobit's Troubles and Prayer ( 2 : 1 - 3 : 6 ) 131
Some commentators solve the problem by maintaining that this verse was
a later addition to the original text, which 1:9 would represent,1 but Moore
more correctly maintains that this is simply Tobit's way of saying that he
"was now reunited with his family." 2 In any case, the important element
in the verse is the reinstatement of Tobit and the restoration of his property,
because that is the setting for the story about to be told.
On our festival of Pentecost, which is the sacred Feast of Weeks.
Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 2:10 has only l o m ® 3Π DIO, "on the day of the Feast of
Weeks," whereas G1'11 introduce the Greek name and explain it (G1 adding
"seven" before "Weeks"). VL follows suit: in Pentecosten die festo nostro,
qui est sanctus a septimanis. Syriac transliterates the Greek name, Pnt'qwst'.
Vg changes it completely: "but after this, when it was a feast day of the
Lord," as does HL.
The fiftieth day marked the first great Jewish feast day that followed
Passover. In preexilic texts of the OT, it was called "Feast of Harvest"
(Exod 23:16) or hag säbü'öt, "Feast of Weeks, the first fruits of wheat
harvest" (Exod 34:22). It was originally a farmers' feast, the "day of the
first-fruits" (Num 28:26). One was to "count seven weeks from the time
one first put the sickle to the standing grain," i.e. the beginning of the
barley harvest (Deut 16:9). In postexilic times it came to be known also as
the feast at the end of the harvest: "from the morrow of sabbath" of
Passover (Lev 2 3 : 1 5 - 1 6 ) , a phrase that evoked debate among the Sadducees
and Pharisees about the reckoning of it. In the Priestly Document the
celebration of the feast is recorded in Lev 2 3 : 1 5 - 2 2 and Num 2 8 : 2 6 - 3 1 .
Still later in Greek texts the Feast of Weeks came to be called "Pentecost,"
as in 2 Macc 12:31-32. 3 In Jewish parabiblical literature this feast was
celebrated yearly as the renewal of the covenant (Jub. 6 : 1 1 - 2 1 ; l l Q T e m p l e
18:10-19:10).
Josephus {Ant. 3.10.6 §252) reports that Jews celebrated a feast they
call Άσαρθά, Asartha, on the fiftieth day after Passover, which he claims
"denotes fiftieth." That is hardly right, for that Aramaic name (ΚΓΠϋΰ)
is related to Hebrew ΓΠΪΙ?, "assembly." This name explains why so many
Diaspora Jews are gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of Asartha,
"Assembly," called "Pentecost" in Acts 2:1, 9 - 1 1 , and why Luke took such
pains to list all the places of the Diaspora from which they had assembled
for the feast in Jerusalem. Zimmermann 4 claims that "the term Shabu'ot
1 See H. Gross, Tobit Judit, 19.

2 Tobit (AB), 1 2 7 .
3 See further G. Vail, "The Feast of Weeks," T B T 3 6 ( 1 9 9 8 ) 2 4 - 2 8 .
was never used in the Second Commonwealth," quoting S. Zeitlin; but the
Aramaic phrase from 4Q196 cited above shows that it certainly was.
a fine dinner was prepared for me, and I reclined to eat. Aramaic 4Q196
2:10-11 reads: ^[DKO]1? ΠΙΠΊ! ΓΏΰ η » p p [ΓΠΠ], which is well translated by
GI,n and VL. Vg: "a fine dinner was prepared in the house of Tobit," a form
dictated by the third-person narrative.
The Aramaic text uses 110, sârû, a word found in the emphatic state
( Κ Π Ί ® ) in AP 7 2 : 2 , 3 , 1 0 , 1 7 , 1 8 . In the Neubauer medieval Aramaic text
one finds 3Ί ]ΠΰΟΉΚ, which is clearly an attempt to render άριστον καλόν
and shows that that Aramaic version is indeed a translation from a Greek
version.5
2. They set the table before me, and (I saw that) the cooked foods offered
to me were many. Aramaic 4Q196 2:11-12 reads: "ΌΠρ1? ΚΊ[1]Π3 ΠΊρΝΙ
•pm0 Til1?!; Π ΐ ρ Ή m n s j ΓΡΓΠΊ, which G" translates well, but omits, "I saw
that," and puts the verb in the passive. VL: Et posita est mihi mensa, et uidi
pulmentaria complura, "and a table was set for me, and I saw that the
delicacies were many." G1 has only: "I saw that the cooked foods were
many." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
The Aramaic text uses {03Π33, nuptänayyä', "delicacies," a word related
to Akkadian naptanu, "meal," 6 which is rendered in Greek as όψα or
όψάρια.
So I said to Tobiah, my son, "Go, my boy, and get any poor person you
find of our kinsfolk among the captives of Nineveh who is duly mindful of
God.7 Lit. "who is mindful of Him with all (his) heart." Aramaic 4Q196
2:12-13 reads: [W]nîO Π3»Π[Π Ή] ]0 Ί3Τ ">-Q Ήα ΠΌ^ΰ1? Π]ΊΟΚ1,
"[I] said [to To]biah, my son, 'My son, go, get anyone [whom you] find of
[our] kinsfolk,'" with which much of G" agrees. VL: Et dixi Thobiae filio
meo Vade et adduc quemcumque pauperem inueneris ex fratribus nostris,
qui sunt captiui in Niniue, qui tamen in mente habent Deum in toto corde
suo, "... who is mindful of God in all his heart." G1 similarly agrees, but
ends with "mindful of the Lord," and it omits "among the captives of
Nineveh" and "with all (his) heart." Vg curtails: "He said to his son, 'Go
and bring in some from our tribe who fear God.'" G" uses τττωχόν for
"poor person," whereas G1 has ένδεή. Vg omits it completely.
4
5
See the Introduction §15; also my article, "The Aramaic and Hebrew Fragments of
Tobit from Qumran Cave 4," 668.
6
von Soden, AHW, 2. 741.
7
MS S reads "of Him."
Tobit, mindful of Deut 16:9-12, bids his son Tobiah to go look for a
worthy Jew to share his festive meal. Verses 10-11 of that passage prescribed
that the Feast of Weeks was to be celebrated "with the tribute of a freewill
offering from your hand, ... and you shall rejoice before the Lord your
God, you with your son, your daughter, your slave, your maidservant, the
Levite within your gates, the resident alien, orphan, and widow who are
among you." This is why Tobit sends Tobiah to look for a poor person
among the captive Israelites to share his festive family meal. Cf. Sir 9:16a.
On "kinsfolk," see NOTE on 1:3
(my son, go) and get him; (let him be brought in that) he may eat
together with me. Look, I shall wait, my boy, until you come back.
Aramaic 4Q196 2:13 has preserved only: ΙΠΓϋ] ^ Ί ΠΓΓΤΙΠΚΊ Ί2Ί 'PtN ΉΙ!
Π]Κ Km "Oy[, which corresponds well to G" but has a fuller formulation
(added in parentheses). VL: hunc adduc ut manducet pariter nobiscum
prandium hoc; ecce sustineo te, fili, donee uenias, "bring him in that he
might eat this meal together with us; and look, I'll wait for you, my son,
until you come." G1 has nothing that corresponds; Vg has only: "and let
them dine with us."
The Aramaic text has a strange form ΠΠ^ΓΙΓΙΚΙ, which seems to be an
attempt to write the 'ittaphal imperative of TIN, "come," i.e. 'ittaytî, "let
him be brought" (lit. "let him be made to come"), but to which a pro-
nominal suffix has been added as object. A better form would have been
the 'aphel imperative with a suffix, ΓΡΓΡΧ, 'aytëyêh, "bring him." 8
Tobit's words indicate the extent to which he was willing to go to share
his blessings with the poor fellow Jews in captivity at Nineveh. Hospitality
was part of ordinary Jewish life (Gen 18:1-8; Exod 2:20; Josh 2:4-8; 1 Sam
25:8; 2 Kgs 4 : 8 - 1 1 ; Is 58:7), but especially at the celebration of the Feast
of Weeks. Tobit thus instructs his son and involves him in his own faithful
observance of Jewish customs. Cf. Luke 14:13.
3. Tobiah went out to look for some poor person of our kindred. VL agrees:
Et abiit Thobias quaerere aliquem pauperem captiuum ex fratribus nostris.
G1 omits this sentence entirely, as does Vg. Tobiah goes out in obedience
to his father's wishes. On "kindred," see NOTE on 1:3.
K. Beyer ( A T T M E , 1 3 6 ) reads rather ΠΓΡ1 ΠΠΝ1 and translates, "Und er möge

kommen und essen." nntr is a possible reading and could mean, "er möge k o m m e n " ;
but the next form, introduced by a waw and resembling signum accusativi (-ΓΡ) is
neither translated nor explained—not to mention the use of that particle in Qumran
Aramaic. As given on p. 3 5 9 (ΠΙΟ), it is still more anomalous. See pi. I of the editto
princeps, where there does not seem to be a space between the two words.
but he came back and said, "Father!" I replied, "Yes, my child?" He

spoke up, "Look, father, one of our nation has been murdered and cast into
the market place; he was strangled there moments ago. " VL agrees with
most of the wording of G n , but ends: unus ex fratribus nostris occisus
laqueo circumdato proiectus iacet in publico, "Look, one of our kinsmen
has been killed, with a noose about him, and he lies exposed in the public
(square)." G1 abridges: "He came back and said, 'Father, one of our people
has been strangled and cast into the market place.'" Vg: "when he went off,
he returned and reported that one of the Israelites having been strangled lay
in the street." Fragment 3 of 4 Q 1 9 6 contains only three Aramaic letters
ρ3ΓΙ, part of ρ3ΠΓΙΚ, "he has been strangled." It is certainly part of 2:3, the
only place in the book where "strangle" occurs.
In this case, nothing indicates that the Jew was slain by the Assyrian
king, as in 1:18. Strangulation, however, may imply some kind of execution,
because in the later rabbinic tradition it was one of the official modes of
execution. Tobiah thus manifests the same concern for the dead as his
father Tobit.
"Yes, my child" freely translates Ιδού εγώ, παιδίον, lit. "behold, I am
(here)," a phrase often used in the O T as an answer to a question; see
N O T E on 6:11 below.
4 . 1 jumped up and left the dinner without even tasting it. I took him away
from the square and put him in one of the outhouses until the sun would
set and I might bury him. VL basically agrees with G", using only in
domum, "into (my) house." G1 abridges: "Before I even tasted the food, I
jumped up and took him to an outhouse until the sun would set." Vg:
"jumping up at once from his place at table and leaving his meal behind,
without eating he came to the body; taking it up, he carried it secretly to
his house so that he might bury it stealthily when the sun had set."
Tobit again manifests his concern for the unburied dead; see N O T E on
1:18. He brought the corpse to one of the οΐκίδια, "little houses," because he
did not want to defile the house proper (see Num 19:14-19), yet wanted to
protect it from desecration, differently from Vg. He waited for sundown so
that he might not be seen caring for unburied dead (recall 1:18-20), but also
because at sundown the Feast of Weeks would be at an end. Cf. Tob 8:10.
5. Then when I returned, I bathed and ate my food in sorrow. VL and G1

basically agree in wording with G", despite different Greek words for
"sorrow." Vg: "when he had hidden the body, he ate his bread with sorrow
and trembling."
Tobit washed himself, because he had been in contact with a dead body,
which was the source of ritual defilement. Num 19:11 says, "He who
touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days; he must
cleanse himself with water on the third and seventh day." The reason:
otherwise one would defile the tabernacle of the LORD (19:13). No mention
is made of the seven days here in the Tobit story. Cf. Num 5:2; 9:6-10; Lev
21:1-3.
6. I recalled the saying of the prophet Amos, how he spoke out against
Bethel and said, "Your feasts shall be turned into mourning, And all your
paths9 into lamentation," and I wept. VL basically agrees with G", but
reads cantica, "songs," instead of όδοί of MS S, thus agreeing with the M T
and L X X . G1 abridges the introduction: "I recalled the prophecy of Amos,
how he said"; and reads εΰφροσύναι, "celebrations," instead of όδοί. Vg
summarizes: "recalling that saying that God uttered through the prophet
Amos, 'Your feast days will be turned into lamentation and sorrow.'"
Neubauer's Aramaic text quotes the first colon of Amos verbatim (in
Hebrew!), as does HM. HL cites both parts, agreeing with MT.
Tobit quotes Amos 8:10, which in the M T and L X X says, "I will turn
your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into a dirge." The verse forms
part of Amos' indictment of Israel (8:4-14), which follows on the prophet's
fourth vision (8:1-3). Amos indicts Israel, because its merchants wanted the
feasts to pass quickly so that they could resume their business practices and
exploit the poor. This indictment was addressed to all the northern kingdom
of Israel, and not merely to Bethel, the royal sanctuary, which became at
times a concern for the prophet (3:14; 4:4; 5:5; 7:10), because he had been
expelled from it and was forbidden to prophesy there. The saying of Amos
as translated in the Greek and Latin versions of the Tobit story changes the
verb to a passive, thereby eliminating God's action as the source of the
reversal (but the NJB uses the form of the M T and L X X for some strange
reason). Tobit thus regards Amos' writing as authoritative or canonical,
quoting it to support his concern for the poor dead even on Pentecost. What
started out for him as a joyous feast day has ended in sorrow and sadness,
because a fellow Jew has been killed and his body tossed out on the streets
and lies unburied. Cf. Job 30:31.
7. When the sun had set, I went and dug a grave and buried him. Lit. "I
went and dug and buried." G1 and VL agree in wording with G n . Vg: "but
when the sun had set, he went off and buried him." After the Feast of
Weeks was over, Tobit carried out his clandestine task.
Hanhart reads φδαί, "songs," as in L X X Amos 8 : 1 0 , instead of όδοί, "paths," of

MS S.
8. My neighbors mocked me, saying, "Is he still unafraid? He has already

been hunted down to be put to death for this very deed! He once ran away,
but now he is burying the dead again!" VL agrees: Et omnes proximi mei
deridebant me, dicentes Quomodo non timet hie homo? lam enim inquisitus
est huius rei causa ut occideretur, but adds: fugit et perdidit substantiam
suam et iterum sepelire coepit mortuos, "he ran away and lost all his
property, and is again beginning to bury the dead." G1 abridges: "Is he still
unafraid to be put to death for this very deed?" Vg: "but all his neighbors
spoke up against him, saying, 'For this very reason you were ordered to be
killed and you scarcely escaped the sentence of death, and (now) you are
burying the dead again.'" Tobit thus becomes the butt of sarcasm among
his neighbors and friends, fulfilling the words of Ps 31:11; 38:11; Jer 9:4.
Vg also adds a verse that is not found in the other versions: "but Tobit,
fearing God more than the king, kept snatching the corpses of the slain, and
hiding them in his house, he would bury them in the middle of the night." 10
This addition clearly enhances the picture of Tobit as the faithful Jew in
Assyrian captivity.
9. That same night I bathed and went into my courtyard. I lay down to
sleep beside the courtyard wall, leaving my face uncovered because of the
heat. VL: et iterum laut ea hora postquam sepeliui; et introiui in domum
meam, et dormiui circa parietem facie nuda propter aestum, "and I washed
again in that hour after I had buried; I entered my house and lay down to
sleep near the wall with face uncovered because of the heat." G1 abridges:
"That same night I returned from burying; because I was defiled, I lay
down to sleep beside the courtyard wall, and my face was uncovered."
MS S records simply that Tobit "bathed," whereas VL says that he
"washed again" (after the washing mentioned in 2:5); G1 omits all mention
of washing and states instead that Tobit was still defiled. For that reason
he went to sleep in the courtyard near the wall (i.e. not in his house). The
Greek versions thus distinguish the "house" from the "courtyard," which
VL does not. Vg has a slightly different version: "It happened that one day
he came home tired out from burying and threw himself beside the wall and
went to sleep." Here no mention is made of washing or of the courtyard.
Josephus (Ag.Ap. 2.26 §205) says that "after a funeral the house and all
who dwell in it must be purified." The irony is that Tobit, in an effort to
observe purity regulations, is creating the situation that leads to his
blindness.
10 See Skemp, Vulgate of Tobit, 82-83.

10. I did not know that sparrows were on the wall above me. Their
droppings settled, still warm, into my eyes and produced white films. VL
agrees in wording with G", but omits the verb "settled." G1 reads rather:
"... they discharged their droppings, still warm, into my uncovered eyes,
and white films were formed in my eyes." Vg curtails: "As he slept, warm
dung from a nest of sparrows settled on his eyes and he became blind."
Another evil befalls Tobit in addition to his captivity, his loss of property,
and the strangulation of a fellow Jew; his carelessness about where he
decides to sleep leads to misfortune.
Λευκώματα, lit. "white spots," is found as a term for a defect in the eye
(thickening of the cornea) in extrabiblical papyri and Greek medical writings
(P. Grenf. 1.33.14; Galen 14.775). It has nothing to do with what is called
"cataracts" today, being a primitive way of explaining blindness and
scarcely accurate from our modern way of thinking. It explains Tobit's
blindness as a natural calamity, for which he was not really responsible. In
antiquity, blindness was often considered a punishment for sin, as John 9:2
shows.
I went to doctors to be healed, but the more they applied their ointments,
the more my eyes grew dim because of the white films, until I became
completely blind. G1 abridges: "I went to doctors, but they did not help
me." VL basically agrees with G": Et ibam caecus ad medicos ut curarer,
et quanto mihi medicamenta imponebant, tanto magis excaecabantur oculi
mei maculis, donee perexcaecatus sum.
Blindness was often associated with old age in the OT (Gen 27:1 [Isaac];
1 Sam 3:2 [Eli]; 1 Kgs 14:4 [Ahijah]); indeed, it was a harbinger of death.
Scepticism about the ancient medical profession is likewise found elsewhere
(Job 13:4; 2 Chr 16:12; Sir 38:15), even though Sirach otherwise commends
the medical profession. 11 Cf. Luke 8:43.
For four years I remained incapable of seeing. VL: et eram inutilis oculis
mets annis quattuor, "I could not use my eyes for four years." G1 and Vg
have nothing that corresponds. Compare what is said here with 14:2.
All my relatives grieved over me, and Ahiqar cared for me for two years
before he went to Elymais. G1 lacks the first clause, but agrees with G"
about Ahiqar. VL: omnes fratres et amici mei dolebant pro me; Achicarus
autem pascebat me annis duobus priusquam iret in Limaidam (MS W:
Elimaida). Vg has nothing that corresponds.
On Ahiqar, see NOTE on 1:21, where he is identified as the son of
Tobit's brother 'Anael. What Ahiqar was to do in Elam is not said; nor is
anything reported about his going to Elam in the Elephantine story, but he
11
See B. Kollmann, ZAW 106 (1994) 289-99, esp. 290-91.
may have been involved in Esarhaddon's dealings with the ruler of Elam.12
Tobit is grateful to Ahiqar for the care he expended before he departed. In
other versions of the Ahiqar story, he moved to Egypt,13 but this move to
Elam keeps the Tobit story centered on Mesopotamia.
Έλυμαίς is the Greek name for ancient Elam, a territory NE of the
Persian Gulf, in what would be modern Iran. In Gen 14:1, 9 it is mentioned
as the country of Chedorlaomer. The story about Esther is set in Elam's
capital, Susa, which lay about 100 km E of the Tigris. In 1 Macc 6:1
Elymais appears as the name of a city in Persia; similarly in Josephus, Ant.
12.9.1 §354.14 Diaspora Jews from Elam are mentioned among those
assembled in Jerusalem for the Feast of Asartha (Pentecost) in Acts 2:9.
On "relatives," see NOTE on 1:3.
Fragment 4 of 4Q196 has preserved the last two letters of the name
D*?"1!?. The fragment is certainly identified, because it also contains the
beginning of the first word in 2:11.
Instead of vv. 10b-14 of G", which are somewhat defective, Vg has
added here several unique verses (numbered 12-18) that compare Tobit
with Job:
n
Hanc autem temptationem ideo permisit Dominus evenire illi ut posteris
daretur exemplum patientiae eius sicut et sancii lob. nNam cum ab
infantia sua semper Deum timuerit et mandata eius custodierit, non est
contristatus contra Deum quod plaga caecitatis evenerit ei; 14sed
inmobilis in Dei timore permansit agens gratias Deo omnibus diebus
vitae suae. 15Nam sicut beato lob insultabant reges, ita isti parentes et
cognati eius et inridebant vitam eius dicentes, 16Ubi est spes tua pro qua
elemosynas et sepulturas faciebas? 17Tobias vero increpabat eos dicens,
Nolite ita loqui, nquoniam filii sanctorum sumus et vitam illam
expectamus quam Deus daturus est his qui fidem suam numquam
mutant ab eo.
" I2 However the Lord permitted this trial to come to him so that the
example of his patience would be given to later generations, just as that
of holy Job. 13For since he always feared God from his infancy and
observed His commandments, he did not grow bitter against God in that
a plague of blindness had come upon him; 14he persisted rather un-
shaken in the fear of God, thanking God all the days of his life. 15For
as rulers were critical of God because of blessed Job, so too those
12
See F. Vallat, "Elam," ABD 2. 4 2 4 - 2 9 , esp. 427b.
13
See Ahiqar 6.8 (APOT, 2. 757).
14
See P. Amiet, Elam (Auvers-sur-Oise: Archée Editeur, 1966).
relatives and kinsfolk of his [Tobit's] derided his kind of life, saying,
lé 'Where now is that hope of yours, for which you gave alms and buried
people?' 17 Tobit, however, rebuked them, saying, 'Don't speak like that,
18 because we are children of holy ones, and we await the kind of life that
God is going to give to those who never change their faith in Him.'"
In this addition to the story, which has no counterpart in any ancient
version, but has some similarity to HL, Tobit is compared with patient Job,
who uttered, "The Lord has given; the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the
name of the Lord " (Job 1:21 ).15 Because of that attitude, Job's integrity was
remembered (Job 2:3, 9 - 1 0 ; 12:4; 19:25-27). Note also the resonance of
this Latin text with Deut 5:29; 1 Kgs 18:12; cf. Jas 5 : 1 0 - 1 1 ; 1 Cor 10:13.
According to J.-M. Auwers, Jerome's addition may be dependent on
Cyprian, De mortalitate 10; CCLat 3A.21-22. 1 6 Even if it is not part of the
original story of Tobit, it captures the spirit of Tobit's dedication and
fidelity to God in his troubles.
11. At that time my wife Hannah was earning money by doing women's
work. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 4:1 preserves: [ p "at that time." G agrees
1
with G", save for the initial temporal phrase. VL: In ilio tempore Anna uxor
mea deseruiebat operibus mulierum. Vg summarizes in its own way: "but
his wife Hannah went every day to work at weaving; she brought in by the
work of her hands the wherewithal to live as she was able."
For Hannah, see N O T E on 1:9. In his blindness Tobit and his family
depended for livelihood on the work of his wife. Strangely enough, nothing
is recalled here about the money that Tobit had deposited with Gabael
(1:14).
12. She used to send it off to her employers, and they would pay her the
wages. Lit. "to the owners of them" (the women's work), undoubtedly the
people who supplied the yarn that she wove—hence, "her employers." G1
agrees with the wording of G", but omits αυτών, "of them." VL has a fuller
form: Lanam faciens et conducens telas texendas, et ex mercedibus suis
pascebat me; quae accipiebat et texebat et cum detexisset remittebat domino
rerum et ille mercedem dabat ei, "In making wool and contracting for the
weaving of cloth, she also fed me from her earnings; what she received and
wove, when she had finished weaving, she returned to the owner of the
materials, and he paid her the wages."
One day, the seventh of Dystrus, she cut off the piece that she had
woven and took it o f f to the employers. They not only paid her wages, but

16 See J . - M . Auwers, " T o b i e 2 , 1 2 - 1 8 (Vulgate)," 82.
gave her a kid from their herd of goats to take home. Lit. "for the hearth."
G1 omits all of this sentence but joins to the end of the previous sentence
only this: "adding once a kid." VL: Séptima autem die mensis Distri
consummauit texturam, et reddidit dominis suis; et dederunt tili mercedem
suam totam, et insuper dederunt ei pro detexto ad manducandum haedum
de capris, "on the seventh of Dystrus she finished the weaving, and returned
(it) to her employers; they gave her all her wages, and in addition for the
finished woven goods they gave her a kid from the goats to eat." Vg
summarizes: "whence it happened that she received a kid of the goats and
brought it home."
The kid was meant to be a bonus for the good work that she had done
for her employers. It would have been a boon for the family to enjoy.
Δύστρος is the name of the fifth month in the Macedonian calendar,
which began in the fall after the autumnal equinox; so Dystrus would
correspond roughly to February/March. 17 The founder of the Seleucid
dynasty, Seleucus I Nicator ( 3 1 2 - 2 8 1 B.C.) introduced the Macedonian
calendar to his realm; hence the use of it here in Tobit. Dystrus corresponded
to the Jewish month of Shebat (= Babylonian Sabatu). Whether that calendar
would have been in use in Palestine in the eighth-seventh century B.C. may
be doubted.
Έφ' εστία means "for the hearth," and although it seems to be translated
in VL as ad manducandum, "to eat," it does not mean "for a feast," pace
Zimmermann. 18
The expression εριφος έξ αιγών, "a kid from the goats," finds its
counterpart in Judg 13:15 (εριφος αιγών).
13. When it came in to me, the kid began to bleat. So I called her and asked,
"Where did that goat come from? It is not stolen, is it? Give it back to its
owners. We have no right to eat anything stolen. " G1 abridges by omitting
"the kid" and "so I called her and"; it also changes the last sentence: "It
is not right to eat anything stolen." VL is fuller: Et cum introisset ad me
haedus, coepit baiare; et uocaui ad me uxorem et dixi illi, Onde est hic
haedus qui balatf Vide ne forte furtiuus sit; redde illum dominis suis; nobis
enim non licet manducare nihil furtiuum. Vg: "when her husband heard its
bleating sound, he said, 'See that it isn't stolen; return it to its owners,
because we are not allowed either to eat or to keep anything stolen.'"
17 See J. Finegan, Handbook of Biblical Chronology (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univer-

sity, 1964) 5 9 - 6 2 .
18 The Book of Tobit, 59, 155.
Blind Tobit's reaction of suspicion is partly owing to his poverty and

misfortune. It is quite different from the way he will react to his wife's
concerns later on (5:18-21; 10:4-6). It is because he is scrupulous about
eating or keeping anything that does not belong to him. His thinking is
governed by the injunction of Deut 2 2 : 1 - 3 or Exod 23:4 concerning a stray
animal belonging to a brother or even to an enemy.
14. She said to me, "It was given to me as a gift over and above my wages. "
I did not believe her and told her to return it to its owners; I became flushed
with anger at her because of this. VL agrees with the wording of G u , but
G1 omits "as a gift" and "because of this." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Blind Tobit, otherwise so righteous, can get angry with his wife, even over
a supposed theft in which she must have been only indirectly involved.
Then she retorted, "And where are your alms? Where are your righteous
deeds? Look, the things about you are well known!" Lit. "that which is
with you." G1 agrees with the wording of G", adding only "all" (the things).
VL adds an initial clause: et irata est quoniam non credebam illi; et
respondens dixit mihi, Ubi sunt iustitiae tuaef, "and she became angry
because I did not believe her"; it also omits, "where are your alms," and
explains "the things" as ecce quae pateris, omnibus nota sunt, "look, what
you are suffering is known to everybody." Vg: "To this his wife replied in
anger, 'Clearly your hope has become vain, and your alms have now shown
up,' and with these and other words of this sort she reproached him."
Hannah's retort "probably means: 'we can see how much good these
things i.e. your acts of charity have done for you.'" 1 9 So Hannah reacts to
Tobit's failure to accept her word about the bonus gift of the goat. Her
reaction reveals the human side of family life, and the continual possibility
of misunderstandings. She seems to regard Tobit's righteousness and good
deeds as hypocritical. Hannah's reaction is somewhat like that of Job's
wife: "Do you still hold on to your integrity? Curse God, and die!" (Job
2:9). Hannah's vituperation will find a parallel in that of the maidservant
in the house of Raguel (3:8). In a sense, Hannah's retort poses the real
question in this book: Does God reward those who are righteous?
3:1. Being deeply saddened at heart, I groaned and wept, and with the
groans I began to pray. VL adds before the last clause, et introiui in atrium
meum, "and I entered my hall." G1 abridges: "Then in my grief I wept, and
in anguish I prayed." Vg: "Then Tobias groaned and in tears began to pray,
saying. "
19 Dancy, Shorter Books of the Apocrypha, 23.

Tobit's reaction to the troubles that he faces evokes from him tears and
a prayer to God. His troubles are not just his captivity, his loss of
possessions, and his blindness, but also the reproaches of his wife Hannah.
All that he has recounted so far builds up to the prayer he begins to utter,
and his story and prayer will become the foil to that of Sarah in due time.
Tobit begs God for pardon of the offenses he has committed unwittingly
and for release from this life, which he finds so greatly burdened with
affliction, distress, and insult.
2. You are righteous, O Lord, and all your deeds are just; all your ways are
mercy and fidelity. You are the judge of the world. Lit. "You judge the
world." G1: " . . . all your deeds and all your ways are mercy and fidelity.
You make true and righteous judgment forever." VL: Et dixi lustus es,
Domine, et omnia opera tua magna sunt, et omnes uiae tuae misericordiae
et ueritatis plenae sunt et iudicium uuerum iudicas in saecula, "And I said,
'You are righteous, O Lord, and all your deeds are great; all your ways are
full of mercy and fidelity; you render a faithful judgment forever." In
omitting the preposition before τον αιώνα, G" creates a different sense,
which both VL and G1 lack. Vg summarizes: "You are just, O Lord, and
all your judgments are just, and all your ways are mercy, fidelity, and
judgment."
In his distress, Tobit is convinced that he must turn to the God of Israel
for help and understanding. He begins by praising God and pleads with
Him as "righteous," as One who acts according to what is upright and
correct in dealing with others, predicating of God the very qualities that
have summed up his own life (1:3). He readily acknowledges that God
views all things in this world with the correct perspective. In recognizing
Yahweh's righteousness, Tobit echoes such O T sentiments as Ezra 9:15;
Neh 9:33; Jer 12:1, and esp. Ps 119:137; cf. also Ps 145:17; Dan 9:14b.
"All your deeds are just," an echo of Bar 2:9.
"All your ways are mercy and fidelity," an echo of Ps 25:10, where the
L X X reads πασαι α! όδοί κυρίου ελεος καί αλήθεια. Here ελεημοσύνη καί
άλήθεια is used instead, as in L X X Gen 47:29 (a translation of ΠΰΧΙ "10Π);
Prov 20:28; cf. Deut 6:25; 24:13; Isa 1:27; 28:17, where ελεημοσύνη also
means "mercy."
"You judge the world": Cf. Ps 9:8. Zimmermann considers this "a
vestige of the original Aramaic Vim where the Lamed is a sign of the
accusative. BA [= G1], on the other hand, with its translation 'forever' takes
the Lamed as the mark of the dative." 20

3. Now remember me, O Lord, and look kindly upon me. Do not punish
me for my sins or for my oversights, or for those of my ancestors. I sinned
against you. VL and G1: "who sinned against you." The verb ήμαρτον is
ambiguous. In G" it is followed in v. 4 by καί τταρήκουσα, which is the first
singular; hence in v. 3, "I sinned." G1, however, has in v. 4 παρήκουσαν,
which refers to "my ancestors," as does VL. Vg: "Now, O Lord, be mindful
of me; do not punish me for my sins, and do not recall my transgressions
or those of my ancestors."
Tobit begs God to be merciful to him and not punish him for his failings
or for the failings of his forebears. The first words echo L X X Jer 15:15,
which uses a different Greek verb εττίσκεψαι, "look upon." Cf. also Lam
5:1; Prayer of Manasseh 9 - 1 2 .
Tobit does not say what his sins have been. We know of the rash
judgment of his wife, but he implies something more serious.
4. and disobeyed your commandments; you have given us over to plunder,

captivity, and death so that we have become a byword, a proverb, and a
taunt in all the nations among which you have scattered us. G1 basically
agrees with G n , but it reads τταρήκουσαν, "they disobeyed" (i.e. the
ancestors), and it curtails the consequences, "a byword of reproach in all
the nations, among which we have been scattered." VL: Et praecepta tua
contempsimus et tradidisti nos in direptionem et captiuitatem et mortem et
in exemplum et in fabulam et in improperium omnibus nationibus, in
quibus nos dispersisti, which agrees with G , but uses the first plural
11
contempsimus, which would refer to Tobit and his ancestors. Vg sub-

stantially agrees with VL.
Tobit admits that he and his ancestors have not always walked uprightly
before God, and for that reason their evil conduct has resulted in plunder,
captivity, and death. He thus acknowledges that the condition in which he
finds himself along with fellow Israelites is the consequence of Israel's
failure to honor God as it should have. Compare the words of Trito-Isaiah
in Isa 59:12; also Ezra 9 : 6 - 7 ; Dan 9 : 5 - 6 ; Bar 1:15-21; 2 : 1 1 - 1 3 ; 3 : 4 - 8 .
Again one notes the Deuteronomic theme of retribution in punishment for
sin.
"A byword, a proverb, and a taunt in all the nations": These words echo
Ps 4 4 : 1 4 - 1 5 ; Jer 24:9; 1 Kgs 9:7; Deut 28:37. Cf. Ezek 22:4; Jdt 5:21.
"Among which you have scattered us," an echo of Ezek 12:15; 20:34;
Jer 9:16; Neh 1:8. It has been said that this clause shows that the book was
composed in the Diaspora; but because it is an echo of an O T theme one
cannot press the statement too much in that sense. In any case, it reflects
Tobit's own experience and enhances his character in this narrative.
5. Now your many judgments are right in dealing with me according to my

sins, because we have not kept your commandments and have not walked
faithfully before you. Aramaic 4Q196 5:1: [ ] Ό "OUöM, "[to] deal with
me." VL: Et nunc, Domine, multa sunt iudicia tua et uera, quae de me
exigas (MS W: ut facias in me) et de peccatis meis et parentum meorum,
quia non egimus secundum praecepta tua et non ambulauimus sinceriter
coram te, adding "and of my ancestors." G1 similarly has καί των πατέρων
μου; so once again G" lacks an important phrase. Vg: "now, O Lord, great
are your judgments, for we have not acted according to your commandments
and have not walked sincerely before you."
"Your many judgments are right," lit. "true/faithful," an echo of Dan
3:27c (LXX). Cf. Dan 3:31; Ps 19:10b.
"Have not walked faithfully before you," an echo of an OT expression
(Isa 38:3; 1 Kgs 2:4; 8:23).
6. So deal with me as you see fit. G1 agrees with the wording of G n , but
inserts ενώπιον before σοΰ. VL adds at the beginning: Et nunc, Domine,
which is followed by Vg.
See 2 Esdr 10:11.
Command that my spirit be taken away from me, that I may be released
from the face of the earth and become dust. Hebrew 4Q200 1 i 2 has
preserved 131?, "dust." G1 agrees with the wording of G11, but omits "from
the face of the earth." VL: et praecipe recipi spiritum meum ut iam dimittar
desuper terra, "command that my spirit be taken so that I may be dismissed
from (this) earth"; it omits "and become dust." Vg: "command that my
spirit be received in peace."
Tobit thus expresses his distress and his request to die and depart from
this life. This is his death prayer. Cf. 1 Kgs 19:4; Ps 104:29; Qoh 3:20; 12:7.
Thus it is better for me to die than to live, since I have listened to untrue
reproaches; and excessive is the grief within me. Lit. "much sorrow is with
me." Hebrew 4Q200 1 i 3-4 reads r m m ... ΤΙΙίΟΒ ipE>] ΓΠΞΠΠ Ό mn1? -|[0RO
">Ώΰ ¡"Q~l[, "than to live, since [I have listened to untrue] reproaches ... and
much [grief] is mine." Despite a slightly different form of words G1 agrees
with G". VL: Quia expedit mihi mori magis quam uiuere, quoniam improperia
falsa audio, et in magno sum taedio. Vg curtails: "for it is better for me to die
than to live."
Tobit's words echo those of Moses in Num 11:15: "If you deal with me
in this way, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in your sight, that
I may no longer look upon my wretchedness. " Compare Tobit's prayer also
with that of Jonah: "Now, O Lord, take my life from me, I beg you, for
it is better for me to die than to live" (Jon 4:3); cf. Job 7:15-16; 1 Kgs 19:4;
Sophocles, Antigone 461-64.
Command, O Lord, that I be loosed from this distress; release me to go

to my everlasting home. Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 1 i 4 - 5 preserves only: HQS
[D'Odia ... 10] ΓΗΊη1?, "(give) command to move (me) far [from ... to the
ever]lasting [abode]." VL basically agrees with G n , but ends with da mihi
refrigerium in loco aeterno. G1 abridges: "Command that I be loosed at
once from distress to go to my everlasting home." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
"Everlasting home" is a phrase found in Qoh 12:5. It is a way of
speaking of "Sheol," described in Job 7 : 9 - 1 0 ; 1 0 : 2 1 - 2 2 as an abode from
which no one returns. Cf. Ps 49:12. No clear indication, however, is given
in this verse about a belief in an after-life; but cf. 4:10; 12:9.
Do not, O Lord, turn your face away from me. Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 1 i 5 reads:
•"ΙΠ0Π ^[Kl, "[do no]t hide." VL and G1 agree with G n in wording, but omit " O
Lord. " Vg has nothing that corresponds. HF reads: ΌΟΟ "|OD ΊΠ0Π 'Wl.
Although Tobit recognizes God's righteous judgment of him and all his
sinful ancestors, he acknowledges God's gracious mercy and begs for it.
These words of Tobit echo 2 Chr 30:9; cf. Ps 22:25; Isa 64:6.
For it is better for me to die than to see excessive distress in my life and
to listen to such reproaches. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 1:1 preserves [nrnjö1? Ή "|[Q,
"than to see." VL agrees basically with G", but ends with ne iam
improperium audiam hominum, "that I may no longer listen to the re-
proach of human beings." G1 and Vg have nothing that corresponds. This
sentence merely repeats what has been said at the beginning of the verse.
Cf. Jonah 4:3, 8; also Num 11:15 (Moses); 1 Kgs 19:4 (Elijah); Job 7:15
(Job).
Bibliography
Auwers, J.-M., "Tobie 2 , 1 2 - 1 8 (Vulgate) et la tradition latine d'interprétation du

livre de Tobie," L'esegesi dei Padri latini dalle origini a Gregorio Magno:
XXVIII incontro di studiosi dell'antichità cristiana Roma, 6-8 maggio 1999
(Studia Ephemeridis Augustinianum 6 8 ; Rome: Institutum Patristicum Augusti-
nianum, 2 0 0 0 ) 7 7 - 8 2 .
Bertrand, D. Α., " L e chevreau d'Anna: La signification de l'anecdotique dans le
livre de Tobit," RHPR 6 8 ( 1 9 8 8 ) 2 6 9 - 7 4 .
Flusser, D., "Psalms, Hymns and Prayers," Jewish Writings of the Second Temple
Period (CRINT 2 / 2 ) 5 5 5 - 5 6 .
Griffin, P. J., A Study o/" Eleêmosynë in the Bible with Emphasis upon Its Meaning
and Usage in the Theology of Tobit and Ben Sira (Washington, DC: M A .
Thesis, Catholic University of America, 1 9 8 2 ) .
—, The Theology and Function of Prayer in the Book of Tobit (Washington, DC:
Dissertation, Catholic University of America, 1 9 8 4 ) .
Harrington, D. J., "Prayers in Tobit," TBT 37 (1999) 86-90.

Heiligenthal, R., "Werke der Barmherzigkeit oder Almosen? Zur Bedeutung von
ελεημοσύνη," NovT 25 (1983) 289-301.
Kollmann, B., "Göttliche Offenbarung magisch-pharmakologischer Heilkunst im
Buch Tobit," ZAW 106 (1994) 289-99.
C. Sarah's Troubles and Prayer (3:7-15)
G": 7 On that same day at Ecbatana in G1: 7 On that same day at Ecbatana in
Media it happened that Sarah, the Media it happened that the daughter of
daughter of Raguel, was also listening Raguel, Sarah, was also being re-
to reproaches from one of her father's proached by her father's maidservants.
maidservants.
8 8
For she had been given in marriage For she had been given in marriage
to seven men, but the wicked demon to seven men, but Asmodeus, the wicked
Asmodeus killed them, before they could demon, killed them, before they could
be with her, as is the custom prescribed be with her as their wife. So they said to
for wives. So the maidservant said to her, "Don't you realize that you stran-
her, "You are the one who kills your gle your husbands? You have already
husbands! Look, you have already been had seven, but have not profited from
given to seven husbands, but you have one of them!
borne the name of not one of them!
9 9
Why do you beat us? Because your Why do you beat us? If they are dead,
husbands are dead? Go along with them, go along with them, and may we never
and may we never see a son or daughter see a son or daughter of yours!"
of yours!"
10 10
She was deeply distressed that day When she heard that, she was so
and went in tears to an upstairs room in greatly distressed that she wanted to
her father's house. She wanted to hang hang herself, but she said to herself, "I
herself, but she had second thoughts am my father's only child. If I do this, it
and said to herself, " M a y they never will be a disgrace for him, and I would
reproach my father and say to him, 'You bring his old age down in sorrow to
had only one beloved daughter, and she Hades."
hanged herself because of her troubles.'
So I would bring my aged father in sor-
row to Hades. It is better for me not to
hang myself, but to beg of the Lord that
I might die and that I (MS 319: and my
father) might no longer hear such re-
proaches in my lifetime."
11 11
Then she at once stretched out her So she prayed toward the window
hands toward the window and began to and said, "Praise to you, O Lord, my
pray (implored favor), saying, "Praise God, and praised be your holy and
to you, merciful God, and praised be honored name forever! May all your
your (holy and honorable) name for- works praise you evermore!
ever\ May all your works praise you
evermore!
12 12
To you, O Lord, I now turn my face Now I set my face and my eyes upon
and lift up my eyes. you.
i3 Bid that I be taken from this earth 13 Bid that I be taken from this earth
so that I may no longer have to listen to so that I may no longer have to listen to
such reproaches. such a reproach.
14 You know, Master, that I am inno- 14 You know, O Lord, that I am inno-
cent of any defilement with a man, cent of any sin with a man,
15 that I have not besmirched my name 15 that I have not besmirched my name
or my father's name in (all) the land of or my father's name in the land of my

my captivity. I am my father's only captivity. I am my father's only child;
child; he has no other child to be his he has no other to be his heir, no close
heir, no brother or close relative or other relative, or other kinsman for whom I
kinsman for whom I should keep myself should keep myself to be his wife. Seven
to be his wife. Seven husbands of mine husbands of mine have already perished;
have already perished; so why should I so why should I still live? If it is not
still go on living? If it is not pleasing to pleasing to you to take my life, O Lord,
you to take my life, O Lord, then listen then command that people respect and
to the criticism of me." pity me, and that I hear a reproach no
more."
COMMENT
The narrative in the first person has now come to an end, because the scene
shifts from Nineveh to Ecbatana, from Tobit to Sarah, and the story now
continues in the third person, which has been used already up to this point
in Jerome's Vg and also in the medieval Aramaic version of Neubauer and
the medieval Hebrew of HM, HL, and HG.
Tobit's situation in Nineveh now finds its counterpart in that of Sarah,
the daughter of Raguel, a kinsman of Tobit in faroff Ecbatana of Media.
This is, then, the other half of the double situation. Sarah is reproached
similarly by one of her father's maidservants, because she has not yet found
a husband, after seven men have been engaged to her, all of whom died on
the night they sought to consummate their marriage with her. In her
distress she wants to hang herself and thus end her life; but she realizes that
that would only produce criticism of her parents, especially of her aged
father. So she too prays to God about her situation. Her prayer parallels
that of Tobit in 3 : 1 - 6 , but it is much more personal and less concerned
about her ancestors and Israel. It is, in fact, longer than the narrative about
her, which is recounted only in vv. 7 - 1 0 , whereas her prayer is recorded
in vv. 1 1 - 1 5 . In this second formal prayer addressed to God in the book,
Sarah protests her innocence, purity, and lack of responsibility for the
death of her seven husbands, as she begs God to deliver her from a life to
be continued in vituperation or else to release her from such reproaches.
Sarah's Troubles and Prayer ( 3 : 7 - 1 5 ) 149
She does not say it, but her prayer for such release would imply liberation
from the demon Asmodeus.
J. E. Miller has shown that this episode acts as bridge material between
the first-person narrative of 1 : 3 - 3 : 6 and the third-person matter of 3 : 1 6 -
17. He also finds a similar bridge in the Genesis Apocryphon of Qumran
Cave 1 (lQapGen 2 1 : 2 3 - 2 4 ) , because initially the story of Abram is
recounted in the first person, but at 21:23 one finds the beginning of a
targum-like version of Genesis 14, where all is recounted in the third
person. Cf. Daniel 4, where the first person appears in vv. 4 - 1 9 a and the
third person in vv. 19b-37. 1
NOTES
7. On that same day at Ecbatana in Media it happened that Sarah, the

daughter ofRaguel, was also listening to reproaches from one of her father's
maidservants. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 1:2 has preserved only [ ]ΓΠΠ ]0 ][ΉΟΠ],
"reproaches from one." VL agrees with G": Eadem die contigit ut et Sarra
filia Raguhelis, quae erat Ecbathanis ciuitate Medorum, ut et ipsa audiret
improperium ab una ex ancillis patris sui. Despite slightly different word-
forms, G1 basically agrees with G", but ends with "being reproached by her
father's maidservants," i.e. more than one. Vg agrees with G" and also VL,
reading only in civitate Medorum, with no mention of Ecbatana.
As Tobit had to listen to the reproaches of his wife Hannah, so Sarah
listens to those of one of the maidservants in her father's house. The
temporal phrase, with which this verse begins, dramatically joins various
parts of the story together (see further 3:16, 17; 4:1); it strikes the chord
of simultaneity.
The Greek name Σάρρα (Sarah) stands for Aramaic/Hebrew ΠΊ0,
"princess," the name of the patriarch Abraham's wife (Gen 17:15). This
Sarah is the daughter of 'Ραγουήλ (Raguel), an inhabitant of Ecbatana in
Media. Her father bears the same name as one of Tobit's forebears (see
NOTE on 1:1) and is related to Tobit. Moreover, her plight parallels that
of Tobit in Nineveh.
The place name Έκβάτανα is treated as a neuter plural noun; it is the
Greek translation of Aramaic ΚΠΟΠΚ, the name found later in the story (7:1)
in 4 Q 1 9 7 4 iii 1. This city is mentioned in Ezra 6:2 as Ήΰ:ΐ Ή ΚΠΊ"α, "the
fortified city which is in Media." Its ruins are near the modern city of
Hamadan, E of the Zagros Mountains, about 282 km W of Teheran in
1 JSP 8 (1991) 5 3 - 6 1 .
northern Iran. It is situated 2 , 0 1 0 meters above sea level. According to

Herodotus (Hist. 1.96) it was founded by the Median king Deioces ca. 700
B.C. It was captured and plundered by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C. In
antiquity it was one of the capitals of the Persian empire, and there Darius
found the decree of Cyrus allowing the Jews to rebuild the temple in
Jerusalem (Ezra 6:2). Cf. Jdt 1:2-4 (Arphaxad is unknown). See further the
N O T E on 5:6.
8. For she had been given in marriage to seven men, but the wicked demon
Asmodeus killed them, before they could be with her, as is the custom
prescribed for wives. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 1:3 has only: [ ] m ^tûp KtS^îU ΚΊΒ],
"the [ev]il [demon] killed [them]." VL: Quoniam iam tradita erat uiris
Septem, et Asmodaeus daemonium nequissimum occidebat eos, ea hora qua
ad illam introibant ad concumbendum sicut est solitum mulieribus basically
agrees with G", having only "to lie with her, as is usual for wives." G1
abridges the ending, "be with her as their wife." Vg omits "wicked" and
ends, "as soon as they entered to her," i.e. her bedchamber. Neubauer's
Aramaic reads: ΚΙΠΚ il ΠΠίΟ ¡SJ^S Γ0Ι) Κ1?!, "and no one came into her
according to the way of all the earth."
The seven men are not said to be her kinsmen, but that may be presumed;
it will be affirmed in 7:11. The number "seven" may be symbolic, as in Isa
4:1.
Sarah is depicted as afflicted with an evil spirit which brings about the
death of her fiancés. The primitive thinking met here was current in
antiquity which often ascribed maladies to demons that possessed persons;
compare Matt 8 : 2 8 - 3 1 ; 1 5 : 2 2 - 2 8 ; Luke 11:14; 13:11; Josephus, Ant. 8.2.5
§ 4 5 - 4 7 ; J.W. 7.6.3 §185. "In the later rabbinic thought, a woman who had
buried three husbands was called a qatlanit as if there were something in
her that was man-killing." 2
Neither the Aramaic nor the Hebrew fragments preserve the name of the
demon called in Greek Άσμοδαίος,3 in Syriac 'smwd'ws, and in Latin,
Asmodaeus (VL) or Asmodeus (Vg), whence the English "Asmodeus." The
name is usually explained as Old Persian or Avestan, equalling aêsma
daëva, "demon of wrath," an associate of Ahriman, the god of evil, known
from Avestan literature. 4 The Persian origin of the name, however, has been
contested, and some would rather explain it as derived from Hebrew "10E>,
2 Zimmermann, The Book of Tobit, 62.

3 There are variant spellings in some MSS: Άσμόδαυς, Άσμόδεος.
4 See the discussion of A. Calmet, L. H. Gray, P. Haupt, J. T. Marshall, K. Ranke, F.
H. Reusch; and T. H. Gaster, "Demon, Demonology," IDB, 1 . 8 1 7 - 2 4 ; J. K.
Kuemmerlin-McLean, "Demons," ABD, 2.138^40.
"destroy, exterminate," i.e. the one who destroys, someone like the angelic
destroyer of 2 Sam 24:16; cf. Wis 18:25. 5 The latter explanation, however,
is almost certainly a popular etymology concocted to keep the tradition
closer to home. In either explanation, the name suits the role ascribed to
the demon.
Asmodeus is mentioned later in the third-century A.D. Testament of
Solomon 5 . 7 - 8 , where, when asked by King Solomon, the demon identifies
himself as "renowned Asmodeus": "I increase men's evil-doing throughout
the world. I plot against the newlywed: I mar the beauty of maidens and
estrange their hearts ... . Through the stars I spread madness among
women, and then it spreads itself in great waves; and I have killed up to
seven." 6 In that writing, Asmodeus is depicted as an offspring of fallen
angels (Gen 6:1-4) and his angelic opponent is said to be Raphael.
The name persists in later Jewish literature of the rabbinic period as
Asmeday (b. Gittin 68a-b; b. Pesahim 110a [where he is called "the king
of demons"], 122b). That title is given to him in the medieval Aramaic
version of Neubauer: ""TEH ''ΪΠΰΕ'Κ, "Asmodeus, king of demons,"
which shows that that version is dependent on and later than the Babylonian
Talmud. That title for Asmodeus is also used in HL, HG, and H M
(οή&Π •J'PO).
Many commentators think that this motif is borrowed from the folktale,
"The Monster in the Bridal Chamber," as in Tob 6 : 1 4 - 1 5 ; but is that
folktale attested earlier than the Book of Tobit?
So the maidservant said to her, "You are the one who kills your
husbands! Look, you have already been given to seven husbands, but you
have borne the name of not one of them! VL reads: Tu es quae suffocas
uiros tuos; ecce iam tradita es uiris septem et nullo eorum fruita es, "You
are the one who suffocates your husbands; look, you have been given to
seven men, and have had no enjoyment from any of them." G1: "So they
said to her, 'Don't you realize that you strangle your husbands? You have
already had seven, but have not profited from one of them!'" Here MS S
reads ώνομάσθης, lit. "you have been named," but G1 has ώνάσθης, "you
have enjoyed." This agrees with VL, fruita es, which is undoubtedly the
more original reading. Vg: "When then she rebuked the maid for her fault,
she replied, saying."
5 So L. Ginzberg, "Asmodeus or Ashmedai," The Jewish Encyclopedia (ed. I. Singer),

2 . 2 1 7 - 2 0 ; Legends of the Jews (6 vols.; Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society,
1928), 6.299 n. 83; cf. E. König, Geschichte der alttestamentlichen Religion (Güters-
loh: Bertelsmann, 1915) 552; F. Zimmermann, The Book of Tobit, 63.
« OTP, 1.966.
9. Why do you beat us? Because your husbands are dead? Go along with
them, and may we never see a son or daughter of yours!" Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6
6:1 preserves only: [ ] Ί3 Ό1? vm [ { φ ΐ ·ρΓΠΓη[ ^ΓΚ], "[go] after them, and
may we not see a son of yours." VL agrees with G n , and G1 basically agrees
but abridges a bit: "If they are dead, go along . . . " Vg: "May we no longer
see a son or daughter of yours on the earth, O killer of your husbands. You
don't want to kill me too, as you already killed the seven, do you?"
So runs the reproach to which Sarah has to listen; it is the height of
insult coming from an underling, who even wishes that her mistress Sarah
might live alone, be childless, and even die soon.
10. She was deeply distressed that day and went in tears to an upstairs
room in her father's house. She wanted to hang herself. Lit. "distressed in
spirit." Aramaic 4Q196 6:2 has only: [ΠΠΚ] ΓΡ3 m17I?'7 nfpÔl], "and wen]t
up to an upstairs room of [her father's] house." VL begins with eadem
hora, "at that hour," but the rest corresponds to G". G1 curtails: "When she
heard that, she was so greatly distressed that she wanted to hang herself."
Vg: "At those words she went to an upstairs room of her house, and for
three days and three nights she neither ate nor drank, but continued in
prayer with tears and begged the Lord that He might free her from such
criticism." Jerome's version has a significant addition not found in the
other ancient versions: fasting and prayer for three days and three nights;
but it turns up in HL. 7
but she had second thoughts and said to herself, "May they never
reproach my father and say to him, 'You had only one beloved daughter,
and she hanged herself because of her troubles."' Lit. "she thought again."
Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 1 ii 1 has preserved: ΌΚ Π]Ν ΊΞΠΓΡ, "let them [not] reproach
[my father]," and in line 2 ΓΠΤΡ] m HD1? ΓΡΠ, "you (had) alive an [only]
daughter." VL omits "again," but otherwise agrees with G n , whereas G1
abridges her words: "but she said to herself, Ί am my father's only child.
If I do this, it will be a disgrace for him.'" Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Even though Sarah has been living righteously, the reassessment of her
situation leads her to think of others than herself, realizing what neighbors
might say to and about her father, if she were to take her life. He would
be disgraced for failing to influence his only daughter properly. So her deep
devotion to her father deters her from such action.
Suicide in ancient Israel was not explicitly forbidden, but its prohibition
is implied in Gen 9:4-6, which was understood often as a prohibition of it,
especially when linked with the decalogue (Exod 20:13). Instances of it are

mentioned in 1 Sam 31:4 (Saul); 2 Sam 17:23 (Ahithophel); 1 Kgs 16:18

(Zimri); 2 Macc 1 4 : 4 1 - 4 6 (Raziz)—usually in cases of military defeat or war.
So I would bring my aged father in sorrow to Hades. G1 despite the use
of some synonyms has the same basic text as G11. VL: et incipiam deducere
senectutem patris mei cum tristitia animi ad inferos, "and I shall begin to
bring the old age of my father to the underworld in sorrow of soul."
Neither Vg nor the fragmentary Aramaic text has anything to correspond.
Both Greek versions use άδης, "Hades," for the place of death.
Sarah's devotion to her father is expressed in a phrase borrowed from
the story of Joseph in the Old Testament: Jacob uses the expression "bring
down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol" (Gen 42:38 [in L X X : εις άδου,
lit. "to [the house] of Hades," god of the underworld]); cf. Gen 37:35;
44:29, 31.
It is better for me not to hang myself, but to beg of the Lord that I might
die and that I (MS 319: and my father) might no longer hear such reproaches
in my lifetime. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 6:5 reads: [ ]1 "Πη ΠΙ) 10[Π SÍOPK K^l],
"[and I might hear no] longer [a re]proach in my life"; and Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0
1 ii 3 has: ni'?n]n'7 HBO "ρκ î?, "it is not right for me to h[ang myself], and
in line 4, OK] VÜW Kl1?! I7ÜÍSK, "may I [not] hear, and may [my father] not
hear (them either)." VL: non est utile animam laqueo fugare, at bonum est
potius deprecari Dominum ut moriar, et iam nullum improperium audiam
in uita mea, "It is useless to do away with (my) life by the noose, but it is
good rather to beg the Lord that I may die, and no longer have to listen to
such a reproach in my lifetime." G1 has nothing that corresponds, and at
the beginning of this verse Vg already ends in a somewhat similar way (see
above).
As Sarah reassesses her plight, she realizes a better course of action; so
she turns to prayer, as did Tobit in his similar situation. The object of her
prayer parallels that of Tobit in 3:6.
11. Then she at once stretched out her hands towards the window and
began to pray (implored favor), saying. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 6:6 has only
], "towards," but Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 1 ii 5 reads: ρπ[η]Γ11 l ^ f m ] , "the
window, and she implored favor." VL: Eodem tempore exporrectis manibus
ad fenestram deprecata est Dominum, "At the same time she stretched out
her hands toward the window and besought the Lord." G1 has: "So she
prayed toward the window and said." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Stretching out one's hands was an ancient way of praying, especially of
petitioning God; see Exod 9:29, 33; Ezra 9:5; Job 11:13. Praying "toward
the window" was a mode of directing the prayer toward the God of heaven,
but especially toward Jerusalem and its Temple, the house of God, as in
Dan 6:11; cf. 1 Kgs 8:44, 48; Ps 28:2; 134:2. This was especially true of
Jews in the Diaspora.
Praise to you, merciful God, and praised be your (holy and honorable)
name forever! May all your works praise you evermore! Lit. "blest are you
... and blest be ... ." Aramaic 4Q196 6:7 reads: Κ-ρρ["Ί "[Ö2>[ -p-Ql]
1
[•p-QlI? ÌD •plD-ITtl -pia ?]!) "[and praised be] your holy [and hojnored
name for[ever! And] may [all your works] praise [you]." VL agrees with
G", but uses as God's title, Domine Deus misericordiarum, "Lord God of
mercies"; it also agrees with the Aramaic in reading nomen tuum sanctum
et honorabile. G1 use the address, "O Lord, my God," and has "and your
holy and honored name." Vg: "But it happened on the third day that, while
she was completing the prayer praising God, she said, 'Blest is your name,
God of our fathers, who when you have been angry you show mercy and
in a time of tribulation you pardon the sins of those who call upon you.'"
The addition in Vg about the "third day" refers to Jerome's form of v. 10
(see above).
Sarah opens her prayer by using the traditional beginning of Jewish
prayers, lauding God and His exalted name, which she does not mention,
addressing Him only as "merciful God," but she also implicitly ack-
nowledges Him as the creator. Compare the prayers of Tobiah (8:5) and
Raguel (8:15). For similar doxologies at the beginning of prayers, see Gen
24:27; 1 Sam 25:32; 2 Sam 18:28; 1 Kgs 1:48; 1 Chr 29:10; Jdt 13:17; Ps
119:12; 1QM 13:2; 14:4; 1QS 11:15.
12. To you, O Lord, I now turn my face and lift up my eyes. Aramaic
4Q196 6:8 reads: n*7t2[] ψ ^ Ι ""EHR "p'/fy m a pDl], omitting only "O Lord."
VL agrees with G", but G1 abridges, "Now I set my face and my eyes upon
you." Vg basically agrees with G", omitting only "now."
To lift up the face or eyes to God or heaven is an OT expression for
prayer (Ps 121:1; Job 22:26; Isa 51:6; Ezra 9:6; Jer 2:27; 32:33). See the
identical phrase in 4QVisions of Amram 3 (4Q543) 6:[2].
13. Bid that I be taken from this earth so that I may no longer have to listen
to such reproaches. Aramaic 4Q196 6:8: [Κ1ΠΚ ^J) ρ ^rmtûSK1? ΊΟ«, "bid
me depart from up[on the earth]." VL and G1 agree with G", but Vg
paraphrases: "I beg, O Lord, that you free me from this reproach or surely
snatch me away from the earth."
This is the heart of Sarah's prayer: death as a means of release or
freedom from such criticism. Her prayer thus parallels that of Tobit in v. 6.
14. You know, Master, that I am innocent of any defilement with a man.
Aramaic 4Q196 6:9 has only an additional word, ¡TO-J[ ΙΠ[·> - ΠΠ3Κ]
Sarah's Troubles and Prayer (3:7-15) 155
[-Q2] ηΚΰΏ flO ·ΌΊ33 Π3Κ, "that I am clean in my body fro[m al]l
defilement of [a man]." VL agrees with G", but G1 ends: "innocent of any
sin with a man." Vg: "You know, O Lord, that I have never coveted a
husband."
Sarah now declares her innocence, which stands in contrast to Tobit's
confession of sins. She addresses God as δέσποτα, "Master," a title used for
God in the L X X (e.g. Dan 9:8, 15, 16 [usually translating TIN]), and
frequently in Josephus (J.W. 7.8.6 §323; Ant. 8.4.3 §111; 18.1.6 §23) and
Philo (Quis rer. div. heres 6 §22-24), as well as for Greek gods in classical
literature (Euripides, Hippolytus 88; Xenophon, Anabasis 3.2.13; Plato,
Euthydemus 302D). See further Tob 8:17. In G1 Κύριε is used instead;
Neubauer's Aramaic uses an abbreviation ("•").
15. that I have not besmirched my name or my father's name in (all) the
land of my captivity. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 6:10 reads: OBI "Ό]» n*7r[3 Κ1?!]]
R] 3B> nsriX
, "[and] I have [not] besmirched [my] na[me or the name of]
my [father] in all the land of our captivity." G1 agrees with G", but VL
reads: et non coinquinaui corpus meum, ñeque dehonestaui nomen patris
mei in terra captiuitatis meae, "I have not defiled my body, nor have I
besmirched the name of my father ... ." Vg: see below.
Sarah defends her virginity as a young Jewish girl and protests her
loyalty to her father. She has brought shame neither on herself nor on her
father.
Zimmermann translates rather, "where I have resided," instead of G n 's
"in the land of my captivity," which he considers to be "obviously
inappropriate in the mouth of Sarah." He claims that the Greek translator
misunderstood Hebrew "shebti/shibti, 'captivity/residence,'" and appeals
to the medieval Aramaic of Neubauer, which reads "'ara' totabuti, 'land of
my sojournment,'" 8 but the Qumran Aramaic clearly has "our captivity."
Similarly Syriac has b'r" dsbyt', "in the land of captivity."
I am my father's only child; he has no other child to be his heir. Aramaic
4Q196 6:10-11 reads: [η]]ΠΤ "Η prix Tib "Q[ ÍÓ1 ΌΚ1? ]Π3Κ Ν1[ΤΡ], with
which G11 agrees, as does G1, but VL reads: et non habet alium filium uel
filiam qui possideat haereditatem illius, "and he has no other son or
daughter who should acquire his inheritance."
no brother or close relative or other kinsman for whom I should keep
myself to be his wife. Aramaic 4Q196 reads: Π]1? [ΤΓΚ ί φ 3Ήρΐ Pb ΠΚ1
ΠΠ3Κ Tt> Π[ΐηΚ "IH1? ·Έ3[3 ΊΙ23Κ Ή, "n[or] does he [have] a kinsman or
relative, [for whom I should keep my]self, or a son for who[m I shall b]e

a wife." VL: neque frater est illi quisquam, uel proximus aut propinquus,
ut custodiat me illi uxor em, "... that he should keep me for him as a wife."
In the story itself we shall learn that Sarah's parents know much about
Tobit (7:2-7), even though they may not have known about young Tobiah,
given their dwelling in faroff Ecbatana. In any case, Sarah is depicted as not
knowing about Tobiah, and yet she implicitly acknowledges her duty of
marrying within her own clan and tribe, a motif emphasized in this writing:
1:9; 4:12-13; 6:12, 16; 7:10. For its OT background, see Num 27:5-11;
36:2-12; Gen 24:4, 38, 40, and compare the formulation with Syriac
Ahiqar 1.4 (APOT, 2. 724). On "kinsman," see NOTE on 1:3.
Seven husbands of mine have already perished; so why should I still go
on living? Aramaic 4Q196 6:12: [·ρ"03 η]ΐη® ΌΙ^ Π]3Κ "Q3, "already
seve[n husbands] ha[ve] perished on me." VL agrees, and G1 basically
agrees with G11, omitting "still."
Sarah repeats what has been narrated above in v. 8, and sees no reason
why she should continue in life, since seven of her husbands-to-be have
perished. In effect, she asks God that she might die. Despite the careful
conduct of her life, her encounter with seven fiancés has deprived her life
of meaning. Her condition of being without marriage and consequently
without children is meaningless in the good Jewish tradition.
If it is not pleasing to you to take my life, O Lord, then listen to the
criticism of me. Or possibly "to my complaint," as the NEB renders it.
4Q196 has preserved none of this statement, but VL has a fuller form,
which shows that MS S modified its shortened form, making the verb "to
hear" an imperative addressed to God: Et si non tibi uidetur, Domine,
perdere me, aspice in me et miserere mei, ut nullum iam improperium
audiam, "If it does not seem right to you, O Lord, to take my life, look
upon me and take pity on me, that I may no longer listen to (such)
criticism." G1 has rather: "... then command that people respect and pity
me and that I hear a reproach no more."
Sarah begs God that, if it is not His will to take her life, she may be
spared having to listen to such reproaches in the future. Her words echo
Ps 119:22, 39. The conclusion of Sarah's prayer echoes the conclusion of
Tobit's in v. 6. Compare also her words at the end of v. 10. As the rest of
the story unfolds, God does have another solution to her problem.
Instead of this lengthy v. 15, Jerome's Vg has an elaborate paraphrase,
which has little relation to either the Aramaic or any of the other ancient
versions, but HL has a similar, but not identical, paraphrase. After what
is v. 14 above, Jerome's paraphrase runs:
et mutidam servavi animam meant ab omni concupiscentia; numquam

cum ludentibus miscui me neque cum his qui in levitate ambulant
participem me praebui; virum autem cum timore tuo non libidine mea
consensi suscipere; et aut ego indigna fui Ulis aut Uli mihi forsitan digni
non fuerunt, quia forsitan viro alio conservasti me. Non est enim in
hominis potestate consilium tuum. Hoc autem certum habet omnis qui
colit te, quia vita eius si in probatione fuerit coronabitur, si autem in
tribulatione fuerit liberabitur; et si in correptione fuerit ad misericordian
tuam pervenire licebit. Non enim delectaris in perditionibus nostris,
quia post tempestatem tranquillum facis et post lacrimationem et fletum
exultationem infundís. Sit nomen tuum Deus Israhel benedictum in
saecula.
I have kept my soul free of all lust. I have never mingled with those who
play, nor have I made myself one to share with those who walk in levity;
but in fear of you, and not out of my own lust, have I agreed to take
a husband. Either I was unworthy of them or they perhaps were not
worthy of me, because you have kept me perchance for another man.
For your design is not within the grasp of human beings. This, however,
everyone who reverences you knows for certain, that his or her life if
lived under trial will be crowned; if lived in tribulation it will be
delivered; and if lived under censure, it will be allowed to experience
your mercy. For you take no pleasure in our being lost, because after a
storm you bring a calm, and after weeping and tears you spread
joyfulness. May your name, O God of Israel, be praised forever! 9
Cf. Ps 113:2.
Bibliography
Calmet, Α., "In daemonem Asmodaeum, dissertatio," Scripturae Sacrae cursus

completus ... (28 vols.; ed. J. P. Migne; Paris: Barrière d'Enfer, 1 8 3 9 - 6 6 ) , 12.
633-48.
Farkas, A. E. et al. (eds.), Monsters and Demons in the Ancient and Medieval
Worlds: Papers Presented in Honor of Edith Porada (Mainz: P. von Zabern,
1987).
Gray, L. H., "The Meaning of the Name Asmodaeus," JRAS (1934) 7 9 0 - 9 2 .
Haupt, P., "Asmodeus," JBL 4 0 ( 1 9 2 1 ) 1 7 4 - 7 8 .
Kohler, K., "Demonology," Jewish Encyclopedia (12 vols.; ed. I. Singer; New
York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1 9 0 3 ) , 4. 5 1 4 - 2 0 .
' See Skemp, Vulgate ofTobit, 120-21.

Marshall, J. T., "Asmodaeus," A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with Its Lan-
guage, Literature, and Contents, 1. 172-73.
Ranke, Κ., "Asmodeus," Enzyklopädie des Märchens (8 vols.; ed. Κ. Ranke; Berlin:
de Gruyter, 1977-93), 1. 880-82.
Reusch, F. H., "Der Dämon Asmodäus im Buche Tobias," TQ 38 (1856) 422-45.
Russell, D. S., "Angels and Demons," The Method & Message of Jewish Apoca-
lyptic, 200 BC-AD 100 (OTL; London: SCM; Philadelphia, PA: Westminster,
1964) 235-62.
D. God's Commission of Raphael to Go to Their Aid (3:16-17)
G": I6At that very moment the prayer of G1: 16The prayer of both of them was
both of them was heard in the glorious heard in the presence of glory of the
presence of God. great Raphael.
17 17
Then Raphael was sent to cure both He was sent then to cure both of
of them: Tobit, by removing the white them: Tobit, by peeling off the white
films from his eyes that he might see films; and Sarah, daughter of Raguel,
with them God's light; and Sarah, by giving her in marriage to Tobiah, son
daughter of Raguel, by giving her in of Tobit, and by binding the wicked
marriage to Tobiah, son of Tobit, and demon Asmodeus, for it was destined
freeing her from the wicked demon for Tobiah to possess her. At that very
Asmodeus. For it was destined that moment Tobit came back and entered
Tobiah should have her beyond all oth- his house, and Sarah, daughter of
ers who wanted to marry her. At that Raguel, came down from her upstairs
moment Tobit went back into his house room.
from the courtyard, and Sarah, daugh-
ter of Raguel, came down from the
upstairs room.
COMMENT
The prayers of Tobit and Sarah are heard in heaven, and God's answer to
their plight is to despatch the angel Raphael to help them both. One notes
again the literary parallelism of the solution affecting Tobit in Nineveh and
Sarah in Ecbatana, two people at great distance from each other who do
not know each other. The factor of simultaneity is at work. These verses
foreshadow two important events in the story yet to be narrated: the cure
of Tobit's blindness and the cure of Sarah so that she can marry Tobiah.
Through the mediation of Raphael the evil of the death wish of both Sarah
and Tobit is overcome. The story thus stresses the efficacy of heartfelt
prayer poured forth to God the Most High by those who reverence Him,
and God's answer comes through the mediation of an angel.
NOTES
16. At that very moment the prayer of both of them was heard in the
glorious presence of God. Lit. "before the glory of God." VL renders the
prepositional phrase: ab ipsa claritate summi Dei, "by the very renown of
God Most High." G1 renders it: "in the presence of glory of the great
Raphael," a curious twist! Vg is closest to G": in conspectu gloriae summi

Dei.
The difference of translation detected here seems to have been created
by the mention of God's "glory." Instead of saying simply "by God," use
is made of a phrase like the OT expression ΓΠΓΡ "1133, "glory of Yahweh"
(Exod 16:7; 24:17) or ^ΧΊϋ"1 TÒK 1133, "glory of the God of Israel" (Ezek
8:4) as a surrogate. "Glory" was a term used in the OT to express the
resplendent presence of God in a theophany. What is strange in G1 is the
substitution of the angel's name, του μεγάλου 'Ραφαήλ. Gross understands
τοΰ μεγάλου in G1 as a title for God, "the Great One," and inserts και,
"and," before 'Ραφαήλ, which then becomes the subject of the next
sentence.10
In any case, the statement is meant to record not only that the prayers
of both Tobit and Sarah are heard in heaven, but also the simultaneity of
that hearing in the heavenly court, "at that very moment". Recall 3:7. Cf.
Ps 18:7.
17. Then Raphael was sent to cure both of them. Lit. "the two (of them)."
VL agrees with G n , but adds angelus after the name. G1 has only: "He was
sent then to cure both of them." Vg: "and the holy angel of the Lord,
Raphael, was sent to cure both."
"Raphael" appeared earlier as the name of one of the ancestors of Tobit
(see NOTE on 1:1). Now it is used as the name of the angel whose mission
bears out its meaning, "God has healed," and there is clearly a play on his
name. He is sent as a superhuman being to cure Tobit's blindness and to
offset the effect of the evil demon Asmodeus on Sarah. In 12:15 he will be
identified as "one of the seven angels who stand in attendance and enter
the glorious presence of the Lord" (see NOTE there). In 12:12 he tells how
he has brought the prayers of Tobit and Sarah into God's presence.
Such an "angel" is different from "the angel of the Lord" (Gen 16:7-
11; Exod 3:2; Num 22:22) or "the angel of God" (Gen 21:17; Exod 14:19;
Judg 6:20), i.e. the theophanic angel. Angels are sent as "messengers,"
which is what "[X^ü and άγγελος literally mean, and sometimes they bring
weal (Exod 23:20; 33:2; Ps 91:11) or woe (Exod 12:23 ["destroyer"]; 2
Sam 24:16). Sometimes they are called "the army of heaven" (1 Kgs 22:19;
Jer 33:22), "sons of God" (Ps 29:1; Gen 6:2,4; Job 1:6; 2:1), or "holy ones"
(Ps 89:6, 8; Job 5:1; 15:15). Named angels like Raphael were considered
members of the heavenly court, especially in postexilic writings of the OT,
10 Tobit Judit, 2 4 . Méyas is found at times as an epithet of Yahweh in the L X X of Ps

4 8 : 2 (= 1 4 5 : 3 ) ; 8 6 : 1 0 ; 1 3 5 : 5 .
God's Commission of Raphael to Go to Their Aid (3:16-17) 161
e.g. in Ps 148:2. In 1 Enoch 40:9 Raphael is listed among four special

angels and is the one "in charge of all diseases and all the wounds of the
sons of men." Note how in Gen 24:17 Abraham instructs his servant who
is sent to look for a wife for his son Isaac: "the Lord will send his angel
before you." Now one sees how the same motif is developed here in the
Tobit story.
Tobit, by removing the white films from his eyes that he might see with
them God's light. Aramaic 4Q196 7:1-2, preserves what correspond to parts
of G", [ΚΊΊ]Π {OOfK1?], "[to c]ure [the] whi[te films]; and [100]0 Π[ΊΠ3],
"[the ligh]t of hea[ven]." VL: Id est Thobin curare a maculis oculorum et
reddere ei aspectum luminis (MS M: lumen caelorum), "that is, to cure
Tobit of eye defects and to give him back the sight of light (MS M: the light
of heaven)." G1: "Tobit, by peeling off the white films." Vg reads rather:
"whose prayer was recited at one time in the presence of the Lord"; the
antecedent of the relative pronoun is ambos, "both" (see above).
On "white films," see NOTE on 2:10. For "God's light," see Ps 4:7
(albeit in a different sense). Here it denotes the sunlight as coming from
God. Light and darkness become an important element in the Tobit story
(see 4:10; 5:10; 10:5; 11:8, 14; 13:11; 14:10).
and Sarah, daughter of Raguel, by giving her in marriage to Tobiah, son
of Tobit. Lit. "to give her to Tobiah as a wife." VL and G1 agree with the
wording of G n . For Vg, see above.
Tobiah has already been mentioned in 1:9 (see NOTE there).
and freeing her from the wicked demon Asmodeus. Lit. "loosing the
wicked demon from her." VL: et colligare Asmodaeum daemonium
nequissimum ab illa, "and to tie up the wicked demon from her." G1 has
"by binding the wicked demon Asmodeus." P.-E. Dion has argued that the
Aramaic underlying the Greek λύσαι was ΊΒΕΙ, "dismiss, discharge," and
that the use of δήσαι, "bind," in G1 is an anticipation of 8:3.11
On Asmodeus, see NOTE on 3:8. Neubauer's Aramaic text again gives
the title, "king of demons."
For it was destined that Tobiah should have her beyond all others who
wanted to marry her. Lit. "should inherit her." VL: Quoniam Thobiae
destinata erat haereditas eius, super omnes qui illam concupierant, "for her
inheritance was destined for Tobiah, above all (others) who had coveted
it." G1: "for it was destined for Tobiah to inherit her."
At that moment Tobit went back into his house from the courtyard, and
Sarah, daughter of Raguel, came down from the upstairs room. G1 reads:
11
Bib 57 (1976) 407-8.
"At that very moment Tobit came back and entered his house, and Sarah,
daughter of Raguel, came down from her upstairs room." VL agrees with
G n , but begins: uno igitur tempore. Vg has nothing that corresponds.
We have not been told earlier that Tobit was praying in his courtyard,
but we know from 3:9 that Sarah was praying in an upstairs room of her
house. Rather, the simultaneity of their actions after prayer is stressed in
the story line.
Bibliography
Bamburger, B. J., J. Gutman, and A. Marmorstein, "Angels and Angelology,"

Encyclopaedia Judaica (16 vols.; ed. C. Roth; New York: Macmillan; Jerusa-
lem: Keter, 1971), 2.956-77, esp. 956-66.
Dion, P.-E., "Raphaël l'exorciste," Bib 57 (1976) 399-413.
Heidt, W. G., Angelology of the Old Testament: A Study in Biblical Theology
(Studies in Sacred Theology 2/24; Washington, DC: Catholic University of
America, 1949) 45-47.
16s; XII, 12-15)," RSR 39 (1951) 115-24.
III. Tobiah's Journey (4:1-12:22)
A. Preparation for the Journey and Tobit's Speech (4:1-21)
G": O n that day Tobit recalled the G1: O n that day Tobit recalled the
money that he had left in trust with money that he had left in trust with
Gabael in Rages of Media. Gabael in Rages of Media.
2He said to himself, "I have asked for 2He said to himself, "I have asked for
death. Why should I not call my son death. Why should I not call my son
Tobiah and explain to him about that Tobiah and explain it to him before I
money before I die?" die?"
3 So he called his son Tobiah. When he 3 So he called him and said, "My son,
came to him, he said, "Bury me decently when I die, bury me and do not neglect
and honor your mother, not abandon- your mother; honor her all the days of
ing her for the rest of her life. Do what your life, and do what is pleasing to her
is pleasing to her and do not grieve her and do not grieve her.
spirit in any way.
4Remember her, my boy, because she 4Remember, my boy, that she faced
faced many risks for you while you were many risks for you while you were in
(she carried you) in her womb. When her womb. When she dies, bury her
she dies, bury her alongside of me in the alongside of me in the same grave.
same grave.
5Be mindful of (God) the Lord, my 5Be mindful of the Lord, our God, my
boy, every day of your life. Do not seek boy, every day of your life. Do not seek
to sin or transgress His commandments. to sin or transgress His commandments.
Practise righteousness all the days of Practise righteousness all the days of
your life, and tread not the paths of your life, and tread not the paths of
wickedness. wickedness.
6 For those who act with fidelity will 6 For if you act with fidelity, success
prosper in all they (you) do. To all those will attend all you do. To all those who
who practise righteousness [MS 319] practise righteousness
7give alms from what you have; and do 7give alms from what you have; and
not turn your face away from any poor do not let your eye begrudge the giving
person. Then God's face will not be of alms. Do not turn your face away
turned away from you. from any poor person. Then God's face
8According to what you have, give will not be turned away from you.
alms proportionately: (if you, my son, 8According to what you have, give
have abundance, according to that alms from it in proportion to your abun-

164 Tobiah's Journey (4:1-12:22)
abundance give alms·,) if you have little, dance; if you have little, do not be afraid
do not be afraid to give (according to) to give the little you can.
the little you can.
9 So you will be storing up good treas- 'So you will be storing up good treas-
ure {by giving alms) against a day of need. ure for yourself against a day of need.
10 For almsgiving preserves one from 10 For almsgiving preserves one from
death and keeps one from going off into death and keeps one from going off into
Darkness. Darkness.
"Indeed, almsgiving is a good gift in "Indeed, almsgiving is a good gift in
the sight of the Most High for all who the sight of the Most High for all who
give it. give it.
12Be on your guard, my boy, against 12Be on your guard, my boy, against
all illicit sex. Above all, take a wife all illicit sex. Above all, take a wife
from among the descendants of your from among the descendants of your
ancestors, and do not marry a foreign ancestors, and do not marry a foreign
woman who is not of your fathers' tribe. woman who is not of your fathers' tribe.
For we are children of the prophets, and For we are children of the prophets.
truly children of the prophets. Noah Remember, my boy, that Noah, Abra-
was a prophet first, then Abraham, ham, Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors of
Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors of old; old, all took wives from their kindred,
all of them took wives from their kin- and they were blessed in their children,
dred, and they were blessed in their and their posterity will inherit the land.
children, and their posterity will inherit
the land.
13 Now then, my boy, love your rela- 13 Now then, my boy, love your rela-
tives, and let not your heart disdain to tives, and let not your heart disdain your
take a wife from among the daughters kindred and the sons and daughters of
of the children of your people. For in your people, as you take a wife for your-
pride there is ruin and much anarchy; self. For in pride there is ruin and much
and in shiftlessness there is loss and great anarchy; and in shiftlessness there is loss
poverty. Shiftlessness is the mother of and great poverty. Shiftlessness is the
famine. mother of famine.
14Pay the wages the same day for any- 14 Let not the wages of anyone who
one who works for you; do not with- works for you be withheld over night;
hold the wages of anyone even over pay him at once. If you serve God, you
night. Your reward will not be withheld will be rewarded. Be circumspect, my
from you, if you serve God faithfully. boy, in all that you do and disciplined
Be circumspect, my boy, in all that you in all your behaviour.
do and disciplined in all your behavior.
"What you do not like to be done to lsWhat you do not like, do not do to
you, do not do to anyone! Do not drink anyone! Do not drink wine to excess,
wine to excess, and let not drunkenness and let not drunkenness be an evil that
be an evil that accompanies your way. accompanies your way.
16Give some of your bread to the hun- 16Give some of your bread to the hun-
Preparation for the Journey and Tobit's Speech (4:1-21) 165
gry and some of your clothing to the gry and some of your clothing to the
naked. Give as alms all that you have naked. Give as alms all that you have
over and above your needs, and let not over and above your needs, and let not
your eye begrudge your giving of it. your eye begrudge your giving of it.
17Put your bread on the tombs of the 17Put your bread on the tombs of the
righteous, but give none of it to sinners. righteous, but give none of it to sinners.
18Seek advice from every sensible per- 18Seek advice from every sensible per-
son, and do not despise it, since every son, and do not despise any useful ad-
bit of advice is useful. vice.
19 On every occasion praise God and 19 On every occasion praise your God
beg Him that your ways may be made and beg Him that your ways may be
straight and all your paths may lead to made straight and all your paths and
prosperity. For no nation has good plans may lead to prosperity. For no
counsel, [S:] but the Lord Himself sup- nation has good counsel, but the Lord
plies them with good counsel. Whom- Himself supplies all good things. Whom-
ever He wishes, the Lord casts down to ever He wishes, He casts down as He
deepest Hades. So, my boy, remember pleases. So, my boy, remember my com-
these commands, and let them not be mands, and let them not be effaced from
effaced from your mind. your mind.
20 Now then, my boy, let me explain 20 Now then, let me explain to you
to you that I have left ten silver talents about the ten silver talents that I have
in trust with Gabael, son of Gabri, at left in trust with Gabael, son of Gabri,
Rages in Media. at Rages in Media.
21 Do not be afraid, my boy, that we 21 Do not be afraid, my boy, that we
have been poor. Many good things have been poor. Many things await you,
await you, if you fear God, flee from all if you fear God, refrain from all sin, and
sin, and do what is good in the sight of do what is pleasing in His sight.
the Lord, your God.
COMMENT
The story of Tobit now takes a new turn, as we learn the sequel to Tobit's and
Sarah's prayer and God's decision to send Raphael to cure them. At first, the
reader's attention is concentrated on Tobit and his plight, but the narrative
gradually shifts to his son Tobiah, whom Tobit must educate and prepare to
send off to get the money that he has left in trust with Gabael of Rages. The
first part of this section is a speech of Tobit, which begins as a soliloquy (vv.
1 - 2 ) , but quickly shifts to a discourse in which he gives counsel to his young
son. It uses some elements of the literary form of a farewell discourse, even
though it does not function as such in the story, where it is intended more as
a sapiential exhortation, a piece of wisdom literature.
166 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
The counsels that Tobit gives are relatively few, but they are meant as
examples of the advice given to educate Tobiah in the way that he should
live as a young Jew. Like Nadin in the Ahiqar story, Tobiah is educated in
the ancient classical mode, by proverbs and aphorisms that inculcate good
habits of conduct and living. Tobit speaks about his own burial and about
the proper care of his wife, Hannah, once he is gone. Tobiah is urged to
honor his mother (vv. 3-5), pursue righteousness (4:5-6), practise alms-
giving (vv. 6-11), avoid fornication and marry a woman within his ancestral
lineage (vv. 12-13a), and avoid pride, shiftlessness, and drunkenness (vv.
13b, 15b). He is advised to pay the wages of laborers promptly (v. 14), care
for the poor and homeless (v. 16), seek proper advice (v. 18a), exercise
piety and reverence for God (v. 19), and adhere to the Golden Rule (v. 15a).
In short, Tobiah is to care for others, be faithful to the law, and trust in
God.
At the end of his counsels Tobit tells Tobiah about the money that he
has left in trust with Gabael and implies that Tobiah should go to get it.
Curiously, Tobit gives his son no explicit command to get the money in the
Long Recension of G". Nor is anything said in this part of the story about
Sarah, about whom Tobit himself must have known. The omission of that
detail, of course, is congruent with the story-line that is developing, for
Tobiah is to learn about her from Raphael en route to Rages.
In this section we meet the first sapiential instruction that the Book of
Tobit contains. Tobit instructs his son, as Deut 8:5-6 recommends. Many
of the counsels that Tobit gives to his son find their counterparts in other
such wisdom instructions, as in the Book of Proverbs and Sirach in the OT
and extrabiblically in the Wisdom of Ahiqar.
After v. 6 there is a gap in the story of MS S, which is the chief text of
G , but for v. 7 to v. 19ab one depends on MS 319 (see Introduction §4b).
n
NOTES
4:1. On that day Tobit recalled the money that he had left in trust with
Gabael in Rages of Media. G1 agrees with G", as does VL: Eadem die
rememoratus est Thobis commendasse se pecuniam Gabelo in Rages ciuitate
Medorum, ending with "in Rages, a city of the Medes." Vg has nothing
that corresponds.
"On that day" emphasizes the simultaneity again, as in 3:7, 16 (see
NOTE on 3:7). See also 1:14, for the ten talents of silver left with Gabael,
son of Gabri. The city, Rages is also mentioned there in G1 and VL (see
NOTE on 1:14).
Preparation for the Journey and Tobit's Speech ( 4 : 1 - 2 1 ) 167
2. He said to himself, "I have asked for death. Why should I not call my
son Tobiah and explain to him about that money before I die?" Lit. "said
in his heart." Aramaic 4Q196 8:1-2: [mints'? mpK ]ίÒ KO1?! Π[10], "[dea]th.
And why [should I] not [call Tobiah]," and [p] «303 ·?[!?], "[a]bout [this]
money." VL: Et dixit in corde suo cogitans, Ecce ego postulaui mortem.
Cur non uoco Thobiam filium meum et indicabo illi de hac pecunia quam
commendaui antequam moriar?, adding only "thinking" and "which I left
in trust." G1 modifies only the last clause: "and explain it to him before I
die?" Vg paraphrases thus: "So when Tobit thought that his prayer was
being heard that he might be able to die." In 3:6 Tobit asked for death.
3. So he called his son Tobiah. When he came to him, he said. VL: Et

uocauit filium suum et dixit illi Fili, et ille respondit Quid est pater?, "And
he called his son and said to him, "My son," and he replied, "What is it,
father?" G1 abridges: "So he called him and said." Similarly Vg.
Now Tobit undertakes to instruct Tobiah in his obligations as a son and
a member of a Jewish family. Tobit's charge to Tobiah reminds one of
David's to Solomon (1 Kgs 2:1-3).
Bury me decently and honor your mother, not abandoning her for the
rest of her life. Do what is pleasing to her and do not grieve her spirit in
any way. Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 2:1 preserves: ΠΠΊΊ Π31]Π ·?Κ[Ί Π]]12Ί, "[her] good
pleasure, [and] do not [grieve her spirit]." VL, G1, and Syr begin with "My
son, when I die," which provides the transition that G" lacks. Otherwise VL
agrees with G": Fili, cum mortuus fuero sepelí me diligenter, et honorem
habe matri tuae, et noli derelinquere illam omnibus diebus uitae suae; et
quod illi placet hoc fac in conspectu eius, et noli contristare spiritum eius
in ulla re (MS X: nec contristes uel in modico spiritum eius). G1 abridges:
"bury me and do not neglect your mother; honor her all the days of your
life, and do what is pleasing to her and do not grieve her." Vg differs
considerably: "Listen, my son, to my words and store them in your heart
as a foundation: when the Lord takes my soul, bury my body, and hold
your mother in honor all the days of her life."
So Tobit repeats, in effect, one of the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:12)
about filial duty; cf. Prov 23:22; Sir 7:27-28. He charges Tobiah to care
for the proper burial of himself, who often sought to bury the dead.
4. Remember her, my boy, because she faced many risks for you while you
were (she carried you) in her womb. When she dies, bury her alongside of
me in the same grave. Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 2:2 has: [ΓφΒΟη ΓΟΠ1Κ Û01[, "and
(she) carried you in [her] womb." VL omits the first "her": Memor esto,
fili, quanta pericula passa sit (MS R: uiderit) pro te (MSS MR add: et
sustinuerit) in utero suo (MS X: in utero portauerit te), et cum mortua
fuerit sepelí illam circa me in uno sepulcro, "Remember, my son, how

many dangers she suffered (MS R: faced; MSS MR add: and sustained) for
you (MS X: [when] she bore you in [her] womb), and when she dies, bury
her alongside of me in one grave." G1 omits both her's; otherwise it agrees
with G". Vg: "you should be mindful of what and how many risks she
underwent for you in her womb; but when she too has finished her lifetime,
bury her with me." Neubauer's Aramaic text reads: "ΙΠ "»öl? ΠΓΡ ~Qp,
"bury her with me in one grave" (a strange use of "ΙΠ with an emphatic state
of a noun, but that is also found in Syriac, where it is expected and normal:
qbwryh Iwty bhd qbr').
The motif is borrowed from Gen 25:10, where Sarah was buried with
Abraham. Cf. Jdt 16:23.
Hebrew 4Q200 contains an infinitive absolute ("713D1), which follows on
some finite verb, with which it was coordinated, but which is now missing
because of the lacuna. Such an infinitive occurs elsewhere in 4Q200: 4:3 (=
Tob 10:7); 5:2 (= 11:11); 6:4 (= 13:1); 7 i 2 (= 13:13[?]). It imitates a
construction found in late postexilic biblical Hebrew (see Introduction
§29).
5. Be mindful of (God) the Lord, my boy, every day of your life. Do not
seek to sin or transgress His commandments. Hebrew 4Q200 2:3-4 reads:
πακα[ ]-D[r η]Τ! 0\-|'?Κ'7 Ή Γ Ο ^ ÎDI, "and all your days b[e m]indful
of God[ ]his commandment." Aramaic 4Q196 9:1-2 reads: ~|0Γ3[ΐ]
[miaKO] ntttöö1?! Ktann^ ]., "[and] in your days [ to] sin or to transgress
[his commandment]." VL agrees with G": Et omnibus diebus uitae tuae,
fili, Deum in mente habe, et noli uelle peccare uel praeterire praecepta
illius, reading "God," as in the Hebrew; similarly G1, with "the Lord, our
God," and omitting "your." Vg follows VL in the first sentence; then: "and
take care lest you consent to sin on occasion and neglect the commandments
of our God."
Tobit thus recalls the obligations of every good-living Jew. For re-
membrance of the Lord, see Deut 8:2, 18; 16:3; 24:9; Jer 51:50; Isa 64:4;
Ezek 6:9; Ps 42:7. For not transgressing God's commandments, see Deut
17:20; 26:13; 28:14; Ps 119:87; Sir 10:19.
Practise righteousness all the days of your life, and tread not the paths of
wickedness. Hebrew 4Q200 2:4-5 reads: r o ^ n "ΊΤ *71[D ΠΕΠΙ7 ]ΓΡΠ ΠΟΚ
Ίρ» ''[DTQ, lit. "be [doing] truth all the days of [your] li[fe . . . . in the
path]s of falsehood." Aramaic 4Q196 9:3 hàs only ] HptS ~l[, which coincides
with the end of the Hebrew. VL agrees: Iustitiam fac omnibus diebus uitae
tuae et noli ire in uiam iniquitatis, and G1 agrees too. Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
Tobit advises his son about the pursuit of righteousness in life.

For ΓΙΟ« see Ezek 18:8-9; Neh 9:33; 1QS 1:5; 5:3; 8:2; John 3:21;
1 John 1:6. In using iustitiam fac, "do justice," VL introduces a nuance of
Roman law.
"Paths of wickedness" is an echo of Ps 119:29, 128.
6. For those who act with fidelity will prosper in all they (you) do. Lit. "in
all their deeds." Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 2:5 reads: "|OJJ ΓΡ[ΓΡ nORjn mtwn Ό,
"for in doing the [truth ... will] be with you." G reads rather: "For if you
1
(sg.) act with fidelity, success will attend all you do." VL: Quoniam agente
te ex ueritate erit respectus in operibus tuis, "for if you act with fidelity,
there will respect for all your deeds." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
G" contains a more generalizing form of the counsel, which is otherwise
addressed to Tobiah in the second singular, as the Hebrew and VL attest.
Again there is an echo of deuteronomic theology here, the conviction of
virtue rewarded by earthly prosperity and sin recompensed by disaster
(Deut 2 8 : 1 - 6 8 ; cf. Ps 1:1-3; Prov 10:27-30)
To all those who practise righteousness 7give alms from what you have.
Both G" and G1 join the last phrase in v. 6 to the beginning of v. 7, but VL
makes it the conclusion of the former sentence: et omnibus qui faciunt
iustitiam, "and for all who do justice." The Hebrew of 4 Q 2 0 0 does not
help in this instance because there is a lacuna at the crucial spot. Then 2:6
continues: ΓΠρΤί[ nani? ]ΓΡΠ ΓϋΤ ~|~lîOl[ ], "according to the length
of your hand, my son, do righteous deeds," i.e. give alms. In the same sense,
Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 10:1 reads: [RnpTt "n]y Τ Ι "ppf ~pîO]. VL: ex substantia
tua, fili, fac eleemosynam, "Out of your substance, my son, give alms,"
which practically is the same as MS 319. Vg follows VL, omitting only "my
son."
The problem is that the Greek text of MS S breaks off just as v. 7 begins,
and it has a lacuna until v. 18 (inclusive). Here MS 319 takes over, reading
εκ τών υπαρχόντων σοι ττοίει έλεημοσύνην.
In the Greek forms of the verse, Tobit seems to be advising Tobiah to
share his alms with those who practise righteousness. Although that is sage
advice, it seems to restrict his son's almsgiving. When the last phrase is
taken, however, with what precedes, then it speaks of respect being had
among those who pursue righteousness, which sounds better and is more
consonant with the rest of Tobit's advice. Compare Sir 2 9 : 8 - 1 3 . The
counsel to give alms is a major teaching in this book (see 12:8-9; 14:10—
11); it is also found in Sir 4 : 3 - 5 ; 7:10b; 2 9 : 9 - 1 3 ; 3 5 : 9 - 1 0 ; 40:17, 24.
The connection between righteous living and almsgiving is important,
because in the postexilic period Hebrew npTi, "righteousness," came to be
translated at times in the L X X as ελεημοσύνη, "almsgiving" (Deut 6:25;
170 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
24:13; Isa 28:17; 59:16; Ps 24:5; 33:5), and from that development comes
the meaning of ηρΐϋ as "act of charity." 1 In the coming verses (7, 8, 10,
11, 14, 16) "almsgiving" becomes the subject discussed.
7. and do not turn your face away from any poor person. Then God's face
will not be turned away from you. Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 2 : 6 - 7 reads: ΊΠ]0Π
DtVÒR â l i n l c roao ηκ 13 [y "7Ό Ρ -fOB, with which G" and G1 agree.
Similarly, VL: et noli auertere faciem tuam ab ullo paupere, et ita fiet ut nec
auertatur a te faciès Dei, despite the additional "and so it will happen
that," which Vg almost follows (ita enim fiet ut nec).
Tobit's advice in the first part echoes that of Sir 4 : 4 - 5 , "Turn not your
face away from the poor, and avert not your eye from the needy." Compare
Deut 15:7-8, 11; Prov 19:17; Matt 5:42. In the second part, it echoes 2 Chr
30:9; Mie 3:4; Isa 54:8; 64:6; Deut 31:17; 32:20. The advice that Tobit thus
gives to Tobiah is a reflection of what he recounted about his own past in
1:16-17. Tobit singles out four advantages for the person who practises
almsgiving: (a) God's face will not be turned from such a one (v. 7); (b) one
will be protecting oneself against a day of need (v. 9); (c) almsgiving
preserves one from death (v. 10); and (d) it evokes a gift from God (v. 11).
8. According to what you have, give alms proportionately: (if y ou, my son, have
abundance, according to that abundance give alms;) if you have little, do not
be afraid to give (according to) the little you can. Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 2 : 7 - 8 reads:
[ ]tayas tawa Η1? ΓΡΓΡ ON vacat N[IP]-RA uaa N[®IY .ΤΠ a n s nn rti-> ΓΡΓΡ DK,
which probably is the original of what the versions have rendered variously;
G1: "According to what you have, give alms from it in proportion to your
abundance; if you have little, do not be afraid to give the little you can. " VL:
Quomodo habueris, fili, sic fac eleemosynam. Si tibi largior fuerit substantia,
plus ex ilia fac eleemosynam; si exiguum habueris, ex hoc ipso exiguo
communica; et ne timueris, fili, cum fades eleemosynam, "In proportion to
what you have, my son, give alms. If you will have a more abundant estate,
give more from it as alms; if you have little, give from that little amount, and
do not be afraid, my son, when you give alms." Vg: "In proportion to what
you will be able, be merciful. If you will have much, distribute abundantly;
if it will be little, strive willingly to distribute the little."
For the idea of almsgiving in proportion to one's belongings, see Sir
3 5 : 9 - 1 0 ; cf. 2 Cor 8 : 1 2 - 1 4 .
1 N o t e the variant reading in M a t t 6 : 1 , where the best MSS have δικαιοσύνηυ,

"righteousness," but MSS L W Ζ Θ and the Koine text-tradition read έλεημοσύυηυ,
"almsgiving," a meaning that is close to v. 2 . Both were often used as the translation
of Hebrew p l S or npIS depending on the context. See further Str-B, 1 . 3 8 6 - 8 7 .
9. So you will be storing up good treasure (by giving alms) against a day
of need. Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 2:9 has: m i û πα11» πρ-Ώ ηπΊ[0Μ], "by giving alms,
a good treasure." VL: Praemium bonum repones tibi in die necessitatis. G1
and Vg agree in wording with MS 319, but none of the versions have the
addition of the first two words, which the Hebrew has.
Compare Prov 19:17 ("He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
and He will repay him for his deed"); Ps 41:2; Sir 29:11-12; 40:24; Matt
6:20. It is sometimes thought that this saying is echoed in 1 Tim 6:18-19.
10. For almsgiving preserves one from death and keeps one from going off
into Darkness. VL: Quoniam eleemosyna a morte libérât, et non patitur ire
in tenebras. G1 agrees with MS 319, but Vg has: "for almsgiving frees one
from all sin and death and does not allow the soul to go into Darkness."
Compare this verse with 12:9, and one sees where Jerome got his
addition of "sin." The basis of the statement is found in Prov 10:2 and
11:4, "Righteousness delivers from death," where πρίΐΐ is used in the
generic sense. Here in the Tobit context it is understood in the postexilic
specific sense of "almsgiving." Compare Sir 3:30, "almsgiving will expiate
sins," an expression of the Jewish conviction about the efficacy of such
good works. Compare Syriac Ahiqar 8:2, 37. 2 The first part of this verse
is quoted in Polycarp, Ep. ad Philip. 10:2.
"Darkness" is used as a synonym for death and Sheol (see NOTE on
3:6), as in 1 Sam 2:9; Job 10:21-22; 17:13; 18:18; 38:17; Ps 88:13; Prov
20:20. It is not easy to determine whether the statement implies anything
about the afterlife. Dancy maintains that it "is not a hint of any after-life,
but refers rather to the actual history of Ahikar (see 14: 10f.)." 3 Yet
"Death" may not be meant merely in the sense of the physical end of
human life, but rather of an untimely death in extraordinary circumstances,
often judged as a punishment of heaven. This teaching about almsgiving is
echoed by Leo the Great, Tractatus X 6 9 - 7 6 (CCLat 138A. 43).
11. Indeed, almsgiving is a good gift in the sight of the Most High for all
who give it. G1 agrees in wording with MS 319, as does VL: Munus bonum
est eleemosyna omnibus qui faciunt illam, coram summo Deo, save for
summo Deo, also used by Vg: "will be a great trust in the sight of the Most
High God."
Compare Sir 12:3, "No good will come to the one who persists in evil
or to the one who does not give alms." Likewise, Sir 29:11-12; 40:17.
2 APOT, 2.769, 775.

3 Shorter Books of the Apocrypha, 31.
12. Be on your guard, my boy, against all illicit sex. VL: Adtende tibi, fili,
ab omni fornicatione, with which G1 and Vg agree.
Greek πορνεία denotes "fornication," i.e. sexual intercourse between
unmarried persons, such as "prostitution," "harlotry," which Philo clearly
distinguishes from μοιχεία, "adultery" (De vita Mosis 1.55 §300). 4 But it
was used at times in antiquity to mean various sorts of unlawful sexual
intercourse. Sir 23:23 recognizes that a married woman can indulge also in
"harlotry." Cf. Exod 20:14. Paul speaks of πορνεία, meaning "a man living
with his father's wife" (1 Cor 5:1, often understood to mean incest), but
he also uses it in a more general sense (Gal 5:19; 1 Cor 7:2), as it
undoubtedly is intended here. Neubauer's Aramaic uses ΚΠΙΰΟ, "error,
mistake," whereas Syriac has znywt, "harlotry."
Above all, take a wife from among the descendants of your ancestors,
and do not marry a foreign woman who is not of your fathers' tribe. Lit.
"from the seed of your fathers." VL: Uxorem proximam accipe ex semine
parentum tuorum, et noli sumere uxorem alienam, quae non est ex tribu
parentum tuorum. Whereas MS 319 and G1 use the adverb πρώτον, "first
of all," VL renders it as an adjective, uxorem proximam, which is puzzling.
G1 also uses the singular, "your father's tribe." Vg changes the thought
entirely, making it an explanation of the first counsel in the verse, "and
apart from your wife never allow yourself to commit a crime."
Tobit insists that Tobiah marry only an Israelite and a woman from
their ancestral tribe. On the Jewish obligation to marry within one's clan
or tribe, see NOTES on 1:9; 3:15. For the prohibition of marrying foreign
women, see Gen 28:1-2; Exod 34:16; Deut 7:3-4; Ezra 9:2, 12; Neh 10:30;
13:25; Mal 2:11. This becomes an important theme in the Book of Tobit
(see 1:9; 3:17; 6:12-16; 7:10-11), and the purpose of it is to insure
Tobiah's solidarity with his family, clan, and tribe. The angel Raphael will
recall this counsel to Tobiah at the time that they are discussing Tobiah's
possible marriage to Sarah in 6:16.
For we are children of the prophets, and truly children of the prophets.
Noah was a prophet first, then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors
of old; all of them took wives from their kindred, and they were blessed in
their children, and their posterity will inherit the land. The second clause
of MS 319, καί κατ άλήθειαν υιοί προφητών, is anomalous; its counterpart
in VL reads: qui in ueritate prophetauerunt priores, "who were the first to
prophesy truly." G1 omits it entirely. The adjective priores, which in VL
modifies the subject of the verb, is apparently the equivalent of πρώτος,
which in MS 319 modifies "Noah." G1 adds μνήσθητι, παιδίον and abridges
4 As do Mark 7:21; Matt 15:19.

somewhat: "For we are children of the prophets. Remember, my boy, that

Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors of old, all took wives from
their kindred, and ... ." Similarly VL: Quoniam filii propbetarum sumus,
qui in ueritate prophetauerunt priores. Noe prophetauit prior, et Abraham
et Isaac et lacob, parentes nostri a principio saeculi. Rememorare, fili,
quoniam hi omnes acceperunt uxores ex genere patrum suorum, et benedicti
sunt in filiis suis, et semen filiorum possidebit haereditatem terrae. Vg has
nothing that corresponds to these sentences.
The patriarchs are called prophets. "Prophet" (προφήτης from πρό +
φημί) is being used in the O T sense of "God's mouthpiece," i.e. someone
who speaks forth in the name of God (having nothing to do with foretelling).
See Exod 4 : 1 3 - 1 6 for an explanation of what a ΚΌ3 was to be in Israel:
Aaron was to be Moses' mouthpiece, "He shall be a mouth for you, and
you shall be to him as God." In this sense, then, the patriarchs could be said
to be "prophets." See Ps 105:15, where patriarchs are called by God "my
prophets." Jub. 8.18 depicts Noah opening his mouth "in prophecy," as he
blessed "the Lord God of Shem." Note that David, who is not called a
prophet in the OT, is depicted as prophesying in l l Q P s a 2 7 : 2 - 1 1 and is
explicitly called a "prophet" in Acts 2:30. 5
The patriarchs' marriage with closely related women is proposed as an
example to Tobiah as the reason for his marrying an Israelite woman of his
own tribe.
"We are children of the prophets," lit. "sons of prophets." This is a
phrase used in the O T to designate the prophetic guild (D"lK"'3]n "OQ, in 1 Kgs
20:35; 2 Kgs 2:3, 5, 7, 15); but it is not being used in that sense here, where
Tobit is speaking of the patriarchs as prophets. Compare Acts 3:25.
Noah's wife is mentioned in Gen 6:18; 7:7, 13; 8:16, 18, but one never
learns her name or her background there. In lQapGen 6:7 she is called
ΪΠΓ0Κ, "Imzera"' (Mother of offspring), which is repeated in Jub. 4.33,
"Emzara, daughter of Rakeel, his father's brother/sister." Abram's wife
was Sarai (later called Sarah), who is mentioned in Gen 11:29, 31, but her
kinship is not given. In Gen 2 4 : 3 - 4 (cf. 2 4 : 3 7 - 3 8 ) , Abraham orders his
servant to take a wife for his son Isaac, not from "the daughters of the
Canaanites," but from "my kindred." So Isaac was married to Rebekah,
"the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's
brother," of the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia (24:15, 67; but cf. Gen
25:20). Jacob was instructed by his father Isaac not to "marry one of the
Canaanite women," but to go to Paddan-aram and take a wife from "the
daughters of Laban, your mother's brother" (Gen 28:1-2). So Jacob married
5 See further J. A. Fitzmyer, CBQ 34 (1972) 332-39.

174 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
Leah and Rachel, the daughters of Laban (Gen 29:15-30:24), from whom
and from their maids he fathered twelve sons.
"They were blessed in their children," an echo of Deut 28:4.
"Their posterity will inherit the land," an echo of Isa 60:21; Ps 37:22;
112:2.
On "kindred," see the NOTE on άδελφοί in 1:3.
13. Now then, my boy, love your relatives, and let not your heart disdain
to take a wife from among the daughters of the children of your people. G1
agrees with MS 319, whereas VL paraphrases: Et tu, fili, dilige fratres tuos,
et noli superbo corde agere cum filiabus filiorum populi tui, ut non accipias
unam ex illis, "And you, my son, love your relatives, and do not act with
proud heart with the daughters of your people, that you do not take one
of them." Vg has nothing similar.
This bit of Tobit's advice about marriage with an Israelite woman is
repetitious of what he said in v. 12b. On "relatives," see NOTE on 1:3.
For in pride there is ruin and much anarchy; and in shiftlessness there
is loss and great poverty. Shiftlessness is the mother of famine. G1 agrees
with MS 319, but VL has: quoniam superbia perditio et inconstantia
magna est; et luxuria diminutio et impietas magna est, "for pride is ruin
and great inconstancy; and indulgence is loss and great disrespect." Vg:
"Never let pride dominate in your thinking or your speech; for in it all
perdition has found its beginning."
This general comment about pride and its consequences has been sparked
by the "disdain" or "pride of heart" mentioned in v. 13a. See Prov 16:18:
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." For
Tobit, it is the source of many other evils, which the different versions
mention as "ruin," "anarchy," "shiftlessness," and "famine." The noun
άχρειότης denotes "worthlessness, shiftlessness." See Prov 19:15; Sir 1 0 : 1 4 -
15; 22:1-2.
14. Pay the wages the same day for anyone who works for you; do not
withhold the wages of anyone even over night. Lit. "do not let your pay
spend the night." VL agrees with the wording of MS 319, but G1
paraphrases: "Let not the wages of anyone who works for you be withheld
over night; pay him at once." Vg: "Immediately pay the wages to whoever
has done work for you, and do not let the wages of a hired servant stay with
you at all."
This piece of advice is derived from Lev 19:13 or Deut 24:15, where
God is seen as the defender of the poor and the hireling. It is presented now
as an obligation of social justice that every good Jew would be expected to
pursue.
Your reward will not be withheld from you, if you serve God faithfully.
Lit. "will not be made to spend the night." VL agrees with MS 319: et non
minorabitur tnerces tua, si seruieris Deo in ueritate, rendering the verb as
"will not be reduced." G1 has rather: "If you serve God, you will be
rewarded." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
The prompt and just payment of a hireling's wages is seen as something
that God will recompense.
Be circumspect, my boy, in all that you do and disciplined in all your
behavior. G1 agrees with MS 319. VL: Adtende tibi, fili, in omnibus ope-
ribus tuis, et esto sapiens in omnibus sermonibus tuis, reads rather for the
last clause, "and be wise in all that you say." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
15. What you do not like to be done to you, do not do to anyone! Lit.
"what you hate." VL: et quod oderis alio ne feceris, a simpler form with
which G1 agrees, "What you do not like, do not do to anyone!" Vg is close
to MS 319, adding only "at any time" to the last clause.
This is a negative form of the so-called Golden Rule. Compare Matt
7:12; Luke 6:31 for a positive formulation. The "Golden Rule" is an
eighteenth-century title for the aphorism enunciated here. In antiquity,
many formulations, both positive and negative, were in use: (1) Lev 19:18,
"You must love your neighbor as yourself." 6 (2) Aristeas, Ep. ad Philocraten
207, "As you wish that no evil should befall you, but to be a partaker of
all good things, so you should act on the same principle toward your
subjects and offenders." 7 (3) MS D of Acts 15:29, "Whatever you do not
wish to happen to you, do not do to another." (4) Didache 1.2, "Whatever
you would not have done to you, do not do to another." (5) Attributed to
R. Hillel, older contemporary of Jesus of Nazareth, in fifth-century rabbinic
tradition, b. Sabbat 31a, "What is hateful to you, do not do to anyone else;
that is the whole Law, all else is commentary. Go and learn. " See also Tg.
Yerusalmi I of Lev 19:18. (6) Ahiqar (Armenian version), 2.88, "That
which seems evil unto thee do not do to thy companion." 8
Do not drink wine to excess, and let not drunkenness be an evil that
accompanies your way. Lit. "do not drink wine to drunkenness." G1 agrees
with MS 319, but VL: Noli bibere uinum in ebrietate, et non comitetur
tecum ulla nequitia in omni uita tua, reading the second clause as: "and let
6 This is actually used in H L . Compare Matt 7 : 1 2 ; Luke 6 : 3 1 .

7 See APOT, 2.113.
8 APOT, 2 . 7 3 9 . See further A. Dohle, Die goldene Regel: Eine Einführung in die
Geschichte der antiken und frühchristlichen Vulgärethik (Studienheft zur Altertums-
wissenschaft 7; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1 9 6 2 ) .
176 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
no wickedness accompany you during all your life." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
Tobit counsels moderation in the use of wine and the avoidance of
alcoholism. Compare Prov 20:1; 23:20, 3 0 - 3 5 ; Sir 3 1 : 2 5 - 3 1 .
16. Give some of your bread to the hungry and some of your clothing to
the naked. G1 agrees with MS 319, but VL paraphrases a bit: De pane tuo
communica esurientibus et uestimentis tuis nudos uesti, "Share some of
your bread with the hungry and clothe the naked with your garments."
Similarly Vg: "Eat your bread with the hungry and the needy, and cover
the naked with your garments."
Tobit's advice about almsgiving now becomes more specific as he
includes feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, echoing Isa 58:7, for
the way one treats fellow human beings reveals ultimately one's attitude to
God. Compare Ezek 1 8 : 7 , 1 6 ; Sir 4 : 1 - 2 ; 7:32; Matt 2 5 : 3 5 - 3 6 ; Luke 1 0 : 2 5 -
37.
Give as alms all that you have over and above your needs. G1 agrees
with MS 319; VL: Ex omnibus quaecunque tibi abundauerint, fili, fac
eleemosynam. Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Tobit's advice about almsgiving is less radical than that of the Lucan
Jesus in his Sermon on the Plain: "Give to everyone who begs from you"
(Luke 6:30). In a similar context, it is followed by the Lucan form of the
Golden Rule (6:31).
and let not your eye begrudge your giving of it. G1 agrees with MS 319;
VL: et non inuideat oculus tuus cum facis eleemosynam. Vg has nothing
that corresponds.
This is an echo of a directive about a poor brother in Deut 15:10: "You
shall give to him, indeed, and not let your heart begrudge it when you give
to him; for this reason the LORD your God will bless you in all that you
do and set your hand to." Compare L X X Prov 22:8a; 2 Cor 9:7.
17. Put your bread on the tombs of the righteous, but give none of it to
sinners. G1 basically agrees with MS 319, using the plural τους άρτους
instead of the singular for "bread." VL: Funde uinum tuum et panem tuum
super sepulchra iustorum, et noli illud dare peccatoribus, "Pour out your
wine and your bread ... . " Vg: "Lay out your bread and wine upon the
burial of a just one, and do not eat and drink of it with sinners."
This bit of advice is strange, and the meaning of this verse is quite
disputed. Deut 2 6 : 1 4 seems to proscribe the bringing of food to the tomb
of a dead person, at least by implication: "I have not offered any of it to
the dead." It is said to be a prohibition of Egyptian and Canaanite practices
of depositing food in tombs as a funerary offering for the dead. Contact
with a tomb would render food ritually defiled. Yet Sir 7:33 ("Give
graciously to all the living, and withhold not kindness from the dead" 9 )
may countenance the same view as Tobit's advice. Compare Sir 30:18;
LXX Ep. Jeremiah 6:26 (= English Bar 6:27). The advice, however, does
find a parallel in a proverb in some late forms of the Wisdom of Ahiqar
2.10, 13 (number depending on the version). 10 The positive aspect of the
counsel, however, is found in the contrast of "the righteous" and "sinners."
In effect, Tobiah is being instructed not to associate with the latter.
18. Seek advice from every sensible person, and do not despise it, since
every bit of advice is useful. VL agrees with MS 319: Consilium ab homine
sapiente inquire et noli contemnere, quoniam omne consilium utile est·, but
G1 curtails it: "Seek advice from every sensible person, and do not despise
any useful advice." Vg abridges still more: "Seek advice always from a wise
person."
The universality of the advice is noteworthy as long as it comes from
someone who is φρόνιμος, "prudent, sensible." Implied, of course, is that
the prudent or sensible person is one instructed in God's law, but also one
who has learned from the experience of a life lived in such instruction; in
other words, one who is the ideal of human existence. Apparently, the
guidance of Gentiles is not the issue. For similar counsel, see Prov 19:20;
Sir 37:16, 23. Compare Syriac Ahiqar 2.12: "Associate with the wise man,
and you will become wise like him." 11
19. On every occasion praise God and beg Him that your ways may be
made straight and all your may paths lead to prosperity. VL basically
agrees with MS 319: Omni tempore benedic Deo, et postula ab ilio ut
dirigantur uiae tuae, et omnes semitae tuae et cogitationes bene disponantur,
adding "and plans" to the last clause. G1 has rather "the Lord your God,"
and in the last clause "your paths and plans." Vg: "that He may direct all
your ways, and all your plans may abide in Him." Tobit recommends
prayer to God as the basis of an upright life, realizing that God freely
disposes of His creatures. Cf. Ps 34:2.
9
The Greek runs: χάρις δόματος Ιυαντι TravTÒs ζώντος, καί ÉTTI νεκρώ μή άττοκωλύσης
χάριν, and the Hebrew reads: 10Π won ΠΟΟ D31 TI "|Πα -|Π.
10
See APOT, 2.730-31. Syriac: "My son, pour out thy wine on the graves of the
righteous, rather than drink it with evil people." This is thought sometimes to refer
to meals brought to mourners (the "cup of consolation" of Jer 16:7) as a sign of
sharing in their grief at the death of a good person (cf. Ezek 24:17, 22). Some,
however, think that it recommends almsgiving in honor of the deceased. See Moore,
Tobit (AB), 173.
11
APOT, 2.730.
178 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
For no nation has good counsel. G1 omits "good," and VL casts the
sentence in the plural: quoniam ceterae nationes non habent bonam
cogitationem, "for other nations do not have good counsel." Vg has
nothing that corresponds.
This remark sounds strange in light of what was said in v. 18. Behind
it, however, undoubtedly lies the conviction that only Israel has received
God's wisdom in its law.
At this point the Greek text of MS S resumes, and it again becomes the
chief witness to the Tobit story.
but the Lord Himself supplies them with good counsel. Lit. "gives
them." G1 reads rather "all good things." Both VL and Vg lack anything
that corresponds.
The object of God's gift must be Israel or the Jewish people. For Tobit
is recalling the place of the Mosaic law in Jewish life. Compare Deut 4 : 7 -
8, "For what great nation is there to which a god is so near as the LORD
our God is to us, whenever we call upon Him? And what great nation is
there, which has statutes and regulations so righteous as all this law that
I am setting before you today?" Bar 4:1, "She [Wisdom] is the book of the
commandments of God, and the law that endures forever"; and 4:4,
"Happy are we, O Israel, for we know what is pleasing to God."
Whomever He wishes, the Lord casts down to deepest Hades. VL reads
rather: Quem ergo uoluerit ipse alleuat, et quem uoluerit ipse demergit
usque ad inferos deorsum, "Whomever He wishes, He raises up; and
whomever He wishes, He casts down to the lower world." That double
form of the saying may explain the repetition preserved in G1: "Whomever
He wishes, He casts down, as He pleases." In this last form of the saying,
something seems to have been dropped. Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Tobit is stressing that the Lord is sovereign and has total control over
human life and therefore supplies the proper guidance for the living of it.
See Tob 13:2, where the same idea is repeated; and compare 1 Sam 2:6
("The Lord puts to death and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and
raises up"). Hades is the Greek name used in the L X X to translate Hebrew
Sheol, the realm of the dead (Isa 14:9). Cf. Wis 16:13; Job 5:11; Deut
32:39. Tobit recognizes God's freedom and sovereignty, but he does not
abandon his trust in Him.
In the OT "Sheol" is the place whither human beings descend at death
(Gen 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31; 1 Kgs 2:6, 9; Job 7:9; 21:13; Isa 14:11, 15; Ps
88:4). It was thought to be under the seas and mountains (Job 26:5-6; Jonah
2:2-3), a place of darkness and gloom, without return (Job 17:13-16), a
place without wisdom or knowledge (Qoh 9:5-10), and a place without the
praise or presence of God (Ps 6:6; Isa 38:18). See NOTE on 4:10.
So, my boy, remember these commands, and let them not be effaced
from your mind. Lit. "from your heart." VL: Et nunc, fili, memor esto
praeceptorum meorum et non deleantur de corde tuo. G1 similarly reads,
"my commands." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
As he finishes his advice, Tobit emphasizes memory once again. Now he
moves on to the topic that he mentioned in v. 2.
20. Now then, my boy, let me explain to you that I have left ten silver
talents in trust with Gabael, son of Gabri, at Rages in Media. G1 agrees
with the wording of G". VL: Nunc igitur, fili, indico tibi commendasse me
decern talenta argenti Gabelo filio Gabahel in Rages ciuitate Medorum,
" . . . "Gabael, son of Gabael, in Rages, a city of the Medes." Vg has an
elaborate addition that is considerably different from other ancient versions:
Indico etiam tibi, fili mi, dedisse me decern talenta argenti dum infantulus
[esses] Gabelo in Rages civitate Medorum, et chirografum eius apud me
habeo; et ideo perquire quomodo ad eum pervenias et recipias ab eo
supra memoratum pondus argenti et restitues ei chirografum suum.
I explain to you also, my son, that I gave ten talents of silver, when you
were a small child, to Gabael in Rages, a city of the Medes, and I have
with me his handwritten note; so inquire, then, how you may go to him,
get from him the forementioned sum of money, and restore to him his
handwritten note. 12
What is strange in the versions apart from Vg is that Tobit never tells
Tobiah that he should go to get the money. Having mentioned the deposit
of the ten silver talents (see N O T E on 1:14), Tobit resumes his counsels;
thus he at most implies that Tobiah should go get the money. He is more
interested in instilling in young Tobiah "the fear of the Lord." See 5:3 for
an explicit formulation of the command.
On Gabael, Rages, and Media, see NOTES on 1:14; 4:1. Jerome's
version makes mention of chirografum, which is a Latin transliteration of
Greek χειρόγραφον, "hand-written note," which in antiquity was often
used specifically as a "certificate of indebtedness" (BAGD, 880). See N O T E
on 5:3. 13
21. Do not be afraid, my boy, that we have been poor. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 2:1
preserves part of two words, [ JK3D0Ü "[Π], "the [l]ife of the poor." G1
agrees in wording with G n , as does VL: Noli ergo uereri, fili, quia pauperem
uitam gessimus, ending with: "we have led a poor life." Vg is similar to VL.

13 For examples of the legal document called χειρόγραφον, see A. Deissmann, Light
from the Ancient East (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1 9 1 0 ) , 3 3 6 - 3 7 ; M M , 6 8 7 .
180 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
Tobit means that he and Tobiah's mother have not depended on the
wealth that he could have claimed earlier from Gabael. He seeks only to
assure Tobiah that much more can be his if he reveres God and leads a good
Jewish life.
Many good things await you, if you fear God, flee from all sin, and do
what is good in the sight of the Lord, your God. Aramaic 4Q196 11:1
preserves a few letters of the word for "your God," Π]«"!1?^]. G1 basically
agrees with G", omitting "good," and ending with, "and do what is
pleasing in His sight." VL: habebis multa bona, si timueris Deum et
recesseris ab omni peccato et bene egeris, ending rather with "if you
withdraw from all sin, and do what is right." Vg reads rather: "but we have
many good things, if we shall have feared God, withdrawn from all sin, and
done what is right."
Tobit's advice echoes here Abraham's patriarchal fear of God; see Gen
22:12; compare Job 1:1.
Β. Raphael Engaged to Accompany Tobiah to Media (5:1-6:1)
G": 'Then Tobiah replied to his father G1: 'Then Tobiah replied and said, "All
Tobit, "All that you have ordered me I that you have ordered me, father, I will
will do, father; do;
2 2
but how shall I be able to get the but how shall I be able to get the
money from him, since he does not money, since I do not know him?"
know me and I do not know him? What
proof am I to give him that he will
recognize me, believe me, and give me
the money? And I do not know the
roads to Media or how to go there."
3 3
Tobit then answered his son Tobiah, Tobit gave him a bond and said,
"He gave me his bond, and I gave him "Look for somebody to go with you,
a bond; I divided them in two. We each and I shall pay him wages, as long as I
took a part, and I put one with the live; but go and get the money."
money. Now then twenty years have
passed since I made this deposit. So now,
my boy, look for some trustworthy per-
son who will go with you, and we shall
pay him up to the time of your return;
but get that money from Gabael."
4 4
Tobiah went out to look for someone Tobiah went out to look for someone
who would go with him to Media, some- and found Raphael, who was an angel,
one who was acquainted with the route. but he did not know it.
He went out and found the angel Raphael
standing before him, but he did not know
that he was an angel of God.
5
Tobiah asked him, "Where are you T o b i a h asked him, "Can I go with
from, young man?" He said to him, you to Rages in Media? Are you ac-
"From the Israelites, your kinsfolk. I quainted with those places?"
have come here looking for work."
Tobiah asked him, "Do you know the
route to Media?"
6 6
He replied, "Yes, I have been there The angel replied, "I will go with
often. I am acquainted with and know you. I am acquainted with the route, for
all the roads. I have traveled many times I have lodged with Gabael, our kins-
to Media and lodged with Gabael, our man."
kinsman, who dwells in Rages in Me-
dia. It is a journey of two full days from
Ecbatana to Rages, for it lies in the
mountains, whereas Ecbatana is in the
midst of a plain."
7 7
Tobiah said to him, "Wait for me, Tobiah said to him, "Wait for me,
young man, while I go in and explain to while I tell my father."
my father; for I need you to go with me,
and I shall pay you your wages."
8 8
He replied, "All right, I shall wait, He replied, "Go, do not take too
but do not take too long." long."
'Tobiah went in and told his father 'Tobiah went in and told his father
Tobit, "I have just found a man, a fel- Tobit, "I have just found someone who
low Israelite." Tobit answered, "Ask the will go with me." Tobit answered, "Call
man to come in, my boy, so that I may him in to me, so that I may find out
find out what his family is and from from which tribe he comes, and whether
which tribe he comes, and whether he is he is trustworthy enough to go with
trustworthy enough to go with you." you."
10 10
Then Tobiah went out and called Then Tobiah called him; he came in,
him, "Young man, my father asks you and they greeted one another.
to come in." He went in, and Tobit
greeted him first. The young man an-
swered, "May there be much joy for
you!" But Tobit rejoined, "What joy is
there still for me? I am a man without
sight, unable to see the light of heaven.
I lie in darkness like the dead who no
longer see the light. Though still alive, I
am among the dead. I hear the voice of
human beings, but I do not see them."
The young man said to Tobit, "Be reas-
sured, in God's design the time is near
for you to be cured. Take heart!" Then
Tobit said to him, "My son Tobiah
desires to go to Media. Can you go with
him and take him there? I shall pay your
wages, brother." The young man re-
plied, "I can go with him; I know all the
roads. I have often gone to Media and
have passed through all its plains; I
know its mountains and all its roads."
n
T o b i t said to him, "Brother, of what "Tobit said to him, "My brother, of
family are you and from what tribe? what tribe are you and from what fam-
Tell me, brother." ily? Tell me."
12 12
The young man answered, "Why do He answered, "Are you looking for
you need to know my tribe?" Tobit a tribe and a family or a hired hand
answered, "I only want to know whose who will go with your son?" Tobit an-
son you truly are, brother, and what swered, "I only want to know your
your name is." people, brother, and your name."
Raphael Engaged to Accompany Tobiah to Media (5:1-6:1) 183
13 13
The young man replied, " / am Aza- He replied, "I am Azariah, son of
riah, son of Hananiah the Great, one of Hananiah the Great, one of your kins-
your kinsfolk." folk."
14 14
Tobit said to him, "Welcome and Tobit said to him, "Welcome,
good luck, brother! Do not be angry with brother! Do not be angry with me,
me, brother, in that I wanted to know brother, in that I sought to learn about
the truth about your family. You happen your tribe and your family. You happen
to be a kinsman and are from a good to be a kinsman from good and noble
and noble lineage. I knew Hananiah and lineage. I once knew Hananiah and
Nathan, the two sons of Shelemiah the Jathan, the two sons of Shemaiah the
Great. They used to go with me to Jeru- Great, when we used to go together to
salem and worship with me there, and Jerusalem to worship, bringing the first-
they were not led astray. Your relatives born and the tithes of the produce. They
are good people, and you are of good were not led astray in the error of our
stock. Good luck go with you!" kinsfolk. You come of good stock, my
brother.
15 15
Tobit added, "I shall pay you a But tell me what wages I should pay
drachma a day and the same expenses you; a drachma a day and the same
as for my son. So go with my son. expenses as for my son?
16 16
And I shall add something to your And I shall add something to your
wages." The young man replied, "I will wages, if you both return safely." So
go with him. Have no fear! We shall they agreed on this.
leave in good health and return to you
in good health, because the road is safe.
17 17
Tobit replied, "A blessing be upon Tobit said to Tobiah, "My boy, get
you, brother!" Then he called his son ready for the journey, and may both of
and said to him, "My boy, get ready you be successful." His son made ready
what you need for the journey and set what he needed for the journey. Then
out with your kinsman. May God who his father said to him, "Go with this
is in heaven bring you both safely there man, and may the God who dwells in
and bring you back to me safe and heaven help you both on your way and
sound! May His angel accompany you may His angel accompany you both!"
for your safety, my boy!" Tobiah went They both went out and started off, and
to start off on his journey; he kissed his the young boy's dog followed behind
father and his mother, and Tobit said to them.
him, "Have a safe journey!"
18 18
His mother burst into tears and said His mother Hannah burst into tears
to Tobit, "Why have you sent off my and said to Tobit, "Why have you sent
boy? Is he not the staff of our hands as off our boy? Is he not the staff of our
he goes in and out before us? hands as he goes in and out before us?
19 19
Let not money get ahead of money! Let not money get ahead of money!
(Let my son not cling to money). May May it be an offscouring for our boy!
it be an offscouring for our boy!
20As it has been given us to live before 20As it has been given us to live before
the Lord, that is enough for us." the Lord, that is enough for us."
21Tobit said to her, "Do not worry! 21Tobit said to her, "Do not worry,
Our boy will go forth in good health my sister! He will come back to us
and will come back to us safely, and safely, and your own eyes will see him.
your own eyes will see him on the day
that he returns to you safe and sound.
Do not worry and do not fear for them,
my sister!
22 A good angel will go with him; his 22 A good angel will go with him; his
journey will be successful, and he will journey will be successful, and he will
return safe and sound." return safe and sound."
6:1 At that she (became silent and) 6:1At that she stopped crying.
stopped crying.
COMMENT
Tobit's instruction of his son Tobiah has come to an end, and he has
intimated to him that he wants him to go to Rages in Media to retrieve the
ten talents of silver that he has left in trust with Gabael, his kinsman. The
story now develops as Tobiah becomes the main character; the sapiential
instruction gives way to narrative again.
In order to journey to Rages, Tobiah needs someone who can guide him,
and he goes out to look for a companion whom he can hire for the task.
He quickly encounters a young knowledgeable man, named Azariah, who
is actually the angel Raphael in disguise, whom Tobiah does not recognize.
After Raphael is introduced to Tobit, who approves of Tobiah's choice of
companion, preparations are made for the journey, despite the objections
of Hannah, Tobiah's mother.
Note again how irony works in this episode. When Tobiah goes out to
look for a trustworthy guide to accompany him to Rages, he soon finds
Azariah, "but he did not know that he was an angel of God" (v. 4). When
he identifies himself to Tobit, he calls himself "Azariah, son of Hananiah
the Great, one of your kinsfolk" (v. 13). Azariah means "Yahweh has
helped," and Hananiah means "Yahweh has been gracious." Tobit's ironic
comment is, "You are from a good and noble lineage" (v. 14). Azariah's
knowledge is extraordinary: he knows all the roads (v. 10), knows Gabael
(v. 6), knows about Sarah and her troubles (6:11-13). The height of the
irony is reached when Tobit exclaims to Tobiah, "May His [God's] angel
accompany you for your safety, my boy!" (v. 17). In this episode the irony
of the book is at the maximum. Whenever the storyteller refers to the angel,
he calls him Raphael, but Tobiah calls him Azariah.
NOTES
5:1. Then Tobiah replied to his father Tobit, "All that you have ordered me
I will do, father." Lit. "answering, Tobiah said." Aramaic 4Q196 11:2
reads: [ ^ n[ipa Ή "[all that] you have [ordered] me, I will do";
Aramaic 4Q197 2:2 has: [ n n W ^ ], "all of them." VL agrees with G":
Tunc Thobias respondit patri suo dicens, Omnia quaecunque praecepisti
mihi, pater, sic faciam. G1 uses rather "to him," and has a slightly different
word order. Vg is basically the same.
Young Tobiah thus expresses his compliance with the instructions that
Tobit has given him, including the implied suggestion that he go to Rages
to retrieve the money left there.
2. but how shall I be able to get the money from him, since he does
not know me and I do not know him? Lit. "to get it." Hebrew 4Q200 3:2:
[ΤΉΚ SHI1] ·ρκ Kirn, "and he does not [know me]." VL agrees: Quomodo
autem poter o hanc pecuniam recipere ab ilio? ñeque enim me ille nouit,
neque ego ilium?, adding only "this" to "the money." G1 curtails: "how
shall I be able to get the money, since I do not know him?" Vg: "but I do
not know how I shall get this money; he does not know me, nor I him."
Neubauer's Aramaic text clarifies: 'PìOJl STO, "from the hand of Gabael."
Tobiah's query is the natural one in the situation, but Tobit is able to
allay his son's hesitations.
What proof am I to give him that he will recognize me, believe me, and
give me the money? Lit. "what sign." Hebrew 4Q200 3:3 preserves one
word: [ ]"pi2Km, "and he will believe." VL agrees with G": uel quod signum
dabo illi, ut me cognoscat et credat, et det mihi hanc pecuniam? G1 has
nothing that corresponds, and Vg greatly curtails: "what sign am I to give
him?" Neubauer's Aramaic reads: KWO Π01 (on which see Introduction
§15); HM reads: p^D HOI.
And I do not know the roads to Media or how to go there. Hebrew
4Q200 3:4: [ni359] ΓΌ1?'?, "to go [there]." VL curtails: Sed neque uias
regionis illius noui, "but neither do I know the roads of that region." G' has
nothing that corresponds, and Vg renders it: "but neither have I ever
known the road by which one travels there."
Tobiah implies that Media is a faraway place; for its location, see
NOTE on 1:14.
3. Tobit then answered his son Tobiah, "He gave me his bond, and I gave
him a bond; I divided them in two. We each took a part, and I put one with
the money. Lit. "answering, Tobit said, 'He gave me his handwritten
note.'" VL basically agrees with G": Et respondit Thobi filio suo dicens,
Chirographum suum dedit mihi, et meum similiter accepit et diuisit in duas
partes: unum accepi ego et alium posui cum ipsa pecunia, "... and similarly
he took mine; and he divided it in two: one part I took and the other I put
with the money itself." G1 greatly curtails: "Tobit gave him [= Tobiah] a
bond and said." Vg: "Then his father answered and said, Ί have indeed in
my possession his bond; when you will have shown it to him, he will give
back (the money) immediately.'"
The versions differ slightly about who divided the bonds in two and who
took what. The idea seems to be that there were two bonds, one from Tobit
and one from Gabael, which were both divided in two. Apparently, Tobit
retained two parts, one that matched the half of the bond that Gabael
retained, and the other that matched the half of one left with the money.
These two halves are what Tobiah would carry with him on his journey to
Rages so that he could match them with the half that Gabael retained and
the half that was with the money. The two halves constituted in effect one
bond; hence Tobit's reference to it as "one."
The bond is called χειρόγραφον, "handwritten document," or note of
hand; in VL chirographum·, in Vg chirografum. The giving of handwritten
bonds for such monetary transactions in antiquity was quite customary (see
NOTE on 4:20). See further Tob 9:2, 5. Such documents were written on
skin or papyrus in the last pre-Christian centuries in the eastern Medi-
terranean world, but these materials would not have been used in the time
of Tobit in the Neo-Assyrian world, where clay tablets would rather have
been customary, as Zimmermann and others have noted.1 The Lawcode of
Hammurabi (§7) even prescribes the death penalty for one who has
"received for safekeeping either silver or gold ... without witnesses and
contracts," because such a one was considered "a thief." 2 See also §122,
which specifies the use of witnesses and written contracts.
The medieval Aramaic version reads: IT1? ΓΡαΠ"1 Ό!?1ί3Ί ^ 1ΓΡ miNtû, "His
bag he gave me and I gave him mine" (Neubauer's translation). This is a
peculiar rendition of Greek χειρόγραφον, but it is matched by the equally
peculiar Hebrew ΓΡ31ΪΊ0 of HM and HF, which is actually a loanword
from Byzantine Greek μαρσύττπιον or Latin marsuppium, "bag"; it is found
also in Neubauer's Aramaic in 9:2. HM reads ΙΠΠΠΰΝ, "his sack" (cf. Gen
1 Zimmermann, The Book of Tobit, 22.

2 See ANET, 166, 171. Cf. A. Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East, 334.
42:27-28). Syriac uses 'estará', "document," for χειρόγραφον. HL has

"token," and HG "ring," but Gaster does not give the Hebrew word.
Now then twenty years have passed since I made this deposit. So now,
my boy, look for some trustworthy person who will go with you, and we
shall pay him up to the time of your return. VL: et iam anni sunt uiginti
ex quo penes ilium deposui hanc pecuniam. Nunc itaque, fili, inquire
aliquem hominem fidelem, qui eat tecum accepta mercede, et dum adhuc
uiuo recipe pecuniam ab ilio, "... , and while I am still alive get the money
from him," abridging the next-to-last clause, "who will go with you for a
salary to be paid." G1 omits the first sentence, and ends the command: "and
I shall pay him wages, as long as I live." Vg paraphrases: "but go now and
get yourself some trustworthy man who will go with you for his hire, that
you may retrieve it while I am still alive." The phrase εως ζώ of G1 finds
a better position in the sentence in Vg, whereas in the Greek of G1 it
strangely modifies δώσω μισθόν. The sense of Vg is confirmed by the use
of the equivalent phrase in VL.
but get that money from Gabael. Lit. "from him." G1 has only: "but go
and get the money." For VL and Vg, see preceding NOTE. Neubauer's
Aramaic reads: K30D ΓΡ 301 D^p Κ3ΝΊ "Ha ^T, "go, my son, while I am
alive and get the money."
The command of Tobit implied in his remark in 4:20 now finds explicit
formulation.
4. Tobiah went out to look for someone who would go with him to Media,
someone who was acquainted with the route. Lit. "for a human being." VL:
Et exiit Thobias quaerere hominem qui eum duceret in regionem Medorum
et qui maxime haberet notitiam uiae regionis illius, expanding the last
clause, "someone especially who would have acquaintance with the road
to that region." G1 has merely, "Tobiah went out to look for someone." Vg
has nothing that corresponds. Only G n mentions Media, on which see
NOTE on 1:14.
He went out and found the angel Raphael standing before him, but he
did not know that he was an angel of God. VL: et inuenit Raphahel
angelum stantem et ignorans ilium angelum Dei esse, omitting the first verb
and also the phrase "before him." G1 abridges: "and found Raphael, who
was an angel, but he did not know it." Vg: "Then Tobiah went out and
found a wonderful youth standing by, girded and as it were ready for
walking; and not knowing that he was an angel of God."
The author tells the reader that Tobiah does not recognize the young
man as an angel. The name "Raphael" appeared already among the
ancestors of Tobit in 1:1 (see NOTE there and that on 3:17). For the
folkloric motif of angels in human guise, see Gen 18:2-22; 19:1, 15; Judg
13:6-7, 16. Cf. Heb 13:2.
5. Tobiah asked him, "Where are you from, young mani" VL agrees with
G11: Dixit illi, Onde es iuvenis? G1 has no such question. Vg paraphrases:
"He greeted him and said, 'Where do you come from, good young man?'"
(lit. "Whence do we have you?").
He said to him, "From the Israelites, your kinsfolk. I have come here
looking for work. " Lit. "from the sons of Israel, your brothers." VL agrees
with G11: et Ule respondit dicens, Ex filiis Israel fratrum tuorum, ueni hue
ut operer. G1 has nothing that corresponds. Vg abridges: "He replied,
'From the Israelites.'"
To ask whether Raphael is telling a lie here is to miss the point of the
whole story;3 it will all become clear in the long run. This may be the
reason, however, why some of the versions have curtailed the account. On
"brother" in the sense of kinsman, see NOTE on 1:3.
Tobiah asked him, "Do you know the route to Media?" VL: Et dixit illi
Thobias, Nosti uiam quae ducit in regionem Medorum, "... that leads into
the region of the Medes." Similarly Vg. It is rare that G1 has a fuller form:
"Tobiah asked him, 'Can I go with you to Rages in Media? Are you
acquainted with those places?" HL reads, "to Naphtali," an obvious error.
6. He replied, "Yes, I have been there often. I am acquainted with and
know all the roads. VL abridges a bit: Multa ego noui, et teneo uias omnes,
"I know many things, and I remember all the roads." Vg: "to whom he
replied, Ί know (it), and I have walked all the routes often.'"
The angel speaks of his experience and his acquaintance with the land
of Media and the way to get there.
I have traveled many times to Media and lodged with Gabael, our
kinsman, who dwells in Rages in Media. MS S wrongly reads έν Έκβατάνοις,
instead of έν 'Pàyoïç, but VL correctly has: Et aliquoties iui in illam
regionem; et mansi apud Gabelum fratrem nostrum, qui commoratur in
Rages ciuitate Medorum, which my translation follows. G1 omits the name
of the city: "I will go with you. I am acquainted with the route, for I have
lodged with Gabael, our kinsman." Vg has only: "and I lodged with
Gabael, our kinsman, who dwells in Rages, a city of the Medes."
The reading of MS S, "in Ecbatana," is wrong because there has been
no question of Tobiah travelling there. On Gabael, Rages, and Media, see
NOTE on 1:14.
3 See J. R. Harris ("The Double Text of Tobit," AJT 3 [1899] 545), who speaks of
"that mendacious angel."
It is a journey of two full days from Ecbatana to Rages, for it lies in the
mountains, whereas Ecbatana is in the midst of a plain. MS S actually reads
Γάρρας for Rages (a metathesis of consonants), but VL more correctly has:
et est iter bidui ex Bathanis usque Rages ciuitatem [sic] Phagar, quae posita
est in monte, et est Bathanu in medio campo, "... from [Ec]Batana to
Rages, a city of Phagar, which is situated in the mountains, and [Ec] Batana
is in the midst of a plain." Phagar is otherwise unknown. G1 has nothing
that corresponds. Vg tries to correct the geography, but garbles it: quae
(referring to Rages) posita est in monte Exbathanis, "which is situated on
the mountain of Ecbatana"!
The author of Tobit is scarcely well-versed in Assyrian or Median
geography: Ecbatana is 325 km from Rages, and it is hardly "in the midst
of a plain," being 2,010 meters above sea level, whereas Rages does not lie
"in the mountains," being 1,132 meters above sea level. Moreover, the trip
by foot from Ecbatana to Rages would take far more than "two full days."
According to Arrian (Anabasis 3 . 1 9 . 8 - 3 . 2 0 . 2 ) , it took Alexander the Great
eleven days of forced march to go from one to the other. 4 Obviously, the
storyteller speaks of "two full days" to imply a very faraway place. Zim-
mermann maintains that this entire sentence is a secondary addition to the
Tobit story. s On Ecbatana, see NOTE on 3:7; on Rages, see NOTE on
1:14.
7. Tobiah said to him, "Wait for me, young man, while I go in and explain
to my father; for I need you to go with me, and I shall pay you your
wages." G1 curtails: "Wait for me, while I tell my father." VL agrees with
G": Et dixit illi Thobias, Sustine, iuuenis, donee intrem et hoc ipsum patri
meo nuntiem; necessarium est enim ut eas mecum, et dabo tibi mercedem
tuam. Vg: "Tobiah said to him, 'Wait for me, I beg you, while I tell this
to my father.'"
Tobiah hesitates to bring the stranger immediately into his father's
house.
8. He replied, "All right, I shall wait, but do not take too long." VL: Et
respondens Raphahel angelus dixit, Ecce sustineo te, tantum noli tardare.
"In reply Raphael the angel said, 'Look, I am waiting for you, but do not
take long.'" G1 has rather: "Go, do not take too long." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
4
Compare Plutarch, Alexander 42.
5
The Book of Tobit, 73. But how does Zimmermann know that? It is garbled in the
transmission of the different versions, simply because the author has no real
acquaintance with the Mesopotamian area.
190 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
One wonders what difference a time delay would mean to an angel, but
again that misses the point of the story. The angel is made to cope with an
understandable human lapse of time.
9. Tobiah went in and told his father Tobit, "I have just found a man, a
fellow Israelite." Lit. "a man of our brothers, of the sons of Israel." VL
recasts Tobiah's information: Et intromit Thobias et renuniauit Tobi patri
suo dicens, Ecce inueni hominem ex fratribus nostris qui eat mecum, "from
our kinsmen who will go with me." G1 curtails: "I have just found someone
who will go with me." Vg eliminates the direct discourse: "then he went
in and told all this to his father." On "brothers," see NOTE on 1:3.
Tobit answered, "Ask the man to come in, my boy, so that I may find
out what his family is and from which tribe he comes, and whether he is
trustworthy enough to go with you." Lit. "he said to him, 'Call the man
for me.'" Aramaic 4Q196 12:1 preserves only [ ^ J Kip, lit. "call [for me],"
and 12:2 has []0]TI0, "trustworthy]." VL: Et ille dixit, Roga mihi hominem,
fili, ut sciam ex qua tribu sit, et an fidelis sit cui tu committaris, "He said,
'Ask the man to come to me, my son, that I may know from what tribe he
is and whether he is trustworthy that you be entrusted to him,'" omitting
mention of "what his family is and." G1 also omits that phrase and uses a
different initial verb, φώνησον, whereas G n has κάλεσου. Vg recasts it all:
"wondering about (all) this, the father asked that he come in to (see) him."
Tobit's prudence comes to the fore in his reply to his son's information.
He wants to know the man's γένος, "family," φυλή, "tribe," and whether
he is τπστός, "trustworthy."
10. Then Tobiah went out and called him, "Young man, my father asks you
to come in." He went in, and Tobit greeted him first. Lit. "calls you." VL:
Et exiit Thobias et uocauit ilium dicens, Iuuenis, intra; pater meus te rogat.
" . . . Young man, enter; my father is asking for you." G1 curtails: "Then
Tobiah called him; he came in, and they greeted one another."
For another instance of the one who greets first, see 7:1.
The young man answered, "May there be much joy for you!" Lit. "and
he [the angel] said to him." VL: Et ille dixit, Gaudium tibi semper sit,
frater, "May you have joy at all times, brother!" Vg: "So he entered and
greeted him, saying, 'May you have joy at all times!'" G1 has nothing that
corresponds.
The angel greets Tobit with a standard wish of good will.
But Tobit rejoined, "What joy is there still for me? I am a man without
sight, unable to see the light of heaven. I lie in darkness like the dead who
no longer see the light. Though still alive, I am among the dead. I hear the
voice of human beings, but I do not see them. " VL curtails a bit: Utquid
mihi gaudium? homo sum inualidus oculis, et non uideo lumen caelorum,
sed in tenebris positus sum, sicut mortuus inter uiuos; uocem hominum
audio et ipsos non uideo, "What joy is there for me? I am a man with
useless eyes, and I do not see heaven's light. I lie in darkness, like a dead
man among the living. I hear the voice of human beings, but I do not see
them." Vg shortens: "And Tobit said, 'What kind of joy shall I have, who
sit in darkness and do not see the light of heaven?'" G1 has nothing that
corresponds.
So Tobit bemoans his lot and his blindness, expressing it with unabashed
paradox. On "darkness" and death, see NOTE on 4:10.
The young man said to Tobit, "Be reassured, in God's design the time
is near for you to be cured. Take heart!" Lit. "he said to him, 'Take
courage,'" VL reads: et dixit Uli Raphahel angelus, Forti animo est, in
proximo est ut a Deo cureris, "And Raphael the angel said to him, 'Be of
stout heart; soon you will be cured by God.'" Vg similarly: "to whom the
young man (said), 'Be of stout heart: soon you will be cured by God.'" G1
has nothing that corresponds.
So Raphael encourages Tobit without revealing his identity or the
source of his reassurance. The author uses ironic double meaning, a meaning
which the reader grasps, but which escapes the main characters of the
story.
Then Tobit said to him, "My son Tobiah desires to go to Media. Can
you go with him and take him there? I shall pay your wages, brother. " VL:
Et respondit illi Thobis, Thobias filius meus uult ire in regionem Medorum.
Si poteris ire cum ilio et deducere ilium, dabo tibi mercedem tuam, frater.
" . . . t o the region of the Medes. If you can go with him and lead him, I . . . ."
G1 has nothing that corresponds. Vg paraphrases: "Tobit said to him, 'Will
you be able to lead my son to Gabael in Rages of the Medes? When you
come back, I shall pay you your wages.'"
The young man replied, "I can go with him; I know all the roads. I have
often gone to Media and have passed through all its plains; I know its
mountains and all its roads. " VL: Et dixit Raphahel angelus, Potero ire
cum ilio, quoniam noui omnes uias et aliquoties abii in regionem Medorum,
et perambulaui omnes campos eius et montes, et omnes commeatus eius
bene teneo, "... to the region of the Medes, and I have walked through all
its fields and mountains, and I recall well its routes." G1 has nothing that
corresponds. Vg summarizes with a paraphrase: "The angel said to him, Ί
shall lead him and bring (him) back to you.'"
11. Tobit said to him, "Brother, of what family are you and from what
tribe? Tell me, brother. " VL agrees with G": Et dixit Thobis, Frater, ex quo
192 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
genere es, et ex qua tribu? G1 inverts the questions. Vg: "I ask you, tell me
from what family or what tribe you are."
12. The young man answered, "Why do you need to know my tribe?"
Aramaic 4Q197 3:1 preserves two words, [ J"]1? "|Ή[ϋ], "[ne]cessary for
you." VL has a much fuller form: Et ille dixit, Quid necesse est te scire
genus meum uel tribum meum? Mercenarium desideras, genus et tribum
meam cur quaerisf, " . . . my family or my tribe? You are looking for a hired
man; then why do you ask about my family and tribe?" G1 puts it even more
pointedly: "He answered, 'Are you looking for a tribe and a family or a
hired hand who will go with your son?'" Here MS S has not preserved the
original form of the verse. Vg: "To whom Raphael the angel replied, 'Are
you looking for the family of a hired man or the hired man himself to go
with your son?'"
The different forms of Raphael's reply in the various versions get across
the impatience he has with the attempt to find out who he really is.
Heavenly messengers are reluctant to reveal their identity; cf. Gen 32:29;
Judg 13:18.
Tobit answered, "I only want to know whose son you truly are, brother,
and what your name is." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 3:2 preserves only: ]. DlJO^f, "to
know." G1 reads: "I only want to know your people, brother, and your
name," lit. "your race/family." Neither VL nor Vg have anything that
corresponds.
Recall the question that Manoah puts to the "man of God" in Judg
13:17: "What is your name, so that when your words come true, we may
honor you."
13. The young man replied, "I am Azariah, son of Hananiah the Great, one
of your kinsfolk." Lit. "and he said to him ... of your brothers." Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 7 3:3 has [ΓΡ]-|ΓΙ? Π3Κ[, "I am Azar[iah]." G1 basically agrees, omitting
only "to him." VL: Sed si ualde exigís, ego sum Azarias Annaniae magni
filius ex fratribus tuis, "but if you really demand it, I am Azariah ... ." Vg:
"but lest I perhaps make you uneasy, I am Azariah, son of Hananiah the
Great." Neubauer's Aramaic text reads: Π3Ί ΓΡΌ^ΕΠ ΚΓΡϋΟ ^ΚΜΠ "D mu?,
"I am Azariah, son of Hananel of the house of Shelemiah the Great" (see
on v. 15 below). HM has ^ΙΤΙΠ ΓΡΟΊ1?» ΠΌΟ, "from the house of the great
Shelomith. "
ΓΡΊΓΙ? is a Hebrew masculine name, meaning "Yahweh has helped." It
is also the name of a king of Judah (2 Kgs 15:6,8) and of one of Daniel's
companions (Dan 1:6). His father's name ΓΡ33Π means "Yahweh has shown
favor" and is likewise found as the name of one of Daniel's companions
(Dan 1:6). Both names thus convey by implication what is to come from
Raphael's intervention in their lives. He is indeed a manifestation of God's

help and of God's gracious favor, no matter how Tobit understands it.
Nothing more is known of Hananiah the Great than what is stated in vv.
13-14.
The title μέγας, "Great," finds a parallel in an Aramaic inscription of
Giv'at Ha-Mivtar 1 - 2 , Π2Ί ]ΊΠ« Ί3 <Ί>ΓΪ?'?Κ , "Eleaza<r>, son of Aaron the
Great (= Elder)." 6
On the angel's admission, see the NOTE on 5:5 above. On "kinsfolk,"
see NOTE on 1:3.
14. Tobit said to him, "Welcome and good luck, brother! Lit. "may you
come, being in good health and safe from harm," an expression that is
difficult to render well in other languages. G1 lacks the second participle,
σωζόμενος. VL: Saluus et sanus venias, frater. Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
This is the first occurrence of the problematic verb υγιαίνω, which
appears now as the participle ύγιαίνων. Basically, it means "be in good
health," 7 and is used with a variety of nuances in the rest of the book
(5:16bis, 17bis, 21bis, 22; 6:9; 7:1, 4, 5, 12; 8:21; 10:6, 12, 13; ll:17bis;
12:3, 5).
Do not be angry with me, brother, in that I wanted to know the truth
about your family. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 3 : 4 - 5 preserves a few words: rb ΊΟΚ1 [
Kt3B]pn ΙΠΜ1^ ], "and he said to him [ ] to know in trufth]." G1 has: " . . .
in that I sought to learn about your tribe and your family." VL is closer to
the Aramaic than G11: Sed, peto, ne irascaris quod uoluerim uere scire de
genere tuo, " . . . I wanted to know truly about your family." Vg: "Tobit
replied, 'You are from a great family; but I beg you not to be angry because
I wanted to know your family."
Blind Tobit tries to explain why he was inquiring into the young man's
background and does not want to be misunderstood. Whereas MS S reads
άλήθειαν as the object of the verb, Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 has the prepositional
phrase Rt2E>]p2, "in truth," to which uere in VL corresponds. This renders
Zimmermann's explanation wholly useless.8
You happen to be a kinsman and are from a good and noble lineage. G1
agrees in wording with G". VL: Tu ergo ex fratribus meis es, de genere
bono et optimo, "You are from my kinsmen ... ." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
6 See MPAT, 168 (§68); cf. P.-E. Dion, "Deux notes épigraphiques sur Tobit," Bib 56
(1975) 4 1 6 - 1 9 , esp. 4 1 8 - 1 9 .
7 See A. A. Di Leila, "Health and Healing in Tobit," TBT 37 (1999) 6 9 - 7 3 .
194 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
Tobit's remark is ironic, because he is saying this to one who is in fact

an angel of heaven.
I knew Hanartiah and Nathan, the two sons of Sheletñiah the Great.
They used to go with me to Jerusalem and worship with me there, and they
were not led astray. G1 has a fuller form: "I once knew Hananiah and
Jathan, the two sons of Shemaiah the Great, when we used to go together
to Jerusalem to worship, bringing the firstborn and the tithes of the produce.
They were not led astray in the error of our kinsfolk." Syriac agrees with
G1. VL makes a question of it: Nosti Annaniam et Nathan, duos filios
Semeiae, magni uiri, qui et ipsi mecum ibant in Hierusalem, et adorabant
ibi mecum, et non exerrauerunt?, "Do you know Hananiah and Nathan,
the two sons of Shemaiah, a great man, who [plural] also used to go with
me to Jerusalem and worship with me there, and who did not go astray. "
Instead of Σεμελίου, which is anomalous, MS 319 reads Σελεμίου, which
renders Hebrew ITO1?®, a name meaning "Yahweh has recompensed,"
known from Jer 36:14; 37:3. This form of the name I have adopted,
because the root *70ΒΙ appears otherwise to be unknown. Neubauer's
Aramaic reads: Km ΓΡΟ^ΕΠ Ό3 ΪΗΠ *7Κ3]Π, "Hananel and Nathan, two
sons of Shelemiah the Great."
The forms of the last two names in G1 probably result from a copyist's
errors. Nathan, a shortened form of Nathaniah (meaning "Yahweh has
given" [a son]), which is found in some MSS, was a commonly-used OT
name (David's son [2 Sam 5:14; 1 Chr 3:15]; a prophet in David's time [2
Sam 7:2]). Ίαθάν, however, is otherwise unattested.9 Both G1 and VL read
a form of ¡TUötö, Σεμαίου or Semeiae, "Shemaiah," a name known from Jer
29:24, 31 (meaning "Yahweh has heard").
What is said in this sentence creates a problem when it is related to Tob
1:6, where Tobit is made to say, "I was the only one to go frequently to
Jerusalem on feast days" (see NOTE there). Now we learn that he did not
go alone.
"They were not led astray" would refer to the apostasy of the rest of the
tribe of Naphtali mentioned in 1:5. Tobit admits that Hananiah and
Nathan did not join the rest.
Your relatives are good people, and you are of good stock. Good luck
go with you!" Lit. "and may you go rejoicing." G1 has simply: "You come
of good stock, my brother," omitting the rest. VL reads: Hi omnes fratres
9 Zimmermann uses "Nathaniah" in his translation (The Book of Tobit, 77). This
form of the name is found in some MSS of VL, but it is hardly original. Nathan is
too well attested in the OT to be questioned here.
nostri optimi sunt; ex bona radice es, frater, saluus eas et saluus uenias,
"All these are very good kinsmen of ours; you are of good stock, brother;
may you come and go in safety!" Vg has nothing that corresponds.
The young man has satisfied blind Tobit's curiosity about him.
15. Tobit added, "I shall pay you a drachma a day and the same expenses
as for my son. So go with my son." Lit. "he said to him, ... and what is
needed by you and by my son too." G1 reads: "But tell me what wages I
should pay you; a drachma a day and the same expenses as for my son?"
VL: Et adiecit dicens Ego tibi dabo mercedis nomine didragmam diurnam
et quaecumque necessaria sunt tibi et filio meo similiter: et uade cum eo,
"And he added, saying, Ί shall give you by way of wages a didrachma a
day and whatever is needed by you and by my son too; so go with him.'"
The drachma was the usual daily wage for a craftsman in the eastern
Mediterranean world of antiquity. Its purchasing power was considerable:
the price of a sheep, or a fifth of an ox; cf. Luke 15:8-9. Whereas the Greek
versions speak only of a drachma per day, VL doubles it. A Greek coin was
called τό δίδραχμον, "double drachma," and sometimes it was written as
δίδραγμον, whence the Latin spelling. It was the equivalent of the half-shekel,
the amount to be paid as the Jerusalem temple tax (LXX Num 3:47).
16. And I shall add something to your wages. G1 introduces the statement
with a condition, which G" and VL both lack: "if you both return safely,"
lit. "being in good health, I shall ... ." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Tobit promises the young man a bonus when he comes back with
Tobiah.
The young man replied, "I will go with him. Have no fear! We shall
leave in good health and return to you in good health, because the road is
safe. " G1 greatly curtails: "So they agreed on this." VL: Et dixit illi Raphahel
angelus, Ibo cum ilio, ne timueris; salui ibimus et salui reuertemur ad te
cum pace, quoniam uia tuta est, "And Raphael the angel said to him, Ί
shall go with him; do not fear; we shall go safely and we shall return safely
to you in peace, because the road is safe.'" Vg: "the angel said to him, Ί
shall take your son safely and bring (him) back safely.'" On the use of
υγιαίνω, see NOTE on 5:14.
17. Tobit replied, "A blessing be upon you, brother!" Lit. "May a blessing
be yours!" VL reads rather: Et Thobis dixit, Bene iter age, frater, et
contingat tibi, "And Tobit said, 'Safe journey, brother, and may it be
successful for you!'" G1 and Vg have nothing that corresponds.
Then he called his son and said to him, "My boy, get ready what you
need for the journey and set out with your kinsman. Lit. "with your
196 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
brother." VL: Et uocauit Thobiam filium suum et dixit illi, Praepara te et

exi cum fratre tuo, "And he called Tobiah, his son, and said to him, 'Get
yourself ready and go along with your kinsman.'" G1 abridges: "He said to
Tobiah, 'My boy, get ready for the journey,'" and then it adds: '"and may
both of you be successful.'" Vg has nothing that corresponds.
At this point, G1 has a statement that is not found in G" or VL: "His son
made ready what he needed for the journey. Then his father said to him,
'Go with this man, and may the God who dwells ... . " ' This precedes the
further prayer of Tobit [in the next sentence in G n ], who is concerned that
Tobiah go and get the money before he dies (recall 4:2).
May God who is in heaven bring you both safely there and bring you
back to me safe and sound! May His angel accompany you for your safety,
my boy!" G1 abridges: "May the God who dwells in heaven help you both
on your way and may His angel accompany you!" VL: Deus autem qui in
caelo est perducat uos ibi cum pace, et reducat saluos, et angelus illius
comitetur uobiscum cum sanitate, which agrees with G". Vg paraphrases:
"but Tobit replied, 'May you walk well; may God be on your journey, and
may His angel accompany you!'"
In all the versions the word for "you" is in the plural (Ομάς, ύμϊν, ύμών,
uos, uobiscum), which shows that Tobit is praying that God's favor will be
with both Tobiah and the young man. The second sentence in particular is
ironic, as Tobit prays that an angel of God may accompany the angel in
disguise (compare 5:22). For the idea of God sending an angel to accompany
someone on a journey, see Gen 2 4 : 7 , 4 0 (the story about Abraham concerned
to provide a wife for his son, Isaac). Compare Exod 23:20.
Here the participle υγιαίνοντας, lit. "being in good health," carries
rather the nuance of "safely" and "safe and sound." See N O T E on 5:14.
Tobiah went to start off on his journey; he kissed his father and his
mother, and Tobit said to him, "Have a safe journey!" Lit. "journey in
good health!" VL: Et praeparauit se ad uiam Thobias, et exiit ut iret; et
osculatus est patrem suum et matrem, et dicit illi Thobis pater suus, Vade,
fili, saluus et sanus uenias, "And Tobiah got ready for the journey, and he
went out to depart; he kissed his father and mother; and Tobit, his father,
said to him, 'Go, my son, in safety and come (back) safe and sound.'" G1
reads rather: "They both went out and started off, and the young boy's dog
followed behind them," lit. "was with them." Vg paraphrases: "Having got
ready all that was to be carried on the journey, Tobiah said goodbye to his
father and mother, and they both set off together."
Strikingly, at this point in the story only G1 mentions the dog, which will
reappear later (11:4), and especially in Jerome's version. In the world of the
OT, a dog was used to tend flocks of sheep (Job 30:1), and it is often
mentioned as a fierce scavenger animal that devours dead bodies (1 Kgs

14:11; 16:4; Exod 22:30). It is hardly ever mentioned as a house pet, as it
seems to be here. Cf. Mark 7:27-28; Matt 15:26-27. The dog was cultivated
more in the Greek world; see Homer, Iliad 22.66-69; 23.173; Odyssey
2.11; 17.62. This may have influenced diaspora Jewish habits.
18. His mother burst into tears and said to Tobit, "Why have you sent off
my boy? Is he not the staff of our hands as he goes in and out before us?
G1 adds the mother's name, Hannah, and changes "my boy" to "our boy."
VL omits the name and changes the question: Et lacrimata est mater illius
et dixit patri eius, Quo misisti filium nostrum? "Whither have you sent our
son?" Vg: "when they had set out, his mother began to cry and say, 'The
staff of our old age you have taken away and transferred from us.'"
Hannah expresses her concern, because she realizes that Tobiah is going
to a distant place, and the success of his trip is far from certain. She does not
approve of Tobit's decision to send her son to Media. Her disapproval will
play itself out in the course of the story. Her motherly instinct is concerned
for "my boy"; compare 10:4, 7. It stands, however, in contrast to the
confidence and optimism of Tobit himself, who is inclined to trust both his
son and his young companion. She is dejected, hopeless, and critical of her
husband's decisions and actions, as she was earlier (3:14d). She thinks that
Tobit should forget about the money in Rages and think more about her son,
who is now being sent on a risky journey. Hannah calls Tobiah "the staff of
our hand(s)," i.e. the one on whom they both rely. In Jerome's version it
becomes "the staff of our old age," an expression that will appear again in Vg
of 10:4. Jerome apparently borrowed the phrase from Gregory of Nazianzus,
who used it six times in his Orations (e.g. 1.6; 2.103). 10
"He goes in and out before us" is an echo of 1 Sam 18:16; it denotes
the continuous care that Tobiah has been providing for his parents.
19. Let not money get ahead of money! May it be an offscouring for our
boy! Aramaic 4Q197 4 i 1 reads: [ ΉΙ ρητ ], "Let my
1
son not cling to money, and let it be like ... ." G agrees with the wording
of G", but the sense of the Greek (άργύριον τω άργυρίω μή φθάσαι) is far
from clear and hardly translates what is preserved in Aramaic 4Q197.
VL does not help much: Numquam esset pecunia illa (MS G adds: filio
meo), sed purgamento sit, which seems to mean, "Would that that money
did not exist (MS G: for my son), but let it be for a cleansing." (MS R of
VL: ilia pecunia quam purgamento essem sine filio meo [?].) Jerome's Vg
10
SC 247. 78, 222. It also occurs in Heliodorus, Aithiopica 1.13 (ed. A. Colonna,
1981, 76).
may clarify VL: numquam esset ipsa pecunia pro qua misisti eum, "Would
that the money itself never existed for which you have sent him." Yet that
clarification has little to do with Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 , to which no version
really corresponds.
This part of the verse has taxed translators over the centuries. Pautrel
renders it: "J'espère que l'argent ne passe pas avant tout, mais qu'il ne
compte pas à coté de notre enfant." 11 Zimmermann: "Let not money be
added to money." 12
The Greek of the second part reads: άλλά περίφημα του παιδιού ήμών
γένοιτο, where περίφημα, lit. "a rubbing off," seems to mean something
that Tobiah could willingly do without or forfeit. NRSV renders it "Let it
be a ransom for our child," but that is hardly correct; it would be better
translated as "refuse," as in 1 Cor 4:13.
Hannah manifests sound maternal instinct, for the boy is far more
important than the money. Her comment continues in the next statement.
20. As it has been given us to live before the Lord, that is enough for us.
G1 basically agrees with G", despite a slight change of words. VL has rather:
Quomodo datum est a Domino uiuere hoc nobis sufficiebat, "As it has
been given us by the Lord to live, that has been enough for us." Vg
paraphrases: "For our poverty has been enough for us that we might count
as riches that we saw our son." Nothing of this statement is preserved in
Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 .
21. Tobit said to her, "Do not worry! Our boy will go forth in good health
and will come back to us safely, and your own eyes will see him on the day
that he returns to you safe and sound. Do not worry and do not fear for
them, my sister!" Lit. "and he said to her." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 i 2 - 3
preserves part of this verse: DÊD ] ΉΙ! "^¡T Q^tSn ^ΠΙΠ ÌÌ7 Ί0Κ[1 ]
ΤΙΠΚ rò "ΏϋΠ ^Nl ^ m n , "and he said to her, 'Do not fear! my son will go
safely [ sajfely. Do not fear and do not become anxious about him,
my sister.'" G1 curtails the statement somewhat: "Tobit said to her, 'Do not
worry, my sister! He will come back to us safely, and your own eyes will
see him.'" VL: Et dixit illi Thobis, Noli uereri, saluus ibit filius noster et
saluus reuertetur ad nos, et oculi tui uidebunt ilium ilia die qua uenerit,
"Tobit said to her, 'Do not fear! Our son will go in good health and will
return to us safely; and your eyes will see him on the day he comes.'" Vg
shortens: '"Do not weep! Our son will arrive safely and will return to us
in safety; and your eyes will see him."
11 Tobie (SBJ), 36.

12 The Book of Tobit, 78-79.
Blind T o b i t manifests his confidence and optimism; he tells Hannah that

she will see her son again. T h e stress on eyes in this verse is noteworthy,
especially on the lips of blind T o b i t . Compare the similar situation of Isaac
and R e b e k a h in Jub. 27:14-17.
'Αδελφή is employed as a term of affection even by husbands for their
wives, especially as a mode of address; it will appear again in 7 : 1 1 , 1 5 ; 8 : 4 ,
7, 2 1 ; 1 0 : 6 ; and also as a way of referring to a wife in 1 0 : 1 2 . Compare Cant
4:9, 10, 12; 5 : 1 . "
22. A good angel will go with him; his journey will be successful, and
he will return safe and sound. Aramaic 4Q197 4 i 4 has preserved only
[ ΠΠ]~ΙΚ n[ ], "[his] journ[ey]." G 1 basically agrees with G11, despite a
different but synonymous verb. V L also agrees, but changes the voice of the
verb, Angelus bonus comitatur cum ilio et bene disponet uiam illius et
reuertetur sanus, " A good angel is going along with him and he will arrange
well his journey, and he will come back in safety." Vg paraphrases: " F o r
I believe that God's good angel is accompanying him and will arrange well
all that is done for him so that he may return to us with j o y . "
T o b i t ' s mention of God's angel accompanying T o b i a h is again ironic
(see v. 17), because neither he nor Hannah realize that the young man
accompanying their son is actually the angel Raphael sent by G o d to
arrange everything for this faithful Jewish family. For the motif of an angel
guiding the journey of a human being, see Gen 2 4 : 7 , 4 0 , where the same
verb εΰοδοΰν is found as in both Greek forms here. Cf. Ps 9 1 : 1 1 .
6:1. At that she (became silent and) stopped crying. Aramaic 4Q197 4 i 4
preserves a form of the verse fuller than the Greek: ΓΌ3 "ΠΙ? Π[ρΠ2>1 ],
" [ a n d becoming silejnt, she wept no m o r e , " followed by a blank space. G 1
agrees in sense with G n , as does V L : Et cessauit plorare. Vg paraphrases:
" A t these words his mother stopped crying and became silent."
Bibliography
Bertrand, D. Α., '"Un bâton de vieillesse' à propos de Tobit 5,23 et 10,4 (Vulgate),"
RHPR 71 (1991) 3 3 - 3 7 .
McCullough, W. S., "Dog," IDB 1.862.
Nowell, I., "Irony in the Book of Tobit," ΤBT 33 (1995) 7 9 - 8 3 .
16s; XII, 1 2 - 1 5 ) , " RSR 39 (1951) 115-24.
Thomas, D. W., "Kelebh 'Dog': Its Origin and Some Usages of It in the Old
Testament," VT 10 (1960) 4 1 0 - 2 7 .
13 See TDOT, 1.191.

C. Tobiah's Journey to Media (6:2-18)
G": 6:2 The boy set out and the angel G1: 6:2As they journeyed along their
with him; the dog too came out and way, they came at evening to the Tigris
went along with them. They both jour- River and camped there.
neyed along until the first night came
upon them, and they camped by the
Tigris River.
3When the boy went down to wash 3When the boy went down to wash
his feet in the Tigris River, a huge fish himself, a huge fish leapt out of the
leapt out of the water and tried to swal- river and tried to swallow the boy.
low his foot, and he cried out.
4 The angel said to the boy, Overpower 4The angel said to the boy, "Catch the
the fish and hold on to it." The boy fish." The boy grabbed the fish and
grabbed the fish and brought it up onto tossed it up onto the bank.
the bank.
5 The angel said to him, "Slit open the 5The angel said to him, "Cut up the
fish and take out its gall, heart, and fish and take its heart, liver, and gall,
liver; keep them with you, but throw and put them safely aside."
away the rest of its inwards. For its gall,
heart, and liver can be used for medi-
cine."
6 The boy slit the fish open, collected 6 The boy did as the angel told him,
its gall, heart, and liver, broiled some of and they broiled and ate the fish. Both
the fish, and ate it·, (the rest of it) he of them traveled along, until they drew
salted and put aside. The two of them near to Ecbatana.
continued on their way together until
they approached Media.
7 Then the boy asked the angel, 7 Then the boy asked the angel,
"Brother Azariah, what medicine is "Brother Azariah, what good is the fish's
there in the fish's heart, liver, and gall?" liver, heart, and gall?"
8 He answered, "As for the fish's heart 8 He answered, "As for the heart and
and liver, you can smoke them in the the liver, if a demon or an evil spirit
presence of a man or woman afflicted troubles someone, you must smoke them
by a demon or an evil spirit, and the in the presence of a man or woman and
affliction will depart; they will never they will no longer be troubled.
stay with the person any longer.
9The gall is for anointing the eyes of a. 9The gall is for anointing a human
human being, where white films have being who has white films on his eyes,
appeared, or for blowing it on such white and he will get better."
films, and the eyes will get better."
10 When he (they) entered Media and 10 When they approached Rages,
was already approaching Ecbatana,
Tobiah's Journey to Media (6:2-18) 201
"Raphael said to the boy, "Brother nthe angel said to the boy, "Brother,
Tobiah!" "Yes?" he replied. Raphael today we must spend the night with
continued, "We must spend this night Raguel. He is a kinsman of yours, and
in the house o/Raguel. He is a kinsman he has an only daughter named Sarah.
of yours, and he has a (beautiful) daugh-
ter named Sarah.
12Apart from Sarah alone, he has nei- 12 I shall speak about her, that she be
ther a male heir nor a daughter. You are given to you in marriage, because her
next of kin to her, and beyond all other inheritance is destined for you, since
men you have the right to inherit what you are the only one related to her. The
comes to her; all that belongs to her young girl is beautiful and sensible.
father it is your right to inherit. (Take
her to yourself as a wife; to you belongs
the right.) The young girl is sensible,
courageous, and very beautiful, and her
father (loves her and) is an honorable
man."
13 He went on, "It has been 13 Now listen to me; I shall speak to
determined
for you to take her in marriage. Now her father, and when we return from
listen, my brother; this very night I {you) Rages, we shall celebrate the marriage.
shall speak about the young girl to her For I know that Raguel may not give
father so that we (you) may (engage her her to any other man according to the
and) take her to be your bride. When law of the Book of Moses without in-
we return from Rages, we shall celebrate curring death, because you have the
her marriage. I know that Raguel will right beyond any other man to receive
not be able to withhold her from you or the inheritance.
betroth her to anyone else without in-
curring death according to the ordinance
of the Book of Moses. For he will real-
ize that you have the right beyond any
other man to marry his daughter. Now
then, listen to me, my brother; let us
speak about this young girl tonight, and
we shall arrange her engagement to you.
When we return from Rages, we shall
take her and bring her back with us to
your home."
14 Then Tobiah said in reply to 14 Then the boy said in reply to the
Rapha-
el, "Brother Azariah, I have heard that angel, "Brother Azariah, I have heard
she has already been given to seven that the girl has already been given to
husbands, and they died in the bridal seven husbands, and all of them died in
chamber. The very night that they went the bridal chamber.
in to be with her they died. I have heard
it said that a demon kills them.
15Now I too am afraid {of this de- 15Now I am my father's only son; and
mon), because it (loves her and) does I am afraid that I may go in and die as
her no harm, but it kills whoever tries to even those before me did, because a
approach her. I am my father's only demon loves her and harms no one ex-
son; so I fear that I may die and bring cept those who approach her. So now I
the life of my father and mother to their am afraid that I may die and bring the
grave in grief over me. They have no life of my father and mother to their
other son to bury them." grave in grief over me. They have no
other son who will bury them."
16 Raphael said to him, "Don't you 16 The angel said to him, "Don't you
remember your father's command, how remember the words with which your
he ordered you to take a wife from your father ordered you to take a wife for
ancestral house? Now listen to me, my yourself from your own people? Now
brother; do not worry about that de- listen to me, my brother, for she will
mon, but take her. I am sure that she become your wife. Do not worry about
will be given to you as your wife this that demon, because this very night she
very night. will be given to you as your wife.
17When you go into the bridal cham- 17 When you go into the bridal cham-
ber, take some of the fish's liver and ber, take the incense-coals and put some
heart with you and put it on the in- of the fish's heart and liver on them and
cense-coals. An odor will be given off. make a smoke out of them.
uThe demon will smell it and flee, 18 The demon will smell it and flee,
and never will it be seen near her again. and will never come back again. When
When you are about to go to bed with you approach her, both of you should
her, both of you should first stand up get up and cry out to the merciful God;
and pray, begging the Lord of Heaven He will save you and have mercy on
that mercy and deliverance be granted you. Have no fear; because she has been
you. Have no fear; because she has been prepared for you from eternity. So you
destined for you since the world came will save her, and she will go with you.
to be. So you will save her, and she will I am sure that you will have children by
go with you. I am sure that you will her."
have children by her, and they will be
like brothers to you. So do not worry!"
When Tobiah heard these words of When Tobiah heard that, he fell in love
Raphael and learned that she was his with her, and his being clung to her very
kinswoman and of the lineage of his much.
father's house, he fell very much in love
with her, and his heart clung to her
(iexceedingly).
COMMENT
The story of Tobit now turns to the journey that Tobiah makes with
Azariah, the angel Raphael in disguise. It tells of their arrival at the Tigris
River the first night, where Tobiah catches a fish, certain entrails of which
he is instructed by Azariah to preserve as precious medicaments, which he
eventually explains to Tobiah. They then continue on their journey to
Media. As they are approaching it, Azariah tells Tobiah that they would
spend the night in Ecbatana at the house of Raguel, a kinsman. He also
explains to Tobiah that Raguel has a beautiful daughter, Sarah, who would
be a good wife for him, one whom he has a right to marry, because he is
most closely related to her. Tobiah recognizes the name of Sarah, as one
who has already been given to seven husbands, who have all perished on
the first night of their marriage to her, because some demon loves her and
kills them off. So Tobiah fears to take her in marriage, because he is an only
child and does not want to abandon his parents in their old age. Azariah
then explains to Tobiah how he can get rid of the demon by burning in its
presence some of the fish's liver and heart; the odor of these burning fish
parts would make the demon flee. So he would be freed of the demon's
influence. So Azariah reassures Tobiah, who begins to look forward to
meeting Sarah and considering her his wife.
This is the chapter in which the real drama of the Book of Tobit is
encountered; it involves Tobit's son in all the different aspects of the story
that are to be developed. As I. Nowell has noted, "The story of Tobiah's
journey has much in common with the form of the romantic quest. One
typical motif is the struggle between the hero and a dragon or sea monster.
Frequently, when the monster which threatens death is conquered, it
becomes a source of life and healing." 1 In this case, it is Tobiah versus the
"huge fish."
NOTES
6:2. The boy set out and the angel with him; the dog too came out and went
along with them. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 i 5 preserves a few words: ΠΟϋ
[ΙΟ1?}] Ι[*7η]ΐ, "the [an]gel with him, and [the dog] went (along)." VL
reads: Et profectus est filius illorum, et angelus cum ilio, et canis secutus
est eos, "And their son set out, and the angel with him, and the dog
followed them." G1 has nothing that corresponds, but Vg reads: "Tobiah
set out, and the dog followed him."
1 "Tobit, Judith, Esther," NJBC, 570.

204 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
So the journey to Media begins. The dog was mentioned earlier only in
the Greek text of G1 on 5:17; now it appears in other versions, but not in
G1. It is almost certainly to be restored in the Aramaic text, because "the
angel" has been mentioned earlier in the verse, and the verb "fpn needs
some subject in the lacuna. The dog will reappear in 11:4, where he acts
as the herald of the returning travellers.2 The dog does not appear in the
medieval Aramaic text of Neubauer or in HM. So I. Abrahams argued that
3*7(1, "the heart" (of the fish), was what the young man took with him; "a
careless copyist" would have read that as n^D, "dog"! 3
They both journeyed along until the first night came upon them. Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 7 4 i 5 reads: [η'?"1'?] -ρη1? "ΠΟΤ ΜΠΠ3[ ftriO], "[and they went] together
and [night] followed upon them." VL: et ibant pariter, et comprehendit
illos próxima nox, "and they went together, and the next night overtook
them." G1 paraphrases: "As they journeyed along their way, they came at
evening." Similarly Vg: "and he lodged at the first stop."
The Aramaic verb "Π0 normally means "put in order," but it can also
mean "occur regularly, follow regularly upon." 4
they camped by the Tigris River. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 i 6 reads: ~l[I? 13*7ΓΠ]
n^pl, "[and they came t]o the Tigris. VL: et manserunt super flumen
Tigrim. G1: "to the Tigris River and camped there." Vg: "beside the stream
of Tigris."
In Gen 2:14 and Dan 10:4, the Hebrew word for Tigris is ^pin, which
is also used in the Aramaic text of lQapGen 17:7-8; it is actually the
reading in HL. It has a cognate form in Akkadian Idiqlat and Diqlat,
whence comes the Aramaic form found here and in Tg. Onqelos of Gen
2:14; compare Syriac Deqlat. Josephus (Ant. 1.1.3 §39) says of it, Τίγρις
δέ Διγλάθ, εξ ου φράζεται τό μετά στενότητος όξύ, "the Tigris (is called)
Diglath, by which is expressed (its) sharp (character) with narrowness," i.e.
a swift-moving narrow river (an etymology based on the Hebrew form).
The common name Τίγρις is a grecized form derived from Old Persian
Tigrä (developed from *Tiglä, from *Diglä).5
Since Nineveh is the starting-point of Tobiah's journey to Media, it is
strange that he and his companion Azariah are said here to come to the
2 For a summary of the speculation about why a dog should be mentioned in the Book
of Tobit, see Moore, Tobit (AB), 1 9 7 - 9 8 .
3 JQR 1 (1888-89) 288.
4 As in Akkadian sadäru, see AHW, 2.1001.
5 See G. Bolognesi, "Ricerche sulla fonetica armena," Ricerche linguistiche 3 (1954)
1 2 3 - 5 4 , esp. 1 3 3 ; W . H. Gispen, "Genesis 2 : 1 0 - 1 4 , " Studia biblica et semitica
Theodoro Christiano Vriezen ... dedicata (Wageningen: Veenman en zonen, 1 9 6 6 )
1 1 5 - 2 4 , esp. 1 2 1 - 2 2 .
Tobiah's Journey to Media ( 6 : 2 - 1 8 ) 205
Tigris River, seeing that Nineveh had been built along the eastern side of
that river, and anyone travelling eastward to Ecbatana or Rages would not
come to it or cross it. Possibly what is meant is that they have travelled
southward along the Tigris and passed their first night encamped on its
shore. Gross, however, thinks that the author meant perhaps the Upper
Zab River, i.e. Zab al Kabir, 6 a tributary of the Tigris, which was apparently
also called the Tigris at times.7 More than likely, however, the author is just
poorly informed about Mesopotamian geography, as is apparent elsewhere
in the Tobit story.
3. When the boy went down to wash his feet in the Tigris River, a huge fish
leapt out of the water and tried to swallow his foot, and he cried out. Lit.
"and wanted to swallow the foot of the little boy." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 i 6 -
7 has: [KjiaÛ bn JJÎO1? too] ρ 2Ί ΤΠ -Π2Π ΠΠ31, "[the] youth
went down[ ... and] a big fi[sh leapt up] from [the water to sw]allow the
foot of [the] young boy." VL agrees basically: Et descendit Thobias lauare
pedes suos in flumine, et exsiliuit piscis de aqua magnus et circumplexus est
pedes eius, " . . . and encircled his feet." G1 abridges: "When the boy went
down to wash himself, a huge fish leapt out of the river and tried to
swallow the boy," with which the Syriac agrees. Vg: "and he went out to
wash his feet, and suddenly a huge fish came up to devour him; in fear of
it, he cried out aloud, saying, 'Sir, it is coming for me!'" Neubauer's
Aramaic text: K^tÛT ΚΟΠ1? ^DKl ΚΊΠ3 ρ 1Π η] pzi lÊQl, "and suddenly a fish
came out of the river and consumed the youth's food." Similarly HM.
The Aramaic numeral ~ΙΠ is used as the indefinite article (as in lQapGen
19:14, 15; Ezra 4:8; 6:2; Dan 2:31; 6:18; 7:5).
The idea of a fish going after the foot of a boy is part of the romantic
thrust of the story. It serves to show how an unexpected event can under
the direction of God's angel come to play an important role in the rest of
the story of Tobit's cure and Tobiah's marriage. The struggle with the fish
fittingly takes place at night, when evil things were thought to happen to
human beings. Jerome's version intensifies the struggle when it says that the
fish "came up to devour him," as does HL.
Dancy follows Nöldeke in thinking that in the earliest version of the
adventure it would have been perhaps a crocodile! 8 Since part of the fish
6 Tobit Judit, 31.
7 See Herodotus, Hist. 5.52, who speaks of three rivers called Tigris. Cf. A. J. Grant,
Herodotus: The Text of Canon Rawlinson's Translation, with Notes Abridged (2
vols.; London: Murray, 1897) 1.462; R. W. Macan, Herodotus: The Fourth, Fifth,
and Sixth Books, Vols. I and II (New York: Arno, 1973) 193 n. 21.
8 Shorter Books of the Apocrypha, 39. Cf. T. Nöldeke, "Die Texte des Buches Tobit,"
62.
is eventually eaten by the Jewish Tobiah (v. 6), it could hardly have been
a crocodile, an unclean fish, not having fins and scales (Lev 11:9-12). The
verb "swallow" is obviously a hyperbole, part of the fish motif in the story.
Recall that in the Jonah story there is also a "great fish" (*7Π3 31, Jon 2:1),
which becomes in Tg. Jonathan ΙΟΊ K313, the same phrase as used in
4Q197. It is sheer eisegesis to interpret "foot" as a euphemism for private
parts and the fish as a phallic symbol, as some commentators have tried to
suggest.9
4. The angel said to the boy, "Overpower the fish and hold on to it. " Lit.
"take hold and become dominator of the fish." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 i 7:
[KJ1]3 ηρπ[Κ], "[o]verpower [the] fi[sh]." G1 reads only: "Catch the fish."
VL: Et dixit illi angelus, Comprehende et tene ilium, "Grab and take hold
of it." Vg: "Take hold of its gill and draw it to you."
The boy grabbed the fish and brought it up onto the bank. Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 7 4 i 7 - 8 : KBD·^ np[33«1 Wn'?] KOÎ? Ί3[31], "[and] the youth [gr]abbed
[the fish and broujght it to dry land." G1 practically agrees with G", as does
VL: Et comprehendit puer piscem et eduxit ilium in terram. Vg: "When he
did it, he drew it on to dry land, and it began to pant before his feet."
The hostile fish, subdued by the young man, is part of the romantic
thrust of the story.
5. The angel said to him, "Slit open the fish and take out its gall, heart, and
liver; keep them with you, but throw away the rest of its inwards. Aramaic
4Q197 4 i 8 - 9 reads: ¡TQD] n^nVl ΠΠΊΠΟ1? ]p33K1 Υΐρ[Ί3 tOK^Ö ìlb Ί13]Κ1
Tito ^ΓΠΰΟΙ -[Τ[3 œts, "[The angel] sa[id to him, 'Sl]it it open and take out
[its gall], its [heart, and its liver. Keep them w]ith you, but [throw away]
it[s] inwards." G1 curtails the instruction: "Cut up the fish and take its
heart, liver, and gall, and put them safely aside," with which the Syriac
agrees. VL: Et dixit angelus puero, Exintera hunc piscem, et tolle fei et cor
et iecor illius, et repone et habe tecum, " . . . 'Eviscerate this fish and take
its gall, heart, and liver; and put them aside and keep them with you.'" Vg
renders the words as does VL, but omits et habe tecum.
The gall, heart, and liver of the fish, intended for medicinal purposes,
become vital elements of the narrative, but the fish itself also becomes
Tobiah's food for his supper and his further journey. HM mentions only
"the heart and the gall," as does Neubauer's Aramaic, but HL mentions all
three.
For its gall, heart, and liver can be used for medicine. Aramaic 4Q197
4 i 9 reads: ΓΠ33Ί rifun'?! ΠΓ1ΤΙΟ Κ1Π DO], "its [gall, heart], and liver [are
9 See Moore, Tobit (AB), 199.

medicine]." VL: sunt enim necessaria haec ad medicamenta utilia, "for

these are needed for useful medicines." G1 has nothing that corresponds.
Vg: "for these are usefully needed for medicines."
6. The boy slit the fish open, collected its gall, heart, and liver, broiled some
of the fish, and ate it; (the rest of it) he salted and put aside. Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 7 4 i 9 - 1 1 : Κ[ΓΊ"ΠΚ» ^DKl 10 ΓΠ33]1 raHpTI ¡"ΙΠΠΟ ρΊΞ],
"and [he slit ... its gall and] its [h]eart and [its liver ... from] the [f]ish and
also [ . . . . ] the [rest]." G1 abridges: "The boy did as the angel told him, and
they broiled and ate the fish." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 13:1: ΚΓΠΊΚ1? ψ ΐ ^[UKI]
ΚΠ^ΙΚ® ¡TPpO ΠΙ», "[and at] e (it); moreover he sal [ted] the [re]st for the
journey." VL: Et exinterauit puer piscem ilium, et abstulit fei et cor et iecor
et partem piscis assauerunt et tulerunt in uia (MS W: et manducauerunt),
cetera autem salierunt. Vg: "When he did that, he broiled some of its flesh,
and they took it with them on the journey; the rest they salted, as much as
would serve them until they came to Rages, a city of the Medes."
Both Qumran Aramaic texts use the singular and say that the boy ate
some of the fish, as does G11; but G1, HL, and MS W of VL ascribe both the
broiling and the eating to Tobiah and Azariah (τον δέ ίχθύν ότττήσαντες
εφαγον and manducauerunt), so that the angel in disguise is said to have
eaten some of the fish. The other MSS of VL and Vg omit all mention of
eating. The reason for the omission will become evident in due course; see
12:19 below.
The salting of the fish was undoubtedly for the purpose of preserving it
for the journey. The qualities of salt as a seasoning, purifying agent, and
especially as a preservative were recognized in antiquity; see Job 6:6; and
Philo, De spec. leg. 1.53 §289. It also had many religious uses in the
Temple worship, being sprinkled on sacrifices (Exod 30:35; Lev 2:13; cf.
TDNT, 1.228). Zimmermann, however, claims that salt had a magical
property and would counteract any injurious element left in the disjecta
membra of the fish. 10 That that is meant here is highly questionable,
especially in a writing so dominated by Deuteronomic teaching; compare
Deut 1 8 : 1 0 - 1 2 .
The two of them continued on their way together until they approached
Media. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 i 11: ΉΟ1? "pn^ m ] p [itf] m n p ] 1[1]ΓΡΊΓΊ
"the two of th[e]m went on their way [to]gether [until] they dr[ew near] to
Media." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 13:1 has only [ l i m n "[the two of them]
we[nt]." G reads: "Both of them traveled along, until they got close to
1
10 The Book of Tobit, 8 0 - 8 1 . He cites E. Jones, "The Symbolic Significance of Salt in

Folklore and Superstition," Essays in Applied Psycho-analysis (London: Hogarth,
1 9 5 1 ) , 2 . 2 2 - 1 0 9 , esp. 2 9 - 3 0 .
208 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
Ecbatana." VL: et coeperunt iter agere donee peruenirent in regionem

Medorum (MS W: in Mediam), "and they started to make their way until
they arrived in the region of the Medes (MS W: at Media)." Vg strangely
introduces the mention of Rages (see preceding NOTE), whereas the other
versions speak in this context only of Media or Ecbatana.
7. Then the boy asked the angel, "Brother Azariah, what medicine is there
in the fish's heart, liver, and gall?" Aramaic 4Q197 4 i 12: ,ΤΗΓΙ) n*7
nnmom ¡TQ]D31 mu 33*73 DO πα TW, "[and] he [s]aid to him, 'Azariah, my
brother, what medicine is in the fish's heart, and in [its] li[ver and in its
gall]?" G1 curtails the question and changes the word order slightly, "what
good is the fish's liver, heart, and gall?" VL: Et interrogauit puer angelum
dicens, Azarias frater, quod remedium est in hoc felle et corde et iecore
piscisi, "... in this gall, heart, and liver of the fish?" Vg paraphrases: "I beg
you, brother Azariah, that you tell me what remedy those things will have
which you told me keep of the fish."
Tobiah's question reverts to the comment of Azariah in v. 5.
8. He answered, "As for the fish's heart and liver, you can smoke them in the
presence of a man or woman afflicted by a demon or an evil spirit, and the
affliction will depart; they will never stay with the person any longer. Lit.
"smoke them! (imperative)... and the encounter will pass." Aramaic 4Q197
4 i 12-14: ΙΠΠΟΙ tÒ] KBTîU ]ΠΠ IK Ίΰ "ΊΉ] ΠΠ]Κ IK Ί33 mp Π3ΠΚ[Π ]Π]
.θ'?!?'? ["iJinmno, "[If you] smoke it in the presence of a man or a woman
afflicted by a demon or an [evil] spirit, thei[r] encounters will [neve]r occur
again." G1 reads rather: "As for the heart and the liver, if a demon or an evil
spirit troubles someone, you must smoke them in the presence of a man or
woman, and they will no longer be troubled." VL basically agrees with G11:
Et angelus dixit, Cor et iecor fumigatur coram uiro et muliere, qui incursum
daemonis aut spiritum immundum habet; et fugiet ab ilio omnis incursus, et
non apparebit in aeternum. Vg paraphrases: "If you put a little piece of its
heart on coals, the smoke of it draws out every demon from either a man or
a woman so that it may approach them no longer. "
Zimmermann: "The smoke would stupefy the demon." 11 Compare the
use of similar means of curing in 2 Kgs 20:7; John 9:6-7. Centuries ago
Jerome commented on such passages: Multa in Scripturis sanctis dicuntur
iuxta opinionem illius temporis, quo gesta referuntur, et non iuxta quod rei
Veritas continebat, "Many things are said in the holy Scriptures according
11 The Book ofTobit, 81. He cites the myth of burning things on glowing charcoals in
order to stupefy, as documented by J. G. Frazer, The Golden Bough (one vol. ed.,
New York: Macmillan, 1922) 6 4 9 - 5 0 . For the apotropaic use of other fish-organs
in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, see B. Kollmann, ZAW 106 (1994) 2 9 2 n. 10.
to the views of that time when the events occurred, and not according to
what the truth of the matter demanded." (In Ieremiam 38; PL 24. 855)
The gall is for anointing the eyes of a human being, where white films
have appeared, or for blowing it on such white films, and the eyes will get
better. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 i 1 4 - 1 5 : -ρΓΠ « m n [ ΒΠΚ Ό]11» 'TOO'? ΚΠΤΙΟΊ,
"And the gall is for anointing the ey[es of a human being ]white films,
and they will get well." G reads: "The gall is for anointing a human being
1
who has white films on his eyes, and they will be cured." VL: et fei facit
ad unguendos oculos homini cui fuerint albugines, uel ad flandum in ipsis
oculorum maculis, ut ad sanitatem perueniat, "the gall works for anointing
the eyes of a human who has white films, or for blowing it on defects of
eyes, so that he might come to health." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Here the verb ϋγιαίνουσι is used of eyes and has the nuance of "get
better." See NOTE on 5:14.
Zimmermann notes that in the medieval Aramaic text of Neubauer and
the Hebrew of Münster only two fish parts (heart and gall) are mentioned,
not three. So he speculates that the three items are the wrong number and
that the gall "was confusedly employed to cure Tobit's blindness, when as
a matter of fact it was liver that was used anciently to cure night
blindness." 12 He continues, "The discussion leads again to the inference
that S, our earliest version, is but a late transmitter of the Tobit tale." 13 It
is, however, clear from the Aramaic text that three items were part of the
original tale, and they are found not only in the earliest Greek version (MS
S), but also in VL.
The use of fish gall as a cure of certain afflictions of the eyes is attested
elsewhere in ancient writings. See Pliny, Nat. Hist. 32.14.37: Pel testudinum
claritatem oculorum facit, "The gall of tortoises gives clearness of vision";
32.24.69: Fish gall "heals scars and removes superfluous flesh about the
eyes." Cf. also 32.14.38; 2 9 . 3 8 . 1 2 2 - 2 3 . W. von Soden has found mention
in Assyrian texts of the gall of a fish called kuppû ("eel"?) that was used
for the cure of eye-ailments.14
12 The Book of Tobit, 80. Zimmermann cites M . Leach and J. Fried (eds.), Standard
Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend (New York: Funk & Wagnalls,
1 9 4 9 ) 6 3 7 . In the Testament of Solomon 5 : 9 , which is dependent on the Book of
Tobit, Asmodeus is mentioned; he acknowledges Raphael as the angel who thwarts
him and admits the " a liver and a gall of a fish smoking on coals of charcoal drives
me away." (OTP, 1.966)
13 Similarly B. Kollmann, ZAW 1 0 6 ( 1 9 9 4 ) 2 9 1 n. 5 (ad finem).
14 AfO 2 1 ( 1 9 6 6 ) 8 1 - 8 2 ; repr. in Bibel und Alter Orient ( B Z A W 1 6 2 ) 7 6 - 7 7 . For
further information about ancient popular medical remedies for eye problems, see
B. Kollmann, Z A W 1 0 6 ( 1 9 9 4 ) 2 9 4 - 9 7 .
It is curious that Tobiah makes no connection between what Azariah

tells him about the use of fish gall on human eyes and his own father's
blindness. That connection will come in time, but the reader of the Tobit
story sees already the envisaged cure of Tobit. It takes an angel's knowledge
to bring about his cure.
10. When he entered Media and was already approaching Ecbatana.
Aramaic 4Q197 4 i 15: [ΚΠΟΠΝ1? ρΐΠ]0 Κ1Π "ODI ΉΟ W1? ibv "'["ijDI, "and
wh[e]n they entered into Media and he was already ap[proaching Ecba-
tana]." VL: et postquam intrauerunt in regionem Medorum adpropinqua-
uerunt ciuitati Ecbathanis, "and after they entered the region of the Medes,
they drew near to the city of Ecbatana." G1 reads rather, "When they
approached Rages," which reflects the same error that one finds in Vg of
v. 6 above. From the following context it is clear that Ecbatana is the
correct city name; hence the restoration of ΚΠ0ΠΚ in the Aramaic text,
following G11 and VL.15 Vg has nothing that corresponds, but puts a
question on Tobiah's lips: "He said to him (Azariah), 'Where do you want
us to lodge?'"
11. Raphael said to the boy, "Brother Tobiah!" "Yes?" he replied. Lit.
"Behold me," i.e. here I am. Aramaic 4Q197 4 i 15-16: KOî;1? ·?Ν31 ΊΙ3Κ]
Π3Κ κη ]ΊΟΚ1 ΤΙΚ <τα[ΐ]Ώ, "[Raphael said to] the [you]ng boy, 'T[o]biah,
my brother!' and he answered [ ] him, 'Behold me.'" VL has only: Et dixit
Raphahel angelus, omitting Tobiah's reply. Similarly G1, which adds "Brot-
her." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Tobiah's reply is a typical answer found in the OT, when a person is
addressed by another; it indicates the readiness of the one addressed to
listen or obey. See Gen 22:1, 7, 11; 27:1, 18; 31:11; which Tg. Onqelos
renders in Aramaic as Π3ΚΠ or Π]Κ ΚΠ, the form used here. It is the
translation of the commonly used Hebrew Ό3ΓΙ, but that is hardly an
indication that the original language of Tobit was Hebrew, pace Beyer.16
Raphael continued, "We must spend this night in the house of Raguel.
He is a kinsman of yours, and he has a beautiful daughter named Sarah.
Aramaic 4Q197 4 i 16-17: Κ1Π KJUK ΠΌ ]0 ITO] ^KlSn ] m K rb Ί0Κ1
[ ] ¡ITS» {Π3 Π ? Trai, "He said to him, 'In the house of [Raguel we shall
1
pass the night, and] the [m]an is from the house of our ancestor. He has
a beautiful daughter [ ]." VL: Raguhel, penes quern hac nocte manere nos
oportet, homo est propinquus tuus et habet filiam speciosam nomine Sarah.
G1 reads rather: "The angel said to the boy, 'Brother, today we must spend
15 The name is partly preserved in Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 iii 1 (= Tob 7:1).

16 ATTME, 134; see Introduction, §26, 28.
the night with Raguel. He is a kinsman of yours, and he has an only

daughter named Sarah.'" Vg: "There is here one named Raguel, a relative
of your tribe, and he has a daughter named Sarah."
The Aramaic text has ΠΌΚ, which equals ΠΌ3, "in the house of." It
functions as an adverb also in Hebrew texts such as lQpHab 11:6; Mur
42:4. 17
The name "Raguel" appears among the ancestors of Tobit in 1:1 (see
NOTE there). Σάρρα is the form of the daughter's name in both Greek
versions of Tobit; it imitates the name of Abraham's wife in Gen 17:15
(Hebrew Ή0, LXX: Σάρα) changed to Hebrew ΠΊΟ (LXX: Σάρρα), which
means "princess, noble lady."
Tobiah now learns about Sarah as his kinswoman; see NOTE on 3:15.
12. Apart from Sarah alone, he has neither a male heir nor a daughter. Lit.
"a male son." Aramaic 4Q197 4 i 17-18: ]mt» [lin1? rb ΤΡΚ finKl],
Π^ΎΙΠ]^ "[and] he has [no one else] bu[t] Sarah a[lone]." G has nothing
1
that corresponds. VL: Sed ñeque masculum ullum neque feminam aliam
praeter illam habet, "but apart from her he has no one else, either male or
female." Vg borrows the form of VL.
The phrase uiòs άρση ν, "a male son," is strange, because a son is male,
but it reflects a Hebrew equivalent ~ϋΓ ρ (Josh 17:2; Jer 20:15), which LXX
renders simply as αρσεν.
and beyond all other men you have the right to inherit what comes to her;
all that belongs to her father it is your right to inherit. Lit. "to inherit her."
Aramaic 4Q197 4 i 18-19: [¡TOtÒ "Η ÎDl ΠΓΊΤα1? tMR rb a[n]p ΠΠ3ΚΊ,
"You are re[lat]ed to her [more than anyone else, to inherit her and all that
belongs to her father]." G1 has nothing that corresponds, but see below. VL:
Et tu proximus es illius super omnes homines utpossideas earn et haereditatem
illius et omnem substantiam patris eius, "and you are her closest relative
beyond all other human beings, to have her and her inheritance and all the
property of her father." Vg curtails: "all his property is due to you."
So the angel sets up Tobiah for the marriage that is to come. For the
comparative sense of the preposition see Dan 3:19; 6:4; lQapGen 20:6.
Take her to yourself as a wife; to you belongs the right. This part of the
verse is not found in the Greek versions, but Aramaic 4Q197 4 i 19 reads:
[ "[Ρ Κ3Ή[1] Κ[Π3ΐφ l'7[ nao]. VL: accipe illam uxorem, "take her as a
wife." Vg: "and you must take her as a wife." The form of G1 is different
17 See Ε. Y. Kutscher, "mis—"Τ'ΓΠ lit»1? ΓΓΟΚΊΚ—ΓΓρ^Η—ma»—ΓϊΟΒ»", Lesonenu 33

(1969) 8 3 - 1 1 0 , esp. 108; H. Yalon, "pipan "TOS1? πγγεΛ» ΠΊΊΪΓΙ," Kirjath Sepher 27
(1951) 1 7 2 - 7 5 , esp. 195; E. Qimron, The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls (HSS 29;
Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1986) 39.
here: "I shall speak about her, that she be given to you in marriage, because
her inheritance is destined for you, since you are the only one related to
her." In effect, Tobiah is related to Sarah as a distant levir would be, i.e.
a husband's brother, who was to raise up progeny for a widow after the
death of her husband, if she had no children by him (Deut 25:5-10). 1 8
The "right" is based on a Jewish tradition dating from patriarchal times,
which sanctioned marriage within one's clan or tribe; recall the account of
the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24 and also Tobit's advice
in 4:12. Moreover, because Sarah has had no brothers, she was destined to
inherit her father's estate and was obliged to marry within her tribe so that
the inheritance would remain within it, according to Num 36:5-12. Cf. the
case of Zelophehad who had no brothers in Num 27:1-11; 36:1-13, esp.
8. Recall the prohibition of Deut 7:3-4.
The young girl is sensible, courageous, and very beautiful, and her
father loves her and is an honorable man. Aramaic 4Q197 4 ii 1: ΚΰΌΠ ΧΜ]
[Π*7 ]0ΠΊ ΠΠΚ1 «ΙΠ1? KT3EM Κ[ΕΓρΓΠ, "[she is wise, strong], and very beautiful,
and her father loves [her]." G" lacks the last clause of the Aramaic and
reads instead: και ό πατήρ αυτής καλός. VL: Est autem puella haec sapiens
fortis et bona ualde et constabilita, et pater ipsius diligit illam, "This girl
is wise, strong, and very beautiful and balanced, and her father loves her."
G1 has only: "The young girl is beautiful and sensible." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
Noteworthy is the correspondence of the last clause of VL with the
Aramaic. It is a detail that echoes the love of Jacob for his son, Benjamin
(Gen 44:20).
13 .He went on, "It has been determined for you to take her in marriage."
A r a m a i c 4 Q 1 9 7 4 ii 2 : [rQOjO1? ΊΓ3 Kt2t»p p i "pîn Κ Π Π Κ ^ ΠΤΟ1? ΤΓ3] - 0 Ί ] ,
"[for] you [it is determined to inherit] her father, and a right decision is
made for you to t[ake her]." VL: et quaecumque possedit illi tradet. Tibi
ergo destinata est haereditas patris eius, et te oportet accipere illam, "And
whatever he possesses he will pass on to her. Therefore, the inheritance of
her father has been destined for you, and you must take her." G1 and Vg
have nothing that corresponds.
Now listen, my brother; this very night I (you) shall speak about the
young girl to her father so that we (you) may (engage her and) take her to
be your bride. Aramaic 4Q197 4 ii 2-3: Knföpm y?On[ ΤΙΚ ^ DOtS pDl]
[nJrUK1? -p Π330ΠΊ run-'pn ]1 κ ^ ^ α K l , "[Now listen to me, my brother],
you will speak about this youn[g] girl tonight; you shall engage her and
18 See E. W. Davies, "Inheritance Rights and the Hebrew Levirate Marriage," VT 31

(1981) 138-44, 2 5 7 - 6 8 .
take her to yourself as [a] wife." VL: Et nunc audi me, frater, et loquere
de illa bac nocte, et accipiemus tibi illam uxor em, "and now listen to me,
brother, speak about her tonight, and we shall take her for you as a wife."
G1 abridges: "Now listen to me; I shall speak to her father." Vg paraphrases:
"So ask for her from her father, and he will give her to you as a wife." VL
only partly agrees with the Aramaic form in the change of persons as the
subject of the verbs.
When we return from Rages, we shall celebrate her marriage. Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 6 14 i 1: [ ρ 31]Π3 ·Ί3[1, "[and] when we retu[rn from]," but Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 7 4 ii 4 has: ΚΠΙΠϋΏ [Γ0 "QIJ]], "[we shall make] the marriage." VL:
et cum regressi fuerimus ex Rages, faciemus nuptias eius, "and when we
have returned from Rages, we shall make her marriage-ceremony." G1
agrees with G n , save for "celebrate the marriage," agreeing more with the
Aramaic of 4 Q 1 9 7 . Vg has nothing that corresponds. G" strangely reads έκ
'Ραγουήλ, confusing the personal name of Sarah's father with the name of
a place to which Tobiah is still supposed to travel.
I know that Raguel will not be able to withhold her from you or betroth
her to anyone else without incurring death according to the ordinance of
the Book of Moses. For he will realize that you have the right beyond any
other man to marry his daughter. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 ii 4 - 6 reads: Π]Κ ΙΓΡ1
•πκ ts]]tf ρ n r m aoiaîf ] u t «in ή ^ - q -pa rr^Dia1? ^xiiri ^ό 1 ν1? ή
Π0ΊΟ [Ί30 ·ρπκ] "DJ1? nJ3nr in "Η [υ]!·1 xi[n, "I know that Raguel will not
be able to withhold her from you, becaus[e] he knows [that you have more
right ... ] and to take his daughter than anyone el[se. For h]e kno[ws]
that, if he were to give her to [another] man, [ the Book of ] Moses."
G1 reads rather: "For I know that Raguel may not give her to any other man
according to the law of the Book of Moses without incurring death,
because you have the right beyond any other man to receive the inheritance.
VL: Scio autem quia Raguhel non negabit illam tibi; nouit enim quia si
dederit illam uiro alio morte periet secundum iudicium libri Moysi: et quia
seit tibi maxime aptam esse haereditatem illius magis quam alicui homini,
"I know, however, that Raguel will not deny her to you; for he knows that
if he gives her to another man he will perish according to the judgment of
the Book of Moses, because he knows that his inheritance is especially
suited for you more than for any other man." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
The Book of Moses should refer to the Pentateuch, as it is called in Ezra
6:18; 2 Chr 35:12; but it is not clear to what part of it Azariah might be
referring. Cited above was the prescription of Num 3 6 : 5 - 1 2 about the
inheritance staying within a tribe, but nothing is said there about "incurring
death" for a violation of the prescription; nor is anything said in the
214 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
Aramaic text, unless it has been lost in the lacuna. The testimony here in
the Book of Tobit undoubtedly attests a later Jewish interpretation of such
a biblical prescription.19
Now then, listen to me, my brother; let us speak about this young girl
tonight, and we shall arrange her engagement to you. When we return from
Rages, we shall take her and bring her back with us to your home. Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 7 4 ii 6 - 7 : ["f?] Π]Ι3ρ]1 N j n a ^ m ^ O ] ]-|I?Dl, "and now,
[we shall speak about] this [youjng girl tonight, and we shall engage her
[for you]." Aramaic 4Q196 14 i 1 reads: [ ρ 31]Π3 ""IDfl], "[and] when we
re[turn from]." Neubauer's Aramaic: BPJIO 10 mm 131. VL agrees with G":
Nunc ergo, frater, audi me, et loquamur de hac puella et deponsemus illam
tibi: et reuersi ex Rages ducemus earn nobiscum in domum tuam. G1 and
Vg have nothing that corresponds.
These words are somewhat repetitious of what was said above, albeit in
a slightly different form.
14. Then Tobiah said in reply to Raphael, "Brother Azariah, I have heard
that she has already been given to seven husbands, and they died in the
bridal chamber." Aramaic 4Q197 4 ii 7: ΠΒΟ» ΤΙΚ ΓΡΊΝί ^[ΒΊ 1 ? Ί0Κ1],
"[and he said to Raph]ael, 'Azariah my brother, I have heard.'" VL agrees
with G n : Tunc respondit Thobias Raphahel angelo et dixit, Azarias frater,
audiui quoniam iam tradita est uiris Septem, adding only "Raphael, the
angel." G1: "Then the boy said in reply to the angel, "Brother Azariah, I
have heard that the girl has already been given to seven husbands, and all
of them died in the bridal chamber." Vg abridges: "Then Tobiah replied,
saying, Ί hear that she had been given to seven husbands, and they died.'"
How Tobiah would have heard this about Sarah is not explained.
Deselaers and Rabenau think that the problem arises from different stages
in the redaction of the story; but that would mean that the Aramaic text
was already a redacted text, and there is little evidence of that. Dancy more
plausibly explains that "it was not until Raphael mentioned Sarah that
Tobias remembered what he had heard about her marital misfortunes." 20
In any case, Tobiah finds himself in a dilemma: does he ask for Sarah's
hand in marriage and thus risk suffering the same fate as the seven husbands,
who also have to be understood as fellow tribesmen?
The very night that they went in to be with her they died. Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 7 4 ii 8 reads: ΠΠ ΓΡ^ΰ Ή[3 1ΓΡ01], "[and they died w]hen they
19 See further J. Gamberoni, "Das 'Gesetz des Mose' im Buch Tobias," Studien zum
Pentateuch: Walter Kornfeld zum 60. Geburtstag (ed. G. Braulik; Freiburg im B.:
Herder, 1 9 7 7 ) 2 2 7 - 4 2 .
20 Shorter Books of the Apocrypha, 39-40.
entered to her." VL: et mortui sunt in cubiculo nocte, ea hora qua cum ilia
fuerunt. G1 and Vg have nothing that corresponds.
Tobiah thus manifests some detailed knowledge about Sarah, his kins-
woman.
I have heard it said that a demon kills them. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 has a
lacuna, but VL reads: audiui etiam quosdam dicentes quoniam daemonium
est quod illos occidit, "I have heard some people saying that it is a demon
that kills them." Neither G1 nor Vg has anything that corresponds.
The demon is named Asmodeus in 3:8 (see N O T E there); his name and
title appear here in Neubauer's Aramaic text and in H M and HL.
15. Now I too am afraid of this demon, because it (loves her and) does her
no harm, but it kills whoever tries to approach her. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 ii
9 reads: [TÖ ΟΓΠ] "Η Kit» ][n] Π3Κ *?Π[7 lim], "[now] I am [af]raid [o]f the
demon that [loves her]," and Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 14 i 4 - 5 also preserves a few
words: ?b 0[Π]Ί "H[ ], and ρ 1 ? ^tûp tü>[ ], "a demon kills them." VL: Et nunc
timeo hoc daemonium, quoniam diligit illam: et ipsam quidem non uexat,
sed eum qui illi adplicitus fuerit ipsum occidit, "Now I am afraid of this
demon, because it loves her; it does not harm her, but the one who is
brought into contact with her it kills." G1 has nothing that corresponds, but
see the next note, for a different word order. Vg: "So I am afraid that this
will happen to me too."
The Qumran fragments preserve the Aramaic word ΙΠΒ>', which is related
to Hebrew •"'Its, used only in the plural. It is a loanword from Akkadian
sêdu, "evil spirit, demon." 21 The Qumran Aramaic reads "loves her,"
which G1 has too, φιλεΐ αυτήν; that is omitted in MS S. The love is
immediately explained by the juxtaposed verb, "does her no harm."
I am my father's only son; so I fear that I may die and bring the life of
my father and mother to their grave in grief over me. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 14
i 6 preserves only: ]"ΌΚ1 ΌΚ , [ , Π, "[the li]fe of my father and my mother,"
and 4 Q 1 9 7 4 ii 10 has only: "»aiòl ^[N1?], "[of] my [fa]ther and of my
mother." VL: Unicus sum patri meo: ne forte moriar, et deducam patris mei
uitam et matris meae cum dolore ad inferos. G1 reads: "Now I am my
father's only son; and I am afraid that I may go in and die as even those
before me did, because a demon loves her and harms no one except those
who approach her. So now I am afraid that I may die and bring the life of
my father and mother to their grave in grief over me." Vg: "and since I am
the only child of (my) parents, I should bring down their old age in sorrow
to Hades."
21 HALAT, 1317.
Tobiah's fear echoes that of Sarah in 3:10 (see NOTE there). In both
cases, there is an expression of filial pietas, but now Tobiah faces a
dilemma, for the angel Raphael has reminded him of his obligation to
marry within his tribe and is recommending that he take Sarah as his wife,
which may be a dangerous undertaking that now confronts him because he
too is an only child. Tobiah realizes that he has no advantage over the other
seven relatives to whom Sarah had been given earlier, but he must also
think of his obligation to his parents. Yet Tobiah runs the risk in order to
be obedient to his father's advice to marry within his tribe. Cf. Gen 42:38.
G11 uses μονογενής, "the only member of a kind, one of a kind, unique"
(derived from μόνος and yévoç). In this case, it would mean an only son, i.e.
without brothers or sisters. See LSJ, 1144; EDNT, 2.439^10.
They have no other son to bury them. Aramaic 4Q196 14 i 7-8:
[113«] παρ-1 Ή[ pnR "Q IH1? TPN, "[they do not have another son] who will
bury [them]," and 4Q197 4 ii 11 has only: TPK] Ì0 ·ρπ[Κ Ί31]. VL: sed
ñeque habent alium filium qui sepeliat illos et possideat haereditatem
illorum, "nor do they have another son who may bury them and acquire
their inheritance." G1 agrees in wording with G", but Vg has nothing that
corresponds. Again, a major concern in this book is mentioned: the concern
for the proper burial of the dead; see 1:17; 4:3—4; 14:2, 10.
16. Raphael said to him, "Don't you remember your father's command,
how he ordered you to take a wife from your ancestral house? " Aramaic
4Q196 14 i 8: "ppD Ή -|Ί3Κ Ή^ρΗ 1 ? Ί31Π l ò n ] , "[Do you not remember the
com]mands of your father, who ordered you?" 4Q197 4 ii 12 has only
-ppa Ή. VL: Dixit Raphahel angelus, Memor est mandatorum patris tui
quoniam (MS M: qui) praecepit tibi accipere te debere uxorem de domo
patris tui? G1 reads: "The angel said to him, 'Don't you remember the
words with which your father ordered you to take a wife for yourself from
your own people?'" Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Raphael's words refer to the counsel that Tobit uttered in 4:12-13.
Now listen to me, my brother; do not worry about that demon, but take
her. I am sure that she will be given to you as your wife this very night.
Aramaic 4Q196 14 i 9-10: ΤΙΚ ^ SJO» ][y31], "[and no]w listen to me,
my brother; do not[ ]," and ]1 ΐΟ'ρ^α], "[on] this [n]ight." Aramaic 4Q197
4 ii 13 has only: ΓΟΟΙ ρ K1[0], "that demon, but take her." VL: Et nunc
audi me, frater, noli computare (MSS HM: timere) daemonium illud: sed
postula illam et scio quoniam dabitur tibi hac node uxor, "... be concerned
about (MSS HM: fear) that demon: but ask for her, and I know that she
will be given to you as a wife tonight." G1: "Now listen to me, my brother,
for she will become your wife. Do not worry about that demon, because
this very night she will be given to you as your wife." For Vg, see below
(after N O T E on 6:18).
17. When you go into the bridal chamber, take some of the fish's liver and
heart with you and put it on the incense-coals. An odor will be given o f f .
Lit., "will go forth." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 14 i 11: [«]!]] 2 2 Í ρ n[o], "[t]ake
from the heart of [the fish]." VL: et cum intraueris in cubiculum tolle iecor
et cor piscis illius, et pone super carbones: et odor manabit, " . . . chamber,
take the liver and heart of that fish and put (them) on the coals, and an odor
will flow forth." G1: "When you go into the bridal chamber, take the
incense-coals and put some of the fish's heart and liver on them and make
a smoke out of them." Vg has nothing that corresponds. Neubauer's
Aramaic reads: ΠΕΉ1? Π1ΠΠ ¡TFO ItapXl, "and smoke some of it under her
garment"; similarly HM.
Raphael's instruction presupposes the explanation that he gave to Tobiah
in 6:8 about the power of the fish's entrails. No indication is given about
where the incense-coals are to be found.
18. The demon will smell it and flee, and never will it be seen near her
again. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 14 i 12: [ρ~ΙΙ)]·Ί Kit» Π^ΤΙ], "[and] the demon will
[sme]ll (it) and will [flee]." VL: et odorabitur illud daemonium et fugtet, et
non apparebit circa illam omnino in perpetuum. G1 agrees with G11 except
for the verb, "will never come back again." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
In that way Asmodeus will be put to flight, as Raphael promises. According
to Dancy, "Within the overall providence of God, it is simply the magic which
drives off the demon." 22 That would seem to mean that magic is somehow
part of God's providence—a strange idea! The rest of the verse, however,
makes clear that natural apotropaic means are to be used with prayer to the
Creator God who has given them to humanity. Recall the counsel of Sir 3 8 : 9 -
14 about prayer and the use of a physician's skill, and contrast the conduct
of King Asa (2 Chr 16:12). 23 The demon is understood as an instrument of
divine Providence, which ensures that the marriage of Tobiah has indeed
been prepared in heaven, by eliminating her earlier unworthy suitors.
When you are about to go to bed with her, both of you should first stand
up and pray, begging the Lord of Heaven that mercy and deliverance be
granted you. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 4 ii 12 preserves only the lamed of [HQSJ ΠΙΠΟ]1?,
"to [be with her]," but 4 Q 1 9 7 4 ii 16 has: [n]lD nO[y ΠΊΠΟ1?], "[to be wi]th
her, get [up]." VL: Et cum coeperis uelle esse cum ilia, sur gite primo ambo
et deprecamini Dominum caeli, ut detur uobis misericordia et sanitas. G1
22 Shorter Books of the Apocrypha, 40.

23 See B. Kollmann, ZAW 106 (1994) 2 9 7 - 9 9 .
218 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
reads: "When you approach her, both of you should get up and cry out to
the merciful God; He will save you and have mercy on you."
Raphael is counselling Tobiah to pray with Sarah that God's mercy will
deliver them from the demon's influence and accord them safety. Prayer is
needed to get rid of a demon. Jerome's Vg, in giving an expanded form of
vv. 16-18 (see below), shifts the meaning and intention of the prayer that
Tobiah and Sarah are to offer to God and gives it a different perspective,
related to marital intercourse.
Have no fear; because she has been destined for you since the world
came to be. So you will save her, and she will go with you. Aramaic 4Q197
4 ii 17 reads: [Π]3ΓϋΠ[ ,-QOÜ1? ΊΠ NT! J ^ l Χρ^Π ΧΤΙ Ή
"[do no]t fear, [because] she has been destined [for] you, and for you [the
decision has been made to take her] ... you will save [her]." VL agrees: Noli
timere, tibi enim destinata est ante saecula; et tu illam sanabis, et ibit
tecum. G1 agrees with G n , except for the verb "has been prepared for you
from eternity."
The idea of a marriage determined aforetime by heaven is expressed
nowhere else in the OT so clearly as here. The marriage of Rebekah to Isaac
is recounted in a less pronounced form of that idea in Gen 24:14, where
the slave sent by Abraham to the city of Nahor to get a bride for his son
Isaac prays that the Lord will "appoint" the maiden who comes to draw
water as the wife to be. The bond of marriage is understood as instituted
by God (Gen 2:24). See also 24:44, "let her be the woman whom the Lord
has appointed for my master's son." Cf. Gen 24:51, 56. 24
"So you will save her": I.e. from a lonely and unmarried future.
I am sure that you will have children by her, and they will be like
brothers to you. So do not worry! Aramaic 4Q197 4 ii 18 reads: Π0"Ι0[1]
•pin^l "pn mo] I1? inn1? "Π Π3Κ, "I am sure that there will be [children from
her] for you, [and] they [w]ill be ... ." VL: et credo quoniam habebis ex ilia
filios, et erunt tibi sicut fratres. G1 curtails: "I am sure that you will have
children by her."
So ends Raphael's counsel to Tobiah. Zimmermann finds the Greek
statement, 'they will be like brothers to you,' "a most strange perversion,"
and proposes that a Hebrew original (DTIK "ρ1?}* ΓΠ1) was misread; it should
have been understood as DT1XD "^X ΤΠ1, "they will be to me like brothers,"
i.e. brothers of Raphael, "who would be the protector of Tobias' children
in the future." 25 An ingenious suggestion, but hardly convincing. The Greek
24 For marriages made in heaven, see L. Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, 5. 76, 2 6 2 .
25 The Book of Tobit, 86. The misdivision of the two words is seconded by Moore,
Tobit (AB), 2 0 9 .
saying is also attested in VL and simply makes another use of άδελφός in

a broad sense; see N O T E on 1:3. This noun usually expresses the
relationship of siblings and relatives on an equal footing, but it can also
express that of parents to children at times. In the Padua Aramaic Papyrus
I, verso 1: " T o my son, Shelomam, from your brother Osea" (DO^tS Ή3
Ϊ7ΕΠΝ ~ρπκ ][0]); also recto 7, where the writer (the father) again calls himself
-ρπκ. "Brother" thus serves as a polite form of address, and here Raphael
finds it a suitable way of expressing the relationship of the children to be
born. Compare lQapGen 2:9, where Bit-enosh uses it in addressing her
husband Lamech; AP 21:2, 11; 41:1, 9. 2é Similarly, in Greek papyri, a wife
addresses her husband: Ίσιάς Ήφαιστίωνι τ ω άδελφώ[ι χαίρειν], "Isias to
Hephaistion (my) brother, greetings." 27
Jerome's Vg paraphrases vv. 1 6 - 1 8 thus:
16Tunc angelus Rafahel dixit ei, Audi me et ostendam tibi qui sunt
quibus praevalere potest daemonium, 17hii namque qui coniugium ita
suscipiunt ut Deum a se sua mente excludant et suae libidini ita vacent,
sicut equus et mulus in quibus non est intellectus, habet potestatem
daemonium super eos. uTu autem cum acceperis earn, ingressus
cubiculum per tres dies continens esto ab ea, et nihil aliud nisi orationibus
vacabis cum ea. 19Ipsa autem node incenso iecore piscis fugabitur
daemonium·, 20secunda vero node in copulatione sanctorum patriarcha-
rum admitteris; 21tertia autem node benedictione consequeris ut filii ex
vobis incólumes procreentur. 22Transada autem tertia node accipies
virginem cum timore Domini amore filiorum magis quam libidinis
ductus ut in semine Abrahae benedictionem in filiis consequaris.
16 Then the angel Raphael said to him, "Listen to me, and I shall show
you who they are over whom the demon can prevail. 17 For they are those
who so enter marriage that in their minds they shut out God from
themselves and give themselves over to their lust, as a horse or a mule
that has no understanding; over those the demon has power. 18But when
you take her, go into the bridal chamber, and for three days keep
yourself continent from her; occupy yourself with nothing else but
prayers with her. 19 That very night, burn the fish's liver on the fire, and
the demon will be put to flight. 20 But on the second night you will be
admitted to companionship with the holy patriarchs. 21 On the third
night, you will obtain a blessing that healthy children may be born to
26 See Fitzmyer, WA, 221.

27 See J. Partsch, Juristische Urkunden der Ptolemäerzeit (Abhandlungen der Heidel-
berger Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philos.-Hist. Kl. 7; ed. U. Wilcken; Heidel-
berg: C. Winter, 1927), 1.300 (§59).
220 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
you both. 22After the third night has passed, in the fear of the Lord you
will take the virgin, moved rather for love of children than for lust, so
that in the seed of Abraham you may obtain a blessing in children."
These verses of Jerome's Vg are found in no other ancient version, and the
content of them raises the question whether they constitute an addition that
Jerome himself has made to the text of the story of Tobit. 28 They advocate a
view of marriage that Jerome has advocated elsewhere in his writings.29 In
v. 17, the strange comparison of a horse and a mule is derived from Ps 32:9.
The instructions of Raphael about continence in marriage for the first
three nights, as presented in Jerome's version of Vg, gave rise to customs
of such abstinence in the Christian church. Among the Statuta Ecclesiae
Antiqua of the so-called Fourth Council of Carthage (A.D. 398) decree 13
states that spouses who have received the nuptial blessing of a priest should
remain that night in virginity out of reverence for that blessing.30 The
Capitularium Collectio (§463) likewise prescribed the preservation of
chastity for two or three days that good children may be born of such
married persons.31
The medieval text of HL has, however, an expansion that is similar to Vg:
But thou shalt do what I command thee: be together with her in one chamber
three days and three nights, and do not approach her. And every night thou
shalt burn the liver on the fire [and fumigate the bed on which you will lie], and
the demon will fly away. On the first night, remember the names of the holy
patriarchs, on the second, pray to God that good men may come from you. And
on the third night, about the time of the cock-crowing do thy will with the fear
of the Lord, and he will bless thee. 32
The form of this expansion in HL has, of course, less Christian tones to it

than Jerome's expansion.33 The Hebrew text of HM has none of this
expansion.
When Tobiah heard these words of Raphael and learned that she was
his kinswoman and of the lineage of his father's house, he fell very much
28 See Skemp, Vulgate of Tobit, 2 2 5 - 3 6 .

29 See Jerome, Contra Vigilantium 1.2 (PL 2 3 . 3 8 8 - 8 9 ) . Compare Philo, De specialibus
legibus 3.20 §113.
30 G. Mansi, Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio ... (Florence: A.
Zatta, 1759; repr. Paris/Leipzig: H. Welter, 1901), 3.952. See further E. Westermarck,
The History of Human Marriage, 2 . 5 5 9 .
31 Et biduo vel triduo orationibus vacent et castitatem custodiant, ut bonae soboles
generentur et Domino suis in actibus placeant. Taliter enim et Domino placebunt et
filios non spurios, sed legítimos atque hereditabiles generabunt. (PL 97. 859)
32 M. Gaster, PSBA 18 (1896) 2 6 7 - 6 8 (Gaster's translation).
33 See M. Rist, JBL 57 (1938) 2 9 5 - 9 7 .
in love with her, and his heart clung to her exceedingly. Aramaic 4Q197
4 ii 1 9 - 4 iii 1 reads: m r ΓΓ3] / 101 ΚΠΚ Π ^ ΧΜ Ή ^ S a i ^ Ο ΓΡ31ΰ I?ö[tö "HSl]
«[Hl1?] Π3 <ρπ> πα1?! ΠΟΠΊ ίθ:ΐ[Β \1ΠΚ, "When Tobiah heard the words of
Raphae[l that she was] his kinswoman and of [the lineage of his father's
house], he fell [v]ery much in love with her, and his heart <clung> to her
[exceedingly." VL: Et cum audisset Thobias sermones Raphahel angeli
quoniam soror est illius, et de domo seminis patris illius, haesit cordi eius,
"... house, he clung to (her) in his heart." G': "When Tobiah heard that,
he fell in love with her, and his being [lit., his soul] clung to her very much."
Vg records no reaction of Tobiah to Raphael's advice.
G" uses ήγάττησεν, whereas G1 has έφίλησεν. Little distinction can be
found between the nuances of these different verbs here, just as in the LXX
at times; see Prov 8:17, εγώ τους έμέ φιλούντας άγσττώ, "I love those who
love me." Cf. Gen 37:3-4. Dancy rightly notes that "to us, who are not
used to arranged marriages, it seems odd that he could say that he loved
her before meeting her, but actually it is in order, because this is a story not
about romantic love but about marriage." 34 Moreover, according to nor-
mal biblical thinking personal feelings and reactions such as love and
inclination are not expressed merely from a psychological perspective, but
much more as they fit into the designs of the Creator. Hence Tobiah's trust
in the angel's words is more important than the love that he manifests to
Sarah, whom he has not yet seen.
Bibliography
Lang, B., "Altersversorgung, Begräbnis und Elterngebot," XIX. Deutscher Orienta-

listentag 1975 (ZDMGSup 3 / 1 ; Wiesbaden: F. Steiner, 1977) 149-56.
McCullough, W. S., "Dog," IDB 1.862.
Maiworm-Hagen, J., "Die drei Tobias-Nächte," BK 14 (1959) 20-23.
Pirotta, L. M., "La teologia del matrimonio in Tobia," PalCl 63 (1984) 1414-23.
Rist, M., "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: A Liturgical and Magical
Formula," JBL 57 (1938) 289-303.
Soden, W. von, "Fischgalle als Heilsmittel für Augen," AfO 21 (1966) 81-82; repr.
in Bibel und Alter Orient: Alt orientalisch e Beiträge zum Alten Testament von
Wolfram von Soden (BZAW 162; ed. H.-P. Müller; Berlin: de Gruyter, 1985)
76-77.
Straubinger, J., Tobias: Ein Büchlein für Braut- und Eheleute (Bibelstunden des
katholischen Bibelwerkes 2; Stuttgart: Katholisches Bibelwerk, 1955).
Westermarck, E., The History of Human Marriage (5th ed.; 3 vols.; London:
Macmillan, 1922), 2.558-63.
34
Shorter Books of the Apocrypha, 40.
Ό. Tobiah Arrives at Raguel's House and Marries Sarah (7:1-17)
G": When he (they) entered Ecbatana, G1: 'When they came to Ecbatana and
Tobiah said, "Brother Azariah, take me arrived at the house of Raguel, Sarah
directly to (the house of) our kinsman met them and greeted them. They re-
Raguel. So he took him (and they came) turned her greeting, and she brought
to Raguel's house, and they found him them into the house.
sitting at the gate of the courtyard·, they
greeted him first. Raguel said to them,
"Sincere greetings, my brothers! Wel-
come and be at peace! " Then he brought
them into his house.
2He remarked to Edna his wife, "How 2Raguel remarked to Edna his wife,
this youth resembles my kinsman To- "My, how this youth resembles my
bit!" cousin Tobit!"
3So Edna asked them, "Where do you 3So Raguel asked them, "Where do
come from, my brothers?" They told you come from, my brothers?" They
her, "We are (from the) Naphtalites, told him, "From the Naphtalites, cap-
captives in Nineveh." tives in Nineveh."
4She asked, "Do you know our kins- 4He asked, "Do you know our kins-
man Tobit?" They answered her, "We man Tobit?" They answered, "We do
do know him." She asked further, "Is know him." He asked further, "Is he
he well?" well?"
5They replied, "He is alive and well." 5They replied, "He is alive and well."
Tobiah added, "He is my father. " Tobiah added, "He is my father."

6Then Raguel jumped up, kissed him, 6Then Raguel jumped up, kissed him,
and broke into tears. and broke into tears.

7 He addressed him saying, "Blessings 7He blessed him, saying, "You are the
upon you, my boy! You are the son of a son of a good and noble man!" When
good and noble father! O most miserable he heard that Tobit had lost his sight,
of disasters, that so righteous and chari- he was griefstricken and wept.
table a man has been blinded! As he em-
braced his kinsman Tobiah, he wept.
8His wife Edna wept over him too, as 8His wife Edna and his daughter Sarah
did likewise their daughter Sarah. also wept, but they readily welcomed
them.
9Then Raguel slaughtered a ram from 'Then they slaughtered a ram from
his flock and readily welcomed them. the flock and set much cooked food
When they had bathed and washed their before them. Tobiah then said to Rapha-
hands, they reclined to take dinner. el, "Brother Azariah, speak about the
Tobiah then said to Raphael, "Brother things that you told me on the way
Azariah, tell Raguel that he should give here, and let the matter be settled."
me my kinswoman Sarah as wife."
Tobiah Arrives at Raguel's House and Marries Sarah (7:1-17) 223
10Raguel overheard the remark and 10He shared the matter with Raguel.
said to the boy, "Eat, drink, and be Then Raguel said to Tobiah, "Eat,
joyful tonight! There is no one who may drink, and be joyful! For it is proper for
properly take my daughter Sarah more you to take my child. But I must tell you
than you, my brother. Similarly, I have the truth.
no right to give her to a man other than
you, because you are closest of kin to
me. But I must tell you the truth, my
boy.
" I have already given her to seven of »I have already given my child to
our kinsmen, and all of them died on seven men, and whenever they ap-
the night when they went in to be with proached her, they died that night. But
her. But now, my boy, eat and drink; now, enjoy yourself!" Tobiah replied,
and the Lord will act for you both." "I shall not eat anything here until you
Tobiah replied, "I shall not eat here or set up and settle what pertains to me."
drink anything until you settle what Raguel said to him, "Take her right
pertains to me." Raguel said to him, now according to the ordinance. You
"So I do. She has been given to you are brother to her, and she is sister to
according to the ordinance of the Book you. May the merciful God help you
of Moses, for Heaven has ordained that both on the way for the best!"
she be given to you. Take your kins-
woman. From now on you are brother
to her, and she is sister to you. She has
been given to you today and forever.
May the Lord of Heaven help you on
the way tonight, my boy, and grant you
both mercy and peace!"
Raguel then called his daughter Sa-
,2 12Raguel then called his daughter Sa-
rah, and she came to him. Taking her by rah, and taking her by the hand, he gave
the hand, he gave her over to him, say- her over to Tobiah as his wife, saying,
ing, "Take her to be your wife accord- "Here she is. Take her according to the
ing to the Law and the ordinance writ- Law of Moses. Take her and bring her
ten in the Book of Moses. Take her and to your father," and he blessed them.
bring her safely to your father. May the
God of Heaven help you on the way
with His peace!
,3 Raguel called her mother and told "Raguel called his wife Edna. He took
her to bring a scroll; he wrote the mar- a scroll and wrote the document, and
riage document on the scroll to the ef- they sealed it.
fect that he was giving her to him as
wife according to the ordinance of the
Law of Moses (and he sealed it).
14 After that they began to eat and 14 Then they began to eat.
drink.
224 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
15 Raguel called his wife Edna and said 15 Raguel called his wife Edna and said
to her, " M y sister, get the spare bed- to her, " M y sister, get the spare bed-
room ready and bring her there." room ready and bring her there.
16 Edna went and made the bed in the 16 Edna did as he said and brought her
bedroom, as he had told her. Then she there, and she began to weep. Edna
brought Sarah there. She began to cry understood her daughter's tears and
for her daughter; but then she dried her said,
tears and said,
17 "Be reassured, my daughter! May 17 "Be brave, my child! May the Lord
the Lord of Heaven grant you joy in of Heaven and earth grant you favor in
place of your sorrow! So take heart, place of this sorrow of yours! So take
daughter!" Then she went out. heart, daughter!
COMMENT
The story of Tobit now moves into another major development as Azariah
and Tobiah arrive at the house of Raguel in Ecbatana, where they meet
Raguel and he welcomes them to his dwelling. Raguel, who has not yet
found out who they are, notices the resemblance of young Tobiah to his
kinsman Tobit. Raguel's wife, Edna, inquires about their identity and
learns that they are from the Jewish exiles deported to Nineveh; that
Tobiah is actually the son of Tobit, their kinsman. Raguel is elated at their
coming and prepares a welcoming feast for them. As they are about to dine,
Tobiah requests Azariah to ask for Sarah as a wife for him. Raguel
overhears the remark and is inclined to grant the request, but he warns
Tobiah about what has happened in previous attempts to marry his daughter
off. Tobiah insists, and the engagement is made. Raguel calls Sarah and
gives her to Tobiah, writing a marriage document for them. Then Raguel
calls his wife Edna and asks her to prepare the bedroom for the newly-
weds. So the stage is set for the rest of the story of Tobiah and Sarah.
This section of the Tobit story depends on passages involving marriage
among the patriarchs in the Book of Genesis, especially in the formulation
and phraseology of several verses. Noteworthy is the motif borrowed from
Gen 24:7 about Abraham telling the eldest slave of his household to go and
get a wife for Isaac, "The Lord, the God of heaven, ... will send his angel
before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there [Haran]."
Again, Gen 24:40, "The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel
with you and prosper your way; and you will take a wife for my son from
my kindred and from my father's house."
This section also reflects various aspects of the institution of marriage
among ancient Jews, both of Palestine and of the Diaspora. The most
noteworthy development is the mention of a document that Raguel draws

up and seals. It does not conform to the tenor of the ancient Aramaic
marriage contract, called ketubbäh, which was usually drawn up by the
bridegroom and represented an agreement that he had made with the father
of the bride and the bride herself, guaranteeing support for her and the
children to be born of her and indicating the sums of money he would have
to pay in case of a divorce or his own death. In this case the document is
rather written by the bride's father.
The arrival scene seems to be modelled on that of Jacob at Haran (Gen
29:4-6), whence comes some of the phraseology.
Verses 9-15 are often used as an OT reading in the liturgy of Christian
weddings.
NOTES
1. When he (they) entered Ecbatana, Tobiah said, "Brother Azariah, take

me directly to the house of our kinsman Raguel. Aramaic 4Q197 4 iii 1 -
2 reads: ΪΤα1? ΧΕϊ'Βρ T Q [ l ΤΙΚ m ] r y ΓΤΊΠίΰ 70 ["ΙΟΝ ΚΠ]ΰΠΚ KU1? 1*717 -HDl
Κ31ΠΝ *7ΐΟϋΊ, translated as in the lemma from G", with which VL agrees: Et
cum uenissent in ciuitatem Ecbatanan dixit Thobias angelo, Azarias frater,
due me uiam rectam (MS R: recte) ad Raguhelem, omitting "our kinsman."
G" has the singular verb, εΐσήλθεν, "he entered," whereas the Aramaic
has the plural "they entered." Aramaic 4Q196 14 ii 5 preserves only
Ππκ ΓΡΙΓΰ, "Azariah, [my] brother." G1 reads rather: "When they came to
Ecbatana and arrived at the house of Raguel." Vg: "They, however, entered
the house of Raguel."
The Aramaic name for Ecbatana, the capital of Media, is partly preserved
as [ΝΓΙ]0ΠΚ, a form found in Ezra 6:2 (see NOTE on 3:7). Sta^p is the
adverbial form of the adjective t^Sfp, "true, right"; compare ΚΤΓΡ, "very
much" (lQapGen 19:23). Note again the use of αδελφός in the sense of
"kinsman, relative" (see NOTE on 1:3).
From what has been recounted in chapter 6, one understands why
Tobiah requests that Azariah lead him directly to his kinsman's house.
So he took him (and they came) to Raguel's house, and they found him
sitting at the gate of the courtyard; they greeted him first. Aramaic 4Q197
4 iii 2 - 3 reads: ΠΠΊ1 yin Dip 2Ώ[·> 17]Κ1ΙΓΙ['? 1]Π30Κ1 [γτίΛ Ι]1??«! n-Qll
1
•poip ? niants l^KEM, which agrees with G" but has Raguel's name twice
(instead of "him") and has a second verb, "they went." The Aramaic of
4Q196 14 ii 6 has only ροΐρ 1 ? ... ¥D[t&]m. VL: et uenerunt et inuenerunt
ilium sedentem in atrio, circa ostium domus suae, et salutauerunt ilium
226 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
priores, "and they came and found him sitting in the courtyard, next to the
door of his house, and they greeted him first." G1: "Sarah met them and
greeted them. They returned her greeting, and she brought them into the
house." Vg greatly abridges: "and Raguel welcomed them with joy."
So the young Tobiah arrives at his relative's house and greets Raguel.
It is a mystery where G1 got the detail of Sarah greeting them first. Syriac
follows G1 in this detail. See NOTE on 5:10.
Raguel said to them, "Sincere greetings, my brothers! Welcome and be
at peace!" Then he brought them into his house. Aramaic 4Q196 14 ii 6 -
7 and 4Q197 4 iii 3 - 4 both read: TIN ^{»[II 1pm 1ΊΓΓΠΚ Qhvb lin1? [ΊΟΚΙ]
rifTO1? ΙΉΚ ^SJKl, "and he said to them, 'In peace have you come! Enter in
peace, my brothers! And he brought them into his house." G" has Χαίρετε
πολλά, αδελφοί, καί καλώς ήλθατε ύγιαίοντες, lit., "Greetings in many ways,
brothers, and you have come well in good health." VL: Et dixit Raguhel,
Bene ualeatis, fratres, intrate salui et sani, which is close in sense to G11. G1
and Vg have nothing that corresponds.
Even in the diaspora Raguel is depicted practising the hospitality that
was characteristic of Jewish life in Israel. Note that Raguel uses άδελφοί as
a greeting, even before he learns that they are indeed kinsmen; its sense is
that of a generic greeting, meaning something like "fellow human beings."
Similarly in v. 3. Raguel can be compared to Abraham welcoming angels
in disguise (Gen 18:1-15).
2. He remarked to Edna his wife, "How this youth resembles my kinsman

Τ obit!"1 Aramaic 4Q197 4 iii 4 - 5 reads: KO"1*?!? ΓΙΟΙ SÜD ΠΠΠ3Ν ΚΠΐΛ> 1ÖK1
ΉΊ ~Q Olta1? "ρ, "then he said to Edna, his wife, 'How this youth resembles
Tobi, the son of my uncle." Aramaic 4Q196 14 ii 8 has only: [na]7 HOD.
VL: Et dixit Annae (MS M: Haedna[ì]; MS X: Ethne) uxori suae, Quam
similis est hic iuuenis Thobi consobrino meo. G' also agrees, but ends with
"my cousin Tobit." 2 Vg: "Looking at Tobiah, Raguel said to Anna, his
wife, 'How that youth resembles my cousin!'"
The female name K31I? is not found in the OT, but ΠΠϋ occurs as a
common noun, "delight, pleasure" (Gen 18:12, in a sexual sense). Cf.
Aramaic ΠΠ3Ή$?, lQapGen 2:9, 14. Edna is also the name of Terah's wife
in Jub. 11:14. In some MSS of VL and in Vg her name is confused with that
of Tobit's wife and given as Anna. Syriac reads 'dn'. On "kinsman," see
NOTE on 1:3.
1 MS S wrongly reads " T o b i a h " (Τωβεία) instead of "Tobit."

2 G1 uses άνέψιοζ, "cousin," which in L X X Num 3 6 : 1 1 occurs as the translation of
Hebrew T t "|ΞΙ, "son of an uncle."
Tobiah Arrives at Raguel's House and Marries Sarah ( 7 : 1 - 1 7 ) 227
3. So Edna asked them, "Where do you come from, my brothers?" Aramaic

4Q197 4 iii 5 reads: ΤΙΚ ηη1? ΠΊ0Χ1 ΚΠΰ π'ΡΧΒ'Ι, "Edna asked
them and said to them, 'Where do you come from, my brothers.'" Aramaic
4Q196 14 ii 8 has only: [npKEn. VL agrees: Et interrogami illos Anna (MS
M: Haedna; MS X: Ethna) dicens Onde uos estis, fratres? G1 reads rather:
"So Raguel asked them, 'Where do you come from, my brothers?'" Similarly
Vg: "When he had said that, he said, 'Where do you come from, young
men, our brothers?'" Syriac: ws'l 'nwn R'w'l, "and Raguel asked them."
Apart from the different forms of the name of Raguel's wife, one should
note how the questioner differs in the versions of G1, Syriac, and Vg from
the Greek MS S, the Aramaic, and VL. In the Short Recension, Raguel asks
the question, whereas in the Long Edna asks.
In 4Q1961 have restored [n] 1 »»!, following 4Q197, MS S, and VL. If that
restoration is not correct, then ^XtSl possibly would agree with G1, Syriac, and
Vg. In this case "brothers" is used in a generic sense; see NOTE on 1:3.
They told her, "We are (from the) Naphtalites, captives in Nineveh."
Lit. "from the sons of Naphtali." Aramaic 4Q197 4 iii 6: ">22 ρ Γ0 ΠύΧΙ
ηυ^α TOE» ["Η] ^ΠΒ]. Similarly 4Q196 14 ii 9: "Η [^ΠΕΗ Ή ρ Π1? 1]ΊαΚ1
[mi^n "ijOtö. VL: Et illi dixerunt, Ex filiis Nepthalim nos sumus, ex captiuis
Niniue (MSS RX: in Niniue). G1 basically agrees, but has "They told him,"
with which Syriac and Vg agree.
The answer that Tobiah and Azariah give links the story with the
episodes in chaps. 1 and 4. The mention of "captives in Nineveh" sparks
Edna's further questioning.
4. She asked, "Do you know our kinsman Tobit?" Aramaic 4Q197 4 iii 6
reads: [Κ]3ΊΠΚ Olta'? ·ρΠ38 flTT îOÔKI. VL: Tunc illa dixit, Nostis
Thobin fratrem nostrum? G1 agrees, except that the subject is again Raguel,
as in Syriac, Vg, and HL. On "kinsman," see NOTE on 1:3.
They answered her, "We do know him." Aramaic 4Q197 4 iii 7 reads:
rb Κ][ΓφΚ -psj-p Ή η1? -pitm 4Q196 14 ii has: [η1? «3]Π3Κ ·ρΐΓΡ[ Ή Γ0 l"Ha]Rl.
VL: et dixerunt Nouimus. G1 agrees, as does Vg.
The dialogue between Edna and the visitors echoes the questions of
Jacob which he put to the shepherds of Laban in Gen 29:4-6, and also
those of Joseph to his brothers in Gen 43:27-30.
She asked further, "Is he well?" Lit. "Is he in good health?" G1 agrees,
but Aramaic 4Q197 4 iii 7 omits the introductory remark and has only the
question: Κ1Π attiri. VL: et illa dixit, Fortis est?. Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
5. They replied, "He is alive and well." Lit. "he is in good health and lives."
G1 agrees, but Aramaic 4Q197 4 iii 7 has only: [D]1?» rb 1ΊΟΚ1, "and they
said to her, "He is wel[l]." VL: Et illi dixerunt, Fortis est et uiuit.
The answer given to Edna is strange, because it says nothing about

Tobit's blindness, even though Raguel will mention it in v. 7. To get around
this difficulty, vv. 4 b - 5 are omitted in Syriac and Vg. The literary
dependence on the question and answer in Gen 29:4-6 may account for the
formulation here, but the failure to mention the blindness is also owing to
the more immediate need of the identification to be stated in the next
sentence.
Tobiah added, "He is my father." G1 agrees, as does Aramaic 4Q197 4
ili 7-8, which reads: ΚΊΠ Ή ,T3[ltû] -|[QK1]. 4Q196 14 ii 11 has only:
Κ1Π OK. VL: Tunc Thobias dixit, Pater meus est de quo quaeris, "Then
Tobiah said, 'The one you are inquiring about is my father.'" Vg
paraphrases: "And when they were saying many good things about him,
the angel said to Raguel, 'Tobit about whom you are inquiring is his
father.'" Similarly HL. Neubauer's Aramaic reads: ΚΊΠ K3K '»aita, which
Neubauer translates, "Tobi is my father." Syriac: 'b' dyly 'ytwby.
This admission on Tobiah's part reveals his pride of kinship, and it is
an important development in the story, because it will lead eventually to
his playing a greater role and to his marriage to the daughter of his host.
6. Then Raguel jumped up, kissed him, and broke into tears. G1 agrees, as
does Aramaic 4Q197 4 iii 8, which reads: [H]D31 npt&3 ^Kim i m 4Q196
14 ii 11 reads only: [n]01. VL agrees: Et exsiliit Raguhel et osculatus est
ilium lacrimans. Vg: "And Raguel went and kissed him with tears."
The tears are meant to express Raguel's joy in meeting the son of his
kinsman. The phraseology of this verse is dependent on the Hebrew of Gen
29:11 (meeting of Jacob and Rachel); or Gen 33:4 (meeting of Esau and
Jacob); or 45:14 (meeting of Joseph and Benjamin).
7. He addressed him, saying, "Blessings upon you, my boy! You are the son
of a good and noble father! Aramaic 4Q197 4 iii 9: [ΓΓΠ3Κ Ή3 -ρ]1™ «3tû
[Kjta^Kp K"Q3[ Ί]3, "Blessings upon [you, my son; you are the] so[n of] a
righteo[us] man." VL: Et dixit, Benedictio tibi sit, fili, quoniam boni et
optimi uiri filius es tu, which agrees with G". G1 has rather: "He blessed
him, saying, "You are the son of a good and noble man!" Vg: "A blessing
be upon you, my son, because you are son of a good and noble man."
Raguel acknowledges the chief characteristic (righteousness) of Tobit,
the father of Tobiah. Whereas the Aramaic text speaks of Tobit as
the Greek versions use the classic designation of a noble gentleman, καλός
και αγαθός, lit. "handsome and good."
O most miserable of disasters, that so righteous and charitable a man
has been blinded! VL agrees: O infelicitas malorum, quia excaecatus est uir
iustus et faciens eleemosynas. G1 reads, however, "When he heard that
Tobit had lost his sight, he was griefstricken and wept." Vg has nothing
that corresponds.
The text of G1 supplies the reason that is strangely lacking in G n and VL,
and most likely in the fragmentary Aramaic text of 4Q197 4 iii, which at
this point has a lacuna before the end of v. 7. In the Long Recension, this
comment of Raguel about Tobit's blindness comes without any indication
that he has learned about Tobit's affliction.
As he embraced his kinsman Tobiah, he wept. Lit., "fell upon the neck
of Tobiah, his kinsman." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 iii 10 has only: [ J m i û "IISS,
"the neck of Tobiah." VL agrees: Et incubuit lacrimans super collum
Thobiae filii fratris sui. Neither G1 nor Vg has anything that corresponds.
Compare Gen 45:14; 46:29; 50:1 (MS A), for the idiom of embrace used
here. On "kinsman," see NOTE on 1:3.
8. His wife Edna wept over him too, as did likewise their daughter Sarah.
VL agrees with G": Et Anna (MS M: Haedna) uxor eius et Sarra filia eorum
lacrimatae sunt. G1 has a fuller form: "His wife Edna and his daughter
Sarah also wept, but they readily welcomed them." Vg: "His wife Hannah
and Sarah their daughter wept." The Aramaic text has a lacuna.
9. Then Raguel slaughtered a ram from his flock and readily welcomed
them. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 iii 11 has only: [n]3ta "|!> Ή "IDI, "slaughtered] a
ram of the flock." VL makes the subject plural: Et occiderunt arietem et
susceperunt illos libenter. G1: "Then they slaughtered a ram from the flock
and set much cooked food before them." See the preceding note for the end
of the sentence with which G" ends, which appears there in G1. Vg has a
fuller paraphrase: "So after they talked, Raguel ordered a ram to be
slaughtered and a banquet to be prepared."
When they had bathed and washed their hands, they reclined to take
dinner. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 iii 12 has only: nnoa^l "tdKO1?, "to eat and to
drink." VL: Et postquam lauerunt (MS G: loti sunt; MS M: locuti sunt)
discubuerunt ad coenandum, "and after they had washed (MS G: they had
been washed; MS M: they had spoken), they reclined to take dinner." G1
and Vg have nothing that corresponds, but see the following notes.
In G" there are two verbs, Ιλούσαντο καί Ινίψαντο, "they bathed and
washed (their hands)," but G111 in MSS 106 107 has only the first verb. The
doublet in G" has been explained by appealing to John 13:10, where λούω
is used to mean "to wash oneself entirely, bathe," but νίπτω means "to
wash a part of the body." Hence the translation used in the lemma above:
"bathe and wash hands."
The washing of hands before eating is nowhere prescribed in the OT,
but Mark 7:1-3 attributed the custom to "the Pharisees and all the Jews."
The later rabbinic tradition used Lev 15:11 as the biblical basis for the
tradition [nëtîlat yadayim), which is explicitly formulated in b.Hullin 106a;
b. Shabbat 14b. Cf. Str-B, 1.695-98.
The doublet was explained as correct by L. Rosso, who appealed to the
use of the same verb in Test. Levi 9:11 (λούου ... νίτττου): Levi is told to
"bathe" before entering the sanctuary and to "wash" hands and feet before
sacrificing (there are also two different verbs in the medieval Aramaic form
of this text). 3 Her argument, however, was reconsidered by B. Couroyer, who
argued that the Septuagintal use of λούω and νίπτω to translate the same
Hebrew verb (fm) shows that they were employed almost in the same sense,
and that one should not press the difference of meaning.4 This may dispose
of Rosso's interpretation, but the double verb remains and perhaps should
be distinguished as in John 13:10. The problem, however, is basically one
of textual transmission, because both Greek and Latin versions have variants.
Tobiah then said to Raphael, "Brother Azariah, tell Raguel that he should
give me my kinswoman Sarah as wife." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 4 iii 13 preserves
only: ^ΠΠΚ, "my sister." VL agrees with G11: et dixit Thobias ad Raphahel
angelum, Azarias frater, die Raguheli ut det mihi Sarram sororem meam,
adding only angelum to Raphael's name. G1 has rather: '"Brother Azariah,
speak about the things that you told me on the way here, and let the matter
be settled.'" Vg has nothing that corresponds, even though it begins a clause
imitating VL: postquam autem locuti sunt praecepit Raguhel occidi..., "and
after they had spoken, Raguel ordered to be slaughtered ... ."
10. Raguel overheard the remark and said to the boy, "Eat, drink, and be
joyful tonight! There is no one who may properly take my daughter
Sarah more than you, my brother. Aramaic 4Q197 4 iii 13 preserves only:
[•7Κ13Ί] IJüßn, "And Raguel heard." VL agrees with G": Et audiuit Raguhel
hunc sermonem, et dixi illi, Manduca et bibe, et suauiter tibi sit hac nocte:
non est enim alius cui oporteat accipere Sarram filiam mean quam tu. G1
reads rather: "He shared the matter with Raguel. Then Raguel said to
Tobiah, "Eat, drink, and be joyful! For it is proper for you to take my
child."
Dancy queries, "Is there a gruesome reference here to the well-known
saying, 'let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die' [Isa 22:13]?" 5
There might be in light of what Raguel says in the following verse. On "my
brother," see NOTE on 1:3.
3 L. Rosso, "Un'antica variante del libro di Tobit (Tob., VII, 9)," RSO 50 (1976) 7 3 -
89.
4 Β. Couroyer, "Tobie, vii, 9: Problème de critique textuelle," RB 91 (1984) 3 5 1 - 6 1 .
5 Shorter Books of the Apocrypha, 43. Cf. 1 Cor 15:32.
Similarly, I have no right to give her to a man other than you, because
you are closest of kin to me. VL agrees with G": similiter et mihi non licet
illam dare alio uiro quam tibi: tu proximus mihi es, et tibi Sarra, adding
only "and Sarah to you." Neither G1 nor Vg has anything that corresponds.
Raguel thus recognizes the right that Tobiah has to marry his daughter
Sarah, but he is also aware of the problem it may create.
But I must tell you the truth, my boy. nI have already given her to seven
of our kinsmen, and all of them died on the night when they went in to be
with her. VL basically agrees with G": Verum autem tibi dicam, fili. Tradidi
illam iam uiris septem, fratribus nostris; et omnes mortui sunt dum cum ilia
secedunt. G1: "But I must tell you the truth. n I have already given my child
to seven men, and whenever they approached her, they died that night."
So Raguel honestly explains the problem; he does not conceal the truth
from his kinsman Tobiah that Sarah has been given already to seven
husbands of her kin (3:15). Again άδελφός is used in the sense of "kinsman";
see NOTE on 1:3.
Up to this point the Syriac text of Tobit has been only that of the Syro-
Hexaplaric MS 8fl. From this point on to 14:15, most of the text (save for
13:9-18) is attested not only in this Syro-Hexaplaric form, but also in all
the other Syriac MSS (see Introduction, §18). 6
But now, my boy, eat and drink; and the Lord will act for you both. VL
has only: Nunc ergo, fili, manduca et bibe, omitting the last clause of G".
G1: "But now, enjoy yourself!," i.e. εχων ήδέως γίυου, using εχειν
intransitively with an adverb of manner, as in classical Greek.7
Raguel counsels Tobiah to make the most of the moment. Only G11 gives
the motivation for the counsel, "the Lord will act for you both," i.e. for
Tobiah and Sarah. His counsel contains a bit of irony; for the Lord has
already been at work in sending his angel. Raguel's words echo those of
Jonathan in 1 Sam 14:6 about the Lord working for him and his armor-
bearer.
Tobiah replied, "I shall not eat here or drink anything until you settle
what pertains to me." Aramaic 4Q199 1:1 reads: K1? "H ΓΡ3[ΐΰ "ΙΟΚΙ]
[nnt»K } φ ΐ Κ3Π, "[and To]biah [said,] Ί shall not eat here and [I shall] no[t]
drink." VL agrees with G11: Et dixit Thobias, Hie ego non edam quicquam
ñeque bibam donee mecum rem confirmes. G1: "Tobiah replied, Ί shall not
eat anything here until you set up and settle what pertains to me.'"
6 See J. C. H. Lebram, "Die Peschitta zu Tobit 7 , 1 1 - 1 4 , 1 5 , " ZAW 69 (1957) 1 8 5 -

211.
7 See BDF §308; LSJ, 765b.
Tobiah decides to negotiate his marriage with Sarah even before they
begin to dine because he realizes that this marriage is more important than
merry-making. Compare his words with those of Abraham's servant
addressed to Laban in the house of Bethuel, "I will not eat until I have told
my errand" (Gen 24:33), which are imitated here.
Vg paraphrases the last few sentences:
cumque hortaretur eos discumbere ad prandendum, Tobias dixit, Hie
ego hodie non manducabo neque bibam nisi prius petitionem meant
confirmes et promittas mihi dare Sarram filiam tuam. Quo audito verbo
Raguhel expavit sciens quid evenerit Ulis septem viris et timere coepit ne
forte et huic similiter acciderit et cum nutaret et non daret ullum petenti
responsum, dixit ei angelus noli timere dare illam isti quoniam huic
timenti Deum debet coniux filia tua; propterea alius non potuit habere
illam.
And when he (Raguel) urged them to recline to take dinner, Tobiah said,
Ί will not eat or drink here today, unless you first grant my request and
promise to give me your daughter Sarah.' When he heard that, Raguel
became afraid, knowing what had happened to those seven men, and
began to fear that this might happen to this one too in like manner.
Because he hesitated and gave no answer to the one who asked, the
angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid to give her to this man, because your
daughter is destined as a wife for this man who fears God. Therefore no
other man could have her.8
So Tobiah states his case forcefully and succeeds in getting Raguel to agree
with the way he thinks.
Raguel said to him, "So I do. She has been given to you according to
the ordinance of the Book of Moses, for Heaven has ordained that she be
given to you. Take your kinswoman. " VL: Et Raguhel dixit, Ne dubites,
fili, fació quod uis. Et his dictis adiecit dicens, Tibi Sarra destinata est
secundum iudicium libri Moysi, et de cáelo iudicatum est tibi illam dari.
Accipe sororem tuam, "And Raguel said, 'Do not go on doubting, my son;
I am doing what you desire.' Having said that, he added, 'Sarah has been
destined for you according to the ordinance of the Book of Moses, and it
has been decided by Heaven that she be given to you. Take your sister.'"
G1 abridges: "Take her right now according to the ordinance." Vg
paraphrases: "Then Raguel said, Ί do not doubt that God has regarded my
prayers and tears in his sight. I believe that He has thus made you come to
8
me so that she could be joined to one of her own kindred according to the
Law of Moses. Now have no doubt that I will give her to you.'" 9
Raguel thus reassures Tobiah that Sarah will become his wife. On the
ordaining of Heaven about this marriage, see NOTE on 6:18.
From now on you are brother to her, and she is sister to you. VL agrees
with G": amodo tu illius frater es, et haec tua soror est. Likewise G1, save
for the initial adverbs. Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Again, αδελφός and άδελφή are used of husband and wife (to be). See
NOTE on 5:21.
She has been given to you today and forever. May the Lord of Heaven
help you on the way tonight, my boy, and grant you both mercy and peace!
Lit. "from today and into the eon." VL agrees with G": Datur tibi ex
hodierno et in aeternum. Et Dominus caeli bene disponat uobis hanc
noctem, et faciat uobis misericordiam et pacem. G1 reads: "May the merciful
God help you both on the way for the best!" Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
The voice of the verb in the first sentence is clearly a theological passive,
meaning "given" by God, as the second sentence clarifies. The first "you"
is singular, meaning Tobiah, but the second and third are plural, meaning
both Tobiah and Sarah. "Mercy" would imply freedom from the demon's
attack, and "peace" a mode of life together for the two of them. The
temporal phrase άπό της σήμερον εις τον αιώνα echoes the formula of the
traditional Aramaic marriage contract, "She is my wife, and I her husband
from this day for ever" (D1?!? 1Ü1 Π3Γ NOT1 ρ r ò m Π3Κ1 ΤΊΠίΚ TI).10
12. Raguel then called his daughter Sarah, and she came to him. Taking her
by the hand, he gave her over to him, saying, "Take her to be your wife
according to the Law and the ordinance written in the Book of Moses. " VL
basically agrees with the first part, but records Raguel's words differently:
Et accersiuit Raguhel Sarram filiam suam, et accessit ad ilium; et adprehensa
manu uirginis tradidit earn illi, et dixit, Ecce accipe secundum legem et
iudicium quod scriptum est in lege Moysi, dare tibi hanc uxorem, "... Now
accept (her) according to the law and the ordinance that is written in the
Law of Moses, to give you this (girl) as a wife." G1: "Raguel then called his
daughter Sarah, and taking her by the hand, he gave her over to Tobiah as
his wife, saying, 'Here she is. Take her according to the Law of Moses.'"
9 Ibid., 2 5 2 .
10 See BMAP 2 : 3 - 4 ; cf. BMAP 7:4. Remains of such contracts have been published by
B. Porten and A. Yardeni, TADAE, 2. B 2 . 6 (p. 3 0 ; = AP 1 5 : 4 ; ANET, 222); B3.3,
B 3 . 8 , B6.1—4 (pp. 6 0 - 6 3 , 7 8 - 8 3 , 1 3 2 - 4 0 ) .
234 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
Vg: "and taking the right hand of his daughter, he gave (her) over to
Tobiah, saying."
The "taking her by the hand, he gave her over" was an act with legal
meaning, denoting marriage and the transfer of authority and possession
from the father to the groom. A remnant of the custom still persists in the
modern marriage ceremony when the father "gives" his daughter to the
groom. In Jewish society, the girl thus became the possession of her
husband, and any aberration or infidelity on her part was a violation of his
rights (Gen 31:15; Exod 20:14, 17; Lev 18:20; 20:10; Deut 21:23; 22:22;
24:1). 1 1
The most summary Mosaic statement on marriage and sexual intercourse
is found in the Holiness Code of Leviticus (18:1-30). For parallels to "the
Law and the ordinance written in the Book of Moses," see fragmentary
Mur 20:3, [Π0ΐ]α piD nmK1? ^ mnn •'[ΠΚ], "[yo]u are my wife according to
the Law of M[oses]." In the traditional këtubbâh one also finds the formula,
^κιετί nsso m s î r n ^ ^ "Wn, "Be to me a wife according to the law of
Moses and Israel." 12
Take her and bring her safely to your father. May the God of Heaven
help you on the way with His peace! Lit. "in good health bring her." VL:
Habe itaque et duc illam ad patrem tuum, fili, saluus et sanus: et Deus de
cáelo det uobis bonurn iter et pacem. G1 abridges: '"and bring her to your
father,' and he [Raguel] blessed them." Vg expands Raguel's prayer: "May
the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob be with
you, and may He join you together and fulfill His blessing in you."
Raguel thus instructs Tobiah to take Sarah in marriage and bring her to
his ancestral home, and he utters a blessing over their marital union.
"Safely" actually translates the masculine participle ύγιαίυων, which lit.
means "being in good health," whence comes the Latin translation saluus
et sanus (see NOTE on 5:14). It modifies the subject of the imperative,
hence Tobiah, and not Sarah. The formula used in the prayer of Raguel in
Vg imitates the names of God in such older biblical passages as Exod 3:6,
15; 4:5.
13. Raguel called her mother and told her to bring a scroll; he wrote the
marriage document on the scroll to the effect that he was giving her to him
as wife according to the ordinance of the Law of Moses and he sealed it.
Aramaic 4Q196 15:1 preserves only the important word, [ ]Dnm[ ], "and
he sealed it," which is not mentioned in G", but G1 has: "Raguel called his
11 See further R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions (New York/London:
McGraw-Hill, 1961) 2 6 - 3 4 .
12 See further M. A. Friedman, Jewish Marriage in Palestine, 1 . 1 4 7 - 4 8 .
wife Edna. He took a scroll and wrote the document, and they sealed it."
VL is even fuller than G11: Et uocauit matrem et puellam, et praecepit afferri
chartam, ut faceret conscriptionem cortiugii, quemadmodum tradidit illam
uxorem secundum iudicium libri Moysi: et attulit mater illius chartam et
Ule scripsit et signauit, "And he called the mother and the girl and ordered
a scroll to be brought so that he might record the marriage in writing, to
the effect that he had given her as a wife according to the ordinance of the
Book of Moses; her mother brought the scroll, and he wrote and sealed it."
Vg greatly abridges: "When a scroll was acquired, they recorded the
marriage in writing." HM reads: ΠΉΙΠ ΠΠΊΚ Dnrn Π31Π3Π ΠΚ VÌV 2Π3·Ί,
"and he wrote on it the marriage contract and sealed it with witnesses,"
using the later rabbinic word for "marriage contract," ketubbäh. Syriac:
ktbw mktbnwt' whtmw.
In addition to giving Sarah to Tobiah in marriage according to the
ordinance of Mosaic Law, Raguel also consigns her to him by a formal
legal document according to the common Jewish custom of that time.
Although there is no mention of a marriage contract in the Mosaic Law,
the use of one was a venerable institution in the ancient Near Eastern
world. One is mentioned as early as 1800 B.C. in the Laws of Eshnunna
§27 and in the Code of Hammurabi §128. 13 Fifth-century B.C. Jews living
at Elephantine in Egypt regularly employed Aramaic marriage contracts.14
Such contracts were written on clay tablets at first, but later on papyrus,
and βιβλίον of the Greek texts of Tobit could well refer to writing-material
of the latter sort; but it could also denote a text inscribed on the skin of an
animal prepared for writing. The writ of divorce is called in the LXX
βιβλίον άττοστασίου (Deut 24:1; cf. Isa 50:1; Jer 3:8; Mark 10:4; Matt
19:7). So the use of βιβλίον here for a marriage document is not surprising.
G" expresses it as συγγραφήν βιβλίου συνοικήσεως, lit. "a certificate of a
document of cohabitation."
Although Neubauer's Aramaic text also uses ΚΠ31Π3, the document that
Raguel writes is not a marriage contract in the strict sense, called in the
later rabbinic tradition Π3Π3, but an entirely different document similar to
that known from m. Kiddushin 1.1 as "pBJ'-'Hp "ItptO", "document of betrothal,"
because a ketubbäh of the Mishnaic tradition had to be written by the
13 Laws of Eshnunna §27: "If a man takes a(nother) man's daughter without asking the
permission of her father and her mother and concludes no formal marriage contract
with her father and her mother, even though she may live in his house for a year, she
is not a housewife" ( A N E T , 162). Hammurabi §128: "If a seignior acquired a wife,
but did not draw up the contracts for her, that woman is no wife" {ANET, 171).
14 See n. 10 above.
groom, who promised to pay his wife, if divorced or widowed, a stated sum
of money, whereas sëtâr qiddûsîn was an older document and was written
by the father of the girl, as here in the Book of Tobit. 15 What is strange is
the lack of any mention of ΊΠΟ, mohar, "bride-price," which is mentioned
in the O T (Gen 34:12; Exod 22:16; 1 Sam 18:25).
The "sealing" would have been done either with a signet ring (recall
1:22), called in Greek σφραγίς, or another form, e.g. a cylinder-seal. Rev
5:1 speaks of βιβλίον γεγραμμένον ... κατεσφραγισμένον σφραγΐσιν επτά, "a
book written ... sealed with seven seals."
14. After that they began to eat and drink. VL: Et ex illa hora coeperunt
manducare et bibere, "and from that hour ... ." G1 curtails the statement:
"Then they began to eat." Vg paraphrases: "And after this they feasted,
while blessing God." "They" refers at least to Raguel, Tobiah, and Azariah,
because the summoning of Edna in vv. 13 and 15 seems to imply that she
and other women were not present either for the negotiations or the meal.
This would seem to be the wedding banquet, but a more elaborate
wedding celebration will eventually appear in the Tobit story.
15. Raguel called his wife Edna and said to her, "My sister, get the spare
bedroom ready and bring her there. " G1 agrees in wording with G n , and VL
almost does, omitting the address αδελφή: Et uocauit Raguhel Annam
uxorem suam et dixit illi, Praepara cubiculum et introduc illuc puellam.
Vg: "Raguel called his wife Hannah to him and bade her prepare the other
bedroom."
For the use of άδελφή of a wife, see N O T E on 5:21.
16. Edna went and made the bed in the bedroom, as he had told her. Then
she brought Sarah there. G1 abridges: "Edna did as he said and brought her
there." VL has an intermediate version: Et abiit in cubiculum et strauit
sicut illi dictum est, "and she went off to the bedroom and arranged it as
she had been told." Vg curtails still more: "and she led Sarah, her daughter,
into it."
The room is actually the bridal chamber, which Edna makes ready for
the newlyweds.
She began to cry for her daughter; but then she dried her tears and said.
VL almost agrees: et lacrimata est causa illius; et extersit lacrimas et dixit
illi. G1 has rather: "and she began to weep. Edna understood her daughter's
tears and said." Vg curtails: "and she cried and said to her."
15 See Simpson, "The Book of Tobit," APOT, 1.184; S. Zeitlin, "The Origin of the
Ketuba: A Study in the Institution of Marriage," JQR 24 ( 1 9 3 3 - 3 4 ) 1 - 7 ; Zimmer-
mann, The Book of Tobit, 9 0 - 9 1 .
Edna is aware of what has happened to the other husbands to whom

Sarah had been given; now she fears that the same may happen to Tobiah.
Hence her tears. Yet she seeks to encourage Sarah.
17. "Be reassured, my daughter! May the Lord of Heaven grant you joy in
place of your sorrow! So take heart, daughter!" Then she went out. Lit.,
"be of good courage." VL: Forti animo est, filia; Dominus caeli det tibi
gaudium pro taedio tuo. Ex exiit inde, which agrees with G n , except for the
second encouragement, which is omitted. G1 basically agrees with G",
adding only "and earth," and omitting "she went out." Vg: "Be of good
cheer, my daughter; may the Lord of heaven give you joy for the trouble
that you have undergone." Cf. Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21.
Edna's encouragement and prayer to God for her daughter echo the
sentiments of Raguel above. God, in whose providence Sarah has been
preserved for Tobiah, will assure the joy of their marital life.
E. Sarah Is Cured of the Demon (8:1-21)
G": 'When they had finished eating and G1: 'When they had finished dining, they
drinking, they wanted to go to bed. So led Tobiah to her.
they took the young man and led him to
the bedroom.
2 2
Tobiah recalled the words of Raphael As he went, he recalled the words of
and brought with him the fish's liver Raphael and got the incense-coals and
and heart from the sack where he had put on them the fish's heart and liver
them and put them on the incense-coals. and made them smoke.
3 3
The odor from the fish hindered the When the demon smelled the odor, it
demon, and it ran off up into parts of fled to the upper parts of Egypt, and the
Egypt. Raphael went and bound it there, angel bound it there.
shackling it at once.
4 4
After the others had gone out and When the two of them were closed
closed the door of the bedroom, Tobiah in, Tobiah got up from bed and said,
got up from bed and said to Sarah, "My "My sister, get up and let us pray that
sister, get up and let us pray and beg the Lord may take pity on us."
our Lord to grant us mercy and deliver-
ance."
5
She got up, and they began to pray, T o b i a h began to pray, "Praise be to
begging that deliverance might be ac- you, O God of our ancestors, and
corded them. Tobiah prayed, "Praise be praised be your holy and honorable
to you, O God of our ancestors, and name for all generations! May the heav-
praised be your name for all generations ens and all your creatures praise you!
to come! May the heavens and all your
creation praise you for ever and ever!
6 6
You made Adam, and made his wife You made Adam and gave him his
Eve to be a helper and support. From wife Eve as his helper and support. From
the two of them has come the whole them has come the whole human race.
human race. You even said, 'It is not You even said, 'It is not good for the
good for the man to be alone; let us man to be alone; let us make for him a
make for him a helper like himself.' helper like himself.'
7 7
Now I am taking this kinswoman of Now I am taking this kinswoman of
mine as wife not out of lust, but with mine as wife not out of lust, but with
sincerity. Grant that she and I may find sincerity. Grant that I may find mercy
mercy and grow old together." and grow old together with her."
8 8
They both said, "Amen, amen!" She said with him, "Amen!"
9
'and they went to sleep for the night. And they both went to sleep for the
Raguel, however, got up and summoned night. Raguel, however, went out and
his servants. They went out and dug a dug a grave.
grave.
Sarah Is Cured of the Demon (8:1-21) 239
10 For he thought, "Lest he die and we 10For he thought, "Lest he too should
become a laughing-stock and object of die."
ridicule."
"When they had finished digging the "Raguel went into his house,
grave, Raguel went into his house, called
his wife,
12and said, "Send one of the maid- 12and said to his wife Edna, "Send
servants to go in and see whether he is one of the maidservants, and let us see
alive. If he has died, let us bury him so whether he is alive. If he is not, let us
that no one may learn of it." bury him, and let no one learn of it."
13They dispatched the maidservant; 13The maidservant went, opened the
they lit a light and opened the door, and door, and found the two of them sound
she went in and found them together asleep.
sound asleep.
14The maidservant came out and told She came out and told them that he
14
them that he was alive and that nothing was alive.

was wrong.
15So they praised the God of Heaven, 15 So Raguel praised God, saying,
saying, "Praise be to you, O God, with "Praise be to you, O God, with every
every pure blessing! Let people praise pure and holy blessing! Let your saints
you throughout all ages! and all your creatures, all your angels
and your chosen ones praise you
throughout all ages!
16 Praise to you, because you have 16Praise to you, because you have
given me joy; it has not turned out as I given me joy; it has not turned out as I
suspected, and you have dealt with us in feared, and you have dealt with us in
great mercy. great mercy.
,7Praise to you, for you have taken 17Praise to you, for you have taken
pity on two only children. Show them pity on two only children. Show them
mercy and deliverance, Master, and mercy and deliverance, Master, and
bring their lives to term with happiness bring their lives to term in health with
and mercy." happiness and mercy."
18Then he bade his servants fill up the 18Then he commanded his servants fill
grave before dawn would come. up the grave.

19Raguel told his wife to bake many "Raguel made for them a wedding-
loaves of bread. He went to the herd celebration of fourteen days.
and brought in two steers and four rams
and ordered them to be made ready.
The servants set about the preparations.
20Raguel then summoned Tobiah and 20Raguel forbade Tobiah on oath to
said, "For fourteen days you shall not leave before the wedding days were
leave here; you shall stay here eating complete, until the fourteen days of the
and drinking with me. You shall bring celebration were over;
joy to my daughter's life which has been

so full of sorrow.
21Take here and now half of all that I 21that he should then take half of his
own, and go home to your father safe possessions and go home to his father
and sound. The other half will come to safe and sound. "The rest will come
you both when I and my wife die. Be when I and my wife die."
reassured, my boy! I am your father,
and Edna is your mother. W e are close
to you, as we are to your wife, from
now and forever. So be reassured, my
boy!"
COMMENT
After the banquet that they had eaten, Tobiah is led to the bridal chamber,
to which he carries the fish's liver and heart so that he can put them on the
incense coals in the room. The odor that these fish-parts produce drives
away the demon Asmodeus to distant Egypt, where the angel Raphael
secures it. Following Raphael's advice, Tobiah urges Sarah to rise from the
bed and pray for deliverance and safety. They do so, and Tobiah utters his
praise of God and begs Him for mercy that they may live a long and happy
married life.
Meanwhile, Raguel, fearing the worst, has his servants make ready a
grave, if Tobiah should die. In due course he gets his wife to send a
maidservant to the bridal chamber to find out whether Tobiah is still alive.
She goes and reports that all is well: Sarah and Tobiah are sleeping soundly.
So they all praise God in prayer, and Raguel instructs his servants to fill up
the grave. Then they begin to celebrate the wedding of Sarah and Tobiah,
which Raguel says must last for fourteen days.
The sequence of the verses at the beginning of chap. 8 is a bit puzzling.
Zimmermann has plausibly suggested a way to put them in better order: 1
After v. 1, which recounts the leading of Tobiah to the bridal chamber by
Sarah's parents, one should read v. 4a, which tells about their withdrawal
and the closing of the door. Then v. 2 should follow, after which Asmodeus
would enter (detail not given in the text), and v. 3 (flight of the demon).
Then would follow vv. 4bc and 5, as Tobiah and Sarah get up to pray. After
that, the sequence of the verses is all right.

The prayer offered by Tobiah, in which Sarah joins him, is at once one
of praise and petition. It is the third formal prayer in the book. They laud
the God of heaven as creator and author of human marriage and beg for
His mercy and deliverance. Their prayer echoes somewhat that of Sarah in
3:11, but it also invokes the "heavens" and all "creation" to join with
Tobiah and Sarah, just as some of the canonical psalms personify God's
creation (Pss 19:2; 89:5; 93:3; 97:6; 98:7). Their prayer also recalls the
divine institution of marriage in Genesis 2, and Tobiah quotes a part of that
story to justify his taking of Sarah in marriage. This recollection motivates
his marriage. His prayer ends with a request that he and Sarah may find
favor and long life together. Because it celebrates the dignity of married life,
the prayer has often been used in wedding liturgies of the Catholic tradition,
especially vv. 5-7.
There are numerous echoes in this part of the Tobit story to the marriage
of women in the OT: the story of Rebekah in Genesis 24, of Rachel in
Genesis 29, of Dinah in Genesis 34, of Samson's wife in Judges 14, and of
Michal in 1 Samuel 18.
Irony is again detected in this episode, especially in vv. 9-18, where
Raguel is depicted distraught over the possible fate of Tobiah. Although the
reader knows that Sarah has been freed from the influence of Asmodeus
and that Tobiah is therefore safe, Raguel does not know this. Hence he
fears that Tobiah might become the eighth dead victim of the demon, and
so he takes precautions to have a grave dug at night in case Tobiah were
to die. The reader may wonder how burial at night would solve the matter,
but the issue is finally resolved when the maidservant reports that Tobiah
is alive and sound asleep. So the matter ends, and the reader smiles.
In the latter part of this episode there is the fourth formal prayer of the
book, when in vv. 15-17 Raguel and Edna utter three blessings and
formulate a petition.
NOTES
1. When they had finished eating and drinking, they wanted to go to bed.
So they took the young man and led him to the bedroom. G1: "When they
had finished dining, they led Tobiah to her," i.e. into the bridal chamber,
to which Edna had brought Sarah in 7:16. VL mediates between G" and G1:
Et postquam consummauerunt cenam uoluerunt dormire: et deduxerunt
iuuenem et induxerunt ilium in cubiculum, "and after they have finished
dinner, they want to sleep; so they led off the young man and brought him
into the bedroom." Vg agrees with G1.
Once the dining festivities were over, Tobiah is led by the bride's
parents, Raguel and Edna, to the bridal chamber, where his marriage to
Sarah is to be consummated. The narrative strangely says nothing of the
coming of the demon Asmodeus into the bridal chamber, from which
eventually it will flee. The reader is to realize that the demon was somehow
already on the scene.
2. Tobiah recalled the words of Raphael and brought with him the fish's
liver and heart from the sack where he had them and put them on the
incense-coals. VL more or less agrees with the wording of G": Et
rememoratus est Thobias sermonum Raphahel angeli; et sustulit de
sacculo quem habebat cor et iecor piscis, et imposuit super carbones uiuos,
" . . . angel Raphael ... on the live coals." G paraphrases: "As he went,
1
he recalled the words of Raphael and got the incense-coals and put on them
the fish's heart and liver and made them smoke." Vg: "Tobiah then recalled
the advice of the angel and took out of his sack part of the liver and put
it on the live coals." Neubauer's Aramaic text reads: ~l£2pl ΠΠΠΟ *717 "ΊΒΜ
ΓΠ52 πα'1'?: ΓΠΓΐη, "and he put (the fish's heart) on a pan of coals and smoked
(it) under Sarah's garment." Similarly HM.
Tobiah enters the bridal chamber armed with the fish's entrails, because
he has remembered the words of Raphael uttered in 6:8, 17. G1 adds the
important detail that Tobiah made the fish's heart and liver smoke, for the
odor of that smoke is what makes the demon flee. Incense was used often
to fumigate or deodorize a house; so the coals would be awaiting Tobiah.
3. The odor from the fish hindered the demon, and it ran off up into parts
of Egypt. VL: Et odor piscis prohibuit daemonium, et refugit in superiores
partes Aegypti. G1: "When the demon smelled the odor, it fled to the upper
parts of Egypt." Vg has nothing that corresponds exactly, but see the next
NOTE.
The smoke of the burning fish becomes an apotropaic means of getting
rid of the demon.2 One should not ask how Tobiah and Sarah could have
stood it themselves; that is to miss the point of the story.
The Greek text of G n is somewhat strange: άνω εις τα μέρη Αιγύπτου,
lit. "up into parts of Egypt," whereas G1 has a more intelligible phrase, εις
τά ανώτατα Αιγύπτου, "into the upper parts of Egypt." The adverb άνω
may be a scribal corruption of an adjective such as appears in G1.
Raphael went and bound it there, shackling it at once. VL basically
agrees with G": Et abiit Raphahel angelus et conligauit eum ibi, but adds
a further phrase about the angel: et reuersus est continuo, "and he returned
2 See further B. Kollmann, ΖAW 106 (1994) 2 9 2 - 9 3 .

immediately." G1 abridges: "and the angel bound it there." Vg paraphrases:

"Then the angel Raphael caught the demon and bound it in the desert of
Upper Egypt."
Why Egypt is mentioned as the place to which the demon flees is not
immediately apparent, except that it represents a place far away from
Ecbatana, where Sarah and Tobiah now are. The distance implies the
exordinary effectiveness of the aggressive means being used, the smoking
fish liver and heart and the angelic intervention. Implicated is also the
ancient belief that demons were at home in deserted and faraway places
(compare Matt 12:43; Luke 11:24; Rev 18:2: seeking rest in deserted and
waterless places). It is like "the wilderness" to which Azazel is driven in Lev
16:10. Ancient Egypt was often regarded as the home of magic and
witchcraft (see Exod 7:11; lQapGen 20:20). "Upper Egypt," mentioned in
some of the versions is the southern part of Egypt, which makes the
terminus of the demon's flight still more remote.
The binding of Asmodeus means that the demon is rendered ineffective
and harmless. In 1 Enoch 10.4 the Lord tells Raphael to handle another
demon similarly: "bind Azazel by his hands and feet and throw him into
the darkness; and split open the desert that is in Dudael and throw him
there." The good that Raphael thus provides proves to be more powerful
than the evil of the demon. Raphael's binding of Asmodeus in Egypt is a
sign of heaven's protection for Sarah and Tobiah. Not only the fishy smoke
and odor, but angelic combat on their behalf brings the demon to its
demise, and thus it liberates Sarah from the love it had for her (recall 6:15).
Compare the action of the angel Michael over the dragon in Rev 12:7-9;
20:2.
4. After the others had gone out and closed the door of the bedroom,
Tobiah got up from bed and said to Sarah, "My sister, get up and let us
pray and beg our Lord to grant us mercy and deliverance. " VL basically
agrees with G": Et exierunt et clauserunt ostium cubiculi. Et surrexit
Thobias de lecto et dixit Sarrae, Surge, soror, oremus et deprecemur Deum,
ut faciat misericordiam nobiscum, omitting only the last object of the
prayer, "deliverance." G1 again abridges: "When the two of them were
closed in, Tobiah got up from bed and said, 'My sister, get up and let us
pray that the Lord may take pity on us.'"
The "others" are Raguel and Edna, the parents of Sarah, who withdraw
from the chamber in a sense of delicacy. It has to be presumed that they
saw Tobiah and Sarah get in bed together. Raphael had advised Tobiah to
pray together with Sarah for deliverance from the demon on the night that
he would consummate his marriage (6:18). Tobiah's prayer is the third
formal prayer in the book and is uttered in obedience to Raphael's

instructions, just as he had done in burning the fish's liver and heart on the
coals of the bridal chamber (v. 2 above).
Vg has its own form of this verse: "Then Tobiah exhorted the virgin and
said to her, 'Sarah, get up; let us pray to God today, tomorrow, and the
next day, because for three nights we are joined to God. When the third
night is over, we shall be united in wedlock. For we are indeed children of
saints, and we cannot be joined together as pagans are who know not
God.'" Similar to this Vg form is that of HL: "And Tobiah said to Sarah:
arise, and let us pray to God tonight, and the following night, and on the
third night we shall be in wedlock. For we are children of saints, and we
must not walk in the statutes of the nations that are round about us." 3
The abstinence from intercourse for three nights that appears in Jerome's
Vg is found in no other ancient form of the story, but it is mentioned in
medieval HL. Unfortunately, there is no Qumran fragment, either Aramaic
or Hebrew, of this part of chap. 8; so there is no way of ascertaining
whether the three nights of abstinence were in Jerome's Aramaic Vorlage,
or whether they are a pious addition made by him.4 See the NOTE on 6:18.
5. She got up, and they began to pray, begging that deliverance might be
accorded them. VL basically agrees with G": Et surrexerunt et coeperunt
orare et deprecari Dominum, ut daretur Ulis sanitas, adding "the Lord" as
object of the second verb. G1 has nothing that corresponds; nor does Vg.
They get up because standing was the usual position one assumed in
antiquity for prayer (as in 1 Sam 1:26; 1 Kgs 8:22; Ps 106:30). As Tertullian
put it, "If it is disrespectful to remain seated in the presence and sight of
one whom you hold in high esteem and honor, how much more is it a mark
of disrespect to do so in the sight of the living God with His angel of prayer
standing by!" (De oratione 16.6; CCLat 1. 266).
"Deliverance" means release from the influence of Asmodeus. In the
Life of Adam and Eve, Adam prays similarly that he may be freed from
"this my opponent." who is then identified as "the devil" (17:1-3). 5
Tobiah prayed, "Praise be to you, O God of our ancestors, and praised
be your name for all generations to come! May the heavens and all your
creation praise you for ever and ever! Lit. "and he began to say, 'Blessed
are you.'" VL makes the introductory verb plural and omits the last
temporal phrase: Et dixerunt, Benedictus es, Domine Deus patrum
3 PSBA 18 (1896) 2 6 9 (Gaster's translation).

5 OTP, 2.264.
Sarah Is Cured of the Demon ( 8 : 1 - 2 1 ) 245
nostrorum, et benedictum nomen tuum in omnia saecula saeculorum; et

benedicant tibi caeli et omnis creatura tua. G1 reads: "Tobiah began to
pray, 'Praise be to you, O God of our ancestors, and praised be your holy
and honorable name for all generations! May the heavens and all your
creatures praise you!'" Vg paraphrases: "And Tobiah said, 'Lord, God of
our ancestors, may the heavens and earth and sea, springs and rivers, and
every creature of yours that is in them praise you.'" Tobiah praises God,
the Creator and author of human marriage (Gen 2:24) and begs the favor
of a long life together with Sarah.
The epithet that Tobiah uses to address God in prayer, "God of our
ancestors," is derived from Deut 26:7; Ezra 7:27; 2 Chr 20:6, and Dan 3:26
(LXX). He begins by acknowledging God's sovereignty. His praise of the
divine name not only echoes that of Sarah in 3:11, but also that of Pss
72:19; 113:2; Job 1:21; Dan 3 : 5 2 - 5 6 (LXX). When Tobiah calls on the
heavens and all creation, he is using a familiar invocation found in Ps
69:35; 148:4; Dan 3:59 (LXX); Jer 51:48.
6. You made Adam, and made his wife Eve to be a helper and support. VL:
Tu fecisti Adam et dedisti illi adiutorium Euam. G1: "You made Adam and
gave him his wife Eve as a helper and support." Vg: "You made Adam from
the mud of the earth and gave him Eve as a helper."
Tobiah's prayer now alludes to Gen 2:7, 18: God's decision to create
Adam and to fashion Eve as "a helper fit for him." Thus the divine will in
creation results in a union of man and woman that is blessed (Gen 2 : 1 8 -
25). Cf. Sir 17:1; 36:42.
From the two of them has come the whole human race. VL: et ex his
multiplicasti semen hominum, "and from them you multiplied human
offspring." Similarly G1. Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Compare Acts 17:26, where Paul, preaching in Athens, recalls that God
made from one [man] every nation of human beings to live on the face of
the earth.
You even said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make for
him a helper like himself. ' G1 agrees with the wording of G", but neither VL
nor Vg has anything that corresponds to this part of the verse.
In his prayer, Tobiah quotes Gen 2:18. Whereas in the M T , God says,
"I shall make," the Tobit story follows the wording of the L X X , ποιήσωμεν,
"let us make," which is also the reading of Vg Genesis, faciamus. Instead
of 1TI3D of the M T , lit. "according to (what is) in front of him," i.e.
corresponding to him, and instead of κατ' αυτόν of the L X X , one finds here
ομοιον αύτω, "like to him." Syriac: ddm' Ih. This is similar to Vg of Genesis
that has similem sui.
7. Now I am taking this kinswoman of mine as wife not out of lust, but
with sincerity. Grant that she and. I may find mercy and grow old together.
Lit. "but with truth. Give command to show mercy to me and her ... ." G1
basically agrees with G", adding only " O Lord" to the first clause and
omitting "together" at the end. VL has a fuller form: Et nunc, Domine, tu
seis quoniam non luxuriae causa accipio uxorem sororem meam, sed ipsa
ueritate, ut miserearis nostri, Domine, et consenescamus pariter sani cum
pace; et da nobis filios in benedictione, "And now, O Lord, you know that
I am not taking this kinswoman of mine as wife out of lust, but in sincerity
itself, so that you may have mercy on us, O Lord, and that we may grow
old together safely in peace; and grant us children as a blessing." Vg: "And
now, O Lord, you know that I am not taking this kinswoman of mine out
of lust, but only out of love of posterity, among whom may your name be
blessed for ever and ever."
Tobiah begs God to understand the motivation of his marriage to Sarah
and to use that as a reason for a display of His divine mercy, in freeing them
from Asmodeus and granting them a long life together. Tobiah insists that
his motive is άλήθεια, lit. "truth" or "sincerity," which stands in contrast
to πορνεία, here understood as "lust." The medieval Aramaic of Neubauer
reads: ΚΠΉΊΚ ΓΌ^ΓΟ •prÒK Τ1ΠΚ ΠΌΟ:: ΚΓΠ3Γ ·?Ή3 iÒ, "that I take this my
sister not because of lust but according to the regulation of the law."
8. They both said, "Amen, amen!" Lit., "they said with each other." VL:
Et dixerunt, Amen. G1: "She said with him, 'Amen!'" Vg: "Then Sarah said,
'Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us and let us both grow old
together in good health.'" In HL, Sarah's prayer is considerably expanded,
unlike that of any other ancient version. Cf. Ps 57:2.
"Amen" uttered after a prayer means that the person who utters it
agrees with the prayer, as Paul in 1 Cor 14:16 makes clear. Sarah joins
Tobiah in praising God and begging for deliverance. The reader should not
misinterpret the form in G1, where only Sarah utters the "Amen"; it is not
meant to be a sign of her subservience to Tobiah. To read it thus is to
introduce a modern misapprehension. The double Amen as an affirmation
of prayer, as in G", finds an O T precedent in Num 5:22; Neh 8:6; Pss
41:11; 72:19; 89:53; cf. also 1QS 1:20; 2:10, 18; 4 Q 5 0 4 1:7; 4 Q 5 0 7 3:2.
9. and they went to sleep for the night. G1 adds "both." VL: Et receperunt
se, "and they retired." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
The sense of G n is that they slept soundly during the night, and that of
VL is undoubtedly the same. No mention is made in any of the ancient
versions that Tobiah and Sarah had intercourse. This may be a reason why
Jerome introduced the idea of abstinence for three nights (Vg 8:4). However,
the reader understands that they did have intercourse before they went to
sleep. Neubauer's Aramaic text mentions it explicitly: Κ1Π ηππ1? *?ΙΠ;
similarly H M .
Raguel, however, got up and summoned his servants. They went out
and dug a grave. G1: "Raguel, however, went out and dug a grave."
Similarly Syriac. VL: Et surrexit Raguhel et accersiuit seruos suos, et
abierunt cum ilio et foderunt foueam per noctem, "... they went off with
him and dug a pit during the night." Vg: "And it happened about cock-
crow that Raguel ordered his slaves to be summoned, and they went off
together to dig a grave."
Raguel was still skeptical, despite all the good words that he had
uttered. Mindful of what had happened to the seven earlier suitors of
Sarah, he decided to be prepared for the worst once again, and so he had
a grave dug for Tobiah in fear that he too might succumb to Asmodeus. His
cautious forethought is recounted independently of the flight of Asmodeus
and the shackling of the demon in Egypt, about which Sarah's parents
know nothing. This is part of the irony in the Tobit story: the reader, but
not Raguel, knows that there is no need of a grave.
10. For he thought, "Lest he die and we become a laughing-stock and
object of ridicule. " VL agrees: Dicebat enim, Ne forte moriatur Thobias,
et omnibus fiam derisio et opprobrium, save for the singular verb, "I
become." G1: "For he thought, "Lest he too should die." Vg: "For he
thought, 'Lest it may have happened to him too, as it did to those seven
others who went in to be with her.'"
Neighbors and fellow citizens of Ecbatana would have known about
Sarah's earlier suitors and would have subjected Raguel to ridicule in
trying again to marry off his daughter to yet another suitor. Recall the
opprobrium that Sarah suffered from one of the maidservants in her father's
house (3:7-9).
11. When they had finished digging the grave, Raguel went into his house,
called his wife, / nand said, "Send one of the maidservants to go in and
see whether he is alive. If he has died, let us bury him so that no one may
learn of it. " G1: "Raguel went into his house, / and said to his wife Edna,
"Send one of the maidservants, and let us see whether he is alive. If he is
not, let us bury him, and let no one learn of it." VL: Et consummauerunt
fossuram. Reuersus est Raguhel domum, et uocauit uxorem suam / Et
dixit, Mitte unam de ancillis ad cubiculum et uideat si uiuit an mortuus est,
ut sepeliamus ilium nemine sciente, "And they completed the digging.
Raguel returned home and called his wife, saying, 'Send one of the
maidservants to the bedroom to see whether he is alive or has died, that we
may bury him with no one becoming aware of it.'" Vg: "And when they
had prepared the pit, Raguel returned to his wife and said, 'Send one of
your handmaids and have her see whether he has died, that I might bury
him before the sun comes up.'"
Tobiah would have been an unknown foreigner to most of the people
in Ecbatana; so one can understand the reason why, if he were to succumb
to the demon as the others had, Raguel would be concerned to bury him
before dawn, so that the event would not become further known.
13. They dispatched the maidservant; they lit a light and opened the door,
and she went in and found them together sound asleep. G1 reads rather:
"The maidservant went, opened the door, and found the two of them sound
asleep." VL is closer to G", but likewise has the singular verbs: Et misit
unam ex ancillis. Et accensa lucerna aperuit ostium et intrauit et inuenit
illos pariter dormientes. Vg garbles the text, making Sarah's mother enter:
At ilia mittens unam ex ancillis ingressa cubiculum repperitque eos
incólumes secum pariter dormientes, "But she, sending one of the maid-
servants, entered the bedroom and found them both unharmed and sleeping
together." (Douai-Rheims adds a relative pronoun: "one of her maidservants
who went in.")
Concern and worry motivate the decision of Raguel and Edna to send
a maidservant to the bridal chamber to see how the newlyweds are faring.
The sound sleep of Tobiah and Sarah is explained by Pss 3:5 and 4:8, "for
the Lord sustains me."
14. The maidservant came out and told them that he was alive and that
nothing was wrong. G1 agrees, but omits the last clause. VL: Et reuersa
nuntiauit ilium uiuere, et nihil mali passum, " . . . and had suffered no
harm." Vg: "She came back and announced good news."
The parents knew nothing about Tobiah's action of smoking away the
demon Asmodeus or its flight; now they learn only about the effect of the
angel's intervention on behalf of Tobiah and Sarah, without becoming
aware of the cause of the good fortune or its details.
15. So they praised the God of Heaven, saying, "Praise be to you, O God,
with every pure blessing!" G1: "So Raguel praised God, saying, "Praise be
to you, O God, with every pure and holy blessing!" VL agrees in wording
with G1: Et benedixit Raguhel Deum caeli dicens, Benedictus es, Domine,
omni benedictione sancta et munda. Vg: "and Raguel and Anna his wife
thus praised God and said."
At the good news brought by the maidservant, Raguel and Edna break
into an exultant prayer of praise. This is the fourth formal prayer in the
book, in which Sarah's parents praise God for the safety of Tobiah and
thank Him for His mercy and compassion. It is an expression of their joy
in learning that Tobiah is alive. Their utterance begins as in 3:11 and 8:5,
but only here does one find Εύλογητός εΤ σύ, Θεέ, "Blest are you, O God."
God is addressed in the second singular. Compare similar words of praise
found in 1 Chr 29:10; Dan 3:52 (LXX); 1 Macc 4:30; Jdt 13:17. Moore
strangely maintains that G1 has preserved the better reading because "all
the other prayers and blessings in Tobit are offered by an individual, not
a group (cf. 3:2-6, 11-15; 8:5-7; 11:14-15; 13:1-17)." 6 Yet that is hardly
a sufficient reason to exclude Edna's part in this prayer.
Let people praise you throughout all ages! Lit. "Let them praise you."
G1 reads rather: "Let your saints and all your creatures, all your angels and
your chosen ones praise you throughout all ages!" VL: et benedicant tibi
omnes electi tui et omnis creatura tua benedicat tibi in omnia saecula
saeculorum, "and let all your chosen ones praise you, and may every
creature of yours praise you for ever and ever." Vg has nothing that
corresponds. In light of the fuller text of VL and G1, G" seems to be
defective at this point as a result of parablepsis involving εΰλογείτωσαν,
especially because it does not make much sense in its present formulation.
The subject of the plural verb has probably been lost by a scribal error.
The "saints" (G1) and the "chosen ones" (VL) denote the faithful people
of Israel, as in Ps 34:10; Dan 7:18; 8:24. They are designated as "Your/
His chosen ones," which echoes a biblical phrase found in postexilic
literature: Pss 106:5; 105:6, 43; 1 Chr 16:13; Isa 45:4; 65:9. Along with
them the "angels" are included in G1, as in Dan 3:58 (LXX).
16. Praise to you, because you have given me joy; it has not turned out as
I suspected, and you have dealt with us in great mercy. G1 agrees in wording
with G". VL does too: Benedictus es quoniam laetificasti me, et non contigit
mihi sicut putabam; sed secundum magnam misericordiam tuam egisti
nobiscum. Vg paraphrases: "We praise you, O Lord, God of Israel, because
it did not happen to us as we thought; for you have shown us your mercy
and have shut out from us the enemy that was pursuing us."
Sarah's parents thus acknowledge God's part in the deliverance of their
daughter from Asmodeus, even though they are unaware that Tobiah's
companion, Azariah, is indeed an angel sent by God to liberate her from
the influence of the evil demon. The "enemy" mentioned in Jerome's Vg is
an addition to the otherwise consistent forms of the text in other versions,
which do not depict Raguel and Edna speaking about such an enemy.
6
Tobit (AB), 240.
17. Praise to you, for you have taken pity on two only children. Show them
mercy and deliverance, Master, and bring their lives to term with happiness
and mercy. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 5:1 preserves the end of this verse: TUTTI]
[ Jnnn^l l^üm 1 ?, "[their lives with mer]cy and with happiness." G1
basically agrees with the wording of G", but omits "and deliverance" and
adds "in health with happiness and mercy." VL agrees with G" at first, but
ends differently: Benedictus es quia misertus es duorum unicorum. Fac cum
illis, Domine, misericordiam et da sanitatem, et consumma uitam eorum
cum misericordia et laetitia, " . . . Show them mercy and grant (them) health,
and bring their lives to term with mercy and joy." Vg paraphrases: "But
you have taken pity on two only (children); make them, O Lord, praise you
more fully and offer you a sacrifice to your praise and of their own health,
so that all peoples may recognize that you alone are God in all the earth."
So ends the prayer of Raguel and Edna, the parents of Sarah who has
been freed from the demon. It ends with the third blessing of God and a
petition that Tobiah and Sarah may live in happiness. Sarah is an "only
child" (μονογενής), as is Tobiah, and so the deliverance of her from the
influence of Asmodeus is a great boon for her parents, who might have
been tempted to mourn for an only child (Zech 12:10). Since barrenness
was considered a disgrace in Judaism (1 Sam 1:10-11) and many children
a divine blessing, an "only child" was a mark of special favor, a favor that
is reflected in the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22. Cf. Judg 11:34.
God is addressed again as δέσποτα, "Master"; see NOTE on 3:14.
18. Then he bade his servants fill up the grave before dawn would come.
Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 5:2 preserves only: [ΝΠΠ3 lllOOia"· ""[l], "[tha]t they fill up
[the hole]." VL: Et praecepit seruis suis ut replerent fossam quam fecerant
priusquam lucesceret, " . . . fill up the pit that they had made before ... . " G1
agrees with G" but omits the final temporal clause. Vg agrees with VL,
adding at the beginning statimque, "and immediately" and Raguel's name
as subject of the verb.
This action of Raguel is a further mark of his thankfulness. That it be
done before dawn is also a way of covering up his precaution.
19. Raguel told his wife to bake many loaves of bread. He went to the herd
and brought in two steers and four rams and ordered them to be made
ready. The servants set about the preparations. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 5:3
preserves: [y]~nn [ΉΠ ~Q"l], "[he led two] stee[rs]." VL basically agrees with
G n : Et praecepit uxori suae ut faceret panes multos. Et abiit ipse ad gregem,
et adduxit uaccas duas et quattuor arietes, et iussit praeparari, " . . . two
cows ...," omitting the last clause of G n . G1 reads rather: "Raguel made for
them a wedding-celebration of fourteen days." Vg has a fuller form: "He
said to his wife that she should set up a banquet and prepare all that would
be needed as food for those who would be going on a journey; he also had
two fatted cows and four rams slaughtered and sumptuous meals prepared
for all his neighbors and friends."
Instead of the feared burial of Tobiah, Raguel now happily engages in
the preparation of a wedding celebration, which will last for fourteen days.
This celebration is the fitting conclusion to the first part of the task for
which Raphael has been sent by God: to enable Tobiah to free Sarah from
the influence of Asmodeus. In effect, Sarah has been saved by Tobiah, who
has followed the instructions of the angel sent by God. Cf. Gen 29:22.
20. Raguel then summoned Tobiah and said, "For fourteen days you shall
not leave here; you shall stay here eating and drinking with me. You shall
bring joy to my daughter's life which has been so full of sorrow. " VL agrees
basically with G11, but explicitly mentions the oath, which is missing in G":
Et uocauit Thobiam et iurauit illi dicens, His diebus quattuordecim hinc
non recedes: sed hic eris manducans et bibens mecum, et laetificabis animam
filiae meae, multis adflictam doloribus. G1, however, eliminates the direct
discourse: "Raguel forbade Tobiah on oath to leave before the wedding
days were complete, until the fourteen days of the celebration were over."
Vg shortens its form still more: "and Raguel adjured Tobiah to remain with
him for two weeks."
For the oath of Raguel implied here in G u , see 9:4. Because of it, Tobiah
must stay on in Ecbatana for two weeks. The "fourteen days" stand in
contrast to the "seven days" mentioned by G1 in 11:19, which was the
normal length of an ancient Jewish marriage celebration, as in Gen 29:27;
Judg 14:12-18. The double of the seven days emphasizes the importance
of this marriage. Part of the reason for the length of time is the desire of
the parents to see to the joy of the daughter who will be departing from
them. Compare the length of time ("at least ten days") that the relatives of
Rebecca insist on keeping Abraham's servant with them in Gen 2 4 : 5 5 - 5 6 .
From it comes the "ten days" of the wedding celebration in the non-Syro-
Hexaplaric MSS of Tobit ('sr' ywmyn).
21. Take her and now half of all that I own, and go home to your father
safe and sound. Lit. "to your father in good health." Aramaic 4Q197 5:6
preserves a few words: [~ρ3]Κ ΓΡ31? "[car]ry with you to the
house of [your] fa[ther]." VL basically agrees: Et ex eo quod possideo
accipe partem dimidiam, et uade saluus et sanus cum pace ad patrem tuum,
adding only "in peace." G1 abridges, eliminating the direct discourse: "That
he should then take half of his possessions and go home to his father safe
and sound." Vg: " O f all that Raguel owned he gave one half to Tobiah."
The half of the possessions of Raguel is, in effect, half of what Sarah
would inherit as the only child and heiress of her father. It is given to
Tobiah as the husband of Sarah. There is a certain parallel here to provisions
in the stories of the patriarchs in Genesis.
The other half will come to you both when I and my wife die. VL agrees
with G": et alia dimidia pars, cum mortui fuerimus ego et uxor mea, uestra
erit. G1 abridges but now casts it in direct discourse: "The rest will come
when I and my wife die." Vg paraphrases: "and he put in writing that the
half that remained would come into Tobiah's possession after their death."
Vg uses an unusual form of Tobiah's name (in the genitive): Tobis dominio.
See NOTE on 1:1.
Be reassured, my boy! I am your father, and Edna is your mother.
Aramaic 4Q197 5:7 reads: [-|0]K «31171 TDK Π3Κ """Of ], "my son, I am your
father, and Edna is [your] moth[er]." VL agrees with G11: Forti animo esto,
fili, ego pater tuus sum, et Anna (MS M: Haedna; MS X : Etna) mater tua.
Neither G1 nor Vg has anything that corresponds.
We are close to you, as we are to your wife,7 from now and forever. So
be reassured, my boy! Aramaic 4Q197 5:8 has preserved: Ή3 ^nfin ^K],
"[do not fjear, my son!" (followed by a blank). VL basically agrees: tui
sumus nos, et sororis tuae, amodo et in perpetuo, "we are yours and your
sister's too, both now and forever." Neither G1 nor Vg has anything that
corresponds.
Bibliography
Gamberoni, J., "Das 'Gesetz des Mose' im Buch Tobias," Studien zum Pentateuch:
Walter Kornfeld zum 60. Geburtstag, 227—42.
Jansen, H. L., "Die Hochzeitsriten im Tobitbuche," Temenos (Helsinki) 1 (1965)
1 4 2 - 4 9 ; repr. in The Many and the One: Essays on Religion in the Graeco-
Roman World Presented to Herman Ludin Jansen ... (ed. P. Borgen; Trondheim:
TAPIR, 1 9 8 5 ) 4 1 - 4 8 .
Johnson, N. B., Prayer in the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, 18, 64.
Niebergall, Α., Ehe und Eheschliessung in der Bibel und in der Geschichte der alten
Kirche (Marburger theologische Studien 18; ed. Α. M . Ritter; Marburg: Elwert,
1 9 8 5 ) 13, 2 1 - 2 3 , 30, 129.
Nowell, I., "Tobit: Attitude toward the Nations," TBT 25 (1987) 2 8 3 - 8 8 .
Plautz, W . , "Die Form der Eheschliessung im Alten Testament," ΖAW 76 ( 1 9 6 4 )
298-318.
7 MS S reads "your sister."

F. Raphael is Sent to Get Tobit's Money (9:1-6)
G": 'Then Tobiah called Raphael and G1: 'Then Tobiah called Raphael and
said to him, said to him,
2 "Brother Azariah, take (from here) 2 "Brother Azariah, take a slave with
four servants with you and two camels, you and two camels, and set out for
and set out for Rages. Go to Gabael's Rages in Media, and go to Gabael's
house and give him this bond. Get the house. Get the money for me and bring
money and bring him along with you to him along to the wedding-celebration,
the wedding-celebration.
3/4For you know that my father will 3because Raguel has sworn that I am
be counting the days. If I delay even one not to go off.
day, I shall upset him very much. You 4 My father is counting the days. If I
see what Raguel has sworn, and I can- delay much, he will be greatly pained."
not go against his oath."
'Raphael set out with the four serv- 'Raphael set out, and he spent the
ants and two camels for Rages in Me- night in Gabael's house. Raphael gave
dia. They spent the night in Gabael's him the bond, and he brought out the
house. Raphael gave him his bond and sacks with their seals intact and gave
told him about Tobiah, the son of Tobit, them to Raphael.
how he had married and that he was
inviting Gabael to the wedding-celebra-
tion. Gabael got up at once and counted
out for him the sacks with their seals
intact, and they put them together.
6They all got up early the next morn- Together they got up early the next
ing and traveled to the wedding-celebra- morning and traveled to the wedding-
tion. When they entered Raguel's house, celebration, and Tobiah blessed his wife.
they found Tobiah reclining at table.
He jumped up and greeted Gabael, who
wept and praised him with the words,
"Good and noble sir, son of a good and
noble father, of a righteous and charita-
ble man! May the Lord accord you
Heaven's blessing—you, your wife, your
father, and your wife's mother! Praise
be to God since I have now seen Tobit,
my cousin, so like to this one."
COMMENT
Because Raguel has adjured Tobiah by oath to remain in Ecbatana in order

to celebrate Sarah's marriage, Tobiah realizes that the fourteen days would
delay his further trip to Rages and his return to his father Tobit, who would
become anxious about his tarrying. So he decides to send Azariah to Rages
to get his father's money from Gabael, whom he also invites to the marriage
celebration. Azariah sets out with four servants and two camels to go to
Rages; he obtains the money from Gabael and brings him back to Raguel's
house to join in the marriage celebration. Gabael rejoices to meet the son
of his old friend and cousin; he invokes a blessing on Tobiah and Sarah and
their parents.
So the purpose of Tobiah's journey to Media (4:1-2) is achieved, but
more is involved, viz. God's purpose in the journey undertaken. Tobiah is
married to Sarah, and he has acquired the wherewithal to cure Tobit's
blindness. For the latter purpose he must now return home.
NOTES
9:1. Then Tobiah called Raphael and said to him, /2 "Brother Azariah, take
from here four servants with you and two camels, and set out for Rages. "
Aramaic 4Q197 5:9 reads: [γΊ2Ώ nm]lN ΜΠ ]Ώ "[01? Ί2Ί ΤΙΚ ΓΡΊΙΰ Π^ ΊΟΚΊ],
"[and said to] him, 'Azariah, my brother, take with you from here fo[ur
slaves].'" VL also adds "from here": Tunc accersiuit Thobias Raphahel
angelum dicens, Azarias frater, adsume tecum hinc seruos quattuor et
camelos duos, et perueni in ciuitatem Rages. G1 reads: "Then Tobiah called
Raphael and said to him, 2 "Brother Azariah, take a slave with you and two
camels, and set out for Rages in Media." Vg: "Then Tobiah called the
angel, whom indeed he took to be a human being, and said to him, 'Brother
Azariah, I beg you to listen to my words: If I should give myself to be your
servant, I should not be worthy of your care; but I beg you to take with you
animals and servants and go to Gabael in Rages of the Medes.'"
For Rages, see NOTE on 1:14. The distance of Rages from Ecbatana is
about 325 km, scarcely a journey of "two full days," as 5:6 has it (see
NOTE there). If one could traverse 32 km a day, it would demand 10 days
in each direction. The camels would be needed to carry the silver talents,
and undoubtedly other gear needed for the trip to Rages.1
1
See E. Firmage, "Camels," ABD, 6.1138-40.
Raphael is Sent to Get Tobit's Money (9:1-6) 255
What is noteworthy at this point in the story is the trust that Tobiah has
in Azariah, whom he knows to be only a young human being. Azariah has
safely brought him to Ecbatana in Media and has brought it about that
Tobiah has married Sarah. That is the basis in the story for Tobiah's trust
that Azariah will be dependable and get the money and bring it back to
him.
2. Go to Gabael's house and give him this bond. Get the money and bring
him along with you to the wedding-celebration. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 5:10 reads:
[KEJOD 3]01 3ΓΙ3 rt> nm ^[K]^ <Ώ>*2 ΠΠ«Π[ΐ], "[and] you will come (to) the
hou<se of> Gaba[e]l and give him the bond and ge[t the money]." VL agrees,
omitting only "with you": ad Gabelum; et redde illi chirographum suum et
recipe pecuniam et accersi ilium ad nuptias, " . . . and invite him to the wedding-
celebration." G1 curtails: "go to Gabael's house. Get the money for me and
bring him along to the wedding-celebration." Vg: "Give him back his
handwritten note and get the money from him, and ask him to come to my
wedding-celebration. " Neubauer's Aramaic text reads: .TSISIÖ ¡Τ1? 3Π1, "and
give him his bag." Similarly HM: 1ΠΠΠ0Κ m t> ]Γ\1.
The bond is called χειρόγραφον, as in 5:3; see N O T E there. Tobiah's
idea that Azariah bring Gabael back with him to celebrate the wedding is
a kind request made on behalf of a kinsman, but it scarcely reckons with
the distance. Since the wedding-celebration is to last for fourteen days, it
would be hardly possible to travel from Ecbatana to Rages and back in time
to take part in the celebration. This is just another instance of the lack of
accurate geography on the author's part.
3/4. For you know that my father will be counting the days. If I delay
even one day, I shall upset him very much. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 5:11 has:
[ ]im Κ·Ία[Γ -ακ ΓφΠ1^ ΓΗΟ-Π], "[that my father] will be [counting] the
[d]ays, and if." VL agrees with G11: Scis enim quoniam numerat dies pater
meus; et si tardauero una plus die, contristabo animam eius. G1 joins part
of the following sentence and curtails this one: "because Raguel has sworn
that I am not to go off. / My father is counting the days. If I delay much,
he will be greatly pained." Vg: "For you yourself know that my father is
counting the days, and if I delay one day more, he will be pained."
You see what Raguel has sworn, and I cannot go against his oath.
Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 7 5:12 preserves only the last word: [η]ΠΰΊΰ .[ ], "his oath."
VL: Sed uides quomodo Raguhel iurauerit, cuius iusiurandum spernere non
possumus. G1: see the preceding NOTE. Vg: "You certainly see how Raguel
has adjured me, and I cannot disregard his oath."
The oath of Raguel is not mentioned in 8:20 of G", but it is found there
in other versions. Here it appears explicitly even in Aramaic and G n .
The order of vv. 3 and 4 used here is as they stand in MS S, VL, and
Vg. As noted above, G1 inverts the order, curtails v. 3, and provides a more
logical order. Syriac follows G1 in its order, as does RSV.2
5. Raphael set out with the four servants and two camels for Rages in
Media. They spent the night in Gabael's house. VL agrees with G": Et abiit
Raphahel angelus cum quattuor seruis et duobus camelis in ciuitatem
Rages: et manserunt penes Gabelum. G1 abridges: "Raphael set out, and he
spent the night in Gabael's house." Vg: "Then Raphael, taking four of
Raguel's slaves and two camels traveled to Rages of the Medes, and on
finding Gabael."
Raphael gave him his bond and told him about Tobiah, the son ofTobit,
how he had married and that he was inviting Gabael to the wedding-
celebration. Lit. "He gave him." VL agrees with G11: et dedit illi Raphahel
chirographum suum. Et indicauit illi de Thobia filio Thobi, quoniam
accepit uxorem filiam Raguhel et rogauit ilium ad nuptias. G1 has nothing
that corresponds about Tobiah and the invitation. Vg: "He gave him his
bond and got all the money; he told him about Tobiah, the son of Tobit,
all that had happened, and he made him come along with him to the
wedding-celebration. "
Gabael got up at once and counted out for him the sacks with their seals
intact, and they put them together. VL agrees with G": Et continuo surrexit
et adsignauit illi saccos cum suis sigillis, et composuerunt illos supra
camelos, but adds at the end: "on the camels." G1 abridges: "and he
brought out the sacks with their seals intact and gave them to Raphael."
Gabael is portrayed as another trustworthy and dependable person in
the Tobit story. For the sealing of bags of money, see Job 14:17. Such seals
were commonly used in the ancient Near East, to identify the owner and
guarantee the cache. 3
6. Together they got up early the next morning and traveled to the wedding-
celebration. VL agrees: et uigilauerunt simul, et uenerunt ad nuptias, as
does G1. Vg has nothing that corresponds.
The author gives the impression that it was but a short distance to the
wedding-celebration in Ecbatana.
When they entered Raguel's house, they found Tobiah reclining at table.
VL: et inuenit Gabelus Thobiam discumbentem, "and Gabael found Tobiah
2 Moore has mixed up the attestation (Tobit [AB], 248).

3 See O. Tufnell, "Seals and Scarabs," IDB, 4 . 2 5 4 - 5 9 .
Raphael is Sent to Get Tobit's Money (9:1-6) 257
reclining at table." G1 has nothing that corresponds. Vg agrees with G"

except for singular verbs, "he entered ..., he found."
He jumped up and greeted Gabael, who wept and praised him with the
words. Lit. "greeted him, who ... praised and said to him." VL: Et exsiliuit
et salutauit et osculatus est eum; et lacrimatus est Gabelus et benedixit
Deum dicens, "And he jumped up, greeted him, and kissed him; but Gabael
wept and praised God, saying." G1 has nothing that corresponds. Vg has
a garbled version: "and he jumping up, they kissed each other mutually;
then Gabael wept, praised God, and said."
Good and noble sir, son of a good and noble father, of a righteous and
charitable man! VL has a fuller form: Benedictus Dominus, qui dedit tibi
pacem, bone et optime uir, quoniam boni et optimi et iusti uiri, eleemosynas
facientis, filius es, "Praised be the Lord, who has granted you peace, O
good and noble sir, because you are the son of a good, noble, and just man
who gives alms." G1 has nothing that corresponds. Vg: "May the Lord God
of Israel bless you, because you are the son of a noble and just man, who
fears God and gives alms."
In effect, Gabael repeats the blessing that Raguel uttered in 7:7.
May the Lord accord you Heaven's blessing—you, your wife, your
father, and your wife's mother! VL: et benedictus tu, fili. Det tibi
benedictionem Dominus caeli et uxori tuae et patri et matri uxoris tuae,
"And blest be you, my son! May the Lord of heaven grant you a blessing—
and your wife, and your father and the mother of your wife!" G1 is peculiar
in reading: και εύλόγησεν Τωβίας την γυναίκα αϋτοΰ, "and Tobiah blessed
his wife," unless one should rather translate it, "and he (Gabael) blessed
Tobiah's wife," which would better suit the context; otherwise G1 has
nothing that corresponds to the rest. Vg: "And may a blessing be uttered
over your wife and over your (plural) parents."
Strangely enough, G" makes no mention of Sarah's father in the blessing
that is uttered, which is remedied in VL and Vg. The omission is probably
owing to a scribal haplography of some copyist.
Praise be to God since I have now seen Tobit, my cousin, so like to this
one, lit. to him (i.e. Tobiah). VL: Et benedictus Deus quoniam uideo Thobi
consobrini mei similem, "... since I see one like to my cousin Tobit." G1 has
Gabael thanks God because in Tobiah he sees a living portrait of his
cousin, Tobit. In other words, Tobit is imaged in Tobiah. Recall the remark
of Raguel to his wife Edna in 7:2.
Vg ends this chapter with a fuller form of Gabael's blessing and a report
of its aftermath:
et videatis filios vestros et filios filiorum vestrorum usque in tertiam et

quartam generationem; et sit semen vestrum benedictum a Deo Israhel
qui regnat in saecula saeculorum. Cuntque omnes dixisset amen,
accesserunt ad convivium, sed et cum timore Domini nuptiarum
convivium exercebant.
"May you see your children and children's children to the third and
fourth generation, and may your offspring be blessed by the God of
Israel who rules for ever and ever!" When they had all said, "Amen,"
they proceeded to the banquet and took part in the wedding banquet
with the fear of the Lord.
Gabael prays for the newlyweds, Tobiah and Sarah, wishing them long life
and children and posterity. Cf. Job 42:16. Jerome's Vg introduces the
biblical theme of "the fear of the Lord" (see Prov 1:7; 9:10; Ps 111:10; Job
28:28). 4
4
G. Tobiah Prepares to Return to Nineveh (10:1-13)
G": 'Day by day Tobit kept reckoning G1: 'Tobit, his father, kept reckoning
how many days Tobiah would need to each day. When the days of the journey
travel there and how many to return. had ended and they were not coming,
When the days had expired and his son
had not returned,
2 2
he thought, "Could it be that he has he thought, "Could it be that they
been detained there? Or that Gabael has have been put to shame? Or that Gabael
died, and there is no one to give him the has died, and there is no one to give him
money?" the money?"
3 3
And he began to be distressed. And he was greatly distressed.
4 4
Hannah his wife kept saying, "My His wife kept saying to him, "The
boy has perished and is no longer among boy has perished, because he has tarried
the living." She began to cry and lament so much. She began to lament him, say-
her son, saying, ing,
5 s
"Alas, my child, light of my eyes that " D o I not care, my child, that I have
I have allowed you to go on that jour- allowed you, light of my eyes, to go
ney!" off!"
6 6
Tobit would say to her, "Hush, do Tobit would say to her, "Hush, do
not worry, my sister. He is all right. not worry; he is all right."
Obviously something that distracts them
has happened there. The man who went
along with him is reliable, one of our
own kinsfolk. So do not grieve for him,
my sister. He will be here soon."
7 7
But she replied, "Hush yourself! Do But she replied, "Hush! Do not de-
not deceive me. My boy has perished." ceive me! My boy has perished." Every
Every day she would rush out, peer day she would go out to the road that
down the road that her son had taken, they had taken; for days she would eat
and accept no one's advice. When the no food, and during the nights she did
sun would set, she would come inside, not cease lamenting her son Tobiah,
lament, and cry all night long, getting until the fourteen days of the wedding-
no sleep. When the fourteen days of the celebration were over, which Raguel had
wedding-celebration were over, which sworn to make him stay there. Tobiah
Raguel had sworn to observe for (Sarah) said to Raguel, "Send me off, for my
his daughter, Tobiah came to him and father and my mother no longer have
said, "Send me o f f , for I know (already) hope that they will see me."
that my father and my mother (too) do
not believe that they will still see me. So
now I beg you, father, to send me o f f ;
let me go home to my father. I have
already told you how I left him. "
s Raguel said to Tobiah, "Stay, my 8His father-in-law said to him, "Stay

boy·, stay here with me, and I shall send with me, and I shall send (messengers)
messengers to your father Tobit to tell to your father, and they will inform him
him about you. about you."
'Tobiah answered him, "No indeed! I 'Tobiah answered, "No indeed!
am asking you to send me off from here Rather, send me off to my father!"
to my father.
10Straightway Raguel gave over to '"Straightway Raguel gave him his
Tobiah his bride Sarah and half of all bride Sarah and half of his possessions,
his possessions, male and female slaves, slaves, cattle, and money.
cattle and sheep, donkeys and camels,
garments, money, and furniture.
11 Raguel sent them off in safety, hav- "Raguel blessed them and sent them
ing embraced Tobiah and saying, "Fare- off, saying, "Farewell, my boy; have a
well, my boy; have a safe journey! May safe journey! May the God of Heaven
the Lord of Heaven help you and your help you both, my children, on your
wife Sarah on your way, and may I see way, before I die!"
children from you before I die."
12 To his daughter Sarah he said, "Go to 12To his daughter he said, "Honor
your father-in-law; from now on they are your parents-in-law; they are now your
your parents as though they had begotten parents. May I hear good reports about
you. Go in peace, my daughter, and may you," and he kissed her. Edna said to
I hear good reports about you as long as Tobiah, "Beloved kinsman, may the
I live." Then he bade them goodbye and Lord of Heaven bring you back home!
sent them on their way. Edna said to May He grant me to see your children
Tobiah, "My child and beloved kinsman, from my daughter Sarah, that I may be
may the Lord bring you back home! While gladdened in the sight of the Lord! Now
I am still alive, may I see children from I entrust my daughter to you. Do noth-
you and my daughter Sarah, before I die! ing to grieve her."
In the sight of the Lord I entrust my daugh-
ter to you as a good deposit. Do nothing
to grieve her all the days of your life. Go
in peace, my boy! From now on I am your
mother, and Sarah is your sister. May we
all be blessed with prosperity in the same
way all the days of our lives!" Then she
kissed them both and sent them safely on
their way.
"Tobiah parted from Raguel in good 13After that Tobiah went on his way,
health, rejoicing and praising the Lord praising God, because He had helped
of Heaven and earth, the King over all, him on his journey, and he called down
because He had helped him on his jour- a blessing on Raguel and his wife Edna.
ney. And he said to him, "May it be
your success to honor them all the days
of their lives."
Tobiah Prepares to Return to Nineveh (10:1-13) 261
COMMENT
The Tobit story in chapter 10 has two narrative parts. The first scene (vv.
l-7c) shifts to Nineveh, where Tobit and his wife Hannah are awaiting the
return of Tobiah. His parents are concerned about the delay in his coming
and begin to fear for the worst. Hannah, his mother, is distressed
particularly, and Tobit tries to calm her, insisting that her son is safe, since
he has been in the company of a good and trustworthy kinsman. But
Hannah refuses to be consoled by his words and goes out daily to look for
Tobiah returning.
Tobit's concern about the time the journey has taken picks up on the
detail mentioned by Tobiah in 9:4 about his father counting the days. The
first scene thus contrasts the reaction of Tobit and Hannah his wife to
Tobiah's delay. He is concerned not so much about the life and well-being
of Tobiah as he is about the lack of success in the journey that his son has
undertaken and in securing the money that he had left in Rages. Hannah,
however, with her motherly instinct is concerned about the loss of her only
child, "the light of her eyes." She is convinced that he has perished and is
no longer alive. Tobit's attempt to console her repeats, in effect, the words
he addressed to her in 5:21. From the sadness of this scene the second scene
turns to one of joy.
Meanwhile, the narrative (vv. 7d-13) shifts back again to Ecbatana and
the end of the joyful fourteen-day wedding-celebration for Sarah and her
spouse. Tobiah, suspecting his own parents' apprehension over his tarrying,
pleads with Raguel to allow him to take his wife Sarah and return to his
parents with his bride. Raguel, who at first wants to send messengers to
Tobit to inform him about what has happened to Tobiah, relents at last and
sends off Tobiah and Sarah. His wife Edna too bids them farewell with a
short exhortation. At length Tobiah and Sarah leave Ecbatana and begin
the return journey to Nineveh. Vg, HL, and HM have none of the farewell
words of Edna, but only those of Raguel.
The second scene is composed in imitation of the story of Rebekah in
Gen 24:54-61.
Irony is detected again in this scene, especially in the depiction of
Hannah in vv. 4-7. The reader knows that Tobiah is safe and already
happily married to Sarah, but his mother does not know what has happened
to him. She laments, "My boy has perished and is no longer among the
living" (v. 4); "Alas, my child, light of my eyes, that I have allowed you to
go on that journey" (v. 5). She will not be consoled by the words of Tobit;
"Do not deceive me. My boy has perished" (v. 7).
262 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
NOTES
10:1. Day by day Tobit kept reckoning how many days Tobiah would need
to travel there and how many to return. Lit. "every day from (the) day."
VL: Et quotidie computabat Thobis dies quibus iret et reuerteretur filius
eius, "Every day Tobit kept counting the days in which his son would go
and return." G1: "Tobit, his father, kept reckoning each day." Vg has
2. When the days had expired and his son had not returned, 2he thought,
"Could it be that he has been detained there?" VL: et postquam consummati
sunt dies et filius eius non ueniebat, dixit, Nunquid detentus est Thobias?,
G1: "When the days of the journey had ended and they were not coming,
2he thought, 'Could it be that they have been put to shame?'" Vg
paraphrases: "But when Tobiah tarried because of the marriage, his father
Tobit became anxious, saying (to himself), 'Why do you think my son
tarries, or why is he detained there?'"
The reader knows the answer to Tobit's query, but the author dwells on
it to depict the anxiety of Tobiah's parents. G" has the verb κατεσχέθη, "has
been detained," whereas G1 has καττ)σχυνται, "they have been put to
shame." Zimmermann speculates that "both readings ascend to the Hebrew
bôsh, which means 'be ashamed.' In the Po'el form, on the other hand, it
means 'delay,' Ex. 32.1; Jud. 5 . 2 8 . I n these passages one finds indeed
ÍtfEfa meaning "delay," but the LXX does not use the Greek verb found here
in the Tobit text; it has rather κεχρόυικεν or ήσχάτισεν (MS A), or even
ήσχύνθη (MS B)! Now that we have parts of Tobit in Aramaic and Hebrew,
one sees how idle such speculation is, even if this specific passage is not
represented among the Qumran fragments.
G" uses the verb συντελεΐυ, "bring to an end" with "days" to express the
expiration of the expected time of the journey, imitating the idiom found
elsewhere at times in the LXX (Deut 34:8; Job 1:5; 14:14; 36:11), 2 whereas
G1 uses rather the more common Septuagintism, πληρούν, "fill up" (= Hebr.
100 in Lev 12:4; Num 6:5; 1 Kgs 18:26; 2 Kgs 7:12; Lam 4:18).
Or that Gabael has died, and there is no one to give him the money?
G1 agrees in wording with G", and VL basically does too: aut forte Gabelus
mortuus est et nemo tili reddidit pecuniam, "Or perhaps Gabael has died,
1 The Book of Tobit, 3 8 , 99. He is followed by Moore, who compares the two biblical
passages with the L X X of Jer 2 : 3 6 ; Job 6 : 2 0 (Tobit [AB], 2 5 3 ) . The verb "be
ashamed" is found in Job 6 : 2 0 , but in the L X X it is rendered by the noun αίσχύυην.
In Jer 2 : 3 6 "be ashamed" is rendered by καταισχυυθήση.
2 Cf. Luke 4 : 2 ; Acts 2 1 : 2 7 .
Tobiah Prepares to Return to Nineveh ( 1 0 : 1 - 1 3 ) 263
and no one has given him the money." Vg: " D o you think (that) Gabael
has died, and no one will give him the money?"
Tobit's supposition is logical, because he has not seen Gabael in decades,
and it was not possible to travel to Media since the time of Sennacherib
(Tob 1:15), but the reader knows the real reason for the delay. Tobit
interprets the delay in terms of the money that Tobiah and Azariah are
expected to bring back with them.
3. And he began to be distressed. VL agrees with G": Et contristan coepit,

whereas G1 reads simply: "And he was greatly distressed." Vg combines
elements of both Greek forms: "he began to be very distressed."
Tobit's distress is rooted in the delay of his son, but more so in the
suspected reasons for the delay. He is thus tried once again in his life, a
distress that only patience can remedy, as he is sustained by his fidelity.
4. Hannah his wife kept saying, "My boy has perished and is no longer
among the living. " VL agrees: Et Anna uxor illius dicebat, Periit filius meus
et iam non est inter uiuos, but it has at the end, Quare tardati "Why does
he delay," which is also found in G 1 . G1: "His wife kept saying to him, " T h e
boy has perished, because he has tarried so much." Vg has nothing that
corresponds, but see below.
Hannah's distress stems from her motherly concern for an only child,
and she fears for the worst, even though she still has some hope. She gives
a pessimistic interpretation of the delay, and yet her distress is not despe-
rate.
5. She began to cry and lament her son, saying, 5 "Alas, my child, light of
my eyes, that I have allowed you to go on that journey!" VL has an initial
query, but otherwise basically agrees with G": Quare tardati This may
belong to the preceding sentence (see above). Et coepit plorare et lugere
filium suum, dicens / Vae mihi, fili, quae te dimisi ire, lumen oculorum
meorum. G1 has rather: "She began to lament him, saying, 'Do I not care,
my child, that I have allowed you, light of my eyes, to go o f f ! ' " Vg has its
own conclusion to v. 3:
ipse et Anna uxor eius cum eo; et coeperunt ambo simul fiere eo quod
die statuto minime reverteretur filius eorum ad eos; flebat igitur mater
eius inremediabilibus lacrimis atque dicebat, Heu, heu me fili mi ut quid
te misimus peregrinan, lumen oculorum nostrorum, baculum senectutis
nostrae, solacium vitae nostrae, spem posteritatis nostrae. Omnia in te
uno habentes, te non debuimus dimitiere ire a nobis.
He and his wife Hannah with him; and they both began to cry at once
because their son did not return to them on the day appointed. But his
264 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
mother kept weeping with tears that could not be stopped and said,
"Woe, woe is me, my son, why did we send you to go to a foreign
country, the light of our eyes, the staff of our old age, the solace of our
life, the hope of our posterity? Having everything in you alone, we
should not have allowed you to go away from us." 3
Hannah calls her son Tobiah the "light of my eyes," employing an
expression drawn from Ps 38:11, for the one who would give joy and
delight as she would gaze on him. Tobit will use it also of his son in 11:14.
Apropos of "the staff of our old age" (Vg), see NOTE on 5:23. Here in Vg
Hannah uses still other epithets to describe her son Tobiah.
6. Tobit would say to her, "Hush, do not worry, my sister. He is all right.
Obviously something that distracts them has happened there. The man
who went along with him is reliable, one of our own kinsfolk. So do not
grieve for him, my sister. He will be here soon. " VL basically agrees with
G": Cui Thobis dicebat, Tace, noli contristari, soror, saluus est filius noster;
sed aliqua forsitan mora detinet illos: homo qui cum ilio iuit fidelis est, et
ex fratribus nostris. Noli taediari pro ilio, soror; iam uenit. G1 drastically
reduces the statement: "Tobit would say to her, 'Hush, do not worry; he
is all right.'" Vg: "Tobit would say to her, 'Hush, do not be troubled. Our
son is all right; that man with whom we sent him is reliable enough.'"
Recall 5:21, where Tobit said something similar to Hannah. A comment
similar to that of Tobit is found on the lips of Isaac who seeks to console
Rebekah over the departure of her son Jacob in Jub. 27.17. Once again
άδελφή, "sister," is used by a husband of his wife; see N O T E on 5:21. On
άδελφός as "kinsman," see NOTE on 1:3.
Here the verb υγιαίνει, lit. "he is in good health," has rather the nuance,
"he is all right." See NOTE on 5:14.
7. But she replied, "Hush yourself! Do not deceive me. My boy has
perished." VL: Et illa dicebat, Tace, molestus es mihi; noli me seducere,
periit filius meus. G1: "But she replied, "Hush! Do not deceive me. My boy
has perished."
Hannah's retort reminds the reader of the way she reacted in 2:14 and
5:18. She rejects every attempt of Tobit to quiet and console her, as she
repeats her conviction expressed first in v. 4 above.
Every day she would rush out, peer down the road that her son had
taken, and accept no one's advice. When the sun would set, she would
come inside, lament, and cry all night long, getting no sleep. VL: Et
exsiliens circumspiciebat uiam, qua filius eius profectus erat, et nihil

Tobiah Prepares to Return to Nineveh ( 1 0 : 1 - 1 3 ) 265
gustabat; et cum occidisset sol introibat et lugebat lacrimans tota nocte et

non dormiebat, "Rushing out, she would peer along the road on which her
son had set out, and she would eat nothing. When the sun had set, she
would come inside and grieve, crying all night long, and would not sleep."
G1: "Every day she would go out to the road that they had taken; for days
she would eat no food, and during the nights she did not cease lamenting
her son Tobiah." Vg: "But she could in no way be consoled; rushing out
every day instead, she would peer along and traverse all the road by which
there seemed to be hope of his returning, that she might if possible see him
coming from a distance."
Hannah's refusal to believe anyone finds a parallel in the aged Jacob
who would not believe that his son Joseph was alive in Egypt (see Gen
4 5 : 2 6 ) . She is described as at her wit's end in her grief about her son; her
conduct is extreme, for it must have lasted at least for the fourteen days of
the wedding-celebration.
There is a strange alternate reading in this verse: MS S reads that
Hannah would "accept no one's advice" (ούκ Ιττείθετο οΰδενί, lit. "would
heed no one"), but VL and G1 read that she would "taste nothing" (nihil
gustabat) or "eat no food" (ούκ ήσθιεν). It is difficult to say which one
would be the more original reading; more than likely the reading of MS S
has been altered.
When the fourteen days of the wedding-celebration were over, which
Raguel had sworn to observe for (Sarah) his daughter, Tobiah came to him
and said. Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 4 : 1 - 3 reads: •'ö'1 Itöl? [ Π ] ϊ 3 1 Κ ΠΙ3Π1? lü^tö [ l t » í O ]
fr π α κ ι γρ [α] ita [ν^κ] κ α i m nits'? mtsi?1? *7Κΐιη m e n i m [runnn], which
agrees with G", adding only the name "Sarah." VL almost agrees too, but
omits " t o observe for Sarah his daughter": Et ut consummati sunt
quattuordecim dies nuptiarum de quibus iurauerat Raguhel, exiit ad ilium
Thobias et dixit. G1 reads: "Until the fourteen days of the wedding-
celebration were over, which Raguel had sworn to make him stay there.
Tobiah said to Raguel." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
"Fourteen days" were first mentioned in 8:20; there the oath was only
implicit in G", but it is referred to in 9:4. In the Hebrew version, G", and
VL, the "fourteen days" begin a new topic, whereas in G1 they are the
conclusion of the preceding sentence. Moore strangely says that "the
Qumran texts of Tobit can cast no light here, vv l - 7 a not being preserved." 4
They may not be preserved in Aramaic, but they are in Qumran Hebrew,
which agrees with G n . In the Hebrew text TIÜK1 is again an infinitive
absolute instead of a finite verb; see N O T E on 4:4.
4 Tobit (AB), 254.

Send me o f f , for I know already that my father and my mother too do

not believe that they will still see me. Hebrew 4Q200 4:3-4 reads: "ΟΠ1?»
n u [ ^ m n ίε>ν mows ·όκ ηκ[ι ·ροκο όκ ιπν -qd,
omitting "for" and adding "already" and "too," as does VL: Dimitte me,
scio enim quia pater meus et mater mea non credunt se uisuros me. G1:
"Send me off, for my father and my mother no longer have hope that they
will see me." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Tobiah understands his parents' fears, even as Raguel tries to dissuade
him from departing so soon.
So now I beg you, father, to send me o f f ; let me go home to my father.
I have already told you how I left him. Hebrew 4Q200 4:4-6: Wp2ü ΠΓΙΙ?1
DTinru nDD^]« η1? Tinao - œ ·ακ TD^m ^n^tsn im γο[γπκ •>:«], which
agrees with G n , save for the object of the last verb, "I left them." VL also
agrees: Nunc itaque peto, pater, dimitías me ut earn ad patrem meum: iam
tibi indicaui quomodo ilium reliquerim. G1 has nothing that corresponds;
nor does Vg.
These sentences are repetitious, but they present Tobiah's request in a
formal tone that Raguel cannot disregard.
8. Raguel said to Tobiah, "Stay, my boy; stay here with me, and I shall send
messengers to your father Tobit to tell him about you. " Hebrew 4Q200
4:6-7 reads: H^JaN "OU3 "7« DOtt1?« Π1?!»« OKI TIN "[Π Ή n'aita1? IOTI
[na]m, which, though fragmentary, agrees with G n , except that it has only
a single imperative, "stay here," as does VL: Et dixit Raguhel Thobiae,
Remane hic penes me; et ego nuntios mittam patri tuo, et indicabunt illi de
te. G1: "His father-in-law said to him, 'Stay with me, and I shall send
(messengers) to your father, and they will inform him about you.'" Vg:
"But Raguel said to his son-in-law, 'Stay here, and I shall send a messenger
to Tobit your father about your safety.'"
Though Raguel tries to suggest an alternative so that he can have the
newlyweds remain longer with him, Tobiah is persistent, because as a good
son he correctly judges that such messengers are no substitute for his
presence.
9. Tobiah5 answered him, "No indeed! I am asking you to send me off from
here to my father. VL: Et ille dixit, In totum, pater, peto ut dimitías me
hinc ad pairem meum, "But he said, 'In all, father, I ask that ... .'" G1:
"Tobiah answered, 'No indeed! Rather, send me off to my father!'" Vg
paraphrases with repetition: "Tobiah said to him, Ί know that my father
5
MS S reads "He."
and mother are now counting the days, and their spirit within them is
tortured.'"
Tobiah's insistence is based on his obligation to his aged parents who
are awaiting his return with the money for which he had been despatched.
10. Straightway Raguel gave over to Tobiah his bride Sarah and half of all
his possessions, male and female slaves, cattle and sheep, donkeys and
camels, garments, money, and furniture. Lit. "Rising up, Raguel gave." VL
agrees basically, adding only "his daughter" and substituting "vases" for
"furniture": Et continuo Raguhel tradidit Thobiae Sarram filiam suam et
dimidiam partem substantiae suae, pueros et puellas, oues et boues, asinos
et camelos, uestem uasa et pecuniam. G1 abridges: "Straightway Raguel
gave him his bride Sarah and half of his possessions, slaves, cattle, and
money." Vg has a fuller paraphrase: "Since Raguel pressed Tobiah with
many words and he was in no way willing to listen to him, he gave Sarah
over to him and half of all his property in male and female slaves, cattle
and camels, and much money."
Finally, Tobiah wins his way, and Raguel lives up to his promise to let
his daughter go with Tobiah and to take half of all his property. Tobiah
has become his heir, since Sarah, his wife, is the only child of Raguel and
Edna. Thus the two families of Tobit and Raguel are joined in the story.
Note the similarity of phraseology here with Gen 24:35; 30:43.
11. Raguel6 sent them o f f i n safety, having embraced Tobiah1 and saying,
"Farewell, my boy; have a safe journey'. May the Lord of Heaven help you
and your wife Sarah on your way, and may I see children from you before
I die." VL basically agrees, but has the object of the first verb in the
singular: Et dimisit ilium saluum sanum, et uale illi fecit, et dixit Vade, fili,
saluus sanus; Dominus caeli bene disponat iter tuum, et Sarrae uxori tuae,
et uideam ex uobis filios antequam moriar. G1 abridges and garbles the
statement: "Raguel blessed them and sent them off, saying, 'Farewell, my
boy; have a safe journey! May the God of Heaven help you both, (my)
children, on your way, before I die!'" Vg has a full paraphrase: "And he
sent him off in safety and with joy, saying, 'May the Lord's holy angel be
with you in your journey and lead you along safely; may you find everything
well with your parents; and may my eyes see your children before I die.'"
The problem in this verse is the verb υγιαίνω, which appears three times
in G" with slightly different nuances: as a participle (υγιαίνοντας), it first
modifies the object of the verb "sent them off in safety"; then it serves as
6
MS S reads "He."
7
MS S reads "him."
268 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
the imperative (υγίαινε), "Farewell"; and then it appears as a participle

(ύγιαίνων), modifying the subject of the imperative υπάγε, "have a safe
journey" (lit. "go, being safe"). See NOTE on 5:14.
On "the Lord of Heaven," see also vv. 12-13 below. This is a divine title
used in the postexilic period (e.g. Ezra 1:2; Jdt 5:8).
Compare Gen 45:28 (Jacob in the Joseph story) for the phraseology of
seeing one's son before one dies.
12. To his daughter Sarah he said, "Go to your father-in-law; from now
on they are your parents as though they had begotten you. " VL is fuller and
makes the form of G" more comprehensible: Et adprehendit illam et
salutans osculatus est Sarram filiam suam, et dixit illi, Filia, honorem habe
socero tuo et socrui tuae: ipsi amodo sunt parentes tui, tanquam pater tuus
et mater tua qui te genuerunt, "And he took hold of her, and bidding
farewell he kissed his daughter Sarah and said to her, 'My daughter, honor
your father-in-law and your mother-in-law; they are now your parents, just
like your own father and mother who have begotten you.'" G1 abridges:
"To his daughter he said, 'Honor your parents-in-law; they are now your
parents.'" Vg paraphrases and ends the chapter in its own way: "The
parents embraced their daughter, kissed her, and sent her off,/ 13ad-
monishing her to honor her parents-in-law, love her husband, take care of
her family, govern her house, and conduct herself in a faultless way."8
In going to Nineveh with Tobiah, Sarah will become part of Tobit's
family. G" lacks the advice that Sarah should honor her parents-in-law,
which other versions have in some form; it seems to have been a part of the
original story.
Go in peace, my daughter, and may I hear good reports about you as
long as I live. " Then he bade them goodbye and sent them on their way.
VL basically agrees, adding "and joy" to the first sentence: Vade salua,
filia, audiam de te auditionem bonam in uita mea et gaudium: et osculatus
est earn et dimisit illam. G1 abridges: "'May I hear good reports about you,'
and he kissed her." Vg has nothing that corresponds, but see the paraphrase
in the preceding note.
Raguel counsels his daughter to proper behavior. Though she is a
beautiful daughter, she may not be perfect; so he hopes that he will hear
that she has become a good wife.
Edna said to Tobiah, "My child and beloved kinsman, may the Lord
bring you back home! While I am still alive, may I see children from you
and my daughter Sarah, before I die!" VL is somewhat similar to G", but
has a slightly different wording: Et Anna dixit Thobiae, Fili et frater dilecte,

saluum te perducat Dominus caeli et det mihi ut uideam filios de Sarra filia
mea antequam moriar, ut delecter coram Domino caeli, "Hannah (i.e.
Edna) said to Tobiah, 'My son and beloved kinsman, may the Lord of
Heaven lead you safely back and grant me to see sons from my daughter
Sarah before I die so that I may delight in the sight of the Lord of Heaven.'"
G1 is close to VL: "Edna said to Tobiah, 'Beloved kinsman, may the Lord
of Heaven bring you back home! May He grant me to see your children
from my daughter Sarah, that I may be gladdened in the sight of the Lord!'"
Edna's farewell almost parallels that of her husband Raguel. Since there
is little new in her words, that may be the reason for the paraphrase in Vg
above, which speaks of "parents-in-law." Edna's wish to be able to see her
grandchildren echoes Ps 128:6, "May you see your children's children!"
Note again the use of αδελφός in the sense of "kinsman"; see NOTE on 1:3.
In this case, it is significant as a form of address on Edna's lips, because
Tobiah arrived in Ecbatana unexpectedly and as one at first unknown to
her and her husband. Edna hopes to see her daughter again, but also her
daughter's children.
In the sight of the Lord I entrust my daughter to you as a good deposit.
Do nothing to grieve her all the days of your life. Go in peace, my boy!
From now on I am your mother, and Sarah is your sister. May we all be
blessed with prosperity in the same way all the days of our lives! Lit. "may
our ways all prosper." VL omits the first phrase, which was used instead
at the end of the preceding sentence (see above) and agrees at first with G",
but changes the last sentence: Ego trado tibi Sarram filiam meam tanquam
bonum depositum, et non uexes earn omnibus diebus uitae tuae. Vade, fili,
saluus et sanus; ego mater tua amodo, et Sarra soror tua. Dirigat te
Dominus et illam ut sitis in ilio cum pace et sanitate omnibus diebus uitae
uestrae, "I entrust ... your sister. May the Lord guide you and her so that
you will be in Him with peace and health all the days of your life." G1
abridges: "Now I entrust my daughter to you. Do nothing to grieve her."
Edna counsels her son-in-law Tobiah to treat Sarah with dignity, realizing
that a husband can be uncaring at times.
Then she kissed them both and sent them safely on their way. Lit. "sent
them in good health on their way." VL agrees with the wording of G": Et
osculata est utrosque et dimisit tilos sanos, but G1 and Vg have nothing that
corresponds.
The farewell utterances of Raguel and Edna sound once more the
religious chords of the entire story, as Tobiah undertakes his return journey
in joy and happiness.
270 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
13. Tobiah parted from Raguel in good health, rejoicing and praising the
Lord of heaven and earth, the King over all, because He had helped him on
his journey. VL basically agrees with G", but has no equivalent of ύγιαίνων,
"in good health": Et discessit Thobias a Raguhele gaudens et benedicens
Deum caeli et terrae, regem omnium, and ends with quia direxit uiam eius,
"because He had guided his journey." G1 abridges: "After that Tobiah went
on his way, praising God, because He had helped him on his journey." Vg has
nothing that corresponds. In Syriac this verse becomes 11:1a.
And he said to him, "May it be your success to honor them all the days
of their lives." This text of G" is very problematic: και είττεν αϋτώ, Εύοδώθη
σοι τιμαν αυτούς πάσας τάς ημέρας της ζωής αύτών. The difficulty is to
determine who " h e " and "him" are. The "Lord of heaven and earth" is the
subject of the last clause in the preceding sentence. So perhaps it means:
"Tobiah said to him (the Lord), 'May you find a way to honor Raguel and
Edna all the days of their lives.'" That would agree somewhat with the way
VL has preserved its version of the verse: Et benedixit Raguheli et Annae
uxori illius, et dixit, lniunctum est mihi a Domino honorari uos omnibus
diebus uitae uestrae, "And he blessed Raguel and his wife Hannah (Edna)
and said, Ί have been commanded by the Lord that you should be honored
all the days of your life.'" This makes it clear that Tobiah is blessing, but
VL does not say precisely the same thing as G". G1 curtails the statement
and eliminates the troublesome clauses, having only: "and he called down
a blessing on Raguel and his wife Edna," which is similar to, though shorter
than VL, but it makes Tobiah the subject of the verb. Syriac (in 11:1a)
agrees with G1. Vg has nothing that corresponds. The medieval Aramaic
text of Neubauer reads: top·^ '33,HS7CP ΧΠ1?« Ί0Κ1 ΓΡΠΓΠΚ ΓΗΊΙίΙ 'ΡΚΊΙΠ -p-Ql
ID^n "ΌΓ 113Π"1, "and he blessed Raguel and Edna his wife, and said,
'May God help me to honor you all the days of your lives."
One would expect some response of Tobiah to the farewell wishes and
blessings of Raguel and Edna, as he departs from them with their daughter
as his wife. So this verse should express that response in some way, as VL
does.9 But the precise form of Tobiah's farewell response is not clear, a
problem that is owing to the scribal transmission of the text. Some modern
translations (e.g. NEB, SBJ) make these last words part of Raguel's blessing;
but that is hardly right, for there is no manuscript evidence for such a
statement of Raguel.
Chapter 10 ends with Tobiah's blessing of his parents-in-law, as one
would expect. He takes leave of them with a prayerful response to their
utterances, in keeping with the emphasis on prayer in the rest of the story.
9 NRSV follows the wording of VL.

H. Homecoming of Tobiah and Cure of Tobit's Eyes (11:1-19)
G": 'When they drew near to Kaserin, G1: 'Tobiah continued on his journey
which is opposite Nineveh, 2Raphael until they drew near to Nineveh.
said, "You know how we left your fa- 2Then Raphael said, "Are you not
ther. aware, brother, how we left your fa-

ther?
3 Let us hurry on ahead of your wife 3Let us hurry on ahead of your wife
and get the house ready while the others and get the house ready.
are still coming.
4As the two of them went on together, Have in your hand the fish's gall."
4
Raphael said to Tobiah, "Have in your And the dog went along behind them.
hands the gall." And the dog went along
behind them.
5Hannah used to sit peering down the 5Hannah sat peering down the road
road of her son's return. for her son.

6At length she caught sight of him 6 At length she caught sight of him
coming and said to his father, "Look, coming and said to his father, "Look,
your son is coming, and so is the man your son is coming, and so is the man
who went along with him!" who went along with him!"
7Raphael said to Tobiah before he 7Raphael said to Tobiah, "I know,
reached his father, "I know that his eyes Tobiah, that your father will open his
will be opened. eyes.
8Apply the fish's gall to his eyes; the 8 You, then, must anoint his eyes with
medicine will contract the white films the gall. When it smarts, he will rub
and peel them off his eyes. Your father them and will shed the white films;
will recover his sight and see the light of then he will see you."
day."
'Hannah ran up to her son, fell upon 'Hannah ran to her son, fell upon his
his neck, and said, "I see you, my boy! neck, and said, "I see you, my boy!
Now I am ready to die." And she burst Now I am ready to die." And they both
into tears. burst into tears.
10 Tobit got up and came stumbling 10 Tobit came out to the door and
out to the door of the courtyard (to stumbled. His son ran up to him and
meet his son). Tobiah went up to him, took hold of him.
11 and with the fish's gall in his hands "He sprinkled the gall on his father's
he blew [he scattered) some of it into his eyes, saying, "Be brave, father!"
father's eyes, as he took hold of him
and said (to him), "Courage (Don't be
afraid), father!" He applied the medi-
cine (to his eyes), and it smarted.
12/13Using his hands, he peeled off the 12When they smarted, he rubbed his
white films from the corners of his fa- his eyes,
Ill Tobiah's Journey (4:1-12:22)
13
ther's eyes (and be saw [his son]). Tobit and the white films peeled off from
fell upon his neck the corners of his eyes. Seeing his son,
he fell upon his neck.
14 14
and burst into tears, saying, "I can and burst into tears, crying, "Praise
see you, my child, light of my eyes!" be to you, O God, and praised be your
Then he continued, "Praise be to God, name forever! Blessed be all your holy
and praised be His great name! Blessed angels!
be all His holy angels! May His great
name rest upon us, and praised be all
His angels for evermore,
15 15
because, though He has flogged me, Because you have flogged me and
I now can see Tobiah, my son!" So have had mercy on me; now I can see
Tobiah went in, rejoicing and praising Tobiah, my son!" So his son went in
God with all his might. Tobiah told his rejoicing and reported to his father
father that his journey had been suc- about the great things that had hap-
cessful, that he had brought the money, pened to him in Media.
that he had married Sarah, the daughter
of Raguel, and that she was, indeed, on
her way there, quite close to the gate of
Nineveh.
16 16
Tobit went out, rejoicing and prais- Tobit went out, rejoicing and prais-
ing God, to meet the bride of his son at ing God, to meet the bride of his son at
the gate of Nineveh. When the Ninevites the gate of Nineveh. Those who saw
saw him walking and striding along in him walking along were amazed that he
full strength and not being led by the could see.
hand of anyone, they were amazed.
17 17
Tobit acknowledged before all of Tobit acknowledged before them
them that God had shown him mercy that God had shown him mercy. When
and had opened his eyes. When Tobit Tobit drew near to Sarah, the bride of
drew near to Sarah, his son Tobiah's his son, he called a blessing down upon
wife, he blessed her, saying, "Come, my her, saying, "Come, my daughter, wel-
daughter, and welcome! Praise be to come! Praise be to God, who has
your God, who has brought you to us, brought you to us! Blessings on your
my daughter! Blessings on your father, father and your mother! There was joy
and blessings on Tobiah, my son, and among his kinsfolk in Nineveh.
blessings on you, my daughter! Come
now to your home with health, bless-
ing, and happiness. Enter, my daughter.
On that day there was great joy among
all the Jews who were in Nineveh.
18 18
Ahiqar and Nadin, his nephews, Ahiqar was on hand to rejoice with
were on hand to rejoice with him. him, and (also) his nephew Nasbas.
19
Tobiah's marriage was celebrated
with rejoicing for seven days.
Homecoming of Tobiah and Cure of Tobit's Eyes (11:1-19) 273
COMMENT
The return of Tobiah to Nineveh and his father's house is now recounted.
The first of the major events of the Tobit story has come to an end, for
young Tobiah has married his kinswoman Sarah and thus freed her from
the demonic fate that had plagued her life up to this new attempt at
marriage. The story has stressed the heaven-blest aspect of that life, in that
she was destined to become the wife of Tobit's son, and so she had to
endure seven attempts to marry her off to others who died on the night of
their marriages. Now that Sarah has been married to Tobiah, Raphael has
accomplished the first of the two tasks for which he had been sent by God.
We come, then, to the account of Tobiah's return to his father, who will
be cured of his blindness, again through the instrumentality of Raphael,
who instructs Tobiah how to meet his blind father.
The newly-weds, accompanied by Azariah and their own entourage set
off from Ecbatana to return to Nineveh. As they approach their goal,
Azariah counsels Tobiah to hurry on ahead of his wife and get things ready
for her reception, because his parents will be unaware of his bringing with
him his new-found wife. Tobiah's mother, anxiously awaiting his return,
sees them coming from a distance and informs Tobit of his son's coming.
As Tobiah approaches his parents' house, Azariah instructs Tobiah to use
the fish's gall and apply it to his father's eyes. After greeting his mother,
Tobiah draws near to his father and applies the medicine. Tobit's blindness
is cured, and as he gazes once more on his son, he utters a prayer of
thanksgiving. Tobiah then tells his father about the success of his journey
to Rages in Media and about his marriage to Sarah, the daughter of Raguel,
who is already en route and would arrive shortly. Tobit then goes with
others, among them Ahiqar and Nadin, to the gate of Nineveh to welcome
Sarah, his daughter-in-law, and all rejoice at her arrival.
The initiative that the angel Raphael takes is to be noted, because the
encounter of Tobiah with his father and mother in Nineveh is an important
development in the story. Raphael's initiative means that heaven is blessing
the return of Tobiah.
Neither the medieval Aramaic text of Neubauer nor the Hebrew text of
HL or HM makes any mention of Ahiqar in v. 13.
NOTES
11:1. When they drew near to Kaserin, which is opposite Nineveh. VL: Et
profecti sunt et ibant donee uenirent in Charran, quae ciuitas est contra
Niniuen, "And they set out and made their way until they came to Haran,
which is a town opposite Nineveh." G1: "Tobiah continued on his journey

until they drew near to Nineveh." Similarly Syriac (Syro-Hexaplaric text). 1
Vg has a fuller paraphrase: "As they were returning, they came to Haran,
which is midway to Nineveh, on the eleventh day." Neubauer's Aramaic text
reads: m r j Ή ΚΠΊρ onpR ΊΏ, "to the city of Aqris, which is opposite
Nineveh." Similarly HM. HL: "And they went on their way to Nineveh."
G" lacks an initial clause, which is found in VL, "And they set out and
made their way," which is needed to make the rest of the verse com-
prehensible.
The town Κασερείν, 0"HpK, or Charran is otherwise unknown, and no
one knows where Jerome would have derived the information that it was
midway between Ecbatana and Nineveh, apart from his Aramaic source. G1
and HL give Nineveh itself as the town they have reached and the place
where Raphael, who has not been mentioned in chap. 10, reappears. The
diversity of the name of the location is undoubtedly owing to the problematic
phrase, "Kaserin ... opposite Nineveh."
Torrey maintained that Kaserin and Nineveh were respectively the
towns called Ctesiphon and Seleucia (the capital of Assyria), towns farther
S on the Tigris River, on the caravan route from Mesopotamia to Media, 2
but that has little to commend it in this kind of writing, which has no need
of code-names for places. See NOTE on 6:2. The version preserved in G1
eliminates the problem by omitting the name of the town and giving
Nineveh as the town that they have approached, but that creates a bit of
a problem for the understanding of the following vv. 2 - 3 .
2. Raphael said, "You know how we left your father. VL: Tunc dixit
Raphahel angelus Thobiae, Frater, nescis quomodo reliqueris patrem tuumi
"Then Raphael the angel said to Tobiah, 'Do you not know how you left
your father?'" Here G11 lacks three words and has changed the negative où
to a pronoun σύ. G1: "Then Raphael said, 'Are you not aware, brother, how
we left your father?'" Thus both G1 and VL have preserved the question of
the original text. Vg: "The angel said, 'Tobiah, my brother, you know how
you left your father.'"
The angel Raphael takes the initiative, recalling to Tobiah his father's
condition as they departed from Nineveh in 5:17-6:1.
3. Let us hurry on ahead of your wife and get the house ready while the
others are still coming. VL: Praecedamus uxorem tuam, et eamus et
praeparemus domum, dum prosequitur nos puella, " . . . ready, while the girl
1 The non-Syro-Hexaplaric text reads Iqsryh d't[-h] Iwqbl nynw'.

2 See C. C. Torrey, "'Nineveh' in the Book of Tobit," JBL 41 (1922) 2 3 7 - 4 5 .
follows us." G1 abridges, suppressing the last clause. Vg has a fuller

paraphrase: "So if it pleases you, let us go ahead, and the family with your
wife and the animals will follow our footsteps at a slow pace."
The reason that is given for pressing on ahead of the caravan of
travellers is not so much the preparation of Tobiah's parents' house for the
welcoming of Sarah as it is the cure of Tobit's eyes so that he will be able
to greet Tobiah and Sarah properly. Here the story-line may be influenced
by Gen 46:28, where Judah the spokesman is sent ahead of Jacob in his
descent to Egypt to meet his son Joseph.
4. As the two of them went on together, Raphael3 said to Tobiah4, "Have
in your hands the gall. " VL basically agrees: Et praecesserunt pariter, et
dixit tili angelus, Tolle tecum de felle ilio et habe, "... 'Take with you some
of that gall and have it ready.'" G1 abridges: "Have in your hand the fish's
gall." Vg has a fuller paraphrase: "Since this (idea) of going ahead pleased
(him), Raphael said to Tobiah, 'Take with you some of the fish's gall, for
it will be needed.' So Tobiah took some of that gall, and they went off."
The reader recalls the explanation for taking along the fish's gall from
Raphael's words to Tobiah in 6:9. Now Azariah instructs Tobiah further
about the cure of his father's blindness, which is the next main task for
which he has been sent by God to this family.
And the dog5 went along behind them. G1 agrees with the wording of G";
VL is very similar: Et abiit cum Ulis et canis. Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
The last one heard of the dog was at the beginning of the journey in 6:2.
Its appearance now is meant to recall how Tobiah departed from Nineveh
with Azariah and the dog. Nothing was heard of it in Media, but now that
the story-line is returning to Nineveh, it reappears. In G" and G1 the dog
follows them, but in some other MSS (e.g. V, 106) it runs εμ-ττροσθεν,
"ahead" (see NOTES below on vv. 6 and 8).
5. Hannah used to sit peering down the road of her son's return. G1 agrees
with G"; VL: Et Anna sedebat in uia circumspiciens aduentum filii sui,
"Hannah used to sit by the road looking about for the arrival of her son."
Vg has a fuller paraphrase: "But Hannah used to sit beside the road, on the
top of a hill, from which she could look afar off."
3
MS S reads "he."
4
MS S reads "him."
5
MS S wrongly reads "the Lord," i.e. KÇ instead of κύων. It also ends the sentence
strangely with "behind him and her son." It looks as if the copyist lifted a phrase
from the following verse into this one (by parablepsis perhaps).
It is not that Hannah seeks to be blind Tobit's eyes, but that she is still
convinced that her son is no longer among the living (10:4, 7). Her peering
is a sign of her desperate hope. Despite her conviction that Tobiah has
perished, she continues her vigil.
6. At length she caught sight of him coming and said to his father, "Look,
your son is coming, and so is the man who went along with him!" G1 agrees
with the wording of G". Similarly VL: Et cognouit ilium uenientem, et dixit
patri eius, Ecce filius tuus uenit et homo qui cum ilio erat. Vg has a fuller
paraphrase: "And while she was watching for his arrival from that very
place, she saw him afar off and at once recognized her son; she ran and
announced to her husband, 'Look, your son is coming!'"
Thus Hannah, still concerned about her son, becomes the one who alerts
blind Tobit to his son's return. Zimmermann's translation, however, runs:
"She espied the dog coming before, whereupon she ran and exclaimed," 6
an addition to the text that is found in neither G11, G1, or VL, all of which
say that she espied "him," meaning Tobiah. These forms of the story are
more representative of the original than that found in G ra or the non-Syro-
Hexaplaric version, which reads: whzt Iklb' [d]rht [w't'] wrhtt w'mrt itwbit
h' br[k] 't', "and she saw the dog running and coming, and she ran and said
to Tobit, 'Look, your son is coming!'".
7. Raphael said to Tobiah before he reached his father, "I know that his
eyes will be opened. " VL makes the subordinate clause ("before he reached
his father") part of Raphael's statement: Et Raphael dixit Thobiae,
Antequam adpropinquemus patri tuo, scio quia oculi eius aperientur, "...
'Before we approach your father, I know . . . . " ' G curtails: "I know,
1
Tobiah, that your father will open his eyes." Vg has a fuller paraphrase:
"But as soon as you enter your house, immediately adore the Lord your
God; giving thanks to Him, approach your father and kiss him. Then
anoint his eyes with that fish's gall that you are carrying with you; for you
know that his eyes will soon be opened, and your father will see the light
of heaven and will rejoice in the sight of you."
Again, Azariah instructs Tobiah about what he must do to restore his
father's sight. The passive in Azariah's words ("will be opened") has to be
understood as the theological passive: be opened by God. The angel in
disguise thus guarantees that Tobit will be cured of his blindness by
heavenly intervention. G1 changes that passive to the active voice with
Tobit as the subject. Jerome's Vg introduces a proper reaction of adoration

and thanksgiving to God, but that addition is found in no other ancient

form of the story.
8. Apply7 the fish's gall to his eyes; the medicine will contract the white
films and peel them off his eyes. Your father will recover his sight and see
the light of day. " VL agrees with G": Adsperge ergo oculis eius fel piscis
et insidet medicamentum, et decoriabit albuginem ab oculis eius, et respiciet
pater tuus et uidebit lumen. G1 has a slightly different version: "You, then,
must anoint his eyes with the gall. When it smarts, he will rub them and
will shed the white films; then he will see you." See the paraphrase of the
Vg given above.
Raphael makes sure that Tobiah understands that God's activity in
curing his father's eyes will come through his own cooperation in applying
the gall to the eyes.
At this point Vg has a verse that is not found in any of the other
versions, even though it has some similarity to the addition found in G111
and Syriac in v. 6 above:
Tunc praecucurrit cants qui simul fuerat in via, et quasi nuntius adveniens
blandimento suae caudae gaudebat,
"Then the dog that had been with them on the road ran ahead, and
coming on as a herald, it took delight in the charms of its tail."
So Hannah is apprised of the coming of her son in Vg.8 A similar detail is
found in Homer's Odyssey, where the dog Argos recognizes Odysseus on
his return (17.291-92).
9. Hannah ran up to her son, fell upon his neck, and said, "I see you, my
boy! Now I am ready to die. " And she burst into tears. VL basically agrees
with G": Et adcurrit ei mater sua et irruit collo filii sui, et dixit, Fili, uideo
te, amodo libenter moriar, et lacrimata est, using mater sua instead of
"Hannah" and adding at the end, Thobias etiam lacrimatus est, "Tobiah
also burst into tears." G1 begins the same way, but ends: '"Now I am ready
to die.' And they both burst into tears." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Compare Gen 33:4; 45:14; 46:29-30 for various OT instances of such
a greeting of running up and falling upon the neck of someone, especially
the last mentioned, where Jacob meets his son Joseph in Egypt.
10. Tobit got up and came stumbling out to the door of the courtyard to
meet his son. Tobiah went up to him. Hebrew 4Q200 5:1 preserves a few
7 Hanhart reads εμττασον, whereas MS S has ενττλασον.

8 See Skemp, Vulgate of Tobit, 339. He regards blandimento suae caudae gaudebat
as "probably a playful addition by Jerome."
278 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
words: [ ]. 1U 133 ΓΠρ^], "[to] meet his son at.[ ]." VL: Et surrexit Tbobis
et offendebat pedibus suis; et egressus est atrium, et occurrit Uli Thobias,
"Tobit got up and stumbled on his feet; he came out into the courtyard, and
Tobiah met him." G1: "Tobit came out to the door and stumbled. His son
ran up to him and took hold of him." Vg has a fuller form: "It happened
that his blind father got up and began to run, stumbling on his feet; giving
his hand to a servant, he went to meet his son. Welcoming him, he kissed
him, as did also his wife, and they began to weep for joy. When they had
adored God and given Him thanks, they sat down together."9
Note the change of subject in the various versions. In the Hebrew, Gn,
and Vg, the elderly blind Tobit comes to meet his son, but in G1 and VL
Tobiah meets Tobit. As Tobit was blinded in his courtyard (αύλή) in 2:9,
so now he is cured of his blindness in his courtyard.
11. and with the fish's gall in his hands he blew (he scattered) some of it
into his father's eyes, as he took hold of him and said to him, "Courage
(Don't be afraid), father!" He applied the medicine to his eyes, and it
smarted.™ Hebrew 4Q200 5:2-4 reads: ... [TTin] ITU ΠΓΙ ΓΓΠ[Ί01]
[ ] pnm Γ]"11? Don DPI] "ακ ΚΤΠ Ι1?! ΊΟΙΟΊ], "[with the g]all of the
fish in his hand, and he scattered (some of it) [on his eyes ... and he said]
to him, 'Do not be afraid, father,' [and he put the medicine ... o]n his eyes,
and it smarted." VL: Ferens fei piscis in manibus suis, et insufflami (MSS
MR: aspersit illud) in oculis Thobis patris sui, et adprehendit eum et dixit
illi, Forti animo esto, pater; et iniecit medicamentum in oculis eius, et
morsum illi praebebat, "Taking the fish's gall in his hands, he blew (some
of it [MSS MR: he scattered it]) into the eyes of his father Tobit; he took
hold of him and said, 'Take courage, father!' and he put the medicine in
his eyes, and it produced for him a biting sensation." G1 abridges: "He
sprinkled the gall on his father's eyes, saying, 'Be brave, father!'" Vg:
"Then Tobiah took some of the fish's gall and anointed his father's eyes,
and waited for about half an hour; the white film began to come off his
eyes like the skin of an egg."
Again, in the Hebrew text two infinitives absolute (flEtil and ρΐΊΠΙ) are
used instead of finite verbs; see NOTE on 4:4.
On "courage," see NOTE on 7:16.
12/13. Όsing his hands, he peeled off the white films from the corners of
his father's eyes (and he saw [his son]). Hebrew 4Q200 5:5 has only:
9 Ibid., 3 4 0 - 4 1 .
10 MS S reads "and he administered (it)," but Hanhart conjectures that έττέδωκεν is a
mistake for έττεδάκη, "it bit," which I have followed.
[133] ΠΚ N T ! ITI? η[ΤΗ1Π], "[the white film]s of his eyes; and he saw [his
son]." The Hebrew preserves only the feminine plural ending of some
noun, which could represent either λευκώματα, "white films," or κάνθων,
"corners" (of the eyes). VL: Et decoriauit duabus manibus albugines
oculorum illius, et uidit filium suum, "and with his two hands he peeled off
the white films of his eyes, and he saw his son. " G1: "When they smarted,
he rubbed his eyes, / and the white films peeled off from the corners of his
eyes." Vg: "Tobiah took hold of it and drew it from his eyes; immediately
he recovered his sight; and they glorified God, both he and his wife, and
all who knew him." So Tobiah cures his father's blindness, and the peak
of the story is reached.
The verb άπελέτπσεν, "peeled off," is related to the noun used in Acts
9:18 for the "films" that fell from Paul's eyes, a primitive way of explaining
the cause of blindness. See Tob 2:11. 11
Tobitn fell upon his neck / uand burst into tears, saying, "I can see you,
my child, light of my eyes!" Hebrew 4Q200 preserves only: "'33, "my son."
VL: Et irruit collo eius, et lacrimatus est, et benedixit Deum et dixit, Video
te, fili, "and he fell upon his neck and burst into tears; he blessed God and
said, Ί see you, my son,'" which agrees with G" somewhat, but adds "and
he blessed God" and omits "light of my eyes." G1: "Seeing his son, he fell
upon his neck / and burst into tears, crying." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
The cure is accomplished as Tobit exclaims with joy, "I can see you, my
child." When Tobit calls his son "light of my eyes," his words sum up the
sense of the whole story, in which the contrast of light and darkness has
played a role (see 2:10; 3:17; 5:10; 10:5; 11:8; 14:10). The phrase, "light
of my eyes" was also used by Hannah in 10:5 (see NOTE there).
14. Then he continued, "Praise be to God, and praised be His great name!
Blessed be all His holy angels! May His great name rest upon us, and
praised be all His angels for evermore, / 15because, though He has flogged
me, I now can see Tobiah, my son!" VL begins as does G": Benedictus Deus
et benedictum nomen illius magnum, et benedicti omnes sancti angeli eius,
but ends with a fuller form: sit nomen illius sanctum in omnia saecula
saeculorum. Quoniam ipse flagellauit me et ipse misertus est mei; ecce ego
uideo Thobiam filium meum, "may His name be holy in all generations, /
11
Cf. Pliny the Elder, Nat. hist. 29.8.21, w h o also uses a similar mode of explaining
eye afflictions: squamarti in oculis emovendam potius quam extrahendam, "that a
film in the eyes should be moved away and not pulled off." See further B. Kollmann,
ZAW 106 (1994) 2 9 4 - 9 7 .
12
MS S reads "He."
280 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
because He has flogged me and had mercy on me; look, I now see my son
Tobiah." G1 addresses God directly: "Praise be to you, O God, and praised
be your name forever! Blessed be all your holy angels! / Because you have
flogged me and have had mercy on me; now I can see Tobiah, my son!"
Vg paraphrases: "Tobit said, Ί bless you, O Lord, God of Israel, because
you have chastised me and have cured me; but now I see my son Tobiah.'"
Tobit's prayer of praise (vv. 14-15) is the fifth formal prayer in the book.
It is uttered at this point for all that God has accomplished for Tobit and his
family. It recognizes that God is responsible for both affliction and cure, and
it ends with "I now can see Tobiah, my son." The "angels" too are blessed,
appropriately because of Raphael's assistance, but at this point in the story
he is still known only as the human Azariah. In chap. 12 Tobit will realize
more fully why he should be praying in this way. The second blessing of the
angels, unique to MS S, is probably a dittographical repetition.13
Tobit uses a well-known form of prayer, Εύλογηtos ό Θεός, as in LXX
of Gen 14:20; 1 Kgs 5:21; Pss 18:46; 66:20. Similarly for εύλογητός tò
όνομα μέγα αυτού, see Ps 72:19; cf. Dan 3:52; Sir 39:35; Ps 145:1. The
inclusion of "angels" in such a prayer of praise is found also in 11QSM
(11Q14) 1 ii 5-6. 1 4 A biblical motif parallel to Deut 32:39 (wounding and
healing) is also employed.
15. So Tobiah went in, rejoicing and praising God with all his might. Lit.
"with all his mouth" (cf. LXX of Ps 71:8). G1 abridges: "So his son went
in rejoicing." VL has a fuller form: Et intromit Thobias et Anna uxor eius
in domum, gaudentes et benedicentes Deum toto ore suo pro omnibus quae
sibi euenerant, "And Tobiah came into the house and his (i.e. Tobit's) wife
Hannah too, rejoicing and praising God with all their might for all the
things that had happened to them." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
It is likely that Τωβίας in G" and Thobias in VL are here a mistake for
Τωβίθ and Thobis, which the context seems to call for; that would also
make the VL more intelligible. However, G1 has "his son," which makes
one hesitate.
Tobiah told his father that his journey had been successful, that he had
brought the money, that he had married Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, and
that she was, indeed, on her way there, quite close to the gate of Nineveh.
VL basically agrees with G11: Et indicauit patri suo Thobias quoniam
13 So Simpson, A P O T , 1. 1 7 4 n. 4.
14 DJD 2 3 . 2 4 7 . Cf. L. T. Stuckenbruck, Angel Veneration and Christology, 161-63;
B. Nitzan, "Benedictions and Instructions for the Eschatological Community
( l l Q B e r ; 4 Q 2 8 5 ) , " RevQ 16 ( 1 9 9 3 - 9 5 ) 7 7 - 9 0 , esp. 80.
perfecta est uia illius bene a Domino Deo, et quia adtulit pecuniam; et
quemadmodum accepit Sarram filiam Raguhelis uxorem, et quia uenit et
ipsa et iam proximo est portae Niniue, adding only that the Lord God had
blessed his journey. G1: "and reported to his father about the great things
that had happened to him in Media." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
So Tobiah brings good news to his father Tobit: that his journey, on
which he was sent (recall 5:17), has been a success, that he has got the
money from Gabael (recall 5:3), and that he has married a woman of his
own ancestral kin (recall Tobit's advice in 4:12), Sarah, the daughter of
Raguel (who first appeared in 3:7), who is now on her way here.
16. Tobit went out, rejoicing and praising God, to meet the bride of his son
at the gate of Nineveh. G1 agrees with G", but VL has rather: Et gauisi sunt
Thobis et Anna, et exierunt in obuiam nurui suae, "Tobit and Hannah
rejoiced, and they went out to meet their daughter-in-law." Vg has nothing
that corresponds.
When the Ninevites saw him walking and striding along in full strength
and not being led by the hand of anyone, they were amazed. VL basically
agrees with G", beginning only with: et uidebant Thobin qui erant in porta
Niniue uenientem et ambulantem cum omni uirtute sua, nemine dante ei
manum, et mirabantur, "and those who were at the gate of Nineveh saw
Tobit coming and striding along ... ." G1 abridges: "Those who saw him
walking along were amazed that he could see." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
17. Tobit acknowledged before all of them that God had shown him mercy
and had opened his eyes. G1 omits the last clause, but otherwise agrees with
G". VL has a fuller form: Et confitebatur Thobis et benedicebat magna uoce
Deum, et amulabat cum gaudio coram omnibus, quoniam misertus est
illius Deus et aperuit oculos eius, "He acknowledged and blessed God in
a loud voice, and he walked with joy in front of all, because God had been
merciful to him and opened his eyes." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Tobit does not say that his son had applied the medicinal fish's gall to
his eyes, but rightly attributes the restoration of his sight to God's
intervention. This he admits publicly. This acknowledgement expresses the
expected reaction of upright Tobit, who now understands how the affliction
of blindness has led only to his benefit and to that of his family.
When Tobit drew near to Sarah, his son Tobiah's wife, he blessed her,
saying, "Come, my daughter, and welcome! Lit. "May you enter in good
health." G1 basically agrees, using only "Sarah, his wife." VL has a fuller
form: Et ut adpropinquauit Thobias, adducens Sarram uxorem suam,
benedixit illi Thobis dicens, Intra sana, Sarra filia, "and when Tobiah drew
282 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
near, leading his wife Sarah, Tobit blessed her, saying, 'Come in indeed,
Sarah, (my) daughter.'"
Tobit, who has had no part in arranging the marriage of his son,
immediately welcomes Sarah, his new daughter-in-law, whom God has
brought into his life in his old age.
Vg has a different summary: "After seven days, Sarah, the wife of his
son also entered safely, and all (her) family and cattle and camels and her
considerable dowry, but also the other money which he (Tobiah) had
acquired from Gabael; and he narrated to his parents all God's benefits,
which He had accomplished for him through the man who had guided
him." 15 Similarly HL.
Praise be to your God, who has brought you to us, my daughter!
Blessings on your father, and blessings on Tobiah, my son, and blessings
on you, my daughter! Come now to your home with health, blessing, and
happiness. Enter, my daughter. VL basically agrees: Benedictus Deus qui
adduxit te ad nos, et benedictus pater tuus et mater tua, et benedictus
Thobias filius meus, et benedicta tu filia; intra in domum tuam sana in
benedictione et gaudio, omitting "your" (modifying God), adding only
"and on your mother," and ending with "Come into your home with
health, blessing, and joy." G1 abridges: "Praise be to God, who has brought
you to us! Blessings on your father and your mother!" Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
Tobit's prayer of praise is directed to God, who has bestowed such
blessings on Tobiah and Sarah and brought him and Hannah such joy.
On that day there was great joy among all the Jews who were in
Nineveh. VL agrees with G n : in ilia die erat gaudium magnum omnibus
Iudaeis qui erant in Niniue. G1 reads: "There was joy among his kinsfolk
in Nineveh," using again άδελφοί, as in 1:5 (see NOTE there). Vg has
All the faithful Jews in the Assyrian captivity in Nineveh share in the joy
of Tobit's family. Compare the similar reaction among Jews in Persia at the
success of Mordecai (Esth 8:16-17).
18. Ahiqar and Nadin, his nephews, were on hand to rejoice with him. G1
reads rather: "Ahiqar was on hand to rejoice with him, and (also) his
nephew Nadin." VL: Et uenit Achicarus, et Nabal auunculus illius,
gaudentes ad Thobin, "And Ahiqar came, and Nabal his uncle, to rejoice
with Tobit." Vg: "And Ahiqar and Nabath, the cousins of Tobit, came to
15 See Skemp, Vulgate of Tobit, 347.

Homecoming of Tobiah and Cure of Tobit's Eyes ( 1 1 : 1 - 1 9 ) 283
rejoice with Tobit, congratulating him for all the good things that God had
made known for him."
G" uses the plural παρεγένοντο Άχικάρ και Ναβάδ oí έξαδελφοί, which
is translated in the lemma. In 1:22 Tobit calls Ahiqar "my nephew; so the
appositive "nephews" here could mean "nephew" and "grandnephew."
But Nadin was not really a son of Ahiqar. The reading in G1 is probably
more correct, since it rightly calls Nadin ό εξάδελφος αύτοΰ, i.e. Ahiqar's
nephew. On Ahiqar, see NOTE on 1:21-22, and Introduction §50.
None of the versions has transmitted the name of Ahiqar's nephew
correctly. The correct Aramaic form is 113, "Nadin," a hypocoristicon of an
Assyrian name meaning "(some god) gives" (like Nabü-nädin-zer, "Nabu
gives offspring"). "Nadin" is given in Aramaic in4Q1992:l (=Tob 14:10). 16
In G" the name appears as Ναβάδ; in G1 as Νασβας; in VL as Nabal (MS M
has: Nadab); Vg has Nabath; Syro-Hexaplaric Syriac has Nbws hw dmn 'h'
dylh; and the non-Syro-Hexaplaric Syriac has Ibn br hth, "son of his sister."
Likewise the relationship of Nadin to Ahiqar is garbled in the versions.
Nadin was the nephew of Ahiqar (as G1 correctly records it, and as we
know from the Elephantine Aramaic Story of Ahiqar), but not his auunculus,
"maternal uncle," as in VL, where some MSS read in the plural consobrini
(MS M), "cousins-german," or soceri (MS G), "fathers-in-law" (used of
both Ahiqar and Nadin). The Syriac forms do better in saying that Nadin
was "son of his [Ahiqar's] sister" or "the one from his brother."
In 1:22 Tobit refers to Ahiqar himself as "my nephew" (εξάδελφος μου,
see NOTE there). The last we heard was that Ahiqar had gone off to Elam
(2:10); this must mean, then, that he had returned to Nineveh.
Note also the two ways in which Tobit's name is spelled in Vg: Tobiae,
which agrees with other places, but also Tobin, the accusative of Tobi, like
Thobi(s), so often used in VL (see NOTE on 1:1).
19. Although the text of chap. 11 in Gn ends with v. 18, an additional verse
appears in VL, G1, and Vg, which probably means that G" is defective here.
VL: Et consummatae sunt nuptiae cum gaudio septem diebus, et data sunt
illi muñera multa, "The wedding was celebrated with joy for seven days,
and many gifts were given to him." G1 reads: "Tobiah's marriage was
celebrated with rejoicing for seven days." Vg: "They feasted for seven days,
and all rejoiced with great joy."
This is the second celebration of the wedding of Tobiah to Sarah, this
one lasting only for seven days, as was more customary, and in the place
where he has been residing for several years. See NOTE on 8:20.
16 Also in the Elephantine text of Ahiqar Β 18 (TADAE 3. 2 8 ) (= AP 2 : 1 8 [p. 2 1 2 ] ) .

Bibliography
Alonso Díaz, J., "Tobit curado de su ceguera (Tb 11,7-8)," CB 26 (1969) 67-72.
Torrey, C. C., "'Nineveh' in the Book of Tobit," JBL 41 (1922) 237-45.
I. Revelation of Raphael's Identity (12:1-22)
G": 'When the wedding-celebration G1: 'Tobit called his son Tobiah and
came to an end, Tobit called his son said, "My child, see to the wages for the
Tobiah and said, "My boy, see that you man who went with you; you must add
pay the wages of the man who went something extra.
with you, and add something extra be-
yond his pay.
2 2
Tobiah asked him, "How much shall Tobiah said to him, "It would do me
I give him, father, as his wages? It would no harm to give him half of what I
do me no harm to give him a half of the brought back,
possessions that he brought back with
me.
3 3
He has brought me back safe and sound, because he has led me back safe and
cured my wife, obtained the money with sound, cured my wife, obtained my
me, and cured you too. How much extra money, and cured you too."
should I give him as a bonus?"
4 4
Tobit replied, "It is right, my boy, The old man replied, "That is right
for him to get half of all that he has for him."
brought with him."
5 5
So Tobiah called Raphael and said, So Tobiah called the angel and said
"For your wages, take half of all that to him, "Take half of all that you have
you have brought; take it and go with brought."
my farewell."
6 6
Then Raphael called the two of them Then he called the two of them pri-
privately to say to them, "Praise God vately to say to them, "Praise God and
and acknowledge before all the living acknowledge Him; admit His greatness
the good things that He has done for and acknowledge before all the living
you, so as to praise Him and sing hymns what He has done for you. It is good to
to His name. Declare God's words to all praise God and exalt His name, recount-
people with due honor; be not slow to ing with due honor the story of God's
acknowledge Him. acts; be not slow to acknowledge Him.
7 7
It is right to conceal a king's secret, It is right to conceal a king's secret,
and to make manifest and acknowledge and to make manifest with due honor
the acts of God with due honor. Do the acts of God. Do good, and evil will
good, and evil will not come upon you. not come upon you.
8 8
Prayer with fidelity and almsgiving Prayer with fasting, almsgiving, and
with righteousness are a better good righteousness is good; a little with right-
than wealth with wickedness. It is bet- eousness is better than much with wick-
ter to give alms than to hoard gold. edness. It is better to give alms than to
'For almsgiving saves one from death; hoard gold.
9
it wipes out all sin. Those who give alms For almsgiving saves one from death;
will enjoy a full life; it wipes out all sin. Those who practise
almsgiving and righteousness will be

filled with life;
10but those who commit sin and do 10but sinners are their own worst en-
wrong are their own worst enemies. emies.

"Now I shall tell you the whole truth n I shall not conceal any detail from
and shall not conceal any detail from you. I have said that it is right to con-
you. I have already told you, when I ceal a king's secret and make manifest
said, that it is right to conceal a king's the acts of God in honorable fashion.
secret, and to make manifest the acts of
God in honorable fashion.
12 Well, when you prayed, as did Sarah 12 Well, when you prayed, as did your
too, it was I who brought the record of bride Sarah too, it was I who brought the
your prayers into the glorious presence record of your prayers into the presence
of the Lord; and likewise when you of the Holy One; when you buried the
buried the dead. dead, I was likewise present with you.
13And when you did not hesitate to 13And when you did not hesitate to
get up and leave your dinner to go and get up and leave your dinner to go off
bury the dead, and bury the dead, your good deed did
not escape me, but I was with you.
14then I was sent to you to test you. 14 Now then, God sent me to heal you
God sent me at the same time to heal and Sarah, your son's bride.
you and Sarah, your son's bride.
15I am Raphael, one of the seven an- 1S I am Raphael, one of the seven holy
gels who stand in attendance and enter angels who present the prayers of the
into the glorious presence of the Lord." saints and enter into the glorious pres-
ence of the Holy One."
16 The two of them were alarmed and 16 The two of them were alarmed and
fell face down in their fear, fell face down in their fear,
17but Raphael said to them, "Do not 17 but he said to them, "Do not be
be afraid; peace be with you! Praise God afraid; peace be with you! Praise God at
at all times! all times!
18When I was with you, it was not 18 For it was not owing to any favor of
owing to any favor of mine that I was mine that I came, but to the will of our
with you, but to the will of God. So God. So praise Him forever.
praise Him and sing to Him all your
days.
19 Take note that I did not eat (or 19 All those days I merely appeared to
drink) anything; what you saw was a you and did not eat or drink; but you
vision. were seeing a vision.
20 Now then praise the Lord on this 20 Now then acknowledge God, be-
earth and acknowledge God. Look, I cause I am ascending to the One who
am ascending to the One who sent me. sent me. Write in a scroll all the things
Write down all these things that have that have been accomplished."
happened to you." And he ascended.
Revelation of Raphael's Identity ( 1 2 : 1 - 2 2 ) 287
21When they got up, they were no 21When they got up, they no longer
longer able to see him. saw him.
21They continued to praise God and 22They continued to acknowledge the
sing to His honor; they acknowledged great and wonderful deeds of God, es-
God for those mighty deeds (great deed) pecially that the angel of the Lord ap-
of His, and were amazed how an angel peared to them.
of God appeared to them.
COMMENT
With the return of Tobiah to his father's house in Nineveh and the end of
the celebration of his marriage to Sarah, the Tobit-story moves toward a
conclusion. The two things that the angel Raphael was sent by God to care
for have been accomplished, and so he must take leave of the Tobit family.
This is the story that is told in chapter 12.
At first Tobit instructs his son Tobiah to pay his companion Azariah for
his help and give him a bonus too. As Tobiah seeks to pay Azariah, the
angel calls him and his father Tobit apart, utters some wise counsels, and
finally reveals himself to them as Raphael, one of the seven angels of the
divine presence. They fall down before him, but he continues his advice and
then finally disappears, having instructed Tobit to record in writing all that
has happened to him. The chapter ends with all of them continuing to
praise God for his mighty deeds on their behalf.
Thus three topics are treated in this chapter, the payment of what was
due to Azariah for his help along with the promised bonus (vv. 1-5), the
self-revelation of Azariah as the angel Raphael (vv. 6 - 1 5 ) , and the departure
of Raphael (vv. 16-22). The angel's reaction to the proposal that he take
as his share half of all the money and goods that they had brought back
to Nineveh is twofold: his words begin as a exhortation, but end as a
revelation that he is one of the Angels of the Presence, and so has no need
of reimbursement or bonus.
The phraseology in this chapter is again somewhat influenced by O T
passages, Genesis 17 and Judges 3 in particular. The self-revelation of
Azariah is drawn out and only gradually made because of the length of his
hortatory words, with which it all begins.
The medieval Aramaic version of Neubauer has an abbreviated form of
chap. 12, which begins, "Now when they entered the house, Raphael did
not enter with them, but went on his way." Tobit sends Tobiah to look for
Azariah in the market place, but he cannot find him. Then Tobit realizes
that Azariah was the angel Raphael whom God had sent to cure Sarah and
288 Tobiah's Journey ( 4 : 1 - 1 2 : 2 2 )
heal his eyes. It also recounts the death of Raguel and Edna, and how
Tobiah inherited them. That short version, however, is scarcely the original
form of the story. The Hebrew text of HM has an abbreviated parallel of
G11, and that of HL differs considerably from Vg and other ancient versions.
NOTES
12:1. When the wedding-celebration came to an end, Tobit called his son
Tobiah and said, "My boy, see that you pay the wages of the man who
went with you, and1 add something extra beyond his pay. Aramaic 4Q196
16:1 reads: ΠΊ3Κ rb 1Π31 "|[0ΰ Π1Π ">1], "[who was with] you, and we shall
give him his wages." VL basically agrees with the wording of G", omitting
"My boy," and putting the verbs in the first plural, as in the Aramaic text:
Et postquam consummatae sunt nuptiae, uocauit Thobis Thobiam filium
suum, et dixit illi, Homini illi qui tecum fuit reddamus honorem suum, et
adiiciamus tili ad mercedem. G1 abridges: "Tobit called his son Tobiah and
said, 'My child, see to the wages for the man who went with you; you must
add something extra.'" Vg paraphrases: "Then Tobit called his son to him
and said, 'What can we give that holy man who came with you?'"
In 4:14 Tobit included in his counsels for Tobiah the prompt payment
of wages; now he acts on his own advice. In 5:15-16 he had agreed to pay
Azariah "a drachma a day and the same expenses as for my son," and he
promised to add a bonus to the wages. Because Azariah has done far more
than merely accompany Tobiah to Rages in Media and back, Tobit now
instructs Tobiah to figure out what is equitable. Since his son was more
involved, he would be the better one to assess the matter.
2. Tobiah asked him, "How much shall I give him, father, as his wages?
It would do me no harm to give him a half of the possessions that he
brought back with me. " VL basically agrees, changing only "I brought with
me": Et ille dixit, Pater, quantum illi dabo? Non enim satis est si dedero
illi ex his quae mecum adtuli dimidiam partem. G1 omits the first question:
"Tobiah said to him, 'It would do me no harm to give him half of what I
brought back.'" Vg curtails: "Tobiah said in reply, 'Father, what pay shall
we give him or what can be worth his benefits?'"
The verb in the Greek texts is in the first singular (meaning Tobiah), où
βλάπτομαι (5i)5oùç, lit. "I do not harm myself in giving." So "half of the
possessions" might seem to refer to what Tobiah received from Raguel, the
MS S omits καί, " a n d . "

Revelation of Raphael's Identity (12:1-22) 289
father of his bride, i.e. her dowry and other gifts. Whether it would also
include the money that Azariah got from Gabael for Tobiah's father is not
yet apparent. Per se, Tobiah would have no right to give that away, but as
the story-line develops one sees that it would include that too. In any case,
the amount suggested by Tobiah is indicative of his generosity. "Half of the
possessions that he brought back" is often regarded as a detail derived from
the folkloric Tale of the Grateful Dead, where the guide is rewarded with
half of all that the hero acquires. It is at least a good parallel.
3. "He has brought me back safe and sound, cured my wife, obtained the
money with me, and cured you too. How much extra should I give him as
a bonus?" Lit. "brought me back in good health." VL basically agrees, but
begins rather: Duxit enim me sanum et reduxit, "for he took me safely and
brought me back ... ." G1 basically agrees, despite some different wording;
but it omits the last question. Vg paraphrases elaborately: "He took me and
brought me back safely; he himself got the money from Gabael. He is the
one who made me take a wife and drove off the demon from her. He
brought joy to her parents and snatched me from being devoured by a fish;
he made you too see heaven's light, and we are filled with all good things
through him. What can we give him that is worth all these things?" 2
Thus Tobiah summarizes all the good that has come from his contact
with Azariah, enumerating four bounties: his journey and return, recounted
in 6:2-11:6; the cure of Sarah, in 8:2-3; the getting of the money from
Gabael, in 9:5-6; the cure of Tobit, in 11:7-14. To which Vg adds three
others, making a total of seven: Azariah's role in the marriage of Tobiah
and Sarah, recounted in 6:11-18, 7:10-13; joy for Sarah's parents, in 8:15-
21; and the rescue of Tobiah from the fish, in 6:3-5. For such reasons
Tobiah suggests that Azariah take half of all that they have brought back
to Nineveh. Granting the half of one's possessions is a hyperbole also
known from Esther 5:3-6; 7:2; compare Mark 6:23.
Both Greek texts use the verb θεραπεύω, which fundamentally means
"serve, worship," often with God as the object, but it also came in time to
mean "treat medically, heal, cure," as in LXX 2 Kgs 9:16; Josephus, J.W.
1.13.10 §272.
4. Tobit replied, "It is right, my boy, for him to get half of all that he has
brought with him. " VL basically agrees with G": Et dixit Thobis, lustum
est ilium, fili, dimidium horum quae tecum adtulit, except for "which he
has brought with you." G1 curtails: "The old man replied, 'That is right for
him.'" Vg casts it all in the form of a request made by Tobiah: "But I beg
2
you, father, to ask him if he perhaps will agree to take for himself a half
of all that has been brought here."
In effect, Tobit agrees with his son about the amount to be paid to
Azariah: half of all that they have brought back. In this way Tobit is
granting much in excess of what was originally agreed upon in 5 : 1 5 - 1 6 and
of what was the conventional rate of employment.
5. So Tobiah called Raphael3 and said, "For your wages, take half of all
that you have brought; take it and go with my farewell. " Lit. "go in good
health." VL agrees with G": Et uocauit ilium. Thobias, et dixit ei Accipe
dimidium horum quae tecum adtulisti. G1: "So Tobiah called the angel and
said to him, 'Take half of all that you [plural!] have brought.'" Vg casts the
sentence in indirect discourse and makes both Tobit and Tobiah summon
Azariah: "So the father and the son called him and took him aside and
began to ask that he would agree to accept half of all that they had
brought."
6. Then Raphael4 called the two of them privately to say to them, "Praise God
and acknowledge before all the living the good things that He has done for
you, so as to praise Him and sing hymns to His name. " VL has a fuller form
than G n : Tunc Raphahel uocauit ambos abscondite, et dixit illis, Deum
benedicite et illi confitemini, et ipsius maiestati date honorem: et confitemini
illi coram omnibus uiuentibus, quia fecit uobiscum bona, ut benedicatis Deo
et decantetis nomini eius, "Then ... acknowledge Him and give honor to His
majesty; acknowledge Him before all the living because He has done good
things for you so that you should praise ... ." G1: "Then he called ... 'and
acknowledge Him; admit His greatness and acknowledge before all the living
what He has done for you. It is good to praise God and exalt His name.'"
Clearly G" is defective at this point, omitting a clause by parablepsis, jumping
from one εξομολογεΐσθε to the other. Vg curtails and paraphrases: "Then he
said to them privately, 'Praise the God of Heaven and acknowledge Him
before all the living, because He has shown mercy to you.'"
Azariah's reaction to the proposal is his farewell address. His words at
first are hortatory and didactic (vv. 6-10), counselling Tobit and Tobiah
to be grateful to God (cf. Isa 38:16-20) for all the good that has come to
them both and to pursue good and not evil, to pray, fast, and give alms.
Thereupon follows his self-revelation (vv. 11-15).
Both Greek texts use the adverb κρυτττώς, "secretly," i.e. privately.
According to some commentators this is supposed to mean that he
3 MS S reads "him."
4 MS S reads "he."
summoned them apart from the women in the house, an interpretation that
is as gratuitous as it is eisegetical in light of the following context.
Declare God's words to all people with due honor; be not slow to
acknowledge Him. VL: Et sermones de operibus eius honorifice ostendite
et confitemini illi, "make honest declarations about His acts and ac-
knowledge Him." G1: "recounting with due honor the story of God's acts;
be not slow to acknowledge Him." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
7. It is right to conceal a king's secret, and to make manifest and
acknowledge the acts of God with due honor. Do good, and evil will not
come upon you. G1 basically agrees with G", but has only one infinitive in
the second clause with the adverb ένδόξως, instead of G n 's έντίμως (with
same meaning). VL preserves a better parallel in the aphorism, but omits
the third clause: Quoniam sacramentum regis bonum est abscondere, opera
autem Dei reuelare et confiteri honorificum est, "for it is good to conceal
a king's secret, but honorable to reveal and acknowledge God's acts." Vg
agrees with VL.
Having counselled prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God for all the
benefits recently received, Azariah now quotes aphorisms, and with due
banality he recommends the pursuit of good, not evil. Compare Prov 11:27,
"The one who seeks good begs for good will, but the one who searches for
evil will have evil befall him."
Noteworthy is the aphorism about concealing a king's secret, but
proclaiming God's acts, a saying intended to dominate the rest of Azariah's
counsels. Μυστήριον refers here to the undisclosed designs or plans of a
king. It finds a counterpart in the Elephantine Ahiqar 104: "[Cov]er up the
words of a king with the veil of the heart," 5 and in the Armenian Ahiqar
2:1: "Son, if you hear any word at the royal gate, make it die and bury it
in your heart; divulge it to no one." 6 For related sayings about a king's
word, see Qoh 8:2—4; Jdt 2:2. The secret plans of a sovereign are not to be
divulged by one to whom they are confided. God's deeds may be hidden or
secret, but they are to be proclaimed. Dionysius of Alexandria is said to
have quoted these words of Tob 12:7 by Eusebius (HE 7.11.2).
It is strange to find such a secular or profane aphorism in this context
in the Tobit story, even if the second part does have some pertinence. The
sense of the first part can be related to Wis 6:1 and 7:1—4, as Lebram has
shown. 7 It is exploited in v. 11 below.
5 H. L. Ginsberg, ANET, 4 2 8 - 2 9 .
6 See APOT, 2 . 7 2 9 .
7 J. C. H. Lebram, "Μυστήριον βασιλέως," Abraham unser Vater, 3 2 0 - 2 4 .
8. Prayer with fidelity and almsgiving with righteousness are a better good
than wealth with wickedness. G1: "Prayer with fasting, almsgiving, and
righteousness is good." VL may have preserved a better form of the
aphorism than either Greek text: Bona est oratio cum ieiunio et eleemosyna
cum iustitia: super utrumque autem melius est modicum cum iustitia quam
plurimum cum iniquitate, "Prayer with fasting is good, as is almsgiving
with righteousness: but better than either of them is a little with right-
eousness than much with wickedness." G n reads αληθείας, "truth, fidelity,"
whereas all the other versions have rather νηστείας, "fasting," or its
equivalent. Vg has only: "Prayer with fasting is good" (from VL), and joins
immediately the next aphorism.
This aphorism highlights the place of prayer and almsgiving in Jewish
life (compare Sir 7:10), to which fasting is added, as the three pillars of
Jewish works. Since νηστεία, "fasting," is present in G1, VL, and Vg, it is
probably a better reading here than μετά άληθείας of G", especially since the
combination "prayer and fasting" is known elsewhere (Neh 1:4; Ezra 8:23;
Joel 1:14; Jer 14:12), 8 but the threesome is found only here in the OT. Cf.
Matt 6:2-18. The last part of this aphorism imitates that of Prov 16:8
("Better is a little with righteousness than great resources with injustice").
Compare 2 Clement 16:4: "Almsgiving is good, therefore, even as penitence
for sin; fasting is better than prayer, but almsgiving is better than both; and
love 'covers a multitude of sins,' but prayer from a good conscience delivers
from death."
It is better to give alms than to hoard gold. G1 agrees with G n , as does
VL: Bonum est facere eleemosynam magis quam thesauros auri condere·,
similarly Vg.
Compare the sayings in Sir 29:11-12.
9. For almsgiving saves one from death; it wipes out all sin. G1 agrees with
G n , as does VL: Quia eleemosyna a morte libérât et ipsa purgat peccata.
Vg agrees with the first part, but changes the latter part: "and is that which
wipes away sins and enables one to find life eternal."
For almsgiving saving one from death, see 4:7-10, and the biblical
passages quoted in the NOTE on 4:10; for its effect of wiping out sin, see
Dan 4:24 (4:27E);9 Sir 3:30. As in 4:10, Jerome's Vg adds a further element,
the finding of life eternal, which is considerably different from "going off
8
See also some MSS of Mark 9:29; Matt 17:21; cf. Acts 13:3. Cf. Str-B, 1.759-60.
9
In Dan 4:24 π ρ ί ϊ appears in the sense of "righteousness," but that word in time
took on the nuance of "almsgiving," as the LXX and Theodotion of Dan 4:27 reveal
(έλεημοσύυαίξ), which corresponds to MT of 4:24.
into Darkness," as it was expressed by MS 319 in 4:10. Compare Prov

11:4.
Moore rightly comments: "To the frequent objection of older com-
mentaries that this verse contradicts both the letter and the spirit of the
Hebrew Bible, one should recognize the saying for what it clearly is: a
proverb." 10
Those who give alms will enjoy a full life. Lit. "will be satiated with
life." G1: "Those who practise almsgiving and righteousness will be filled
with life." VL expresses the matter still more fully: Qui faciunt eleemosynam
et miserationem et iustitiam saturabuntur uita, "those who practise
almsgiving, kindness, and righteousness will be satiated with life." Vg has
nothing that corresponds, having introduced "life eternal" in the preceding
saying.
The "life" that is meant in the Greek versions is the fullness of earthly
life in the present world, which differs from the idea of eternal life in
Jerome's Vg.
10. but those who commit sin and do wrong are their own worst enemies.
VL and Vg agree: Qui faciunt peccatum et iniquitatem hostes sunt animae
suae. G1 abridges: "but sinners are their own worst enemies."
Azariah's closing hortatory words thus pass on a verdict about sinners
and formulate a variant of Deuteronomic teaching. After that remark he
turns to reveal his identity.
11. Now I shall tell you the whole truth and shall not conceal any detail
from you. VL agrees with G": Omnem ueritatem uobis manifestabo, et non
abscondam a uobis ullum sermonem. G1 has only the last half of the
statement. Vg: "So I make known to you the truth, and I shall not hide
from you any secret."
Thus Azariah begins the real story about himself.
I have already told you, when I said, that it is right to conceal a king's
secret, and to make manifest the acts of God in honorable fashion. VL
agrees with G": Et iam uobis demonstraui et dixi quia sacramentum regis
bonum abscondere, opera autem Dei reuelare et confiteri honorificum est.
G1 shortens only the introductory words: "I have said that it is ... ." Vg has
Azariah repeats the aphorism uttered in v. 7 above, implying that he has
kept from them a secret of the King of Heaven, as he sought to manifest
God's bounty toward the house of Tobit. In this case, both Greek texts use
the same adverb ένδόξως; see NOTE on 12:7 above.
10
Tobit (AB), 270.
12. Well, when you prayed, as did Sarah too, it was I who brought the
record of your prayers into the glorious presence of the Lord; and likewise
when you buried the dead. VL basically agrees: Et tunc quando orabas tu
et Sarra, ego tuli memoriam orationis uestrae in conspectu claritatis Dei,
et legi: et cum sepelires mortuos, similiter, adding only "and I read (it)."
G1: "Well, when you prayed, as did your bride Sarah too, it was I who
brought the record of your prayers into the presence of the Holy One; when
you buried the dead, I was likewise present with you." Vg has only: "When
you prayed and buried the dead," but see the next NOTE.
When G1 refers to Sarah as "your bride," the remark is directed to
Tobiah, whereas the rest of the words refer to what the story has told
the reader about Tobit. Tobit's prayer was uttered in 3:2-6, Sarah's in
3:11-15.
Μνημόσυνου, "memorial, record," is used in Lev 2:2 for the cereal
offering (fine flour, oil, and frankincense) to be made to God on the altar,
"a pleasing odor to the Lord." This became the term for "memorial
portions" of Temple sacrifices (see further Lev 2:9, 16; 5:12; 6:15). From
this notion there developed in Judaism the idea of prayers, alms, and other
good works being offered to God as a "memorial" or a "record" before
Him; see Sir 35:6-7; 38:11; 45:16; cf. Acts 10:4 (the words of God's angel
to the Roman centurion Cornelius).
God is conceived of as a king into whose majestic presence such
reminiscences were introduced and formally presented. Compare Isa 6 : 1 -
3. In G1 the Lord God is called "the Holy One," as in Isa 40:25; 43:15; Job
6:10; Hab 3:3.
Raphael was not just a heavenly spectator of the prayers of Tobit and
Sarah or of Tobit's good deeds, but depicts himself as actively participating
in their heavenly effects; as an intermediary, he introduced their prayers
and good deeds into God's presence. Again, he was not just a heaven-sent
aide to guide Tobiah on his journey, but he actively engaged in the events
of that journey to Media. Moreover, in all this he has lived up to the
meaning of his name, "God has healed."
The "glorious presence" of the Lord appeared in 3:16 (see NOTE there).
For the notion of an angel carrying a record of good works before God,
see 3 Apoc. Baruch 11.4-9 (where Prince Michael comes down to receive
the prayers of human beings and to present their deeds in the presence of
God). Job 3 3 : 2 3 - 2 4 is sometimes quoted as a parallel to this mediatory
notion in Tobit, but in that passage, where an angel is mentioned as a
mediator between God and human beings, the direction of the mediation
is quite different. It is from God to humans. But compare Rev 8:3-4.
13/14. And when you did not hesitate to get up and leave your dinner to go
and bury the dead, / uthen I was sent to you to test you. Lit., "you shrouded
the dead," i.e. prepared them for burial, as in Sir 39:16. VL agrees with G":
Et quia te non piguit exsurgere et relinquere prandium tuum, et abiisti et
sepelisti mortuum, et missus sum tentare te. G1 begins in the same way, but
ends with: "your good deed did not escape me, but I was with you." Vg: "and
(when) you left your dinner behind and hid the dead by day in your house and
buried (them) at night, I offered your prayer to the Lord; because you were
acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should test you."
Whereas G1 omits completely the idea of Heaven testing Tobit, G" and
VL clearly record that the angel was sent to test Tobit. Jerome's Vg even
more clearly expresses Tobit's trial, but without involving the angel. The
test was undoubtedly Tobit's blindness, which occurred before Azariah
even appeared on the scene. In that case it is not clear why Tobit still had
to be tested further, and the story line hardly explains what this further
testing of Tobit through Raphael might be.
Sometimes God Himself is said to test human beings, as in Deut 13:3;
Jdt 8:25; Prov 3:12; Wis 3:5. The next sentence, however, states the matter
in this case more accurately in terms of the reason why God sent Raphael.
God sent me at the same time to heal you11 and Sarah, your son's bride.
VL agrees: Et misit me Dominus curare te et Sarram nurum tuam, omitting
only "at the same time," as does G1. Vg: "Now the Lord has sent me to cure
you and to set Sarah, the wife of your son, free of the demon."
So the angel restates his double heavenly mission; recall 3:17. He
emphasizes that God has sent him on this healing mission, which is more
of a sign of God's love than of a divine test.
15. I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand in attendance and
enter into the glorious presence of the Lord. Lit., "the glory of the Lord."
VL basically agrees: Ego enim sum Raphahel, unus de septem angelis
sanctis, qui adsistimus et conuersamur ante claritatem Dei, adding "holy"
to angels and using "God" instead of "the Lord." G1 agrees at first, but
ends "holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the
glorious presence of the Holy One." MS 990 reads: "of the great God" and
"holy." Vg abridges: "For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven who
stand before the Lord."
Azariah's real identity is finally made known. Recall the words of Tobit,
who in 5:11-14 sought to find out who he was. For the meaning of
Raphael's name, see NOTE on 1:1.
11 MS S wrongly omits " y o u , " which Hanhart has rightly restored.

"One of the seven" refers to the Angels of the Presence. "The Seven" are
not mentioned in the OT, but they appear in Rev 8:2. The idea of "seven
angels" is probably derived from Zech 4:10: the seven eyes of the Lord that
roam the earth. In the canonical writings of the OT, three of these angels
are named: Gabriel (Dan 8:16; 9:21); Michael (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1);
Raphael (Tob 3:17; 12:15). The names of the three appear together, along
with a fourth angel, at the fragmentary end of column 9 in the Qumran
War Scroll, which may have given other names as well: "On the shields of
the towers they will write: On the first 'Michael,' [on the second 'Gabriel,'
on the third] 'Sariel,' on the fourth 'Raphael'; 'Michael' and 'Gabriel' on
the [right, and 'Sariel' and 'Raphael'] on the left" (1QM 9:15-16). In
lQNoah (lQ19 bls ) 2:4, a fragmentary text said to be related to 1 Enoch
9:1, four names appear: "[Michael, Uriel, Ra]phael and Gabriel." 12 Six of
the seven are named in Greek Enoch 20:2-7: Uriel, Raphael, Raguel,
Michael, Sariel, Gabriel (cf. 1 Enoch 20:2-7). The Enochic literature has
a host of angels, chiefs of the dekadarchoi.13 See also 1 Enoch 71:9, where
Raphael is mentioned among four heavenly angels who accompany the
Head of Days. Compare 1 Enoch 9:1—4; Jub. 1:27, 29; 2:1-2; Rev 1:4;
8:2. 14
16. The two of them were alarmed and fell face down in their fear. Lit.
"because they feared." G1 agrees with G". MS 990 adds: im την γήν, "to
the ground." Similarly VL: Et conturbati sunt utrique et ceciderunt in
faciem et timuerunt. Vg has an introductory clause: "When they heard that,
they were alarmed and fell on their faces."
So the author records the reaction of Tobit and his son Tobiah to the
self-revelation of Azariah as Raphael, a heavenly messenger sent by God
Himself. Compare Josh 5:14; 7:6; Judg 13:20; Ezek 43:3; 44:4; Gen 17:3,
12 See DJD 1.152. In 1 Enoch the names are "Michael, Gabriel, Suriel, and Uriel," but
in the corresponding Aramaic text, 4QEn a 1 iv 6, they appear as "Michael, [Sariel],
Raphael, and Gabriel," with the second correctly restored according to the second
copy of the text (4QEn b 1 iii 7). See J. T. Milik, The Books of Enoch, 157, 170. So
one wonders whether lQNoah is rightly reconstructed with Uriel, and because it is
in Hebrew, whether it is rightly identified as Enochic.
13 Ibid., 1 5 2 - 5 6 .
14 Some commentators have sought to explain the derivation of the "seven angels"
from Iranian literature (about Amasa Spantas) or from Mesopotamian beliefs in
seven planetary deities, but most of that explanation is idle speculation, because
amasa spantas were actually six in number, three male and three female. There is
enough evidence from Jewish sources to show that seven Angels of the Presence were
at home there.
17 for similar reactions of fear and prostration before God or heaven-sent

messengers.
17. but Raphael15 said to them, "Do not be afraid; peace be with you!
Praise God at all times! VL agrees: Et dixit illis Raphahel, Nolite timere,
pax uobiscum, Deum benedicite in omni aeuo; similarly G1, which omits
"all." Vg: "The angel said to them, 'Peace to you! Do not be afraid.'"
Raphael utters traditional comforting words (cf. Judg 6:23; Dan 10:11;
Luke 24:36) in order to curb the alarm manifested by Tobit and Tobiah at
his self-revelation. He seeks to dispell fear of himself by ascribing all to
God, whose agent he has been.
18. When I was with you, it was not owing to any favor of mine that I was
with you, but to the will of God. So praise Him and sing to Him all your
days. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 17 i 1 reads: p o i ? ΓΗ[Π Ή3], "[when] I [w]as with
you." VL agrees with G11: Etenim cum essem uobiscum, non mea gratia
eram, sed uoluntate Dei: ipsi ergo benedicite et omnibus diebus decantate
ei. G1 curtails: "For it was not owing to any favor of mine that I came, but
to the will of our God. So praise Him forever." Vg: "For when I was with
you, (it was) by the will of God; (so) praise Him and sing to Him."
Raphael seeks to get Tobit and his son to understand that God's gracious
initiative was the source of his mission and of the effects of it, the cure of
Tobit's blindness and the freeing of Sarah from Asmodeus' influence. He
insists that he has merely been an agent of the gracious God who has been
providing for them. Cf. 1 Chr 16:9.
19. Take note that I did not eat (or drink) anything; what you saw was
a vision. Lit., "a vision was seen unto you." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 17 i 2 has:
ΓΡΠΪ0Κ Kf1?, "I did [n]ot drink." VL puts it a bit differently: Videbatis enim
me quia manducabam, sed uisu uestro uidebatis (MS M : uisui uestro
uidebatis me quia bibebam), "For you used to see me eating, but you were
seeing with your own (faculty of) sight" (MS M: "you were seeing with
your own sight that I was drinking"). As also G1: "All those days I merely
appeared to you and did not eat or drink; but you were seeing a vision."
Vg paraphrases: "I seemed indeed to eat and drink with you, but I use
invisible food and a drink that cannot be seen by human beings."
The Qumran Aramaic text has fortunately preserved enough of the line
to show that there was a negative adverb before the verb. With that the
Greek of G" agrees, even if it has only ούκ εφαγον ούθέν, whereas the
Aramaic speaks of drinking. G1 has the two verbs: ουκ εφαγου ούδέ ετπον.
15 MS S reads " h e . "

In other versions, a vision is used to explain the angel's eating; so in the

Latin. Recall the form of the text in 6:6, where G1 has the plural verb,
εφαγον, "they ate," meaning that Tobiah and Azariah ate some of the fish
caught in the Tigris (see NOTE there). In effect, Raphael insists that he
belongs to another world, the transcendent world of God, and so has no
need of human food and drink. The implication in all of this is that he has
no need either of a recompense for his services.
20. Now then praise the Lord on this earth and acknowledge God. Look,
I am ascending to the One who sent me. Aramaic 4Q196 17 i 3 has
preserved: ΚΠ], "[Look, I] am ascending." VL has a different
opening: Et nunc surgite a terra et confitemini Deo. Ecce ego ascendo ad
eum qui me misit, "Now get up from the ground and acknowledge God.
Look, I ... ." G1: "Now then acknowledge God, because I am ascending to
the One who sent me." Vg: "It is time, then, that I return to him who sent
me; as for you, praise God and recount all his wondrous deeds."
"Acknowledge God": Give God the praise that is His due.
Raphael's concluding words about his departure are similar to those of
the Johannine Jesus in John 16:5.16 Compare Judg 13:20, where the "man
of God" (an angel in disguise) ascends in a flame of the altar.
"Write down all these things that have happened to you." And he
ascended. Hebrew 4Q200 6:1 has: ΙΠ^ΙΠΙ ΠΓΠ ΠΚ ΏΓΌ], "['Write
down all] this deed.' And he ascended." VL agrees: Scribite ergo omnia
quae contigerunt uobis. Et ascendit. G1: "Write in a scroll all the things that
have been accomplished." Vg: See end of preceding NOTE and the first one
on v. 21.
This instruction of Raphael imitates God's instruction to Moses in Exod
17:14, and even more so Deut 31:19, 22 ("write this song"). It undoubtedly
is meant as the occasion for the composition of the Book of Tobit.
The Hebrew verb infuni is strange; it seems to be a hiphil of Û with
a pronominal suffix used in a reflexive sense (lit. "he caused him [= himself]
to go up"), as is found in Sir 7:7, 16 and possibly in Ezek 29:3, unless one
should take God to be the subject of the verb.17 Zimmermann strangely
maintains that "the original Aramaic text read 'and he disappeared,' cf. Jud
6.21. The Aramaic root slq was interpreted 'go up' instead of 'disappear.'" 18
Compare Judg 13:20, "and when the flame went up from the altar to the
16
See E. Schweizer, ZNW 57 (1966) 201.
17
See A. Abronin, "nilSJn," Lesonenu 1 ( 1 9 2 8 - 2 9 ) 2 0 6 - 1 0 , esp. 2 0 7 - 8 ; Joüon-
Muraoka, GBH §146k.
18
See The Book of Tobit, 21; cf. p. 148 (where speculation reigns).
heavens, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame from the altar, and
Manoah and his wife fell upon their faces to the ground." The Hebrew
reads: 3Γ02 ΓΠίΤ ""[Κ^Ώ where the verb is clearly qal imperfect, not
hiphil, pace Moore. 19
21. When they got up, they were no longer able to see him. Aramaic 4Q196
17 i 4 has preserved only: Π ηΓΠΰ1?], " [to see] him, " which is followed by the
first word of v. 22. Hebrew 4Q200 6:2 preserves only: 1Π[1]Κ [ΊΚΊ 111? Kl^l],
"[and they no longer saw] h[i]m." VL agrees with the wording of G": Et
surrexerunt et non potuerunt ilium uidere. G1 ends with: "they no longer saw
him." Vg: "And when he had said this, he was taken from their sight, and they
were no longer able to see him."
How Tobit and Tobiah were able to ascertain this (in Vg) becomes a
problem, when one reads the form v. 22 takes in Vg.
22. They continued to praise God and sing to His honor; they acknowledged
God for those mighty deeds (great deed) of His, and were amazed how an
angel of God appeared to them. Hebrew 4Q200 6:2-3 has: ΠΌ-α» ΠΟΠ ITI
1*00 non1?] n t a ] no·"« D\-ioim ^πηη it»[iro bv ιηικ amiai ανπ1?« πκ o ^ n o ] !
[DTIl'PS, lit. "they were praising and [lauding God and acknowledging
Him for] His great [dee]d (or: [dee]ds) and were amazed how there appeared
[to them an angel of God]." Aramaic 4Q196 17 i 4-5 preserves a bit too:
[•]•·• "INâ "prò τπηκ] . . [panila] nm, lit. "they were [praising] ... [(that)
there appeared to them the an]gel of [ ]," the four dots representing the
tetragrammaton. VL agrees with G": Et benedicebant et decantabant Deo,
et confitebantur Uli in omnibus operibus magnis illius, quia apparuit illis
angelus Dei, using only three verbs in the main clause and "in all His great
deeds." G1 abridges: "They continued to acknowledge the great and
wonderful deeds of God, especially that the angel of the Lord appeared to
them." Vg has its own conclusion: "Then lying prostrate on their faces for
three hours, they praised God; rising up, they recounted all His wondrous
acts."
The use of four dots as a substitute for the tetragrammaton is found in
the Aramaic form of 14:2 (4Q196 18:15). It is also found in other Qumran
texts: 1QS 8:14 (which quotes Isa 40:3); 4QTestim (4Q175) 1, 19 (which
quotes Deut 5:28 and 33:11); 4QTanhumim (4Q176) 1 - 2 i 6, 7, 9; 1 - 2 ii
3; 8-11:6, 8, 10.
19
Tobit (AB), 273.
Bibliography
Dion, P.-E., "Raphaël l'exorciste," Bib 57 (1976) 399-413.

Griffin, P. J., A Study of Eleëmosynë in the Bible.
Lebram, J. C. Η., "Μυστήριον βασιλέως," Abraham unser Vater, 320-24.
Pautrel, R. and M. Lefebvre, "Trois textes de Tobie sur Raphaël {Tob., V, 22; III,
16s; XII, 12-15)," RSR 39 (1951) 115-24.
IV. Tobit's Song of Praise and His Death (13:1-14:2)
G": 1(Then) Tobit spoke up (and com- G1: 'Then Tobit wrote his prayer in
posed a song of praise and said), "Praise exultation and said, "Praise be to God
be to God who lives forever, and praised who lives forever, and praised be His
be His kingship (for all ages), kingship,
2because He flogs and shows mercy. 2because He flogs and shows mercy.
He brings down to Hades far below and He brings down to Hades and brings
brings back from the great abyss. There back. There is no one who will escape
is nothing that will escape ( What is there His hand.
that snatches from) His hand.
3Acknowledge Him in the sight of the Acknowledge Him in the sight of the
nations, O Israelites, for He has scat- nations, O Israelites, for He has scat-
tered you (you are banished) among tered us among them,
them,
Aand there He has shown you (re- 4and there He has shown His great-
count) His greatness. Exalt Him in the ness. Exalt Him in the sight of every
sight of every living being, because He is living being, because He is our Lord; He
our (your) Lord, He is our God, He is is God, our father, for ever and ever.
our father, and He is God for ever and
ever.
5 He may flog you for your wicked 5He may flog us for our wicked deeds,
deeds, but He will show mercy to all of but He will show mercy again and
you from all the nations among which gather us from all the nations among
you have been scattered. which you have been scattered.
6When you turn to Him with all your 6When you turn to Him with all your
heart and all your soul to act in faithful- heart and all your soul to act in faithful-
ness to Him, then He will turn to you ness to Him, then He will turn to you
and hide His face from you no longer. and will not hide His face from you.
Consider now what He has done for Consider now what He will do for you,
you, and gratefully acknowledge Him and gratefully acknowledge Him with
with full voice. Praise the Lord of right- full voice. Praise the Lord of righteous-
eousness; extol the King of ages! ness; exalt the King of ages!
VL: 6bIn the land of my captivity I In the land of my captivity I gratefully
acknowledge Him and make known His acknowledge Him and make known His
power and His majesty to a sinful na- might and His majesty to a sinful na-
tion. Turn, you sinners, and do what is tion. Turn, you sinners, and do what is
righteous before Him (according to your righteous before Him. Who knows
302 Tobit's Song of Praise and His Death (13:1-14:2)
heart). Who knows whether He will whether He will welcome you or par-
welcome you to pardon you? don you?
7 I and my soul express joy to the King 7 I extol my God, and my soul extols
of Heaven, and my soul will rejoice all the King of Heaven; it will rejoice in His
the days of my life. majesty.
8Praise the Lord all you chosen ones, 8Let all speak out and acknowledge
and let every one laud His majesty. (Let Him in Jerusalem.
them speak with psalms), spend days in
rejoicing, and acknowledge Him.
'Jerusalem, holy city, He has afflicted 'Jerusalem, holy city, He will afflict
you because of what your hands have you because of the deeds of your chil-
done. dren, but will again show mercy to the
children of the righteous.
10 Acknowledge the Lord in goodness, 10Acknowledge the Lord in goodness,
and praise the Lord of the ages! S: And and praise the King of the ages! That
once again your tabernacle will be built once again His tabernacle may be built
with joy within you, that through you with joy within you, that through you
He may cheer all captives and forever- He may cheer captives and forevermore
more love in you all who are distressed. love in you all who are distressed.
11 A bright light will shine unto all the "Many nations from afar will come
ends of the earth. Many nations will to the name of the Lord God, bearing
come to you from afar, inhabitants from gifts in their hands, gifts for the King of
the most remote parts of the earth to heaven. Generation after generation will
your holy name, bearing gifts in their present you with rejoicing.
hands for the King of Heaven. Genera-
tion after generation will present in you
a joyful offering, and the (great) name
of the chosen one will last for ever and
ever.
12 Cursed be all who will speak harshly 12Cursed be all who hate you; but
against you; (cursed be all who hate you blessed forever will be all who love you.
and all who speak against you); cursed
be all who will purge you and pull down
your walls, all who overturn your tow-
ers, and all who set fire to your dwell-
ings. But blessed forever will be all who
reverence you.
13 Go, then, rejoice (and exult) over 13 Rejoice and exult over the children
the children of the righteous, because of the righteous, because they will all be
they will all be gathered together and gathered together and will praise the
will praise the Lord of eternity. Lord of the righteous.
14Blessed are those who love you, and 14 How blessed are those who love you;
blessed are (all) those who rejoice in they will rejoice in your peace. Blessed
your peace. Blessed are all people who are those who have grieved over all your
Tobit's Song of Praise and His Death (13:1-14:2) 303
will grieve over you because of all your afflictions, for they will rejoice over you
afflictions, for they will rejoice over you when they see all your glory and will be
and forever witness all your joy. cheered forever.
15 Praise the Lord, my soul, who is the 15 Let my soul praise God, the great
great King! King!

16For Jerusalem will be rebuilt as a 16 For Jerusalem will be rebuilt with
city to be His dwelling-place for all ages. sapphire and emerald, and your walls
How blessed shall I be if a remnant of with precious stone; its towers and
my offspring will see your glory and embattlements with finest gold.
gratefully acknowledge the King of
Heaven! The gates of Jerusalem will be
built of sapphire and emerald, and all
your walls of precious stone. The tow-
ers of Jerusalem will be built of gold
(and wood), and their embattlements of
finest gold.
17 The streets of Jerusalem will be 17The streets of Jerusalem will be
paved with garnet and stone of Ophir. paved with beryl, garnet, and stone of
Ophir.
18The gates of Jerusalem will sing out 18A11 its lanes will cry out "Hallelu-
with hymns of joy, and all its houses jah," and they will give praise, saying,
will cry out, "Hallelujah, praised be the "Praise be to God who has exalted you
God of Israel!" And (in you) the blessed forever! "
will praise His holy name for ever and
ever.
1 4 : , So ended Tobit's words of thanks- 14:1 So Tobit ended his thanksgiving.
giving. He died in peace at the age of
one hundred and twelve and was buried
with honor in Nineveh.
2 He was (fifty-eight) sixty-two years 2He was fifty-eight years old when he
old when he was blinded, and after he lost his sight, and after eight years he
regained his sight he lived ([fifty-]four regained it, and he continued to give
years) in prosperity, giving alms and alms, and to fear the Lord God and
never ceasing to praise (fear) God and acknowledge Him.
acknowledge God's majesty.
COMMENT
In the last two chapters Tobit becomes again the principal actor, just as he
was in the first t w o chapters of the book. One sees then the reason why the
book is named after him, rather than after his son, who was so prominent
in the central portion of the story.
In 12:17 Raphael counselled Tobit to "praise God at all times." Now

the good Jew that he is, Tobit follows the angel's advice and utters a
lengthy prayer in praise of God, thanking Him for his deliverance. It is the
sixth formal prayer in the book. Tobit praises and thanks God for what He
has done for him and other Jewish exiles, and begs that God will do the
same for the holy city of His presence among them, Jerusalem. The prayer
thus falls into two parts: (1) Verses 1-8, in which Tobit praises God's
mercy and sovereign freedom in the manner of the song of Moses in Exod
15:1-18 and of the canonical psalms extolling God's kingship; he expresses
his concern too for deported Israelites still in Assyria. (2) Verses 9-18, in
which exiled Tobit sings of a restored Jerusalem and its rebuilt Temple in
the manner of prophetic passages of the OT, especially of Deutero- and
Trito-Isaiah (54:11-12; 60:1-4; 66:10-14), but also Mie 4:2; Zech 8:22.
Tobit in his prayer first acknowledges the sovereignty of the ever-living
God, who justly metes out to human beings trials of various sorts, but he
extols even more His gracious mercy toward them. In his diaspora situation,
Tobit calls upon his fellow Israelites to confess their faith and acknowledge
their God in the sight of all nations among whom they have been brought
to live. For "He is our God; He is our father." Tobit thus recognizes that
he and his fellow exiled Jews must turn to God in all fidelity, and that He
will no longer turn His face away from them. He calls on them to admit
what God, the Lord of righteousness and King of all the ages, has done for
them even in their deportation and captivity. This part of Tobit's prayer
continues his recognition of God's majesty and the way He has dealt with
a sinful people.
The second major lacuna in MS S is encountered at v. 6b and lasts until
v. 10a; but the story is continued in other versions, and a bit of the lacuna
is found in Aramaic 4Q196, which shows that MS S is indeed defective.
Parablepsis may be responsible for the omission in MS S, for v. 6a ends
with βασιλέα των αιώνων, "King of the ages," and v. 10a in G1 has the same
phrase. The vv. 6b-10a, however, are crucial to the understanding of the
prayer, especially of vv. 10-12, where the singular "you" would be
unintelligible, if "Jerusalem" were not addressed in v. 9, at the beginning
of the second part of the hymn. My translation follows the Long Recension
of VL for vv. 6b-10a.
In v. 9, Tobit's prayer focusses on Jerusalem, which he reckons will
suffer destruction because of what its "hands have done." Exiled Tobit
prays that God's tabernacle will once again be erected in that holy city, and
that its glory will be reflected "unto all the ends of the earth." He prays that
many nations will come there to worship God along with the Jewish
people, and that the city and its Temple will last forever. Tobit also invokes
a curse on all who might attack Jerusalem and a blessing on all who will
grieve over its fate and rejoice over its peace and prosperity. He begs that
Jerusalem be rebuilt in splendor and even describes the precious stones,
wood, and gold with which he hopes it will be reconstructed, so that one
day the city, its gates, and its houses will all cry out, "Hallelujah, praised
be the God of Israel!" (v. 18).
Throughout the prayer one notes the theme of God's punishment of the
evil that has been done in Israel, but also of God's gracious mercy, which
He is willing to manifest again to His chosen people.
The contents of Tobit's hymn of praise actually relate to more than
Tobit's own experience and that of his family. For this reason commentators
have often wondered whether the hymn had a previous independent
existence, a hymn that the author has taken over as an adequate expression
of praise of God on the lips of the elderly Tobit, in the way that some other
hymns in the O T have often been understood (e.g. the song of Hannah in
1 Sam 2 : 1 - 1 0 ; of David in 2 Sam 1 - 5 1 ; of a Davidic king in Psalm 18; of
Jonah in Jon 2 : 3 - 1 0 ) . This question is raised also because part or all of
Tobit's hymn is lacking in some versions (e.g. Syriac, medieval Aramaic of
Neubauer). Several verses of the hymn are preserved in the Aramaic and
Hebrew texts of Qumran, which show that the hymn is not a product of
secondary incorporation at a later date.
Much more important, however, is the influence of Deuteronomy 3 1 -
32 in the first part of this chapter, as many commentators have noted
already. In those chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses at the age of 120
summons the people of Israel and tells them that they, not he, would cross
the Jordan and enter the Promised Land to dispossess the nations that dwell
there. There they would forsake their God Yahweh and break the covenant
with Him; then He would kindle His anger and hide His face from them,
and many troubles would come upon them. In view of that Moses composed
a song recorded in Deuteronomy 32, from which a number of verses in
Tobit's prayer are drawn, as S. Weitzman has shown. Indeed, reflections of
that Song reveal an allusive strategy at work in the book as a whole, which
shows that "the hymn—at least as it appears in its present narrative
context—is inextricably related to the poetics and ideology of Tobit as a
whole.'" Note how details in Deut 31:19, 22 are echoed in Tob 12:17. As
Moses composed his song shortly before his death, so Tobit composes his
prayer of praise shortly before his.
1 See S. Weitzman, "Allusion, Artifice, and Exile in the Hymn of Tobit," JBL 115
(1996) 4 9 - 6 1 , esp. 51.
After Tobit ends his prayer of praise, which is now called his "words of
thanksgiving," his death is recounted: he died at the age of 112 and was
buried with honor in Nineveh.
The medieval Aramaic text of Neubauer has nothing that corresponds
to Chap. 13 of the ancient versions.2 It records Tobit's blessing in one verse.
Medieval H M has a considerably shortened form of Tobit's praise, which
it says "he wrote down," and with which its story ends, having nothing
about the death of Tobit or his wife, or about Raguel and his wife. After
v. 2, HL is totally different from Vg and the other ancient versions. The
second part of Tobit's prayer (vv. 9 - 1 8 ) is not found in the non-Syro-
Hexaplaric Syriac version, but it does appear in the Syro-Hexaplaric MS
8fl.
NOTES
13:1. (Then) Tobit spoke up (and composed a song of praise and said),3
"Praise be to God who lives forever, and praised be His kingship for all
ages." Lit. "Blessed be God who lives forever, and His kingship." Hebrew
4 Q 2 0 0 6 : 4 - 5 has a fuller form: / "ΠΟ]Κ1 ΠΠΠίίΙΓΠ Π^ΠΠ 31Π31 ->mtû Ί2Ί pu
îniDîa nion •"•ta'Piyn -ItöK TI [cpn1?« -|rQ, lit. "Then Tobit spoke up and
composed a hymn in praise and sa[id, 'Blest be] the living [God], whose
kingship is for all ages.'" VL is closer to the Hebrew than G": Tunc locutus
est Thobis et scripsit orationem in laetitia et dixit, Benedictus es, Deus,
quia magnus es, et uiuis in aeternum, " . . . composing a speech in joy, and
said, 'Blest are you, O God, because you are great and you live forever.'"
G1 is closer to the Hebrew form than G": "Tobit wrote a prayer in exultation
and said," having the rest as in G". Vg makes Tobit address God directly:
"The elder Tobit opened his mouth and blessed God, saying, 'You are, O
Lord, forever great, and your kingdom (lasts) for all ages.'"
Tobit's prayer begins as did other prayers in 3:11; 8:5, 15; its opening
imitates Ps 144:1; 1 Chr 29:10; L X X Dan 3:26. He praises the ever-living
God who has guided his own destiny, his troubles, and his cure.
"His kingship" refers to God's way of governing, which is illustrated in
the following verses of the hymn.
2 According to G. Bickell, chaps. 1 3 - 1 4 , having nothing about tithing, were omitted

by the medieval copyist, who inserted the rest of the Tobit story into the midrash on
Gen 28:22 to illustrate Jacob's promise to give God a tenth of all (ZKT 2 [1878]
216).
3 MS S reads only, "And he said."
2. because He flogs and shows mercy. He brings down to Hades far below
and brings back from the great abyss. Hebrew 4Q200 6:5-7 reads: "ItSN
[ n ^ n t a o ] i n n a n^sro n a m r r n n n n ^ K t s i y i m a amia n[Kim / m o ]n«in,
"because He [afflicts and] shows mercy, brings down to lowest Sheol, and
he brings up from the [gr]eat abys[s]." VL at first agrees with G": Quia ipse
flagellai et miseretur: deducit usque ad inferos deorsum, but ends with:
reducit a perditione maiestate sua, "by His majesty He brings back from
destruction." G1 abridges: "Because He flogs and shows mercy. He brings
down to Hades and brings back." Vg again addresses God directly: "Because
you scourge and you save, you lead down to hell and bring back."
Tobit's prayer echoes what he said in 11:15; it also reflects the prayer
of Hannah in 1 Sam 2:6, "The Lord slays and revives; He brings down to
Sheol and brings back." It thus extols the sovereign freedom of God who
controls all. It also imitates the thinking of Deuteronomy, where Yahweh
is depicted saying, "I slay and make alive, I wound and I heal, and no one
can rescue from my hand" (Deut 32:39). Compare also Wis 16:13; 12:22;
Ps 89:31-35.
The preservation of [n]*?n[3 D ] i n n a , "from the great abyss," eliminates
the speculation of Zimmermann that underlying the Greek εκ της άπωλείας
της μεγάλης was the Hebrew 1ΓΠΚ.4 What the Greek versions call Hades,
the Hebrew calls Sheol and the great abyss, i.e. the realm of the dead. See
NOTE on 4:19. Sheol is set here in parallelism with "the great abyss,"
using Hebrew Π1ΠΠ, the name for the primordial sea of Gen 1:2; 7:11; Jonah
2:6.
Because Tobit thinks of God as one who brings people up from Sheol,
it raises the question about his belief in an afterlife. He may be hinting at
something like resurrection of the righteous (Dan 12:2), but that is far from
certain, because it may, as in the case of Hannah, be a figurative way of
referring to release from disease or barrenness.
There is nothing that will escape (What is there that snatches from) His
hand. Hebrew 4Q200 6:7 casts the thought in the form of a rhetorical
question: l~PO nSEP Π01, "and what is there that snatches from His
hand?" Both Greek versions have the verb έκφεύξεται, "will escape," and
VL has effugiat, which is a nuance slightly different from the question
posed in the Hebrew text. Beyer (ATTME, 134) regards the Hebrew verb
•>S3 used in the sense attested here as an Aramaic loanword. Vg: "and there
is nothing that will escape your hand." Cf. Deut 32:39c; Job 10:7; Wis
16:15.

308 Tobit's Song of Praise and His Death ( 1 3 : 1 - 1 4 : 2 )
3. Acknowledge Him in the sight of the nations, O Israelites, for He has

scattered you (you are banished) among them. Hebrew 4Q200 6:7-8 reads:
nana ΑΤΗ] NON« im [CUN â1? ·?Κ]ΊΕΡ Ή Ι1? ΠΙΠ, " . . . you who are
banished among them." Aramaic 4Q196 17 i 13 has preserved only "|1 [!"•],
"[among t]hem." VL agrees with G": Confitemini illi, filii Israel, coram
nationibus, quia ipse dispersit uos in illis, as does G1, which reads, however,
"us" instead of "you." Vg is fuller: "Acknowledge the Lord, O Israelites,
and extol him in the sight of the nations, because He has scattered you
among the nations for this reason that you may declare His wondrous
deeds and make them know that there is no other almighty God besides
Him."
What I have translated as "Israelites" is actually οί uioì Ισραήλ, lit.
"sons of Israel." Zimmermann maintains it to be "a term never used by the
Judeans of the Second Commonwealth to describe themselves." 5 Yet it
appears here and in 14:7 (MS S), as well as in Jdt 4:1, 8; 5:1, 23, etc. It
stands in contrast to υιοί Χαναάν, "Canaanites" (Jdt 5:3), and υιοί Μαδιάν,
"Midianites" (Jdt 2:26).
Even though God had to disperse the people of Israel because of their
transgressions of the covenant with Him, His majestic mercy is still greater.
It is again an echo of Deuteronomic retribution (Deut 4:25—40). In its exile,
Israel is called on to acknowledge God even there, "in the sight of the
nations" (Assyrians, Babylonians, and Medes). Cf. 1 Chr 16:8-9.
4. and there He has shown you His greatness. So G" and G1 have preserved
the beginning of this verse; similarly VL: et ibi ostendit misericordiam eius,
"His mercy." However, Hebrew 4Q200 6:8 has: ["l^na ΠΚ 1]Ί30 ΠΒ»Ί, "and
there recount [His greatness]." Aramaic 4Q196 17 i 13 has only: ]0Π1, "and
there."
Compare Deut 32:3, "Ascribe greatness to our God."
Exalt Him in the sight of every living being, because He is our (your)
Lord, He is our God, He is our father, and He is God for ever and ever.
Lit. "until all the ages." Hebrew 4Q200 6:9-10 has preserved: ÊÒ]
[•,|ia'7iy] ^[lS1? ... nöD^n1?« «im [ Π Β ^ Π Κ ΚΙΠ ΚΌ TI, "[before eve]ry living
being, because He is your Lord, He is [your] God ... [for eve]r [and ever]."
Similarly, Aramaic 4Q196 17 i 14 preserves only: ΚΊΠΊ ·ρ[3ΐΟΒ Kin], G1
agrees initially with G", but shortens the ending: "He is God, our father,
for ever and ever." VL begins similarly: et exaitate ilium coram omni
uiuente, but continues: quoniam ipse est Dominus Deus noster, et ipse
pater noster et Deus in omnia saecula saeculorum, "because He is the Lord,
5 Ibid., 2 5 .
our God; He is our father and God for ever and ever." Vg has nothing that
corresponds, but see the final NOTE on v. 3 above.
The recognition of God as "Lord" is striking, because it does not use the
tetragrammaton (or a substitute for it, such as the four dots, which appear
in 4Q196 18:15 or 17 i 5), but rather Hebrew "|ΠΚ, "Lord," as in Ps 114:7.
For it I have restored "pfSKIO in the corresponding Aramaic text.
Although neither the Aramaic nor the Hebrew text has preserved it, one
should note here the acknowledgement of God as "father," the only time
it is so used in this writing. It denotes God as the progenitor of corporate
Israel, echoing the notion already found in Deut 32:6; Isa 63:16; 64:7;
Jer 3:4, 19; Wis 2:16; 14:3; Sir 23:1, 4. Cf. 3 Macc 5:7. The title implies
that Tobit and his fellow Jewish deportees constitute a family, whose
head is God as Father. It stresses His role in the present plight of the Jews
and their coming joyful lot in restoration and the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Note especially the threefold use of ημών, "our," with κύριος, θεός, and
πατήρ.
5. He may flog you for your wicked deeds, but He will show mercy to all
of you from all the nations among which you have been scattered. Aramaic
4Q196 17 i 15 preserves only: p ^ f t a n *?!?], "[for] your [si]ns." VL basically
agrees with G u , but has a crucial verb omitted in MS S: Flagellami uos ob
iniquitates uestras, et omnium miserebitur uestrum, et colliget uos ab
omnibus nationibus ubicunque dispersi fueritis, "... and will gather you
from all the nations ... ." G1 does so too but changes "you" to "us," except
at the end: "among which you have been scattered." Vg paraphrases: "He
has flogged us because of our wicked deeds, and He will save us in His
mercy."
Tobit's prayer echoes the formulation of Deut 30:1-3, "If you call them
[the blessings and curses] to mind among all the nations where Yahweh
your God has driven you, and return to Yahweh your God ... and obey His
voice ... with all your heart and soul, then Yahweh your God will restore
your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the
peoples where He has scattered you." The theme of Deuteronomic
retribution thus reappears; see NOTES on 1:12; 4:6. Cf. Prov 3:12; 13:24;
Hos 10:10; Sir 30:1.
6. When you turn to Him with all your heart and all your soul to act in
faithfulness to Him, then He will turn to you and hide His face from you
no longer. Lit. "to do truth before Him." Aramaic 4Q196 17 i 1 6 to 17
ii 1 - 2 agrees with G" and G1, reading: ηΐ3ΐ0Ξ3]3 p a 1 ? / ΪΏ2 V\t>[V]
[n]y ]1D]Q Yl[lD]X mo· ] Ν ?! p ^ y ΠΜΠ^ -piK Ktûtôip -QItt3]t7. VL has a briefer
1 1
form of the temporal clause: Cum conuersi fueritis ad ilium ex toto corde
uestro, ut faciatis coram ilio ueritatem, tunc reuertetur ad uos, et non

auertet (MSS M R X : nec abscondet) faciem suam a uobis amplius. Vg has
The double turning is undoubtedly the author's way of echoing Deut
3 0 : 2 - 3 , and especially Deut 32:20. It is also a favorite prophetic theme: see
Jer 3 : 1 3 - 1 6 , 22; Zech 1:3.
Consider now what He has done for you, and gratefully acknowledge
Him with full voice. Praise the Lord of righteousness; extol the King of
ages! Lit. "with all your mouth." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 17 ii 2 - 3 has: rï?[ m m ]
[n*7 liaiai]m Kt2t2Mp[ ΠΙΟ1? 13]Ί31 p a a "[and acknowledge] Him with all
your mouth; ble[ss the Lord of] righteousness, and ex[tol Him]." G1 agrees
with G11, but MS Β wrongly reads σώματι, "body," instead of στόματι,
"mouth." VL has: Et nunc aspicite quae fecit Dominus uobis, et confitemini
illi ex toto corde uestro, ut faciatis coram ilio ueritatem: et benedicite
Domino in iustitia (MSS M X : Dominum iustitiae), et exaitate regem
saeculorum, which agrees initially with G n , but then changes: "acknowledge
Him with all your heart so that you do truth before Him; praise the Lord
with righteousness and extol the King of ages!" Vg abridges and para-
phrases: "Look, then, at what He has done for you and acknowledge Him
with fear and trembling; extol the king of ages with your deeds." Jerome's
Vg may be influenced by Phil 2:12. Cf. Ps 2:11.
The phrase "King of ages" is also found in 1 Tim 1:17. Cf. Ps 145:13.
6b. In the land of my captivity I acknowledge Him and make known His
power and His majesty to a sinful nation. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 17 ii 3 - 4 reads:
•px[tan DI? Dip n n j n n nrnu^ 1 ? ru« m]noi / η1? minia KO» [ninfo rm], "[in
the land of] captivity [I] acknowledge Him, and [I] make kn[own] his
[po]wer and [His] maj[esty before a sin]ful [people]." MS S has a lacuna,
which lasts until v. 10a; the lemmata from here to v. 10a are a translation
of VL. G1 agrees with VL: Ego in terra captiuitatis meae confiteor illi, et
ostendo uirtutem ipsius, et maiestatem eius coram natione peccatrice. Vg
paraphrases thus: "But I shall acknowledge Him in the land of my captivity,
because He has manifested His majesty to a sinful nation."
Commentators are divided about the meaning of "a sinful nation,"
which may refer to the Assyrians, among whom the Israelites are now
captives; or it may refer to Israel, known for its sinful past.
Turn, you sinners, and do what is righteous before Him (according to
your heart). Who knows whether He will welcome you to pardon you?
Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 17 ii 4 - 5 reads: ]Π I>]T []0 ^motpf m i ? m s ] i p / p a s ' ?
[p 1 ? jNIT^fO mnn, "according to your heart [do what is] right[eous] before
Hi[m. Who] kno[ws whether p]ardon [will be yours]?" G1 agrees with VL,
quoted in the lemma. Vg: "So be converted, O sinners, and do what is right
before God, believing that He will show you His mercy."
Compare Joel 2:13-14, "Rend your hearts, not your garments, and
return to the Lord, your God. For gracious is He, slow to anger, rich in
kindness, and relenting in punishment. Perhaps He will again relent and
leave behind Him a blessing." Also Jon 3:9.
7.1 and my soul express joy to the King of Heaven, and my soul will rejoice
all the days of my life. Aramaic 4Q196 17 ii 5 - 6 reads: Düna / TÒK1?!]
["Π ->]Ών ·?3[ ... "Ι^Ο1? ·ΈΉ[]1 Π3Κ, "[I extol my God, and] my [s]oul
(extols) the Ki[ng of Heaven ... ]all the day[s of my life]." G1 reads: "I extol
my God, and my soul extols the King of Heaven; it will rejoice in His
majesty." Vg abridges: "I and my soul express our joy in Him."
The title, "King of Heaven," is found in Dan 4:37; for the background
of the title, see 1 Kgs 8:30; Ps 2:4. God's throne is said to be in heaven (Isa
66:1); cf. also Deut 33:26; Ps 68:34. This title will be met again in vv. 11,
16.
8. Praise the Lord all you chosen ones, and let everyone laud His majesty.
(Let them speak with psalms), spend days in rejoicing, and acknowledge
Him. Aramaic 4Q196 17 ii 7 reads: [ f l ^ n m •pVÎT n n m ΊΠ[3ΒΡ ... ]^[D1],
"[and] let [al]l [la]ud His majesty. Let them speak with psalm[s]." G1: "Let
all speak out and acknowledge Him in Jerusalem." Vg: "Praise the Lord,
all His chosen ones; keep days of joy and acknowledge Him."
Tobit directs his imperative to "chosen ones," echoing the idea of Israel
as God's chosen people (1 Kgs 3:8; Ps 33:12; Isa 43:20; 65:9, 15, 22). He
thus becomes a model that the rest of Israel should imitate in his faithful
praise of the Lord. Here G1 introduces the name of Jerusalem, whereas none
of the other versions mention it. Since "Jerusalem" is the first word in v.
9, it is possible that a copyist has introduced it by dittography.
9. Jerusalem, holy city, He has afflicted you because of what your hands
have done. Lit. "in the deeds of your hands." Aramaic 4Q196 17 ii
preserves only a few words: "^»[ΓΟ]1 ΚΒΠρ m p [ π'ΤϋΓΡ], "[Jerusalem],
holy city, He [will af]flict yo[u because]." G1 has a fuller form: "Jerusalem,
holy city, He will afflict you because of the deeds of your children, but will
again show mercy to the children of the righteous." Vg: "Jerusalem, city
of God, the Lord has chastised you because of what your hands have
done."
Jerusalem is addressed as "holy city" (an echo of Isa 52:1; 48:2; Neh
11:1), and the second singular pronouns that follow refer to it. Tobit began
his story in 1:4 mentioning Jerusalem and its Temple. That was the Temple
that Solomon had built, which still stood in all its glory in eighth-seventh
century, when Tobit lived. Now Tobit prays for "afflicted" Jerusalem and
will speak of its Temple being built again. The author, not Tobit himself,
knows of its destruction under Nebuchadnezzar (587 B.C.), and he
maintains that its destruction was caused by the evil that had been done in
it by its inhabitants. Hence Tobit's apocalyptic formulation of Jerusalem's
fate.
"By the deeds of your hands," perhaps a reference to hand-crafted idols.
G1 refers to "children of the righteous," a phrase that will recur again
in v. 13, i.e. the descendants of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
10a. Acknowledge the Lord in goodness, and praise the Lord of the ages!
Aramaic 4Q196 17 ii 10 has only: [^Tin RQ®[lpl], "acknowledge [with
righ]teouness." G1 reads: "Acknowledge the Lord in goodness, and praise
the King of the ages!" It reads άγαθώς, where VL has in bono, and the
Aramaic uses Kt255[1p3]. Vg: "and bless the God of the ages." After this part
of v. 10, the text of MS S resumes, and the lemmata are again a translation
of G".
10b. And once again your tabernacle will be built with joy within you, that
through you He may cheer all captives and forevermore love in you all who
are distressed. Lit. "for all the generations of the world." Aramaic 4Q196
17 ii 10 has only: [^D1? Hfian"1], "[will be bui]lt for yo[u]," i.e. Jerusalem.
G1 agrees with G", but twice omits "all." VL reformulates the words as a
purpose clause: ut iterum tabernaculum aedificetur in te cum gaudio et
laetos faciat in te omnes captiuos, et diligat otnnes miseros in omnia saecula
saeculorum, "that the tabernacle may be built in you ... . Vg likewise has
a purpose clause, but makes God the subject of the first two active verbs:
"that He may rebuild in you His tabernacle and call back to you all
captives, and that you may rejoice forevermore."
The focus on Jerusalem and its tabernacle at this point in Tobit's prayer
imitates the ideas of Isa 60:1-22. Cf. also Isa 44:28c-d; Amos 9:11. The
fate of the people of Israel is understood to be closely related to the
restoration of Jerusalem's Temple as the glorious dwelling-place of the
Almighty. Eighth-century Tobit is made to pray for the restoration of the
Temple, as if he lived after the destruction of it in 587 B.C., when Solomon's
Temple came to an end. Zimmermann, however, thinks in terms of "the
destruction of the Temple, 70 CE." 6 That, however, comes from his opinion
about the date of the composition of Tobit, and especially of this chapter
(see Introduction, §73).
6
Ibid.
Tobit's Song of Praise and His Death ( 1 3 : 1 - 1 4 : 2 ) 313
11. A bright light will shine unto all the ends of the earth. Many nations will
come to you7 from afar, inhabitants from the most remote parts of the earth
to your holy name, bearing gifts in their hands for the King of Heaven. VL
reads: Luce splendida fulgebunt in omnibus finibus terrae. Nationes multae
uenient tibi ex longinquo habitare a nouissimis partibus terrae ad nomen Dei
mei; et muñera sua in manibus habentes regi caeli et terrae in laetitia
offerentes, "They will shine with bright light unto all the ends of the earth.
Many nations will come to you from afar to dwell, from the newest parts of
the earth, unto the name of my God, even bearing gifts in their hands for the
King of heaven and earth and offering (them) with joy." G' omits the first
sentence, and continues: "Many nations from afar will come to the name of
the Lord God, bearing gifts in their hands, gifts for the King of heaven." Vg:
"You will shine with a bright light, and all the ends of the earth will worship
you. Nations will come to you from afar, and bearing gifts, they will worship
the Lord in you, and will regard your land as holy."
The variety of these sentences in the different versions reveals that the
text has not been transmitted correctly. In G11 Jerusalem is apparently
regarded as the "bright light" resplendent to the confines of the earth, but
VL introduces a verb in the third plural, fulgebunt, "they will shine," the
subject of which is not indicated. Similarly, nomen Dei mei, "the name of
my God," is strange, with no indication of who is meant by the first person
possessive adjective. Vg, which makes some sense initially, strangely
continues with "the ends of the earth will worship you" (= Jerusalem),
where one would have expected rather adorabunt in te, "will worship in
you," as in the next sentence.
A striking parallel to the ideas mentioned here can be found in Isa 60:3,
"Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining light." Cf.
also Isa 9:1; Ps 22:28; Mie 4:2; Zech 8:20-22. For the idea of nations being
converted to the God of Israel, see Isa 2:2-3; 4 5 : 1 4 - 2 5 ; 49:7; Jer 16:19; Ps
72:10-11; 86:9.
Generation after generation will present in you a joyful offering, and the
(great) name of the chosen one will last for ever and ever. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6
17 ii 1 4 - 1 5 reads: Kübv Ή ["fr ΓΠΓΡ ]21 DB>[1 113Π3"1 f T f ? y H [ l "[from
generations to generations they will present in you[ / and] a great name
[it will be for] everlasting [generations." G1 omits the second clause, having
only: "Generation after generation will present you with rejoicing." VL
omits the first clause and has only: Et nomen magnum (MS R: et nomen
MS S is garbled here. It omits ήξει σοι and has instead a strange combination of καί
κατοικιεΤ and πάντων των εσχάτων της γήξ. Hanhart plausibly corrects it to read: ήξει
σοι και κάτοικοι πάντων των εσχάτων, which I have followed in the lemma.
sanctum eius in sécula seculorum) erit in saecula saeculorum, "and it will

be a great name for ever and ever." Vg also omits the first clause and
paraphrases the second: "They will call upon the great name in you."
The "great name of the chosen one" refers to the name of Jerusalem as
God's holy city, where He has chosen to dwell, but Vg makes it mean the
"great name" of God, which will be invoked in the city.
12. Cursed be all who will speak harshly against you. Lit. "a harsh word."
Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 17 ii 1 5 - 1 6 has a longer form: "H ^Dl "pm [Ή] l"n]"ns
•O^y " p ^ O B ]*731 •Of-Wts b p ·ρΤΊΚ[ΐ] / [...O]·-^, "Cur[sed be al]l [who]
despise (you) and all who [inveigh] against [you, and] cursed be all who
hate you and all [who sp]e[ak a]gainst you." G1 has only: "Cursed be all
who hate you." VL agrees with the Aramaic form: Maledicti omnes qui
spernunt te, et omnes qui blasphémant te; maledicti erunt omnes qui odiunt
te, et omnes qui dixerint uerbum durum. Vg: "Cursed will be all who have
despised you, and damned will be all who have blasphemed you."
Tobit utters a curse on all who may impugn or attack the holy city of
Jerusalem. Recall Gen 27:29; Num 24:9; Isa 54:17.
Cursed be all who will purge you and pull down your walls, all who
overturn your towers, and all who set fire to your dwellings. Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 6 17 ii 16 and 18:1 has only: ["Ο^ΤΙΒ "|]"Π:ΐΒΒ ^[ni® ] / ["Ι^ΤΊΚ,
"Cursefd be ... ] your [walls], and all who overtur[n your towers." VL: Et
omnes qui deponunt te et destruunt muros tuos, et omnes qui subuertunt
turres tuas et omnes qui incendunt habitationes tuas, "and all who demolish
you and pull down your walls, and all who overturn your towers, and all
who set fire to your dwellings." G1 and Vg have nothing that corresponds.
For a similar curse on those who afflict Jerusalem, see Bar 4 : 3 1 - 3 5 ; Isa
60:12.
But blessed forever will be all who reverence you. VL reads: Et benedicti
erunt omnes qui aedificant te in aeuum, " . . . all who build you. " G1 changes
it to read: "all who love you." Vg modifies the VL form: " . . . who will have
built you." Tobit's curse finds a counterpart in the blessings that he calls
down on others of the future.
13. Go, then, rejoice (and exult) over the children of the righteous, because
they will all be gathered together and will praise the Lord of eternity. Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 6 18:2 reads: [ { m ^ p "«]333 "Wim "Η1Π[ "|ΉΚ], "rejoice, [then], and exult
over the child[ren of the righteous]." Similarly, Hebrew 4 Q 2 0 0 7 i 1 - 2 has
ΠΚ -pm[ ] / "^rn •Π ' ΟΒ» r«[ ], "then rejoice and exult... and bless the [ ]." VL
agrees with the Aramaic and Hebrew (as far as they are preserved) and with
G" for the rest: tunc gaude et laetare in filiis iustorum, quoniam omnes
colligentur et benedicent Domino aeterno. The first imperative in MS S
ττορεύθητι, "go," is strange in light of both the Aramaic and Hebrew forms,
as well as VL. G1 has preserved a better form in χάρηθι, "rejoice." Otherwise
it agrees with G", save for omitting "all" and ending with "the Lord of the
righteous." Vg paraphrases: "But you will rejoice in your children, because
all will be blessed and gathered together to the Lord."
Jerusalem will not only be rebuilt and become the focal point of the
returning Jews, but it will also become a center to which people of all
nations will flock. Recall Isa 2:2—4; Mie 4:1—4; and also the blessings that
will come to all nations through Abraham in Gen 12:1-3. "Children of the
righteous" (see NOTE on v. 9 above).
14. Blessed are those who love you, and blessed are (all) those who rejoice
in your peace. Aramaic 4Q196 18:3 reads: Ϊ3 Saltai ^ Ο Π Ί ^[D Olû],
"[blessed are a]ll who love you, and bless[ed are all." Hebrew 4Q200 7 i
3—4 has preserved only [ ] ÎD, which probably corresponds to the pronoun
in the second clause. This Hebrew form also has the final kaph of "[[Ol^tfl],
"[in] your [peace]." VL agrees with G", but does not have "all" in either
clause and omits the equivalent of the second μακάριοι: Felices qui diligunt
te, et qui gaudent in pace tua. G1 reads rather, "How blessed are those who
love you; they will rejoice in your peace." Vg: "Blessed are all who love you
and rejoice in your peace."
Having uttered curses against those who impugn Jerusalem, Tobit now
blesses those who show affection for the holy city. His blessings take the
form of a beatitude. For the idea of rejoicing in the peace and prosperity
of Jerusalem, see Isa 66:10-12; Ps 122:6.
Blessed are all people who will grieve over you because of all your
afflictions, for they will rejoice over you and forever witness all your joy.
Aramaic 4Q196 18:4 reads: O^tOriDO ^[D] ·?[!>], "[ov]er [a]ll your
afflictions, f[or]." G1 agrees at first with G", but ends rather: "for they will
rejoice over you when they see all your glory and will be cheered forever. "
VL: Beati omnes homines qui contristabuntur in omnibus flagellis tuis,
quoniam in te gaudebunt, et uidebunt omne gaudium tuum in aeternum,
"Blessed are all people who will grieve over your afflictions," otherwise
agreeing with G". Vg has nothing that corresponds.
15. Praise the Lord, my soul, who is the great King! Aramaic 4Q196 18:5
reads: [ ] Ν3Ί fO^Ö1? [ ], "the great King." G1 reads rather: "Let my soul
praise God, the great King!" VL: Anima mea, benedic Domino regi magno,
but continues with: quia liberauit Hierusalem, "because He has freed
Jerusalem." Vg ends: "Praise the Lord, my soul, because He has freed
Jerusalem, His city."
Compare Ps 103:22; and also 4 Q 4 3 4 ^ 3 6 (4QBarkî Naphsî ac ).
16. For Jerusalem will be rebuilt as a city to be His dwelling-place for all
ages. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 18:5 preserves only the opening conjunction: f1]-!. VL:
Et aedificabitur iterum domus illius in omnia saecula saeculorum, "and His
house will be built again for all ages." G1 reads rather: "For Jerusalem will
be rebuilt with sapphire and emerald," which skips to a later part of v. 16
in G", probably as a result of scribal parablepsis. Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
Here Tobit's prayer echoes Isa 60:4, 9. Jerusalem is again understood
as the ideal dwelling of Yahweh, and so it must be rebuilt with splendor.
How blessed shall I be if a remnant of my offspring will see your glory
and gratefully acknowledge the King of Heaven! Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 18:6 has:
[nrno]1? ·ΊΠΓ P Kn["HNtS], "[there is] the [remnan]t of my offspring to [see]."
VL basically agrees: Felix ero si fuerint reliquiae de semine meo ad uidendam
claritatem tuam, but ends: et confitendum nomini regis caeli, "and
acknowledge the name of the King of Heaven." G1 has nothing that
corresponds, and Vg shortens: "Blessed shall I be if there will be remnants
of my offspring to see the glory of Jerusalem."
The gates of Jerusalem will be built of sapphire and emerald, and all
your walls of precious stone. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 18:7 preserves only: np~Q]
[ ] "pann "PDOfl, "will be built with [beryl and] sapphire." VL agrees with
G", Ostia Hierusalem sapphiro et zmaragdo aedificabuntur, ex lapide
pretioso omnes muri tui. G1 picks up from its form of the beginning of v.
1 and agrees with G". Vg: "The gates ... and all the circuit of its walls with
precious stone."
For a similar use of precious stones, see Isa 5 4 : 1 1 - 1 2 ; Rev 2 1 : 1 8 - 2 1 .
The precious stones are mentioned as a way of conveying the splendor of
God Himself.
The towers of Jerusalem will be built of gold (and wood), and their
embattlements of finest gold. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 18:8 preserves: 0*7551Τ "^"Hû]
[ΚΓΡ]!?Ι?1 Ι^απη n n [ l , "[the towers of Jerusalem] will be built (with) [g]old
and woo[d]." VL agrees with G", but not with the Aramaic addition of
"wood": Et turres Hierusalem auro aedificabuntur, et propugnacula eius
auro mundo. G1 curtails the description: "its towers and embattlements
with finest gold." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
17. The streets of Jerusalem will be paved with garnet and stone of Ophir.
Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 18:9 preserves only: [ ]" Ή y[ ], "[with ...]YN and
with stone of [ ]." G1 reads: "The streets of Jerusalem will be paved with
beryl, garnet, and stone of Ophir." VL: Et plateae Hierusalem carbunculo
lapide sternentur, " . . . with precious red stone." Vg: "All the streets of
Jerusalem will be paved with white and clean stone."
Both G" and G1 read Σουφίρ, which form regularly occurs in the LXX
for -PÜ1K, "Ophir." For the gold of Ophir, see 1 Kgs 9:28; 10:11; 1 Chr
29:4; 2 Chr 9:10; Isa 13:12; Job 22:24; 28:16; Ps 45:10. The location of
Ophir is unknown, but it may denote the coast of ancient Ethiopia above
the Bab el-Mandab. 1 Kgs 9:26-28 suggests that it was within sailing
distance of Ezion-geber on the Gulf of Aqaba.
For similar descriptions of the streets of a rebuilt Jerusalem, see 4QNJ a
(4Q554) 1 ii 23; 2 ii 14-15; 5QNJ (5Q15) 1 i 6-7.
18. The gates of Jerusalem will sing out with hymns of joy, and all its
houses will cry out, "Hallelujah, praised be the God of Israel!" Aramaic
4Q196 18:10-11 reads: tOO^f oil! IS) -p-Q /... ΓΠ^Π 1 ? l ^ M 1 ] , "they
[will] sa[y], 'Halle[lujah' ... / blessed for ever] and ever." Hebrew 4Q200
7 ii 1 reads: [1T2T1 ΠΠ059 ]n*?nn D^KIT, "(The gates of) Jerusalem [shall sing]
a hymn of [exultation]." G1: "All its lanes will cry out 'Hallelujah.'" VL:
et ostia illius canticum laetitiae dicent, et omnes uici eius loquentur, "and
its doors will utter a hymn of joy, and all its streets will speak." Vg: "and
through its streets, alleluia will be sung."
"And (in you) the blessed will praise His holy name for ever and ever."
Aramaic 4Q196 18:11 reads: [KGPip HQ]® lira" 1 "OOl, which is a scribal
error for Ό3 H, "for in you they will bless [His holy] na[me]." Hebrew
4Q200 7 ii 3 reads also: [ü'PIU]'? ®π[ρπ 100 ΠΝ Ό-Q1 Ό3] Ί0Κ. VL has
preserved a fuller form: Benedictus Dominus qui exaltat te, et benedictus
in omnia saecula saeculorum; quoniam in te benedicent nomen sanctum
suum [read eius or illius] in aeternum, "Praised be the Lord who has
exalted you, praised for ever and ever; because in you they will bless His
holy name forever." G1: "and they will give praise, saying, 'Praise be to God
who has exalted you forever!'" Vg: "Praised be the Lord who has roused
it that it may be his kingdom for ever and ever. Amen."
For Mount Zion (Jerusalem) as the "place of the name of the Lord of
hosts," see Isa 18:7.
14:1. So ended Tobit's words of thanksgiving. Aramaic 4Q196 18:12
preserves only Ό [ita mm ""'PO 1301], and Hebrew 4Q200 7 ii 4 has only 1]0Π1
[OIE ΓΠ1Π Ή3"1, which would be sufficient to show that chap. 14 was
originally part of the Tobit story; but there is more in both texts. G1
abridges the statement: "So Tobit ended his thanksgiving," lit. "ceased
thanking." VL basically agrees with G n , but makes of the words a
subordinate clause: Et ut consummati sunt sermones confessionis Thobi,
"and as the words of Tobit's thanksgiving were ended." Vg agrees with G",
strikingly calling Tobit Tobi, as in 11:18 (see NOTE on 1:1).
This is the end of the lengthy hymn of praise that Tobit has uttered in
obedience to the instruction of the angel Raphael (12:20).
He died in peace at the age of one hundred and twelve and was buried
with honor in Nineveh. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 18:12 has preserved: •'PBQ ΓΡ01
[•ptö ~l]3, "and he died at the ag[e of ...]," lit. "a so[n of ... years]." Hebrew
4 Q 2 0 0 7 ii 4 similarly has: ] p 01*703 ΓΠ[ΙΠ]. G1 has nothing that corresponds
to G", perhaps because MSS B, A in v. 11 record Tobit's age at his death
as 158 years. VL, however, does agree with G": mortuus est in pace,
annorum centum duodecim, et sepultus est praeclare in Niniue. For Vg, see
N O T E on v. 2. The non-Syro-Hexaplaric Syriac reads: br m" wtrtyn snyn,
"a hundred and two years." In HL Tobit lives for 49 years after recovering
his sight and dies at the age of 170.
For a similar notice of the death of a venerable patriarch, see Gen 47:28;
50:22; Josh 24:29.
2. He was sixty-two years old when he was blinded, and after he regained
his sight he lived in prosperity, giving alms. So runs the text of MS S, but
Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6 1 8 : 1 3 - 1 4 reads rather: / [ΓΠΠ Π3]0Π1 ·ρ»0Π Ϊ0®[ "O Kim
[-•y *7]:αΐ 3123 ΤΙ vm^y mm ], "[and he was] fifty-eig[ht] years [old, when
] / [the sight of] his [e]yes. He lived in goodness, and in al[l ...]." Hebrew
4 Q 2 0 0 7 ii5-6reads: CPÍSOm y3]"lK ΊΠΝ[1] ΠΚΊ[0 ] / [ D ^ a m ΠΟΊΟ® ρ R[im]
[ΓΡΠ, "[and h]e was fif[ty]-eight years old / [when ... ] his [s]ight, [and]
afterwards [he lived fifty-]fo[ur years]." Fragmentary Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 8 1:1
begins with the word for "alms" (npTJ). With these Semitic forms of the
verse, VL agrees: Quinquaginta autem et octo annorum erat cum oculis
captus est; et quinquaginta quattuor (MS R: quadraginta quattuor) annis
postquam lucem recepit uixit, in omnibus faciens eleemosynas, "But he was
fifty-eight years old when he was blinded; and he lived for fifty-four (MS
R: forty-four) years after he recovered (his) sight" (lit. "recovered light"),
in all (of them) giving alms." G' agrees with the first part of the Aramaic
and Hebrew forms and VL, but changes the second part: "He was fifty-
eight years old when he lost his sight, and after eight years he regained it,
and he continued to give alms." Syro-Hexaplaric Syriac agrees with G1, but
the non-Syro-Hexaplaric version has 58 + 7 years.
Jerome's Vg has a different order of verses: " l b and after he was restored
(lit. "was enlightened") he lived for forty-two years, and saw the children
of his grandchildren; 2then having lived a hundred and two years, he was
buried with honor in Nineveh; for he was fifty-six years old when he lost
the sight of (his) eyes, but as a sixty-year-old he recovered (it)." Here the
number of years differs from all the other versions.8

Clearly, the numbers have not been correctly transmitted in the various
versions of this verse. Manuscript S represents a text-tradition that is most
simple and, if we had only that reading, one would not have a problem; yet
it does not agree with the older Semitic forms of the verse. If one takes the
age of Tobit's death as 112 years and the better-attested age when he was
blinded as 58 years,9 58 + 54 would equal 112; but it does not account for
the years that Tobit was blind, which in 2:10 is said to have been "four
years." G1 gives a time-span, saying that it lasted for eight years, which is
clearly problematic.
As the story of Tobit began with the mention of his assiduous practice
of almsgiving (1:3), so it ends. Thus it sums up Tobit's life, portraying him
as having lived out what he recommended to his son Tobiah in 4 : 5 - 1 1 . Old
age was regarded at times as a sign of Heaven's blessings on the righteous
(Prov 3 : 1 - 2 ; 4:10; 10:27).
and never ceasing to praise (fear) God and acknowledge God's majesty.
Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 8 1:1 reads: [ n n m ΓΡΎΙ]!"!1?! ΚΠ'™'? 'ΤΠΟ 1 ? ηοίΓΠ, "and he
continued to fear God and acknowledge His majesty]." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 6
1 8 : 1 5 reads: ΠΠ1]3Ί ΓΡΠΓόΐ ····['? ΓΟΊα 1 ?], " [ t o bless ] " a n d t o a c k n o w l e d g e
[His] majes[ty]." G1 reads: "and to fear the Lord God and acknowledge
Him." VL: Et proposuit magis Deum colere (MS R: et adiecit timorem ad
colendum Deum) et confiteri magnitudinem eius, "and he endeavored to
cherish God more and acknowledge His majesty." Vg has a paraphrase:
"but the rest of his life was joyful; with a notable increase in the fear of God
he departed in peace."
Four dots are used to write the tetragrammaton, which is preserved
partly in 12:22 too (= 4 Q 1 9 6 17 i 5); see N O T E there.
Bibliography
Arzt, P. and A. Hampel, "Tobits Lobgesang: Sprachlicher Schlüssel zu Tob 1 3 , 1 -

1 4 , 1 , " Protokolle zur Bibel 4 (1995) 5 9 - 7 2 .
Gamberoni, J., "Das 'Gesetz des Mose' im Buch Tobias," Studien zum Pentateuch:
Walter Kornfeld zum 60. Geburtstag, 2 2 7 - 4 2 .
Goettmann, J., "Le chant de joie du prophète Tobie," ß V C 78 (1967) 1 9 - 2 7 .
9 Fifty-eight is the best attested age, being given by the Aramaic of 4Q196, the Hebrew
of 4Q200, VL, and G1 (in most MSS). Where MS S would have got sixty-two years
is puzzling.
10 Vg regards it as only four years, from 56 to 60, which agrees with G" in 2:10. Syriac
has two readings: the Syro-Hexaplaric text reads "eight years," but the non-Syro-
Hexaplaric tradition reads "seven years."
Strotmann, Α., "Mein Vater bist du!" (Sir 51,10): Zur Bedeutung der Vaterschaft
Gottes in kanonischen und nichtkanonischen frühjüdischen Schriften (FTS 39;
Frankfurt am M.: Knecht, 1991) 24-58.
Weitzman, S., "Allusion, Artifice, and Exile in the Hymn of Tobit," JBL 115
(1996) 49-61.
Zorell, F., "Canticum Tobiae (Tob. 13, 1-18)," VDom 5 (1925) 298-300.
V. Epilogue ( 1 4 : 3 - 1 5 )
G": 3When he was dying, he summoned G1: 3When he had grown quite old, he
his son Tobiah (and his seven sons) and summoned his son and his six grand-
ordered him, saying, "Take your chil- sons and said to him, "Take your chil-
dren, my boy, dren, my child; I have now grown old
and am about to depart from this life.
4and hasten off to Media, because I 4 Go to Media, my child, because I
believe the word of God (which He ut- believe what the prophet Jonah said
tered) about Nineveh, which He spoke about Nineveh, that it will be over-
to Nahum. All that will come true and thrown. In Media there will rather be
will happen to Assyria and Nineveh. peace for a time. For our kinsfolk in the
Indeed, all that was announced by the land will be scattered from that good
prophets of Israel, whom God sent, will land. Jerusalem will become desolate;
come about. Nothing will be struck the house of God in it will be burnt to
from all their utterances; it will all take the ground and will be deserted for a
place at their appointed times. In Media while.
there will be more safety than among
the Assyrians and in Babylon. I know
and I am convinced that all that God
has said will be fulfilled. So it will be,
and not a word of those sayings will fail
to come to pass. Our kinsfolk dwelling
in the land of Israel will all be num-
bered and carried into captivity from
that good land. The whole land of Is-
rael will become desolate; Samaria and
Jerusalem will be deserted, and for a
time the dwelling-place of God will be
in mourning, burnt to the ground.
5 Once again God will show them s Once again God will show them
mercy, and God will bring them back to mercy and will bring them back to the
the land of Israel. They will rebuild that land, and they will rebuild that house,
house, but not like the former one, until but not like the former one, until the
the time of its fulfillment comes. Later time of its fulfillment comes. Later they
they will all return from their captivity will all return from their captivities and
and rebuild Jerusalem with splendor. rebuild Jerusalem with splendor. God's
God's house will be rebuilt in it, just as house will be rebuilt in it, with a re-
322 Epilogue (14:3-15)
the prophets of Israel have said of it. splendent building for all generations,
just as the prophets have said of it.
6Then all nations on earth, all peoples 6Then all the nations will turn to rev-
will turn and worship God truly. They erence the Lord God truly and will bury
will all cast away (all) their idols and their idols.
those who deceitfully led them into er-
ror.
7In righteousness they will praise the 7A11 nations will praise the Lord. His
God of eternity. All the Israelites who people will acknowledge God, and the
are spared in those days and are truly Lord will exalt His people. All those
mindful of God will be brought to- who love the Lord God in fidelity and
gether. They will come to Jerusalem and righteousness will rejoice, as they show
will dwell forever in the land of Abra- mercy to our kinsfolk.
ham in safety, and it will be given over
to them. Those who truly love God will
rejoice, and those who commit sin and
do wrong will disappear from the land.
8/9Now then, my children, I give you 8 Now, my child, depart from Nineveh,
this command: serve God faithfully and because what the prophet Jonah said
do what is pleasing in His sight. Your will all come true.
children are also to be enjoined to prac- 9As for you, keep the law and the
tise righteousness and almsgiving, to be commandments; be a lover of mercy and

mindful of God, and to praise His name righteousness that it may be well for
at all times with fidelity and with all you.
their ability. So, my boy, you must leave
Nineveh; do not stay here.
10 On the day that you bury your 10Bury me decently, and your mother
mother alongside of me, on that very with me; but stay no longer in Nineveh.
day spend not a night within its bor- Consider, my child, what Haman did to
ders. For I note that there is much wick- Ahiqar who reared him, how he brought
edness in it, and much dishonesty is him from light into darkness, and how
perpetrated here, and no one is ashamed much he repaid him. But Ahiqar was
of it. Look, my boy, at what Nadin did delivered, and retribution was made to
to Ahiqar who reared him. Was not Haman, and he descended into Dark-
Ahiqar brought down to the earth, ness. Because Menasses used to give
though still alive? Yet God redressed alms, he escaped from the trap of death
the dishonor done to his person. Ahiqar that Haman had set for him, but Haman
came forth to see the light, but Nadin fell into the fatal trap and perished.
passed into eternal Darkness, because
he had sought to kill Ahiqar. Because he
used to give alms, Ahiqar escaped from
the trap of death that Nadin had set for
him, but Nadin fell into the fatal trap,
and it destroyed him.
Epilogue (14:3-15) 323
11 11
So now, my children, see what alms- So now, my boy, see what alms-
giving accomplishes, and what wicked- giving accomplishes, and what right-
ness does — how it brings death. But eousness delivers." As he said this, he
now my life is failing me." So they laid expired on his bed. He was a hundred
Tobit on his bed, and he died. He was and fifty-eight years old. Tobiah buried
buried there with due honor. him honorably.
12 12
When his mother died, Tobiah bur- When Hannah died, Tobiah buried
ied her alongside his father. Then he her alongside his father. Then Tobiah
and his wife went off to Media and went with his wife and children to
resided with his father-in-law Raguel in Ecbatana to his father-in-law Raguel.
Ecbatana.
13 13
He cherished with due honor his He grew old with honor and buried
parents-in-law in their old age. He bur- his parents-in-law with due honor. He
ied them in Ecbatana in Media and in- inherited their property and that of his
herited the house of both Raguel and father Tobit.
his father Tobit.
14 14
He died highly respected at the age He died at the age of a hundred and
of a hundred and seventeen. twenty-seven at Ecbatana in Media.
15 15
But before he died, he saw and heard But before he died, he heard about
about the destruction of Nineveh. He the destruction of Nineveh, which Ne-
saw its captives being led into Media, buchadnezzar and Ahasuerus had cap-
those whom the king of Media, Achia- tured. Before he died, he rejoiced over
charos (Cyaxares), carried off. Tobiah Nineveh.
praised God in all that He did for the
people of Nineveh and Assyria. Before
he died, he rejoiced over Nineveh and
praised the Lord God for ever and ever.
COMMENT
Verses 3 b - l l b form the first part of the epilogue, in which Tobit is the
principal actor. O n his death bed, Tobit summons his son Tobiah along
with his grandsons and gives them his final instruction, which turns out to
be a farewell discourse. His main charge to Tobiah is to leave the wicked
city of Nineveh and go to Media, because all that God has prophesied
through N a h u m is to come to pass for Nineveh and all Assyria. Once
H a n n a h has died and been buried alongside Tobit, Tobiah is to leave
Nineveh. But with this counsel, Tobit also reflects on the fate of Israel,
Samaria, and Jerusalem, realizing that in God's good time the holy city will
be rebuilt even by those w h o are captives and deportees, w h o will return
to it. Until then, Tobiah and his sons are to "serve God faithfully and do
w h a t is pleasing in His sight" (v. 9).
324 Epilogue (14:3-15)
In the second part (vv. 12-15), Tobiah assumes the role of the principal
actor. After Tobit's instruction is ended and he dies, Tobiah heeds his
advice and stays on in Nineveh, until his mother dies and he is able to bury
her alongside his father. Then Tobiah and Sarah go off to Media to live
with her parents in Ecbatana. When they too die, Tobiah buries them in
Ecbatana and inherits the estate of Raguel. Tobiah himself lives to a ripe
old age, but before he dies, he is said to learn of the destruction of Nineveh
by Cyaxares, the King of Media, who carries off captives from it. The story
ends with Tobiah praising God once more for what has happened to the
Assyrians and Nineveh.
The farewell discourse of Tobit in vv. 3 b - l l is heavily influenced by the
Deuteronomic theology of retribution. Di Leila has rightly called attention
to nine points on which this part of Tobit's story makes use of such
Deuteronomic motifs (see Introduction §67b). "Deuteronomy played an
important role in the religious life and thought of the author of Tobit and
presumably of the Jewish community to which he addressed his book." 1
This aspect of the Book of Tobit saves it from being an interesting romance
developed outside the mainstream of authentic Jewish life.
Note also the apocalyptic terminology in this epilogue, which is found
on the lips of the dying seventh-century Tobit. He refers to the rebuilding
of the Temple, which in his day would not yet have suffered the fate of its
destruction under Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C. The author, who writes
from a much later date, makes Tobit predict the rebuilding of the Temple.
Chapter 14 is missing in medieval HM, and in the medieval Aramaic
text of Neubauer an abbreviated form of it is appended to chap. 12, after
which there is an epilogue in Hebrew about alms and tithes, which is found
in none of the ancient versions. In medieval HL chap. 14 has only four
verses, roughly the equivalent of 14:1-5 in Vg, but none of Tobit's
exhortation.
NOTES
14:3. When he was dying, he summoned his son Tobiah (and his seven
sons) and ordered him, saying. Aramaic 4Q196 18:15-16 reads: / Nip]
[Ί]0Κ1 ΓΠρίΊ T i m n[mttn ,TQ iraia 1 ?, "[he summoned his son Tobiah and]
his [sev]en sons and ordered him and sai[d]." Aramaic 4Q198 1:2 has
preserved only: [Π]1? "IONI mpai ΥΠ33, "his sons and he ordered him and
said to [him]." VL agrees with the Aramaic, adding only the name of Tobit
and mentioning the seven sons: Et cum moreretur Thobis accersiit Thobiam
1
"The Deuteronomic Background," 387.
Epilogue ( 1 4 : 3 - 1 5 ) 325
filium suum et Septem filios eius, et praecepit illis (MS M: illi; MS X: ei)
dicens. G1 begins differently: "When he had grown quite old, he summoned
his son and his six grandsons and said to them." Vg paraphrases: "But at
the hour of his death he called to him his son Tobiah and his seven young
sons, his grandchildren, and said to them."
In 4 : 3 - 1 9 Tobit delivered a set of instructions to Tobiah. They were
composed somewhat in the manner of a farewell address, but served there
actually as a prelude to his sending Tobiah off to get the money left on
deposit in Rages of Media. Now, on his deathbed Tobit again delivers a
similar set of instructions to his son and grandchildren. In this address,
Tobit imitates the dying Jacob, who blessed Joseph and his sons in Gen
48:9 similarly.
Recall that Tobit, believing he would die soon, summoned Tobiah in a
similar way in 4 : 2 - 3 . Compare Gen 47:29, where Jacob summons Joseph.
Two things should be noted about the Aramaic form of this verse. (1)
4 Q 1 9 6 preserves only -t of the number of Tobiah's sons, and I have
followed Milik's suggestion in restoring Π[ΙΠΒ>], "seven." 2 This number is
found in VL and Vg, but MSS A, 98 of G1 read τούς εξ uíoús, "six sons"
(similarly Sahidic), for which one could just as easily restore Π[Π55], So, even
though one has learned in general the value of the text preserved in VL, in
this instance its reading is followed with a bit of hesitation. (2) 4 Q 1 9 6 has
preserved the verb for "he ordered him" as pael m p l , which is anomalous,
but 4 Q 1 9 8 reads more correctly mpa. The switch of a pe to a bet may be
a copyist's error.
Take your children, my boy, 4and hasten off to Media, because I believe
the word of God about Nineveh, which He spoke to Nahum. Aramaic
4 Q 1 9 8 1:3 reads: [ m m t7]t?i3 Ή ΚΓ0Κ, "God which He utter[ed about
Nineveh]." VL: Fili, dilige filios tuos, et recurre in regionem Medorum;
quoniam credo ego uerbo Dei, quod locutus est in Niniuen, "My son, love
your children, and hasten off into the region of the Medes, because I believe
God's word, which he uttered about Nineveh. " G1 reads rather: "Take your
children, my child; I have now grown old and am about to depart from this
life. 4 Go to Media, my child, because I believe what the prophet Jonah said
about Nineveh, that it will be overthrown." Vg simplifies its paraphrase:
"The destruction of Nineveh will be at hand, for God's word does not
fail."
In the O T the prophet Nahum of Elkosh is the author of a triumphal ode
composed against the Assyrians and their capital, Nineveh. It is certainly
the more fitting allusion for Tobit to cite, as he does in G", than the oracle
2 Ten Years of Discovery, 32.

326 Epilogue (14:3-15)
of Jonah, which is found in G1 instead. Nahum foretold indeed the coming

destruction of Nineveh (Nah 1:1; 2:8-10, 13; 3:18-19), whereas at the
preaching of Jonah (3:4: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be over-
thrown!") the king, nobles, and people of Nineveh repented; and so they
escaped judgment (Jonah 3:10). Tobit recalls Nahum's words against
Nineveh and so recommends that Tobiah leave it as soon as he can to go
to Media, on which see the NOTE on 1:14.
The omission of Nahum in VL and Vg is striking; unfortunately one
cannot tell whether the Aramaic of 4Q198 contained mention of that
Assyrian capital, because so little of the lines is preserved. So the mention
of Nahum in G n in contrast to Jonah in G1 may be a secondary insertion
into a text that originally did not mention either. Zimmermann may well
be right in saying that "Jonah" is a "clear case of substitution by one who
was more familiar with Jonah as a story than the fulfillment of the
prophecy." 3 Note the repetitive character of G11 at this point in the story.
All that will come true and will happen to Assyria and Nineveh. Indeed,
all that was announced by the prophets of Israel, whom God sent, will come
about. Aramaic 4Q198 1:4 has preserved: [^«Ίβ·· w a j ftpta π m]ra,
"Nine[veh. What [the prophets of Israel u]tt[ered]." VL agrees with G": quia
omnia erunt et uenient adhuc super Assur et Niniuen. Quae locuti sunt
prophetae Israel, quos misit Dominus, omnia euenient. G1 and Vg have not-
hing that corresponds.
"Assyria and Nineveh" occurs again in v. 15 (in reverse order). The
same double name appears in Syriac Ahiqar 1.1. MS S writes Αθήρ, but at
14:15 it has Άθουρία, where Rahlfs' LXX reads Άθούρ, which reflects the
Aramaic form Ί1ΠΚ. Tobit now extends his thinking from the oracle of
Nahum to "the prophets of Israel" sent by God. Tobit has already quoted
Amos in 2:6 above, but he may be alluding to such passages as Zeph 2:13;
Isa 10:5, 12; 14:25; 30:31; 31:8; Mie 5:4-5, which speak of God acting
against Assyria, the Assyrian king, or his armies. Tobit is convinced that
all that they have said will come about.
Nothing will be struck from all their utterances; it will all take place at
their appointed times. Aramaic 4Q198 1:5 reads: [•pn'Ojör'? -Dim·· K^D, "all
will be done in [their] tim[es]." VL omits only the first "their": Nihilque
minuetur ex omnibus uerbis; sed omnia contingent temporibus suis. Neither
G1 nor Vg has anything that corresponds.
In Media there will be more safety than among the Assyrians and in
Babylon. VL agrees with G": Et in Media erit salus, magis quam in Assyriis,
3
Epilogue ( 1 4 : 3 - 1 5 ) 327
et quam in Babylone. G1 reads: "In Media there will rather be peace for a
time."
Tobit's words reflect the growing importance of Media, which together
with the Babylonians ultimately brings about the destruction of Nineveh.
Tobit is depicted as living at the peak of Neo-Assyrian power in the 8 t h -
7th century, but the author of the Tobit story, for whom the fall of Nineveh
was a thing of the past, writes as an apocalyptist and casts history into a
prophetic mold. That is why he makes Tobit speak of all things taking place
at their appointed times. The same device is found in the apocalyptic parts
of the Book of Daniel.
I know and I am convinced that all that God has said will be fulfilled.
So it will be, and not a word of those sayings will fail to come to pass.
Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 8 1:6 reads: [Κΐη^ΧΓϊ1 «[^D Kjn1?« ΊΙ3Κ "Ί "[ ] in all that
God has said. [Al]l of it will be brought to pas[s]." VL agrees with G": Quia
scio ego et credo quoniam omnia quae dixit Dominus erunt et perficientur;
et non excidet uerbum de sermonibus Dei, " . . . and no word from God's
utterances will fail." G1 has nothing that corresponds; Vg has already used
the equivalent of the last clause earlier (see above).
The dying Tobit's discourse has become long-winded and repetitious.
Our kinsfolk dwelling in the land of Israel will all be numbered,4 and
carried into captivity from that good land. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 8 1:7 reads:
[iJirto ^ΚΊβΡ SHtO ταΓΓ [WTîKl], "[and our kinsfolk] dwelling in the land
of Israel, all of the[m]." VL: Et fratres nostri, qui habitant in terra Israel,
omnes dispergentur, et ex Ulis captiui ducentur a terra optima, " . . . will all
be dispersed and ... . " G1 abridges: "For our kinsfolk in the land will be
scattered from that good land." Vg paraphrases with a twist: "and our
kinsfolk who have been dispersed from the land of Israel will return to it."
"The land of Israel": The phrase appears in 1 Sam 13:19; 2 Kgs 5:2, 4;
6:23; HQTemple 3 ( 1 1 Q 1 9 ) 58:6; 4 Q M M T B63, and also in Tob 1:4. 5
Zimmermann claims that it would not have been used "as a designation for
Judea in the Second Commonwealth." 6 Hence he concludes that vv. 5 - 7
are "apocalyptic in mode and tenor" and show signs of late composition.
"That good land" is a phrase derived from Deut 1:35; 3:25; 4 : 2 1 - 2 2 ;
6:18; 8:8, 10; 9:6; 11:17; 1 Chr 2 8 : 8 . Compare the motif of Deut 4 : 4 0 .
Although Tobit comes from the tribe of Naphtali in the northern kingdom
of Israel, he seems to be concerned now about the coming captivity of the
4 The text of MS S reads πάντων λογισθήσουται; Hanhart prefers to read rather ττάντε;
διασκορτπσθήσονται, "all will be dispersed."
5 See also Matt 2:20, 21.
328 Epilogue ( 1 4 : 3 - 1 5 )
people of the southern kingdom of Judah, which the Babylonian king

Nebuchadnezzar would bring about. He knows nothing about that depor-
tation, but the author who is writing with hindsight makes him so concerned.
Again αδελφός is used in the sense of "kinsman"; see NOTE on 1:3.
The whole land of Israel will become desolate; Samaria and Jerusalem will
be deserted, and for a time the dwelling-place of God will be in mourning,
burnt to the ground. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 8 1 : 8 - 9 reads: yH]a»l «TIS ^mt»^]
N31U [~1U ... DOPITI, "[I]srael [will become] arid; Samaria and Jerusalem ...
until] the time." VL curtails: Et erit omnis terra Israel deserta et domus Dei
quae in ilia est incendetur; et erit deserta in tempus, " . . . and the house of
God that is in it will be burned; and it will be deserted for a while." G1:
"Jerusalem will become desolate; the house of God in it will be burnt to the
ground and will be deserted for a while." Vg paraphrases, introducing the
reversal of the situation: "But all its desert land will be filled (with people),
and God's house which was burned in it will be rebuilt again."
For a similar joining of "Samaria and Jerusalem," see Ezek 23:4. G1 omits
mention of Samaria, and VL omits both Samaria and Jerusalem. Samaria,
the capital of the northern kingdom, fell to the Assyrians in the eighth century,
and Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom, would fall to the
Babylonians in 587 B.C. The desolation of Jerusalem was mentioned already
in Isa 64:10, and the burning of its "holy and beautiful house" in 64:11. For
the figure of a place in mourning, see Amos 1:2; Isa 24:4.
5. Once again God will show them mercy, and God will bring them back
to the land of Israel. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 8 1:9 reads: [113« ΚΠ1?« ·ρΰΠΊ]3 ηΤΓ Ή,
"when [God] will bring [them] back in [mercy]." VL abridges: Et iterum
miserebitur illorum Deus in terra Israel, "And again God will take mercy
on them in the land of Israel." G1 agrees with G", but omits " G o d " as the
subject of the second clause. Vg has nothing that corresponds.
God's judgment of His people will involve the desolation of Israel, but
it will have a respite, for God will again show mercy, and the exiled people
will return to rebuild Jerusalem and its Temple. Compare Isa 3 5 : 8 - 1 0 ,
where the prophet tells of those ransomed by Yahweh returning with songs
to Zion; also Jer 3 1 : 7 - 1 4 . This and the next two verses echo what Tobit
has already included in his hymn of praise (13:10-18). The theme of
desolation and restoration is introduced to stress what has happened to
Tobit in his own lifetime; desolation is mentioned three times, and
restoration four times.
They will rebuild that house, but not like the first one, until the time of
its fulfillment comes. Lit. "until the time, when the time of (its) critical
periods shall be complete." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 8 1:10 reads: [11? D]ip3 K*7[1]
Epilogue ( 1 4 : 3 - 1 5 ) 329
[ Ή] H3117, "[and] not like (it was) former[ly, until] the time [when ... .]"
VL: Et iterum aedificabunt domum, sed non ut prius, quoadusque repleatur
tempus maledtctionum, " . . . but not as (it was) before, until the time of
curses be complete." G1: "and they will rebuild that house, but not like the
former one, until the time of its fulfillment comes." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
God's house will be rebuilt, but not so beautifully as was the First
Temple constructed by Solomon (see the details of its splendor in 1 Kgs
6:14-38). What would be constructed rather would have to serve until such
time as those who returned from captivity could recover from the accursed
situation in which they had been. That seems to be why VL even calls it
tempus maledictionum, which would have had to run its course. Recall the
tearful reaction recorded in Ezra 3:12 about the priests, levites, heads of
ancestral houses, and old men, "who had seen the first house," as they
observed the laying of inferior foundations for the new Temple. Likewise
the words of the prophet Haggai about the rebuilt Temple: "Who is left
among you that saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now?
Is it not in your sight as nothing?" (2:3).
Later they will all return from their captivity and rebuild Jerusalem with
splendor. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 8 1:11 reads: [Ίρ]Ό D^tön^l ρ Τ Ί ] , "[and they
will build] Jerusalem with splen[dor]." VL agrees but switches "all" from
the first to the second clause: Et postea reuertentur a captiuitate sua, et
omnes aedificabunt Hierusalem honorifice. G1 agrees with G", despite a few
word changes. Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Tobit plays on the motif of God's mercy after sin and judgment, as in
Deut 30:1—4. How much later this merciful return would be is not said. In
fact, the Second Temple, begun ca. 516 B.C., remained a temporary,
shabby affair until Herod the Great ( 3 7 - 4 B.C.) undertook to adorn it in
the eighteenth year of his reign.7 That, however, would have been long after
the Book of Tobit was composed. The author is rather thinking most likely
of Jews returning from the Babylonian Captivity, into which they were led
when Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem in 587 B.C. The "splendor" of
which he speaks has to be understood as something less than the glorious
Temple of Solomon, as the preceding sentence notes.
7 See Josephus, Ant. 1 5 . 1 1 . 1 § 3 8 0 (the eighteenth year would be 2 0 - 1 9 B.C.), but in

J.W. 1 . 2 1 . 1 § 4 0 1 Josephus says that Herod restored the Temple in his fifteenth
regnal year ( 2 3 - 2 2 B.C.), by erecting new foundation-walls. The latter is interpreted
by many scholars as preliminary work, whereas the reconstruction itself would have
begun in 2 0 B.C.
330 Epilogue ( 1 4 : 3 - 1 5 )
God's house will be rebuilt in it, just as the prophets of Israel have said
of it. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 8 1:12 preserves only: [^ΙΟΕΡ l ^ O f ], "the
[projphets [of Israel] have spoken." VL has a fuller form, which shows that
MS S has again omitted a clause: et domus Dei aedificabitur in ea, et in
omnia saecula saeculorum aedificabitur, sicut locuti sunt de illa omnes
prophetae Israel, " . . . , and it will be built for ever and ever, as the prophets
of Israel have spoken about it." G1: "God's house will be rebuilt in it, with
a resplendent building for all generations, just as the prophets have said of
it." Vg has nothing that corresponds, but see the form of an earlier verse
above, which has borrowed some of this description.
Tobit is undoubtedly thinking of Isa 6 6 : 7 - 1 6 and especially of Haggai
2:9: "The latter splendor of this house will be greater than the former, says
the Lord of hosts." See also the plans for the rebuilding in Ezek 4 0 : 1 - 4 8 : 3 5 ;
Zech 14:11-17. There is again an echo of the Deuteronomic motif of the
centralization of the cult in Jerusalem (Deut 1 2 : 1 - 1 4 ; 16:6). This stands in
contrast to what Tobit said about his fellow tribesmen in 1:5.
6. Then all nations on earth, all peoples will turn and worship God truly.
VL: Et tunc omnes nationes terrae conuertentur ad timendum Deum uere,
" . . . all nations will be converted to fearing God rightly." G1: "Then all the
nations will turn to reverence the Lord God truly." Vg: "and all who fear
God will return there."
Compare 13:11. Tobit's words echo the thinking of Isa 2:3; 18:7; 19:22;
4 5 : 1 4 - 1 5 ; Zech 8 : 2 0 - 2 3 . "It is a characteristic Jewish interpretation of
history: that Jewish national sufferings (the exile) and successes (the return)
are part of God's grand plan, and so have meaning for the whole of the rest
of the world." 8 Compare 1 Enoch 10:21 ("All sons of men shall become
righteous; all nations shall worship and bless me; all shall prostrate
themselves before me"); 48:5.
They will all cast away (all) their idols and those who deceitfully led
them into error. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 8 1:13 reads: [irr,]t7''t?î< ·ρατΐ, "they will
cast away all [their] idol[s]." VL: et relinquent omnia idola sua, quae
seducunt illos falso errore, "and they will abandon all their idols, which
lead them falsely into error." G1 abridges: "and will bury their idols." Vg:
"and nations will abandon their idols."
Tobit's words echo the thinking of Gen 35:4; Isa 2:18; and Jer 1 6 : 1 9 b -
c. Compare 1 Enoch 91:9; Wis 14:11.
7. In righteousness they will praise the God of eternity. VL: Et omnes
benedicent Dominum in aeternum, et in iustitia, "And all will praise the
Dancy, Shorter Books of the Apocrypha, 65.

Epilogue ( 1 4 : 3 - 1 5 ) 331
Lord forever, and with righteousness." G1 clarifies by adding a specific

subject of the verb: "All nations will praise the Lord." Vg has nothing that
corresponds.
All the Israelites who are spared in those days and are truly mindful of
God will be brought together. Lit. "all the sons of Israel who are saved in
those days." VL basically agrees: Et omnes filii Israel qui liberabuntur in
diebus illis memores erunt Dei in ueritate: et colligentur, " . . . who will be
freed will be truly mindful of God; they will be brought together." G1 reads
rather concerning the chosen race: "His people will acknowledge God, and
the Lord will exalt His people." Vg has nothing that corresponds.
Tobit reflects on the ingathering of all the Jews from the diaspora, where
they have been scattered, and he promises them rest and security in the land
of their return. Compare Deut 12:10-11 and especially Isa 60:21: "Your
people will all be righteous and possess the land forever."
They will come to Jerusalem and will dwell forever in the land of
Abraham in safety, and it will be given over to them. Aramaic 4Q196 19:1
reads: [ ] m 0[¡VQR ΙΠίΟ], "[in the land of Abra]ham in [ ]." VL: et
uenient in Hierusalem et habitabunt in aeternum in die ilia cum diligentia,
et omnis iustitia in illis erit, "and they will come to Jerusalem and will dwell
there forever in that day with diligence, and all righteousness will be in
them." G1 has nothing that corresponds. Vg: "and (the nations [see above])
will come to Jerusalem and will dwell in it."
In G" and VL, Tobit is referring to Jews who will return from captivity
and from the diaspora to dwell in Jerusalem, but Jerome's Vg changes the
reference to the nations who have abandoned their idols. Depending on the
version, Jews who return will enjoy safety, righteousness, and diligence.
Tobit is echoing the thought of Deut 12:10-12, where God promised rest
and safety to those who would cross the Jordan into the Promised Land.
"The land of Abraham" refers to the promise made by God in Deut 1:8;
6:10; 30:20; 34:4.
Those who truly love God will rejoice, and those who commit sin and
do wrong will disappear from the land. Aramaic 4Q196 19:2 has preserved
only: [Kn^tf] ·Ί3ΠΊ[ ], "[ ]loving [God]." VL: Et gaudebunt qui diligunt
Deum uerum; qui autem faciunt iniquitatem et peccatum deficient de terris
omnibus, "Those who love the true God will rejoice; but those who commit
iniquity and sin will disappear from all lands." G1 reads rather: "All-those
who love the Lord God in fidelity and righteousness will rejoice, as they
show mercy to our kinsfolk." Vg paraphrases: "and all those who worship
the king of Israel will rejoice in it [Jerusalem]," with some MSS adding:
"and all the kings of the earth."
332 Epilogue ( 1 4 : 3 - 1 5 )
This is the climax of Tobit's apocalyptic foresight, because soon he will

repeat his counsel of vv. 3 - 4 . Tobit's thinking sums up "the great
Deuteronomic equation," viz. that those who love God and fear him will
be rewarded, whereas those who do not will suffer.9 See Deut 6:13; 10:12;
28:58, 63.
8/9. Now then, my children, I give you this command: serve God faithfully
and do what is pleasing in His sight. VL agrees with G11: Et nunc, filii, uobis
mando, Servite Domino in ueritate, et facite coram ilio quod ipsi placet. G1
has nothing that corresponds. Vg: "So listen, my children, to your father:
Serve the Lord in fidelity and seek to do the things that please Him."
Tobit repeats the gist of the instruction that he gave in 4 : 5 - 1 1 . Cf. Gen
49:2.
Your children are also to be enjoined to practise righteousness and
almsgiving, to be mindful of God, and to praise His name at all times with
fidelity and with all their ability. VL basically agrees with G11, but ends with
three qualities: Et filiis vestris mandate ut faciant iustitias et eleemosynas
et sint memores Dei et benedicant nomini ipsius in omni tempore, in
ueritate, in toto corde suo et in tota uirtute sua, " . . . in fidelity, with all their
heart, and with all their ability." G1 has nothing that corresponds exactly,
but to the next counsel it adds a more general instruction (see below). Vg
initially is very close to VL but ends: "that they praise Him at all times in
fidelity and with all their ability."
Faithfulness, righteousness, and almsgiving have summed up Tobit's
life; recall the mention of these characteristics in 1:3 (inclusio).
Again, the command to bless and praise God surfaces in Tobit's thinking,
as in Deut 8:10. Recall 14:2. Tobit's concluding words echo those of Moses
in Deut 3 9 : 1 9 - 2 0 .
So, my boy, you must leave Nineveh; do not stay here. VL agrees with
G": Nunc uero, fili, exi a Niniue et noli manere hie. G1 reads: "Now, my
child, depart from Nineveh, because what the prophet Jonah said will all
come true." The second coordinated clause of G1 repeats what was said
above in v. 4. G1 then adds to v. 9: "As for you, keep the law and the
commandments; be a lover of mercy and righteousness that it may be well
for you." This is a general summary of what G" has already proposed in
fuller form. Vg: "Now my children, listen to me and do not stay here."
Tobit repeats his advice of 14:3, and the next verse explains why.
10. On the day that you bury your mother alongside of me, on that very
day spend not a night within its borders. VL agrees: Sed quocunque die
9 Di Leila, "The Deuteronomic Background," 3 8 4 .

Epilogue (14:3-15) 333
sepelieris matrem tuam circa me, eodem die noli manere in finibus eius. G1:
"Bury me decently, and your mother with me; but stay no longer in
Nineveh." Vg paraphrases: "On whatever day you bury your mother
alongside me in one grave, immediately direct your steps to depart from
here."
This is Tobit's main counsel for Tobiah and his sons, because he is
concerned that Tobiah and his family not remain in the evil city of Nineveh,
which surely is going to be destroyed.
For I note that there is much wickedness in it, and much dishonesty is
perpetrated here, and no one is ashamed of it. VL agrees: Video enim quia
multa iniquitas est in ilia, et fictio multa perficitur, et non confunduntur.
G1 has nothing that corresponds. Vg: "I note that its wickedness will bring
it to its end."
Look, my boy, at what Nadin did to Ahiqar who reared him. Was not
Ahiqar10 brought down to the earth, though still alive? Yet God redressed
the dishonor done to his person. Ahiqar came forth to see the light, but
Nadin passed into eternal Darkness, because he had sought to kill Ahiqar.
G1 reads rather: "Consider, my child, what Haman did to Ahiqar who
reared him, how he brought him from light into darkness, and how much
he repaid him. But Ahiqar was delivered, and retribution was made to
Haman, and he descended into Darkness." VL basically agrees with G11:
Ecce filius Nabad, quid fecit Achicaro qui eum nutriuit, quem uiuum
deduxit in terram deorsum. Sed reddidit Deus malitiam illius ante faciem
ipsius: et Achichar exiit ad lucem, Nabad autem intrauit in tenebras aeternas,
quia quaesiuit Nabad Achicarum occidere. Vg has nothing that corresponds.
The verb "brought down to earth" may mean "was forced to go
underground," as Moore notes.11 For God redressing dishonor, see Dan
11:18. Note how "light" and "darkness" are used again as symbols of good
and evil; compare Isa 45:7.12 Here they characterize the relation between
good Ahiqar and evil Nadin; see NOTE on 11:14.
On Ahiqar, see NOTE on 1:21. From 4Q199 1:1, it is clear that the
correct form of the name is "Nadin," despite the variants preserved in the
different versions (G11: Ναδάβ, VL: Nabad, G1: 'Αμάν, but MS Β: Αδάμ); see
NOTE on 11:18. On "darkness" and death, see NOTE on 4:10.
10
MS S reads "he."
11
Tobit (AB), 292.
12
In the N T , this symbolism is further developed in John 1:5; 12:46; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14;
Eph 5:8; 1 Pet 2:9.
334 Epilogue ( 1 4 : 3 - 1 5 )
Because helì used to give alms, Ahiqar14 escaped from the trap of death
that Nadin had set for him, but Nadin fell into the fatal trap, and it
destroyed him. Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 9 1:1 reads: [ ] p ] Ή3Ί[ϋ ], "[the d]eeds of
Nadin." Aramaic 4 Q 1 9 8 2:4 reads: [milKl ΚΠΊΟ] nsh "fell into the
trap [of death, and it destroyed him]." G1: "Because Menasses (= Ahiqar)
used to give alms, he escaped from the trap of death that Haman had set
for him, but Haman fell into the fatal trap and perished." VL and Vg have
As the villain in the story of Ahiqar, Nadin epitomizes what is wrong
with Nineveh. Nadin, the nephew of Ahiqar, having been educated by him
and introduced to the Assyrian royal court, treacherously turned on Ahiqar,
his benefactor, and Ahiqar went into hiding. Later when Ahiqar was
needed and was reinstated, Nadin was punished with imprisonment and
died in a dungeon (in darkness). So the plot that Nadin made against
Ahiqar came back to ensnare him.
For the formulation used here, see Syriac Ahiqar 8:42: "He who digs pit
for his neighbor fills it with his own stature." 15
The name Μανασσής in G1 is strange, but it is well attested in various
MSS. It is hardly a reference to King Manasseh of Judah (687-642), a
scandalous ruler (2 Kgs 2 1 : 1 - 1 8 ) , who was hardly recalled for his
almsgiving. Torrey suggested that the name represents a misreading of an
Aramaic participle mënassêh, "his benefactor." 16 But he does not explain
the Aramaic root involved.
The "alms" that Ahiqar is said to have given is undoubtedly the good
deed he did for the one who was supposed to become his executioner. Thus
it sums up Ahiqar's life, as it does Tobit's (see NOTES on 4 : 7 - 1 0 ; 12:9;
14:2).
11. So now, my children, see what almsgiving accomplishes, and what
wickedness does—how it brings death. But now my life is failing me. " G1
abridges and makes Tobit address only his son: "So now, my boy, see what
almsgiving accomplishes, and what righteousness delivers." VL and Vg
13 MS S wrongly reads iv τώ ττοιήσαι με έλεημοσύυην, "because I used to give alms."

Hanhart rightly drops the subject of the infinitive μέ, so that Ahiqar is understood
to be the subject of the infinitive.
14 MS S reads "he."
15 APOT, 2 . 7 7 6 . Note also the Armenian form: "He that digs a pit for others, himself
falls into the pit."
16 The Apocryphal Literature, 85 n. 78: '"His benefactor,' the one who had given him
his favored position, cf. Esther 3:1; 4 : 1 ! "
Epilogue ( 1 4 : 3 - 1 5 ) 335
Again, almsgiving and righteousness are extolled, the former explicitly,

the latter by implication. Almsgiving has been called "the motto of the
book." 1 7
So they laid Tobitn on his bed, and he died. He was buried there with
due honor. G1 reads rather: "As he said this, he expired on his bed. He was
a hundred and fifty-eight years old. Tobiah buried him honorably." VL and
Vg have nothing that corresponds.
On Tobit's age at his death, see N O T E on 14:1. So Tobit died in
Assyrian captivity and was buried far from the land of Israel, which he so
loved.
12. When his mother died, Tobiah buried her alongside his father. G1:
"When Hannah died, Tobiah buried her alongside his father." VL and Vg
Tobiah follows the instruction that Tobit had given him in 4:3—4 and
in v. 10 above. The detail echoes what Jacob said about the burial of
Abraham and Sarah, and of Isaac and Rebekah in Gen 49:31.
Then he and his wife went off to Media and resided with his father-in-
law Raguel in Ecbatana. G1: "Then Tobiah went with his wife and children
to Ecbatana to his father-in-law Raguel." VL has a fuller form: Et abiit
Thobias postquam sepeliuit parentes suos, et uxor eius et filii in regionem
Medorum, et habitauit in ciuitate Ecbathana cum Raguhele socero suo,
"After he buried his parents, Tobiah went off with his wife and his children
into the region of the Medes, and he lived in the city of Ecbatana with
Raguel, his father-in-law." Vg: "It happened that after the death of his
mother Tobiah departed from Nineveh with his wife and children and
returned to his parents-in-law."
On Media, see N O T E on 1:14; on Ecbatana, see N O T E on 3:7; on
Raguel, see N O T E on 1:1.
13. He cherished with due honor his parents-in-law19 in their old age. G1
expands the notice: "He grew old with honor and buried his parents-in-law
with due honor," whereas VL is closer to G n : Et curam habebat senectutis
eorum honorifice. Vg paraphrases: "And he found them in health in a good
old age and cared for them."
Tobiah is depicted caring for Raguel according to the instructions of Sir
3:12-16.
17 C. J. Ball, Tobit, 151.

18 MS S reads " h i m . "
19 MS S reads " t h e m . "
336 Epilogue (14:3-15)
He buried them in Ecbatana in Media and inherited the house of both

Raguel and his father Tobit. G1: "He inherited their property and that of
his father Tobit." VL: Et sepeliuit illos Ecbathanis in regione Media; et
haereditatem percepii domus Raguhel et Thobis patris sui, "He buried
them in Ecbatana in the region (of) Media and acquired the inheritance of
Raguel's house and of his father Tobit." Vg: "He closed their eyes and
acquired all the inheritance of Raguel's house, and he saw his children's
children to the fifth generation."
14. He died highly respected at the age of a hundred and seventeen. VL
agrees with G11: Et mortuus est annorum centum decern et septem (MS M:
octo) cum claritate. G1: "He died at the age of a hundred and twenty-seven
at Ecbatana in Media." MS Β and both Syriac versions omit "twenty" so
that there are four different ages given for Tobiah at his death in variant
versions: 107, 108, 117, 127. At 117 years (the best attested number), he
would have lived five years longer than this father Tobit.
Vg goes its own way as it concludes the story of Tobiah: "After he had
lived ninety-nine years in the fear of the Lord, with joy they buried him.
All his kindred and all his generation continued in a good life and holy
relations so that they were acceptable both to God and to human beings,
and to all the inhabitants of the land." Cf. 1 Sam 2:26.
15. But before he died, he saw and heard about the destruction of Nineveh.
He saw its captives being led into Media, those whom the king of Media,
Achiacharos (Cyaxares), carried o f f . VL agrees with G": Et antequam
moreretur audiuit perditionem Niniues: et uidit captiuitatem illius adductam
in ciuitatem Medorum, quam adduxit Achicar rex Medorum. G1: "... died,
he heard about the destruction of Nineveh, which Nebuchadnezzar and
Ahasuerus had captured."
Nineveh was brought to its end by the combined armies of the Medes
and the Neo-Babylonians. The Medes started to besiege it in 614 B.C., but
were diverted and finally stormed it only in 612, when its walls were
breached and the inhabitants slaughtered or captured. The city was taken
already when the Neo-Babylonians arrived on the scene to help. The
Temple of Ishtar, other temples and palaces, and the great library of
Asshurbanipal were all destroyed. The fall of Nineveh exemplifies once
again the lesson of Deuteronomic retribution: the wicked are punished.
At that time the king of the Medes was Cyaxares (Κυαξάρης, a Greek
spelling for Old Persian Uvachistra [in Akkadian U-ma-kis-tar]), son of
Phraortes, who unified the Medes; Cyaxares reigned in Media from 625-
585 B.C. The king of the Neo-Babylonians was Nabopolassar (a Greek
spelling for Akkadian Nabû-apla-usur, "Nabu has protected the heir"), the
Epilogue (14:3-15) 337
founder of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty; he reigned from 625-605 B.C.

Nineveh fell in his fourteenth regnal year, 612 B.C.20
G11 gives the name of the king of Media as Άχιάχαρος, which despite the
similarity to Άχίκαρος, as Ahiqar's name is spelled in G", has nothing to do
with him. It seems to be an attempt to write the Greek name Κυαξάρης.21
G1, however, says that Ναβουχοδονοσόρ (the usual LXX spelling for
Nebuchadnezzar) and Άσούηρος (Ahasuerus, the Greek spelling for Xerxes
I [see Ezra 4:6]) were the two kings who captured Nineveh. That is
somewhat anachronistic, a sign that the Book of Tobit was scarcely
composed in the time of the fall of Nineveh. Greek copyists have substituted
the names of better known kings who affected Israelite history.
Tobiah22 praised God in all that He did to the people of Nineveh and
Assyria. Lit. "to the sons of." G1 has nothing that corresponds, but VL
basically agrees with G11, substituting only "the Lord" for "God": Et
benedixit Dominum in omnibus quae fecit in filiis Niniue et Assur.
Tobiah blesses God for all that He has done to his captors.
Before he died, he rejoiced over Nineveh and praised the Lord God for
ever and ever. G' eliminates the second coordinate clause: "Before he died,
he rejoiced over Nineveh." VL omits the reason for Tobiah's rejoicing and
ends the book instead with: Et gauisus est antequam moreretur in terra
Niniue, "and he rejoiced before he died in the land of Nineveh." This shift
in meaning is noteworthy, because besides saying that Tobiah "died in the
land of Nineveh," whereas the rest of the story so far would mean that he
died in Ecbatana in Media, it also removes the object of Tobiah's joy. The
meaning of the final verse of G11, however, is that Tobiah rejoiced over the
fate of Nineveh, because he saw in it God's punishment of the wicked
capital of the Assyrians, who had deported so many Israelites from their
homeland. This is a reaction quite different from the message of the Book
of Jonah.
The last clause has been regarded as a secondary addition to MS S.23
20
See The Babylonian Chronicle, reverse (ANET, 304-5); also J. M. Russell, The First
Sack of Nineveh: The Discovery, Documentation, and Destruction of King Senna-
cherib's Throne Room at Nineveh, Iraq (New Haven, CT: Yale University, 1998).
21
As Greenfield has rightly noted ("Ahiqar in the Book of Tobit," 335). See further
Tablet B.M. 21901 obv. 24-30; cf. D. J. Wiseman, Chronicles of Chaldaean Kings
(625-556 B.C.) in the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1956) 56-59; also
13-15.
22
MS S reads "he."
23
See J. R. Busto Saiz, Sefarad 38 (1978) 69.
338 Epilogue (14:3-15)
Bibliography
Ball, C. J., Tobit (The Apocrypha: Various Renderings and Readings; London: Eyre
and Spottiswoode, 1892).
Di Leila, Α. Α., "The Deuteronomic Background of the Farewell Discourse in Tob
14:3-11," CBQ 41 (1979) 380-89.
Greenfield, J. C., "Ahiqar in the Book of Tobit," De la Tôrah au Messie, 329-36.
Lebram, J. C. H., "Die Peschitta zu Tobit 7,11-14,15," ZAW 69 (1957) 185-211.
Torrey, C. C., The Apocryphal Literature: A Brief Introduction, 82-88.
Index of References
1. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Genesis 22:1, 7, 11 210

1:2 307 22:12 180
2 241 23 118
2:7, 18 245 24 35, 212, 241
2:11 93 24:3-1 173
2:14 204 24:4, 38, 40 156
2:18-25 245 24:7, 37-38 112
2:18 245 24:7, 40 196, 199
2:24 218, 245 24:7 224
6:1-4 151 24:14 218
6:2,4 160 24:15, 67 173
6:18 173 24:17 161
7:7, 13 173 24:27 154
7:11 307 24:33 232
8:4 121 24:35 267
8:16, 18 173 24:37-38 173
9:4-6 152 24:40 224
10:11 103 24:44 218
11:29, 31 173 24:51, 56 218
12:1-3 315 24:54-61 261
14 149 24:55-56 251
14:1, 9 138 25:9 118
14:14 97 25:10 168
14:18-20 114 25:20 173
14:20 280 27:1, 18 210
16:7-11 160 27:1 24, 137
17 287 27:29 314
17:3, 17 296 28:1-9 112
17:15 149 28:1-2 172-73
18:1-15 226 28:22 306
18:1-8 133 29 35
18:2-22 188 29:4-6 225, 227-28
18:12 226 29:11 228
19:1 188 29:15-30:24 174
21:17 160 29:19 112
22 250 29:22 251
340 Index of References
29:27 251 Exodus

30:7-8 94 2:18 94
30:8 94 2:20 133
30:43 267 3:2 160
31:11 24, 210 3:6, 15 234
31:15 234 4:5 234
32:29 192 4:13-16 173
33:4 228, 277 6:23 93
33:11 93 7:11 243
34 241 9:29, 33 153
34:12 236 12:23 160
35:4 330 12:48 111
35:25 94 14:19 160
36:4, 10, 13, 17 94 15:1-18 304
37 35 16:7 160
37:3-4 221 17:14 298
37:13 24 20:12 167
37:35 153, 178 20:13 152
39-50 35 20:14, 17 234
39:2—4, 21 114 20:14 172
41:39-45 114 22:16 236
41:42 124 22:21 111
41:43 124 22:29-30 108
42:27-28 187 22:30 197
42:38 49, 153, 178, 216 23:4 141
43:27-30 227 23:14-17 107
44:20 212 23:16 131
44:29, 31 153, 178 23:20 160, 196
44:29 49 24:17 160
45:14 228-29, 277 30:35 207
45:26 265 32:1 262
45:28 268 33:2 160
46:24 94 34:15 113
46:28 275 34:16 112, 172
46:29-30 277 34:22-23 107
46:29 229 34:22 107, 131
47:28 318
47:29 142, 325 Leviticus
48:9 325 2:2 294
49:2 332 2:9, 16 294
49:21 94-95 2:13 207
49:31 118, 335 5:12 294
50:1 229 6:15 294
50:22 318 7:26-27 113
50:26 118 11:1-47 113
11:9-12 206
12:4 262 28:26-31 131

15:11 231 28:26 131
16:10 243 34:28 95
17:14-15 113 36:1-13 212
18:1-30 234 36:2-12 156
18:20 234 36:3-9 112
19:13 174 36:5-12 212-13
19:18 175 36:11 226
20:10 234
21:1-3 135 Deuteronomy
23:5-6 107 1:8 331
23:15-22 131 1:35 327
23:15-21 107 3:25 327
23:15-16 131 4:7-8 178
23:33-36 107 4:21-22 327
25:4-7 110 4:25-40 308
27:26-27, 30-32 109 4:40 47, 327
27:30-32 108 5:28 24, 299
27:30 109 5:29 139
6:10 331
Numbers 6:13 47, 332
1:42-43 95 6:18 327
2:14 94 6:25 142, 169
3:47 195 7:3-4 112, 172, 212
5:2 135 8:2, 18 168
5:22 246 8:5-6 166
6:5 262 8:8, 10 327
9:6-10 135 8:10 47, 332
10:27 95 9:6 327
10:29 94 9:27 47
11:15 47, 144-45 10:12 332
18:1-32 109 11:17 327
18:20 108 11:30 97
18:21-32 108 12:1-28 107
18:21-28 109 12:1-14 47, 105, 130
18:21-24 109 12:6-19 110
19:11 134 12:10-12 331
19:13 135 12:10-11 47, 331
19:14-19 134 12:12 47
22:22 160 13:3 295
23:28 97 14:3-21 113
24:9 314 14:22-23 109-10
24:16 114 14:23 109, 111
26:48 94 14:24-26 109-10
27:1-11 212 14:28-29 109-11
27:5-11 156 15:7-8, 11 170
15:10 176 33:11 24, 2 9 9

16:3 168 33:23 95
16:6 47, 330 33:26 311
16:9 131 34:4 331
16:9-12 133 34:8 262
16:16 107 39:19-20 332
17:20 168
18:10-12 207 Joshua
21:23 119, 2 3 4 2:4-8 133
22:1-3 141 5:14 296
22:22 234 7:6 296
24:1 234 11:1, 1 0 - 1 3 97
24:9 168 12:22 96
24:11 235 15:23-25 97
24:13 142, 170 17:2 211
24:15 174 19:32-39 95-96
25:5-10 212 19:33 95
26:2, 1 0 - 1 2 108 19:35-38 95
26:7 245 19:36-37 96
26:12-15 109-10 19:37 96
26:12 110 19:38 95
26:13 168 20:7 96
26:14 176 24:29 318
28:1-68 114, 169
28:2 36 Judges
28:4 174 1:33 95
28:14 168 3 287
28:15 36 4:4-6 111
28:26 118-19 4:6, 10 95
28:37 143 4:6 95-96
28:58, 63 332 5:18 95
30:1^1 47, 329 6:20 160
30:1-3 309 6:23 297
30:2-3 310 9:15 97
30:19-20 47 11:34 250
30:20 331 13:2-20 36
31:17 170 13:6-7 188
31:19, 22 298,305 13:15 140
31-32 305 13:17 192
32:3 308 13:18 192
32:6 309 13:20 2 9 6 , 298
32:8-9 114 14 241
32:20 170, 3 1 0 14:12-18 251
32:39 178, 3 0 7 18:5-6 108
32:39c 307
33:10 108 1 Samuel
1:2 112
1:10-11 250 9:15 97

1:26 244 9:26-28 317
2:1-10 305 9:28 317
2:6 178, 3 0 7 10:5 124
2:9 171 10:11 317
2:26 336 11:1-8 112
3:2 137 11:36c 105
3:4, 6, 8 24 12:19-20, 25-33 106
13:19 327 12:19-20, 25-29 32
14:6 231 12:26 104
18 241 14:4 137
18:16 197 14:9 107
18:25 236 14:11 1 1 8 - 1 9 , 197
25:8 133 14:21d 105
25:32 154 16:4 197
31:4 153 16:18 153
18:12 139
2 Samuel 18:26 262
1-51 305 19:4 47, 144-45
5:14 194 19:18 106
6:16 105 20:35 173
7:2 194 21:24 119
17:23 153 22:19 160
18:28 154
24:16 151,160 2 Kings
2:3, 5, 7, 15 173
1 Kings 4:8-11 133
1:48 154 5:2,4 327
2:1-3 167 5:5 115
2:4 102, 144 6:23 327
2:6, 9 178 7:12 262
3:6 102 9:16 289
3:8 311 9:34 24
4:3 96 11:2 93
5:5 105 15:6, 8 192
5:21 280 15:29 32, 50, 95, 97
6:12-13 105 17:1-6 32, 116
6:14-38 329 17:3-23 96
8:22 244 17:3 95
8:23 144 17:5-6 96
8:30 311 17:6 50, 96, 115
8:44, 4 8 154 18:9-11 96
8:48d 105 18:9-13 32, 116
8:63-64 105 18:9 95
9:3 105 18:10-11 115
9:7 143 18:13-19:37 32, 116
18:17, 19, 2 6 , 2 7 , 2 8 , 3 7 124 2:60 92

18:17 124 3:12 329
19:4, 8 124 4:2 121
19:16, 2 0 , 36 116 4:6 336
19:35-36 116, 119 4:8 205
19:36 103 6:2 149-50, 205, 225
19:37d 121 6:18 213
20:7 208 7:27 245
21:1-18 334 8:23 292
21:3 106 9 : 2 - 4 , 12 112
23:4-23 105 9:2, 12 172
23:5, 8 - 9 107 9:5 153
23:23 105 9:6-7 143
9:6 154
1 Chronicles 9:15 142
1:35, 3 7 94 10:2-3, 10-11 112
2:2 94 10:28 93
3:15 194
4:35 94 Nehemiah
4:36 94 1:4 292
7:13 94 1:8 143
16:8-9 308 1:11-2:1 124
16:9 297 2:6-8 114
16:13 249 2:9-20 93
26:7 94 2 : 1 0 , 19 92
28:8 327 3:1 93
29:4 317 4:11 36
29:10 154, 2 4 9 , 3 0 6 7:2 102
7:62 92
2 Chronicles 8:4 122
7:9, 16 105 8:6 246
9:10 317 9:8, 13 25
16:12 137, 2 1 7 9:33 142, 169
17:8 92 10:28-30 112
20:6 245 10:30 172
22:11 93 11:1 311
23:18 51 12:10 36
25:4 51 13:23-27 112
30:9 145, 170 13:25 172
30:16 51 14:6 36
32:21 119,121
35:12 213 Esther
42:7 168 3:1 334
3:9 115
Ezra 3:10 124
1:2 268 4:1 334
5:3-6 289 31:16-20 118

7:2 289 33:23-24 294
8:2, 8 124 36:11 262
8:16-17 282 38:17 171
10:2 114 42:16 258
10:3 124
14:17 113 Psalms
1:1-3 169
Job 2:4 311
1:1 179 2:11 310
1:5 262 3:5 247
1:6 160 4:7 161
1:21 139, 2 4 5 4:8 248
2:1 160 6:6 178
2:3, 9 - 1 0 139 9:8 142
2:9 141 18 305
5:1 160 18:7 160
5:11 178 18:46 280
6:6 207 19:2 241
6:10 294 19:10b 144
6:20 262 22:25 145
7:9-10 145 22:28 313
7:9 178 24:5 170
7:15-16 144 25:10 142
7:15 36, 145 28:2 154
10:7 307 29:1 160
10:21-22 145, 171 31:11 136
11:13 153 32:9 220
12:4 139 33:5 170
13:4 137 33:12 311
14:14 262 34:2 177
14:17 256 34:10 249
15:15 160 37:22 174
17:13-16 178 38:11 136, 2 6 4
17:13 171 41:2 171
18:18 171 41:11 246
19:25-27 139 42:7 113
21:13 178 44:14-15 143
22:24 317 45:10 317
22:26 154 48:2 160
24:13 102 49:12 145
26:5-6 178 57:2 246
28:16 317 66:20 280
28:28 258 68:34 311
30:1 196 69:35 245
30:31 135 71:8 280
72:10-11 313 Proverbs

72:19 245—46, 2 8 0 1:7 258
79:3 119 3:1-2 319
86:9 313 3:12 295, 309
86:10 160 4:10 319
88:4 178 8:17 221
88:13 171 9:10 258
89:5 241 10:2 171
89:6, 8 160 10:27-30 169
89:13 96 10:27 319
89:31-35 307 11:4 293
89:53 246 11:27 291
91:11 160, 199 13:24 309
93:3 241 16:8 292
97:6 241 16:18 174
98:7 241 16:31 102
103:22 315 17:23 102
104:29 144 19:15 174
105:6, 4 3 249 19:17 170-71
105:15 173 19:20 177
106:5 249 20:1 176
106:30 244 20:20 171
111:10 258 20:28 142
112:2 174 22:8a 176
113:2 156, 2 4 5 23:20, 3 0 - 3 5 176
114:7 309 23:22 167
116:15 118 31:1 112
119:12 154
119:22, 39 156 Qohelet
1 1 9 : 2 9 , 128 169 3:20 144
119:30 102 6:3 118
119:87 168 8:2-4 291
119:137 142 9:5-10 178
121:1 154 12:1 113
122:6 315 12:5 145
128:6 269 12:7 144
129:7 56
134:2 154 Canticles
135:5 160 4:9, 10, 12 199
144:1 306 5:1 199
145:1 280
145:3 160 Isaiah
145:13 310 1:27 142
145:17 142 2:2-4 315
148:2 161 2:2-3 313
148:4 245 2:3 330
2:18 36, 330 54:17 314

4:1 150 58:7 118, 133, 176
6:1-3 294 59:12 143
8:23 95 59:16 170
9:1 313 60:1-22 311
10:5, 12 326 60:1—4 304
13:12 317 60:3 313
14:9 178 60:4, 9 316
14:11, 15 178 60:12 314
14:20 118 60:21 174, 331
14:25 326 63:16 309
18:7 317, 3 3 0 64:4 113, 168
19:22 330 64:6 145, 170
20:1 124 64:7 309
22:13 231 64:10 328
24:4 328 64:11 328
28:17 142, 170 65:9, 15, 22 311
30:31 326 65:9 249
31:8 326 66:1 311
35:8-10 328 66:7-16 330
36-37 124 66:10-14 304
36:1 116 66:10-12 315
37:17, 21, 37 116
37:36-38 119 Jeremiah
37:36-37 116 2:8 106
37:37 103 2:27 154
37:38 121 2:36 262
38:3 144 3:4, 19 309
38:16-20 290 3:8 235
38:18 178 3 : 1 3 - 1 6 , 22 310
40:3 24, 299 7:33 118-19
40:25 294 9:4 136
43:15 294 9:16 143
43:20 311 12:1 142
44:28c-d 312 12:16 106
45:4 249 14:12 292
45:7 333 15:15 143
45:14-15 330 16:7 177
45:14-25 313 16:19 36, 313
48:2 311 16:19b-c 330
49:7 313 18:18 108
50:1 235 20:15 211
51:6 154 22:18-19 118
52:1 311 24:9 143
54:8 170 28:1 93
54:11-12 304, 316 29:24, 31 194
31:7-14 328 3:31 144

31:38 93 3:52-56 245
32:33 154 3:52 249, 2 8 0
33:22 160 3:58 249
36:14 194 3:59 245
37:3 194 4:4-19a 149
49:28-33 97 4:19b-37 149
51:48 245 4:24 292
51:50 113, 168 4:37 311
5:18 114
Lamentations 6:4 211
4:18 262 6:11 154
5:1 143 6:18 205
7:5 205
Ezekiel 7:18 249
4:13-14 113 8:16 296
6:1-14 107 8:24 249
6:9 113, 168 9:5-6 143
8:4 160 9:5 25
11:15 113 9:8, 15, 16 155
12:15 143 9:14b 142
14:7 111 9:21 296
18:5-9 118 10:4 204
18:7, 16 176 10:11 297
18:8-9 169 10:13, 21 296
20:34 143 11:18 333
22:4 143 12:1 296
23:4 328 12:2 307
24:17 177
29:3 298 Hosea
29:5 118 9:3-4 113
39:15 118 10:5 107
40:1-48:35 330 10:10 309
43:3 296 13:1 106
44:4 296
Joel
Daniel 1:14 292
1:6 192 2:13-14 311
1:8-16 113
1:17-21 114 Amos
1:17 114 1:2 328
2:31 205 3:14 135
2:48-49 114 4:4 135
3:19 211 5:5 135
3:26 114, 245, 306 7:10 135
3:27c 144 8:1-3 135
8:4-14 135 Nahum

8:10 135 1:1 326
9:11 312 2:7-8 103
2 : 8 - 1 0 , 13 326
Jonah 3:1-19 103
2:1 206 3:3 120
2:2-3 178 3:18-19 326
2:3-10 304
2:6 307 Habakkuk
3:3 103 3:3 294
3:9 311
3:10 326 Zephaniah
4:3, 8 145 2:13 36, 1 0 3 , 3 2 6
4:3 144
4:11 103 Haggai
1:6 25
Micah 2:9 330
3:4 170 2:11-13 108
4:1-4 315
4:2 36,304,313 Malachi
5:4-5 326 2:11 172
5:45 36
2. Apocrypha (Deuterocanonical Writings) and Septuagint
Baruch 2:2 150

1:15-22 47 2:4 168
1:15-21 143 2:26 154
2:9 142 4:1, 8 249
2:11-13 143 5:1, 23 262
3:4-8 143 5:3 295
4:1 178 5:8 308
4:4 178 5:21 268
4:31-35 314 5:28 291
6:27 177 8:2 308
8:8 308
2 Esdras 8:25 308
10:11 144 10:5 113
12:1-3 113
Epistle of Jeremiah 12:1-2 113
6:26 177 13:17 116, 124
16:23 143
Judith
1:2-4 112 1 Maccabees
1:15 25 1:41-50 51
2:1-48 51 30:18 36,177

4:30 249 31:25-31 176
6:1 138 35:6-7 294
11:63, 73 96-97 35:9-10 169-70
11:67 97 36:42 245
37:16, 23 177
2 Maccabees 38:9-14 217
7:1—41 112 38:11 294
9:15 53 38:15 36, 137
12:31-32 131 38:16 36
14:41 153 39:16 295
39:35 280
3 Maccabees 40:17, 24 169
5:7 309 40:17 171
40:24 36, 171
Prayer of Manasseh 45:16 294
9-12 143
Tobit
Sirach Tobit passages that follow the sequence
of the commentary are not listed here.
3:12-16 335
1-12 44
3:30 171, 292
l:l-7:lla 14
4:1-2 176
1:1-4:6 5
4:3-5 169
1-3 11
4:4-5 170
1:1-3:6 6, 14, 42
4:10 292
1:1-3:5 4
7:7, 16 298
1 227
7:10 292
1-2 58
7:10b 169
1 44, 111, 1 8 7 , 2 1 1
7:27-28 167
2, 4 , 5 5
7:32 176
2 32, 104
7:33-34 36
3-3:17 58
7:33 177
3-3:6 149
9:16a 133
3, 16 48
10:14-15 174
3 47, 48, 50,
10:19 168
142, 319, 332
12:3 171
4-5 32
17:1 245
4, 6-8 48
18:21 36
4 311,327
22:1-2 174
5 194, 330
23:1, 4 309
6-8 48
23:23 172
103, 194
29:8-13 169
93
29:9-13 169
9-10 32
29:11-12 171, 292
9 48, 131, 156, 172
29:12 36
10 32
30:1 309
13, 15, 16 95
1:14 94, 139 3:14d 197

1:15 32, 263 3:15 38, 103, 231
1:16-17 170 3:16-17 34, 47, 149
1:17-19 48 3:16 46, 294
1:17 36,216 3:17 172, 279, 295, 296
1:18-20 134 4:1-12:22 58
1:18 118, 134 4 45,227
1:20 35, 46, 130 4:1-2 254
1:21-22 37, 53 4:1,20 94
1:21 12, 32 4:1 12, 116, 149
1:22 23, 50, 236, 283 4:2-3 325
2 39 4:2, 17 48
2:1 12 4:2 196
2:2, 3, 10 103 4:3-19 34, 42, 46, 325
2:2, 8 5 4:3-4 36, 118, 216, 335
2:3-8 118 4:3 5
2:3-4, 7, 10 35 4:3b-19 44
2:3-4 48 4:5-11 319, 332
2:3 19, 329 4:5-6 48
2:4, 7 36 4:5 46
2:6 36, 51, 326 4:7-19b 5
2:9 36, 278 4:7-11, 16 48
2:10, 15 46 4:7-10 292
2:10 37, 50, 53, 122, 4:7, 8, 10, 11, 16 103
279, 283, 319 4:10, 15, 17, 18 38
2:11 279 4:10 48, 145, 1 6 1 , 2 9 3
2:14 36, 47, 48, 103, 264 4:11 36
2:14c 35 4:12, 13 103, 156, 216
3 47 4:12 212, 281
3:1-6 11, 148 4:14 288
3:2-6, 11- 15 249 4:15 56
3:2-6 47, 294 4:19c-13:6h 5
3:2, 5, 11, 15 5 4:20 116,187
3:2 46, 47 4:24 292
3:4 326 5:2 12
3:6-6:16 4 5:3 255, 281
3:6 36, 46, 48, 5:5, 9 103
153-54, 156, 167 5:5 12
3:7-12:22 42 5:6, 13, 14 103
3:7-9 46, 274 5:6 12-13, 33, 94, 254
3:7 12, 35, 42, 44, 94, 160, 281 5:9-18 35
3:8 141,218 5:9 23
3:9 161 5:10 161, 279
3:10 48 5:11-14 295
3:11-15 47, 294 5:12 5
3:11 46, 241, 245, 249, 306 5:13 49
5:14 107 7:11 150

5:15-16 288, 290 7:llb-14:15 15
5:15 12 7:13 51
5:17-6:1 274 7:16 241
5:17 49, 204, 281 7:17 46
5:17d 35 8 : 1 , 4 , 12, 13 12
5:18-21 141 8:2-3 289
5:18 264 8:3 55, 161
5:21 103, 261, 264 8:4, 7, 21 199
5:22 35 8:5-8 47
6:2-11:6 289 8:5-7 48, 249
6:2 12, 33, 275 8:5, 15 306
6:3-5 289 8:5 46, 154, 249
6:5 12 8:6 46
6:6-8 34 8:8 47
6:6 298 8:10 134
6:8, 17 242 8:15-21 289
6:9-12:22 5 8:15-17 47
6:9 193, 275 8:15 5, 154
6:11-18 289 8:16 47
6:11-13 184 8:17 155
6:11 23 8:19 12
6:12, 16 156, 172 8:20 255, 265
6:12 7 8:21 193
6:13 48, 51, 9:2, 5 12, 94, 186
6:14-15 151 9:2 33, 50, 186
6:15 118, 243 9:4 251, 261, 265
6:16-14:15 4 9:5-6 289
6:16-18 218-19 9:5 5
6:16 172 10 261, 274
6:17 184 10:l-7c 261
6:18 4 7 - 4 8 , 103, 243 10:2 94
7 : 1 , 2 , 4, 7 , 1 0 , 1 1 103 10:4-7 35, 261
7:1, 3 103 10:4-6 141
7 : 1 , 4 , 5, 12 193 10:4, 7 197, 276
7:1 50, 149, 190, 210 10:4, 13 5
7:2-7 156 10:4 197
7:2 257 10:5 161, 279
7:4b-5 228 10:6, 12, 13 193
7:7 103, 228, 257 10:6 103, 199
7:10-13 289 10:7 168
7 : 1 0-11 172 10:7d-13 261
7:10 156 10:11 13
7:11-13 51 10:12 103, 199
7:11, 12 48 11:1 33
7:11, 15 199 11:1a 270
11:4 171, 196, 204 13:1 92, 168

11:7-14 289 13:2, 5 47
11:8, 14 161 13:2 7, 46, 178
11:11 168 13:3-18 13
11:12, 13 5 13:3, 5 47
11:13-15 47 13:4 46
11:14-15 249 13:6 46-48
11:14 46, 264 13:6i-10b 5
11:15 307 13:8 23
11:17 47, 193 13:9-18 15, 231
11:18 6, 37, 50, 53, 92, 13:9-10 49
122, 125, 317 13:10-18 328
11:19 251 13:10 46
12-14 11 13:10b-18 44
12-13 13 13:10c-14:15 5
12 280, 324 13:11, 18 48
12:3, 5 193 13:11 5, 36, 49, 52, 1 6 1 , 3 3 0
12:6-10 34, 42, 46 13:12 23
12:6-8 47 13:13 [?] 168
12:6, 8, 15 5 13:18 46
12:6 46 14 13, 42—43, 5 1 - 5 2
12:6b-14 44 14:1, 10-11 48
12:7 56, 291 14:1 92
12:8-9 169 14:2-6 9
12:8, 9 . 103 14:2, 10, 11 103
12:8 48 14:2, 10 216
12:9 48, 145, 171 14:2 137, 299,
12:10 36, 91 14:3-15 58
12:12-15 46 14:3-11 34, 42, 4 6 - 4 7
12:12, 15 46 14:3, 5 5
12:12 47, 160 14:3 36
12:14-19 4 14:4-6 47
12:15 160, 296 14:4-5 47, 49
12:17 304f. 14:4 36, 51, 103
12:19 207 14:5 46—47, 51
12:20 317 14:6-7, 9 47
12:22 24, 299, 319 14:6-7 52
13-14 14, 45, 306 14:6 23, 36
13:1-14:2 58 14:7 47-48, 308
13 42f. 14:9 47-48, 103
13:1-18 47 14:10-13 118
13:1-17 249 14:10-11 169, 171
13:l-9a 44 14:10 37-38, 50, 53, 122,
13:1-6 46 161, 279, 283
13:1, 6 47 14:14 32
13:1, 5 5 14:15 32, 231
Wisdom of Solomon 12:22 307

2:16 309 14:3 309
3:5 295 14:11 330
5:6 102 16:13 178, 307
6:1 291 16:15 307
7:1-4 291 18:25 151
3. Old Testament Pseudepigrapha
Ahiqar 71:9 296

Aramaic 2:10, 13 177 91:9 330
Aramaic 3, 19 124
Aramaic 3, 50, 51, 55 116 Jubilees
Aramaic 104 291 1:27, 29 296
Armenian 2:1 291 2:1-2 296
Armenian 2:88 175 4:33 173
Syriac 1.4 156 6:11-21 131
Syriac 2:12 177 8:18 173
Syriac 8:2, 37 171 11:14 226
Syriac 8:42 334 22:16 113
27:14-17 199
3 Baruch 27:17 264
11:4-9 294
Letter of Aristeas 175
1 Enoch 207 175
9:1-4 296
9:1 296 Life of Adam and Eve
10:4 94, 243 17:1-3 244
10:21 330
20:3 94 Testament of Levi
20:4 94 9:11 230
20:2-7 296
23:4 94 Testament of Solomon
40:9 161 5:7-8 151
48:5 330 5:9 209
4. New Testament
Matthew 6:2-18 292

2:20, 21 327 6:20 171
2:23 93 7:12 175
4:13, 15 95 8:28-31 150
5:42 170 11:25 237
6:1 170 12:43 243
15:19 172 16:5 298

15:22-28 150
15:26-27 197 Acts
17:21 292 1:1 92
19:7 235 2:1, 9-11 131
23:15 111 2:9 138
23:30 111 2:30 173
25:35-36 176 3:25 173
6:9 111
Mark 7:48 114
5:7 114 9:18 279
6:23 289 10:4 294
7:1-3 229 10:11-14 113
7:21 172 13:3 292
7:27-28 197 15:20 113
9:29 292 15:29 175
10:4 235 17:26 245
21:27 262
Luke
1:5, 7 93 Romans
1:69 105 9:10 111
2:39 93 11:4 106
3:4 92
4:2 262 1 Corinthians
4:16 93 4:13 198
4:31 95 5:1 172
6:30 176 7:2 172
6:31 175-76 14:16 246
8:43 137
10:21 237 2 Corinthians
10:25-37 176 4:6 333
11:14 150 6:14 333
11:24 243 8:12-14 170
13:11 150 9:7 176
14:2 332
14:13 133 Galatians
15:8-9 195 5:19 172
24:36 297
Ephesians
John 5:8 333
1:5 333
3:21 169 Philippians
9:2 137 2:12 310
9:6-7 208
12:46 333 1 Timothy
13:10 229, 231 1:17 310
Hebrews 6:11 49
13:2 188 7:1, 9-14 49
james Revelation
5:10-11 139 1:4 296
5:1 236
1 John 7:6 95
1:1-2 49 8:2 296
1:6 169 8:3-4 294
2:1-9 49 12:7-9 243
2:9-14 49 18:2 243
3:1-11, 16 49 20:2 243
21:18-21 316
5. Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Texts
4QTob = 4Q196-200 9, 43, 44, 59 6:2 152

6:5 153
4Q196 227, 325, 304, 319 6:6 153
1 118 6:7 154
1:2, [12] 27 6:8 154
2:1-2 120 6:9 154
2:2-3 120 6:10-11 155
2:3-4 120 6:12 156
2:3, 10, 12 112 7:1-2 161
2:4 26, 121 8:1-2 167
2:5-6 122 9:1-2 168
2:5, 8, 11 27 9:3 168
2:5 123 10:1 169
2:6 123 11:1 180
2:7-8 123 11:2 185
2:8-9 125 12:1 23, 24, 190
2:8 116, 122-124 12:2 27, 190
2:9-10 130 13:1 207
2:9 23 14 i 1 213-14
2:10-11 132 14 i 4 - 5 215
2:10 131 14 i 6 215
2:11-12 132 14 i 7-8 216
2:12-13 132 14 i 8 216
2:13 27, 133 14 i 9 - 1 0 216
4:1 139 14 i 10 26
4 ii 12 217 14 i 11 217
5:1 144 14 i 12 217
6:1 152 14 ii 227
1 4 ii 5 225 4Q197 198, 206, 215, 227

1 4 ii 6 - 7 226 1:1 145
1 4 ii 6 27, 225 1:2 149
1 4 ii 8 226-27 1:3 150
1 4 ii 9 227 2:1 179
1 4 ii 1 1 228 2:2 185
15:1 234 3:1 192
16:1 288 3:2 192
17 i 1 297 3:3 192
17 i 2 27, 297 3:4-5 193
17 i 3 26, 298 4 i 1 197
17 i 4 - 5 299 4 i [7], 8, [15] 27
17 i 4 299 4 i 2-3 198
17 i 5 24, 309, 319 4 i 4 199
17 i 13 308 4 i 5 203-04
17 i 14 308 4 i 6 204
17 i 15 309 4 i 6-7 205
1 7 i 1 6 - 1 7 ii 1 - 2 309 4 i 7 206
1 7 ii 311 4 i 7-8 206
1 7 ii 2 - 3 310 4 i 8-9 206
1 7 ii 3 - 4 310 4 i 9 206
1 7 ii 3 , [ 9 ] 27 4 i 9-11 207
1 7 ii 4 - 5 310 4 i 11 207
1 7 ii 5 - 6 311 4 i 12 208
1 7 ii 7 23, 311 4 i 12-14 208
1 7 ii 1 0 312 4 i 14-15 209
1 7 ii 1 4 - 1 5 313 4 i 15 210
1 7 ii 1 5 - 1 6 23, 24, 314 4 i 15-16 210
1 7 ii 1 6 a n d 1 8 : 1 314 4 i 16-17 210
18:2 314 4 i 16 23
18:3 315 4 i 17-18 211
18:4 315 4 i 18-19 211
18:5 315-16 4 i 19 211
18:6 316 4 ii 1 212
18:7 316 4 ii 2 212
18:8 316 4 ii 2 - 3 212
18:9 316 4 ii 3 , [ 1 6 ] 27
18:10-11 317 4 ii 3 , 6 , 1 3 26
18:11 26,317 4 ii 4 213
18:12 317-18 4 ii 4 - 6 213
18:[12] 92 4 ii 6 - 7 214
18:15-16 324 4 ii 7 214
18:15 23, 299, 3 0 9 , 3 1 9 4 ii 8 214
19:1 331 4 ii 9 215
19:2 331 4 ii 1 0 215
4 ii 1 1 216
4 ii 12 216 1:11 328

4 ii 13 216 1:12 330
4 ii 16 217 1:13 23, 330
4 ii 17 218 2:4 334
4 ii 18 218
4 ii 1 9 - 4 iii 1 221 4Q199
4 ii 210, 229 1:1 26, 2 3 1 , 3 3 3 - 3 4
4 ii 1 149 1 ii 5 153
4 ii 1 - 2 225 2:1 283
4 ii 2 - 3 225
4 ii 3 - 4 226 4Q200 25, 279, 319
4 ii 4 - 5 226 1i 44
4 ii 210 1i 2 144
4 ii 4 , 5 26 1i 144
4 ii 4, [13] 27 1 i 4-5 145
4 ii 5 , 6 92 1 i 5 145
4 ii 5 26, 227 1 ii 1, 2 152
4 ii 6 227 1 ii 3, 4 153
4 ii 7 - 8 228 1 ii 5 153
4 ii 7 227 2:1 167
4 ii 8 228 2:2 25, 167
4 ii 9 228 2:3-4 168
4 ii 10 229 2:4-5 168
4 ii 11 229 2:5 169
4 ii 12 229 2:6-7 170
4 ii 13 231 2:6 169
5:1 250 2:7-8 170
5:2 250 2:9 171
5:3 250 3:2 185
5:6 27, 2 5 1 3:3 185
5:7 252 3:4 185
5:8 252 4:1-3 265
5:9 26,254 4:3-4 266
5:10 255 4:3,6 112
5:11 255 4:3 25,168
5:12 255 4:4-6 266
4:6-7 266
4Q198 4:7, 6:1 92
1 1 318-19 5:1 277
1 2 324 5:2-4 278
1 5 326 5:2 168
1 6 327 5:5 278
1 7 327 6:1 298
1 8-9 328 6:2-3 299
1 9 328 6:2 299
1 10 328 6:4-5 306
6:4 25, 168 4 Q 4 3 4 - 4 3 6 (4QBarki Naphsi* c) 315

6:5-7 307
6:7-8 308 4QTestim (4Q175) 1, 19 299
6:7 307
6:8 308 4QTNaphtali 2:10 25
6:9-10 308
7 i 1-2 314 4QVisions of Amram' (4Q543 6:[2])154
7 i2 25, 168
7 i 3-4 315 4QEnoch 27
7 ii 1 317 4QEn a 1 iv 6 296
7 ii 3 317 4QEn b 1 iii 7 296
7 ii 4 317-18 4QEn e 1 iv 17 120
7 ii 5 - 6 318
4QNJ a (4Q554) 1 ii 23 317
lQapGen 2:9 219 4QNJ 1 (4Q554) 2 ii 14-15 317
lQapGen 21:23-24 149 5QNJ* (5Q15) 1 i 6 - 7 317
lQpHab 11:6 211 4QpNah 3 - 4 ii 4 120
4 Q M M T B63 327 4QTanhumim (4Q176)

4 Q M M T C26 25 1-2 i 6, 7, 9 24, 299
1-2 ii 3 24
4Q232 25 8-11:6, 8, 10 24
4Q285 280 Mur 42:4 211
6. Philo of Alexandria
Quis rerum divinarum heres sit 1.53 §289 207

6 §22-24 155 1.57 §308 111
3.20§113 220
Quod omnis probus liber sit
1.1 §445 92 De vita Mosis
1.55 §300 172
De specialibus legibus
1.9 §51 111
7. Josephus
Against Apion 3.10.6 §252 131

2.26 §205 136 4.4.3 §68 110
2.29 §211 119 4.8.8 §205 110
4.8.22 §240 110
Antiquities 8.2.5 §45-47 150
1.1.3 §39 204 8.4.3 §111 155
9.6.6 §138 106 Jewish War

9.7.1 §141 93 1.13.10§272 289
12.9.1 §354 138 1.21.1 §401 329
14.10.22 §255 111 2.20.6 §573 97
15.11.1 §380 329 7.6.3 §185? 150
18.1.6 §23 155 7.8.6 §323 155
20.10.3 §236 125
8. Rabbinic Literature
Mishna Targum
m. Kiddushin 1.1 235 Tg. Neofiti 1 24
Tg. Onqelos of Gen 2:14 204
Talmud Tg. Onqelos of Gen 22:1, 7, 11;
b. Gittin 68a-b 151 27:1, 18; 31:11 210
b. Hullin 106a 231 Tg. Jonathan of Jon 2:1 206
b. Pesahim 110a, 122b 152 Tg. Yerusalmi I of Lev 19:18 175
b. Sabbat 14b. 231
b. Sabbat 31a 175
9. Early Christian Literature
Canon Muratori 20:3 234 Jerome In Ieremiam 38 209

42:4 211
Leo the Great Tractatus X 6 9 - 7 6 171
Cyprian De mortalità te 10 139
Polycarp Philippians 10.2 171
Didache 1:2 175
Tertullian De oratione 16.6 244
10. Greek and Roman Literature
Arrian Anabasis 3.19.8- Heliodorus Aithiopica 1.13 197

3.20.2 188
Homer Iliad
Cicero De divinatione 22.66-69 197
1.27.56-57 39 23.173 197
Odyssey
Euripides Hippolytus 88 155 2.11 197
17.62 197
Galen 14.775 137 17.291-92 277
Herodotus Hist. 1.96 150,205 Plato Euthydemus 302D 155

Pliny Natural History Plutarch Alexander 42 188

29.8.21 279
32.14.37 209 Sophocles Antigone 4 6 1 - 4 6 4 144
32.24.69 210
Xenophon Anabasis 3.2.13 155
11. Papyri
P. Leid. D' 1 1 (MM, 417) 114 P. Grenf 1.33.14 137

P. Oxy 1436.23 123
Index of Names and Subjects
Aaron, 108, 173 Ararat, Mount, 121

Abraham, 149, 173, 211, 218, 251, 331 Ardeshir I of Persia, 52
Adam, 245 Arrian, Anabasis, 189
Adelphe, term for wife, 199 Asa, King, 217
Adelpbos, senses of, 103, 174, 190, 219, Asartha, 131
2 3 1 , 2 6 9 , 328 Ashurbanipal, Annals, 119
Ahiqar, 29, 32, 37-38, 53-54, 101, 104, Asmodeus, 2 9 , 4 8 - 4 9 , 1 5 0 - 5 1 , 1 6 1 , 215,
117,122-25,137-38,166,273,282- 217, 2 4 0 - 4 4 , 2 4 8 - 4 9 , 297
83, 3 3 3 - 3 4 Assyria, 32, 37, 50, 53, 95
as an Assyrian, 32, 37 Assyrian Captivity, 29, 101-2, 282
as a Jew, 32, 122, 125 Athanasius, 55
Story and Wisdom of Ahiqar, 37-38, Augustine, 56
53, 122, 166, 177, 283, 291 Azariah,
Akkadian Counsels of Wisdom, 118 angel in disguise, 3 0 , 4 9 , 1 8 4 - 8 5 , 1 9 2 ,
Alexander the Great, 51, 150, 189 203, 2 0 7 - 8 , 214, 2 2 4 - 2 5 , 227,
Alexandria, 54 230, 249, 254
Alms(giving), 36, 101-3, 117, 169-71, name, 49, 184, 192
176, 292, 318-19, 332, 334 self-revelation, 287, 2 9 5 - 9 6
Ambrose of Milan, 56 Azazel 243
Amen, 246 Baal, 106
Amos the Prophet, 36, 135 Babylonia, 53
Angel(s), 33, 160 Bathing, 134, 136
of the Presence, 287, 2 9 5 - 9 6 Benjamin, 212, 228
angelology, 49 Bethel, 106, 135
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, 51, 53 Blessing, 257, 309, 314-15
Aphorism(s), 42, 291, 293 Blindness, 2 9 - 3 0 , 46, 130, 137-38, 159,
Apostasy, 32, 104, 106, 112 191, 2 2 8 - 2 9 , 254, 273
Aramaic language, Bond, 186
Imperial, 26, 51
Bonus, 29, 140, 2 8 7 - 9 0
Late, 13
Booths, Feast of, 107
Medieval, 11-13, 52 Bride-price, 236
Middle, 13, 26, 52 Burial of dead, 3 5 , 1 0 1 , 1 1 8 - 1 9 , 1 3 4 , 2 9 4
Aramaic form of Book of Tobit, 20-21,
25, 44, 53 Calah, 114
medieval (Neubauer), 11-13,104,247, Calf, Golden, 105
273, 306, 324 Capitularium Collectio, 220
Qumran (4Q196-4Q199), 9 - 1 1 , 19, Centralization of cult, 105, 330
23, 43, 52 et passim Chaldeans, 20, 104
Chaldee, 20 Ecbatana, 29-31, 33, 50, 53, 1 4 8 ^ 9 ,

Cheirographon, 179, 186, 255 188, 2 1 0 , 2 2 4 - 2 5 , 2 4 3 , 248, 255-56,
Chromatius, Bp. of Aquileia, 20, 56 335-36
Cicero, De divinatione, 39 Edna, 34, 224, 226-29, 236-37, 242,
Clement of Alexandria, 56 248-50, 252, 268-69
Clement of Rome, 2 Clement, 292 Egypt, 242-43
Code-names, 104 Elam (Elymais), 117, 137-38
Continence in marriage, 220, 244 Elephantine, 53, 117, 137, 283, 291
Coptic version, 3, 15 Ely on, 114
Council of Carthage, 56, 220 Endogamy, 112, 156, 172
Council of Florence, 56 Enoch, 1 Enoch, 330
Council of Hippo, 56 Epiphanius, 55
Council of Laodicea, 56 Esarhaddon, 29, 37, 50, 101, 121-22,
Council of Trent, 56 124, 130, 138
Covenant, 131 Eschatology, 48
Critical text, 4, 6-7 Ethiopie version, 15
Cure, 159, 1 6 5 , 2 0 5 , 2 7 5 Euripides, Hippolytus, 155
Curse, 309, 314 Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica, 88, 291
Cyaxares, King of Media, 115, 324, 336 Eve, 245
Cyprian, 56 Exhortation, 325
De mortalitate, 139 Eye(s), 137, 229, 276, 279
Our Father, 56
Cyril of Jerusalem, 55 Fable of the Grateful Dead, 37, 39, 289
Fasting, 292
Damasus, Pope, 7 Father, God as, 309
Dan, 105-6 Firstfruits, 108
Daniel, 113-14 Fish, 30, 205
Darkness, 48, 171, 190-91, 333 gall, 206-10, 275-78
David, heart, 206-8, 217, 240, 242
City of, 105 liver, 206-8, 217, 219, 240, 242
House of, 32, 104 Folktale, 33
Dead Sea Scrolls, v, 3, 8 Food, 132
Deborah, 102, 111 unclean, 113, 206
Defilement, 134-36, 177
Demon, 29, 48, 150, 215-19, 242-43, Gabael, 30, 94, 115, 166, 179-80, 184,
248 187-88, 254-57, 262
Deuterocanonical, 56 Gabriel, 94, 116, 296
Deuteronomic teaching, 3 6 , 4 7 , 2 0 7 , 2 9 3 , Galilee, Sea of, 95
305, 324, 336 Gems and precious stones, 316
Diaspora, 3 4 , 5 3 - 5 4 , 1 3 1 , 1 5 4 , 1 9 7 , 2 2 4 , Gentiles, 113
226 Giv'at Ha-Mivtar inscription, 193
Didache, 175 Golden Rule, 56, 175
Dionysius of Alexandria, 56, 291 Greek forms of Book of Tobit, 4 - 6
Divorce, Writ of, 235 intermediate, 5
Drachma, 195 long, 4-5, 166, 227, 229
Dystrus, Month of, 139-40 short, 4 , 1 2 7
364 Index of Names and Subjects
Gregory of Nazianzus, 56, 197 Job, 36

Jonah, 103, 325
Hades, 48-49, 153, 178 Joseph, 114, 153, 227-28, 277
Hadrian, Roman Emperor, 52 Josiah, King, 105, 110
Haman (see Nadin) Jubilees, Book of, 131, 173, 264
Hammurabi, Law Code, 186, 235
Hannah, 29-30, 34-35, 112, 120, 129- Kaserin, 33, 273-74
30, 139, 166, 197-98, 261, 263, 275 Kedesh Naphtali, 91, 96
Hazor, 91, 96
Hebrew forms of Book ofTobit, 19, 23, Latin forms of Book of Tobit, 6-8
25, 53 Vetus Latina (Long), 6-8 et passim
medieval (HF, HG, HL, HM), 13-14, Vulgate (Short), 6 et passim
209, 220, 273, 288, 306, 324 Laws of Eshnunna, 235
Qumran (4Q200), 9-11, 19 et passim Levite(s), 109-10
Heliodorus, Aithiopica, 197 Lie, 188
Heliodorus, Bp. of Altinum, 20, 56
Herodotus, History, 150 Maccabean Revolt, 51
Hilary of Poitiers, 56 Marriage, 3 5 , 4 8 , 1 1 2 , 2 0 5 , 2 1 1 - 1 2 , 2 1 8 ,
Holiness Code of Leviticus, 234 242-46
Homer, Iliad, Odyssey, 197, 277 arranged in heaven, 4 8 , 2 1 2 , 2 1 8 , 2 3 3 ,
Hospitality, 226 273
Hygiaino, 193,196, 209, 226, 234, 2 6 7 - celebration of, 213, 251, 255, 265,
68 287-88
Imzera', 173 document of, 224-25, 233-36
Masada, 93, 109
Infinitive absolute, 25, 166, 278
Medes, 50, 104, 149, 208, 336
Inheritance, 211-13, 251-52
Media, 29, 50, 101, 114-15, 117, 185,
Innocent I, Pope, 56
187-88, 191, 197, 207, 210, 254,
Irony, 35, 102, 120, 130, 184, 194, 199,
263, 324, 326-27, 335
241, 247, 261
Melito of Sardis, 55
Isaac, 173, 212
Monotheism, 46
Israel, Land of, 327
Michael, angel, 243, 296
Jacob, 153, 173, 212, 227-28, 277 Monster in the Bridal Chamber, 37, 40,
Jeroboam I, King, 32, 104, 106 151
Jerome, 19-22, 44, 56, 101, 112, 179, Moses, 173
197, 208, 218-20, 231 Book of, 48, 51, 107, 213, 233, 235
In leremiam, 209 Law of, 46, 51, 91, 105, 107, 111,
Letter to Bps. Chromatins and Helio- 233-34
dorus, 20 Mutual respect, 48
Prologas in libris Salomonis, 56
Jerusalem, 48, 105, 109, 194, 304, 311, Nadin (Nadab, Haman), 37, 166, 2 8 2 -
328 83, 333-34
house of, 105, 329 Nahum, 36, 103, 325
temple of, 53, 101, 105, 107, 312, Naphtali, 29, 32, 50, 91, 94-95, 104,
324, 32 106, 227, 327
Description of the New Jerusalem, 25 Nathan, 194
Nebuchadnezzar, 113, 328-29, 337 Manual of Discipline (1QS), 1 6 9 , 2 4 6

Nehemiah, 51, 93, 114, 124 4Q504, 246
Nineveh, 29, 30, 5 3 , 1 1 5 , 1 1 8 , 1 2 3 , 1 4 8 , 4Q507, 246
261, 273 llQPs", 173
capital, 103, 113-14 l l t g j o b (Targum of Job), 26
city of wickedness, 333 llQTemple, 327
destruction of, 51, 325-26, 336
locus of deportation, 51, 104, 112, Rages, 30, 33, 35, 50, 53, 115-16, 166,
224, 227 184, 188, 207-8, 214, 254
Noah, 173 Raguel, 29, 30, 34, 47, 55, 94, 149, 203,
211, 213, 224, 2 2 6 - 2 9 , 2 3 1 - 3 4 , 236,
Oath, 251, 255, 265 240—42, 2 4 8 - 5 1 , 254, 257, 2 6 5 - 6 7
Only child, 2 1 5 - 1 6 , 252 Raphael,
Ophir, 3 1 6 - 1 7 angel, 29, 49, 91, 159-60, 165, 185,
Origen, 19, 22, 56 1 8 7 , 1 8 9 , 1 9 1 - 9 3 , 1 9 5 , 203, 210,
Letter to Africanus, 19 216, 218, 2 2 0 - 2 1 , 230, 240, 243,
254, 256, 276, 2 9 5 - 9 6
Padua Aramaic Papyrus, 219 eating, 297
Palestine, 19, 45, 53, 101, 224 hired, 184-99
Papyri, 11-12 name, 49
Passover, Feast of, 107, 131 relative of Tobit, 94
Paul the Apostle, 245 Rebekah, 212, 241
Patriarchs of Israel, 173, 219, 224 Rehoboam, King of Judah, 106
Pentecost, Feast of, 29, 107, 129, 131 Reproach(es), 141, 149, 152
Pharisees, 131 Righteousness, 47-^8, 101-2, 141, 168,
Phogor, 97 292, 332
Pietas, 48, 53, 103, 216 Rufinus, 56
Pliny the Elder, Nat. hist., 209
Plutarch, Alexander, 189 Sadducees, 131
Polycarp, Ep. ad Philip., 171 Saint Catherine's Monastery, v, 4
Poor, the, 109, 132, 171 Salt, 207
Prayer, 42, 47, 130, 142-45, 154-57, Samaria, 328
159, 217, 240—41, 2 4 3 ^ 4 , 2 4 8 - 5 0 , Sapiential instruction, 46, 165-66
2 7 9 - 8 2 , 292, 294, 3 0 4 - 1 7 Sarah,
Prayer of Manasseh, 143 daughter of Raguel, 29, 148, 203,
Priestly document, 108-9, 131 2 1 0 - 1 4 , 216, 224, 226, 2 2 9 - 3 2 ,
Priest(s), 108 240, 2 4 3 , 2 4 5 , 249, 2 5 1 , 2 5 7
Prophets, 36, 173, 330 married to Tobiah, 34, 233, 254
Proselyte, 111 name, 149, 211
prayer of, 47, 154-57
Qumran, reproached, 148, 152
community, 52 Sargon II, 32, 96, 114, 116
texts, vi Sariel, angel, 296
Genesis Apocryphon of Cave 1 Script, Hasmonean or Herodian, 11
(lQapGen), 26, 149, 205, 211, Seal, 2 3 4 - 3 5 , 256
219, 226 "Second to himself" (tinyän), 124
366 Index of Names and Subjects
Seleucids, 51 Tobit, passim

Sennacherib, King, 29, 32, 37, 51, 101, age at death, 318-19, 335
103, 116, 119-21 blindness, 137
Annals, Third Campaign, 103 cure, 2 7 7 - 7 9
Septuagint, 55 death, 318, 335
Shalmaneser V, King, 32, 5 0 , 9 1 , 9 5 , 1 0 1 , flight, 120
113-17 mocking, 136
Shelemiah, 192, 194 name, 92
Sheol, 145, 171, 178, 307 prayer, 1 4 2 ^ 5 , 3 0 4 - 1 7
Sinai, Mount, v, 4 Tobit, Book of, v-vi
Sirach, 36 canonicity, 5 5 - 5 6
Sixtus of Siena, O.P., 56 date and place of composition, 2 6 , 5 0 -
Solomon, King, 151, 312, 329 54
Strangulation, 134, 137 epilogue, 3 2 3 - 3 7
Suicide, 152 integrity, 4 2 - 4 5
Syriac language, 13 literary genre, 31-33
Syriacformof Book ofTobit, 1 4 - 1 5 , 1 8 7 , manuscript evidence, 3 - 1 0
194, 205, 228, 231, 256, 283 original language, 18-27
recensions, vi, 4 - 6 , 9, 18, 42
Ta'amireh Bedouin, 8 sources, 35—41
Talents of silver, 30, 115, 179, 184 structure and outline, 58
Talmud, Babylonian, 13 style, 31, 34-35
Tertullian, De oratione, 244 title, 3, 19
Tetragrammaton, 2 3 - 2 4 , 299, 309, 319 versions, 3 - 1 0
Thisbe, 91, 96 Tractate of Khons, 37-38, 54
Three Nights, 2 1 9 - 2 0
Tiglath-pileser III, King, 32, 50, 95, 97, Uriel, angel, 296
114
Tigris River, 33, 103, 2 0 4 - 5 , 274 Wages, 191, 2 8 7 - 8 8
Tithes, 53, 102, 107 Washing of hands, 2 2 9 - 3 0
Tobiah, passim Weeks, Feast of, 107, 129, 131, 133-34
death, 336 White films on eyes, 137, 161, 279
delay in returning, 2 6 2 - 6 3 Wisdom literature, 165
dog of, 196, 2 0 3 - 4 , 275, 277
journey to Ecbatana, 1 9 6 - 9 9 , 2 0 3 - 2 1 Xerxes I, King, 337
marriage, 2 3 0 - 3 5
name, 92 Zab River, 205
return to Ecbatana, 3 3 5 - 3 6 Zadok, 108
return to Nineveh, 2 7 5 - 8 3 Zagros Mountains, 149
Zelophehad, 212
Index of Modern Authors
Abegg, M . G., 9, 16, 6 0 - 6 1 Ben-Tor, Α., 97

Abel, F.-M., 97 Bentzen, Α., 68
Abrahams, I., 35, 41, 67, 204 Berger, S., 15, 68
Abronin, Α., 298 Bergsträsser, G., 25
Abusch, T., 75 Bertrand, D. Α., 68, 145, 199
Aitken, K. T., 67 Bettencourt, E., 64
Aland, B., xii Bévenot, H., 22, 68
Aland, K., xii Beyer, Β., 83
Albright, W. F., 11, 27, 51, 122 Beyer, K., xi, 9, 2 2 - 2 4 , 28, 59, 133, 307
Alón, G., 67 Bianchini, G., 61
Alonso Díaz, J., 67, 284 Bickell, G., 12-13, 15, 18, 22, 68, 306
Alonso Schökel, L., 22 Biran, Α., 105
Altheim, F., 67, 125 Bissell, E. C., 64
Amiet, P., 138 Black, J. S., 72
André, L. E. T., 19, 54, 67 Blass, F., xii
Andrews, H. T., 67 Blenkinsopp, J., 68
Arnald, R., 64 Böcher, O., 68
Arnaldich, L., 64, 67 Bogaard, L. van den, 68
Arndt, W. F., xii Bogaert, P.-M., 8, 15, 6 8 - 6 9
Arzt, P., 67, 319 Bolognesi, G., 204
Auneau, J., 67 Bonora, Α., 69
Auwers, J.-M., 7, 61, 67, 139, 145 Borgen, P., 252
Ayuso Marazuela, T., 67 Botterweck, G. J., xvii
Ball, C. J., 64, 335, 338 Bow, Β., 69
Balz, H., xiii Boy ce, M., 75, 123
Bamburger, B. J., 68, 162 Braulik, G., 72, 74, 214
Bardi, G., 64 Bretschneider, K. G., 69
Barsotti, D., 68 Brichto, H. C., 69
Barton, J., 73 Bright, J., 117
Bauckham, R., 54, 68, 97, 112 Brock, S. P., 38, 69
Bauer, W., xi-xii Brockington, L. H., 21, 69
Baumgartner, W., xiv Brooke, A. E., 4, 7 - 8 , 15, 60
Becker, H., 72 Brown, C., xv
Beckwith, R., 57, 68 Brown, R. E., xiv-xv
Beek, M. Α., 68 Bruyne, D. de, 18, 69
Belsheim, J., 15, 64 Bückers, H., 64
Benoit, P., 9, 68 Busto Saiz, J. R., 5, 15, 69, 337
Benson, S., 68 Buttrick, G. Α., xiv
368 Index of Modern Authors
Cabezudo Melero, E., 6 4 , 69 Danker, F. W., xii

Calmet, Α., 63, 150, 157 Davies, E. W., 2 1 2
Cantera Ortiz de Urbina, J., 6 9 Davies, W. D., 70
Caquot, Α., 75 Day, L., 7 0
Carrez, M . , 38, 75, 125 Debrunner, Α., xii
Carrières, L. de, 64, 69 Degen, R., 70, 125
Carson, D. Α., 3 5 , 69 Deissmann, Α., 179, 186
Carter, A. G., 64 Delcor, M., 7 0
Casper, J., 69, 125 Delling, G., 71
Cathcart, K. J., 7 0 Dell'Oca, E. C., 71
Cavedo, R., 69 Dennefeld, L., 71
Cazelles, H., 38, 6 9 , 7 5 , 125 Dentan R. C., 71
Celada, Β., 69, 125 Denzinger, H., xiii
Celada, D. de, 63 Dereser, T. Α., 63
Ceriani, A. M . , 6 9 Deselaers, P., 5 , 1 9 , 3 1 , 4 3 ^ 5 , 5 4 , 6 4 , 7 1 ,
Charles, R. H., xi, 23 114
Charlesworth, J . H., xv, 69 DeVine, C. F., 64
Chester, Α., 35, 69 DeWette, W. M . L., 71
Cheyne, T., 72 Dietrich, W., 79
Chieregatti, Α., 64 Diez Macho, Α., 67, 86, 126
Chouraqui, Α., 70 Dijk, J . van, 3 7
Churchill, S. J . Α., 7 0 Di Leila, Α. Α., 3 6 , 4 7 , 7 1 , 1 9 3 , 3 2 4 , 3 3 2 ,
Clamer, Α., xvi, 18, 2 2 , 31, 64 338
Coats, G. W., 31
Dillmann, Α., 15, 61
Cogan, M . , 96
Dillon, Ε. J., 71, 125
Colonna, Α., 197
Dimant, D., 71
Conybeare, F. D., 3 8 - 3 9 , 70, 78, 122 Dingermann, F., 71
Coogan, M . D., 61 Dion, P.-E., 71, 9 2 , 1 6 1 - 6 2 , 193, 3 0 0
Cook, Ε. M., 2 4 - 2 5 , 2 8 , 7 0 Di Pietro, S., 71
Corley, J., 70 Dohle, Α., 175
Comely, R., 70 Doignon, J., 71
Cosquin, E., 31, 7 0 Dommershausen, W., 2 1 , 71
Couroyer, Β., 70, 2 3 0 Doran, R., 4 4 , 71, 81, 125
Cowley, Α., xiii, 2 3 , 70 Doré, D., 72
Craghan, J., 4 7 , 64 Drewermann, E., 7 2
Crampon, Α., 6 2 Drexel, J., 63
Craven, T., 70 Drioux, C. J., 64
Crim, Κ., xiv Driver, G. R., 123
Cross, F. M., 11, 3 8 , 5 1 , 86 Drum, W., 72
Curci, C. M., 70 Drusius, J., 63
Du Buit, M., 72
Dahlberg, Β. T., 70 Dumm, D., 64, 7 2
Dahms, J . V., 70 Dupont-Sommer, Α., 2 2 , 72, 75
Dalman, G., 13, 15, 2 0 , 70 Durken, D., 72
Dancy, C., 2 2 , 5 3 , 5 5 , 6 4 , 1 4 1 , 1 7 1 , 2 0 5 ,
214, 217, 221, 230, 330 Edmunds, A. J., 4 9 , 7 2
Eichhorn, J . G., 7 2 Gamer-Wallert, I., 74

Eisenman, R. H., xiii, 7 2 García Martinez, F., 5 9 , 74
Eissfeldt, O., 2 1 , 72 Gaster, M., xiv, 1 4 , 1 6 , 6 0 , 7 4 , 1 2 5 , 2 2 0 ,
Ellis, E. E., 7 2 244
Elman, Y., 109 Gaster, T. H., 6 0 , 150
Endres, J . C., 72 Geller, M. J., 75
Engel, H., 72 Gelston, Α., 80
Epstein, L. M . , 72 Gerould, G. H., 3 9 ^ 1 , 74
Erbt, W., 4 2 , 72 Gershevitch, I., 75, 123
Eskenazi, T . C., 5 1 , 93 Gesenius, W., xiii
Estradé, M . M., 64 Giffin, P., 65
Ewald, H., 73 Giles, J . Α., 62
Gillet, Α., 65
Fabricius, J . Α., 63 Gingrich, F. W., xii
Faddoul, G., 73 Ginsberg, H. L., 74, 2 9 1
Fagius, P., xiv, 1 4 - 1 5 , 59 Ginzberg, L., 74, 1 5 1 , 2 1 8
Falbusch, E., xiii Gispen, W. H., 2 0 4
Farkas, A. E., 73 Giustiniani, F., 63
Fassberg, S. E., 23 Glancy, J . Α., 74
Fatum, L., 81 Glasson, T. F., 39, 41
Fillion, L.-Cl., 65 Goettmann, J., 74, 3 1 9
Finegan, J., 1 4 0 Göttsberger, J., 18, 74
Finkelstein, L., 70 Good, Ε. M., 4 1 , 74
Firmage, E., 2 5 4 Goodspeed, E. J., 5 4 , 74
Fitzmyer, J . Α., xv, xvii, 9 , 1 6 , 2 3 - 2 4 , 2 6 , Gordon, C. H., 2 6
2 8 , 4 3 ^ 1 4 , 59, 73, 87, 132, 173, 2 1 9 Gore, C., 6 6
Flusser, D., 2 7 , 4 3 , 51, 7 3 , 145 Gowan, D. E., 75
Fränkel, S. I., 73 Grätz, H., 18, 2 2 , 2 8 , 4 3 , 5 2 , 75
Francke, H., 87 Graf-Stuhlhofer, F., 4 7 , 7 5
Frazer, J . G., 2 0 8 Grant, A. J., 2 0 5
Freedman, D. N., xi, 37, 85 Gray, G. Β., 75, 125
Fried, J., 2 0 9 Gray, L. H., 75, 150, 157
Friedman, M . Α., 73, 2 3 4 Greenfield, J . C., 2 1 , 2 3 , 3 7 - 3 8 , 5 1 , 5 4 ,
Friedrich, G., xvii 7 5 , 85, 123, 125, 3 3 7 - 3 8
Fries, C., 73 Grelot, P., 75, 103, 125
Fritzen-Hillenbrand, M . , 73 Grenfell, B. P., 4 , 16, 6 0 , 123
Fritzsche, O. F., 18, 2 0 , 65, 73 Griffin, P. J., 4 4 , 75, 145, 3 0 0
Fürst, J . , 74 Grimm, W., 75
Fuller, J . M . , 2 1 , 65 Grintz, J . M . , 2 7 , 51, 75
Fuller, R. C., xv Gross, H., 62, 6 5 , 95, 131, 160, 2 0 5
Gross, W., 8 4 - 8 5
Gaab, J . F., 74 Grotius, H., 63
Gadd, C. J., 96 Grünbaum, M., 76
Galbiati, E., 74 Gruenthaner, M . J., 76
Galdos, R., 6, 65, 74 Grzybek, S., 65
Gamberoni, J., 20, 56, 74, 2 1 4 , 2 5 2 , 3 1 9 Guillaumont, Α., 18, 6 2
Gunkel, H., 76 Jagersma, H., 7 7 , 109, 125

Gutberiet, C., 5 0 , 6 5 , 68 Jansen, H. L., 77, 2 5 2
Guthrie, Jr., H. H., 109 Ji, C. C „ 77
Gutman, J., 68, 162 Johnson, Ν. B., 77, 2 5 2
Gutmann, M., 65 Jones, E., 2 0 7
Jones, H. S., xv
Haase, W., xi Jongeling, K., xiii, 2 4
Haefeli, L., 76 Joiion, P., xiii, 2 2 , 2 5 , 77, 2 9 8
Halévy, J., 76
Hamilton, J . M., 9 7 Kaczinski, R., 72
Hampel, Α., 67, 3 1 9 Kaegi, Α., 93
Hanhart, R., 3 - 5 , 16, 4 4 , 6 0 , 7 6 , 99, Kahana, Α., 2 2
108, 1 3 5 , 2 7 7 - 7 8 , 2 9 5 , 3 1 3 , 3 2 7 , 3 3 4 Katz, P., 95
Harland, J . P., 80 Kaufmann, D., 18
Harrington, D. J., xv, 2 4 , 76, 146 Kaufman, S. Α., 77, 124
Harris, J . R., 5 , 1 6 , 1 8 , 2 1 , 3 8 - 3 9 , 70, 76, Kaulen, F., 5 0 , 5 2 , 7 7
122, 188 Kautzsch, E., xiii, 62, 65
Hartom, A. D., 76 Keerl, P. F., 77
Haupt, P., 76, 150, 157 Kennedy, Η. Α. Α., 6, 16, 77
Hay, J., 5 7 Kirby, W. F., 7 7
Hayward, C. T. R., 80 Kittel, G., xvii
Heidt, W. G., 7 6 , 162 Klein, P., 16, 77
Heiligenthal, R., 76, 117, 146 Koch, K., 7 7
Held, J . S., 76 Köhler, L., xiv, 93
Heller, D., 2 2 , 76 Köhler, R., 4 1 , 7 7
Hennig, J., 76 König, E., 93, 151
Henning, W. B., 7 5 , 123 Kohler, K., 77, 157
Herzog, J . J., 84 Kohut, G. Α., 4 3 , 5 2 , 5 4 , 7 7
Hezel, W. F., 65 Kollmann, B., 5, 3 3 , 7 7 , 1 3 7 , 1 4 6 , 2 0 8 - 9 ,
Hilgenfeld, Α., 18, 7 6 217, 242, 279
Hitzig, G. F., 4 2 , 52, 7 6 Kooiman, W. J., 68
Höfer, J., xv Kornfeld, W., 74, 2 1 4 , 2 5 2
Hoftijzer, J., xiii, 2 4 Korosec, V., 7 7
Hopkins, S., 76 Kottsieper, I., 7 7
Horsley, G. H. R., xv Kraeling, E. G., xii
Hünermann, P., xiii Kraft, R. Α., 71
Huet, G., 41, 7 6 Küchler, M., 7 7
Humphreys, W. L., 31 Kuemmerlin-McLean, J . K., 1 5 0
Hunt, A. S., 4, 16, 60, 123 Kutscher, E. Y., 2 6 , 2 1 1
Hurst, D., 62
Hutchinson, R. W., 104 Lackmann, M . , 78
Hyldahl, N., 81 Lagarde, P. A. de, 14, 16, 61
Lamparter, H., 65
Iglesias González, M., 2 2 , 62 Lang, B., 78, 2 2 1
Ilgen, Κ. D., 4 2 , 76 Lapide, C. a, 63
Lapointe, R., 78
Lavoie, J.-J., 78 Marocco, G., 79

Layard, Η. Α., 104 Marquis, G., 73
Leach, M., 209 Marshall, J. T., 13, 16, 21, 79, 150, 158
Lebram, J. C. H., 1 4 , 1 6 , 6 1 , 7 8 , 2 3 1 , 2 9 1 , Marti, K., 75, 125
300, 338 Martyn, F., 79
Lee, J. Α., 60 Marucci, C., 57, 79
Lefèbvre, G., 78 Mauden, D. van, 63
Lefebvre, M., 82, 162, 199, 300 Mayer, G., 79
Lenzen, H. J., 37 Mazar, Β., 93
Lévi, I., 22, 28, 41, 78 Merk, Α., 79
Levine, A.-J., 32, 69, 78 Metzger, Β. M., 79
Levine, Β. Α., 86 Meyer, R., 79
Lewis, Α. S., 38-39, 70, 122 Meyers, Ε. M., 97
Lewis, Ν., 78 Michaelis, J. D., 63
Liddell, Η. G., χ ν Michelini Tocci, F., 79
Lidzbarski, M., 78 Migne, J. P., xvi, 157
Lie, A. G., 50 Milik, J. T., 9 , 1 1 , 1 6 , 2 2 - 2 3 , 25, 55, 7 9 -
Liljeblad, S., 78 80, 84, 86, 9 6 - 9 7 , 296, 325
Lindenberger, J. M., 37-38, 78, 122 Millard, Α., 32, 80
Linschmann, T., 78 Miller, Α., 18, 31, 39, 53, 65
Llewelyn, S. R., xv Miller, J. E., 44, 80, 1 0 1 , 1 4 9
Lods, Α., 78 Milligan, G., xv
Lohr, M., 16, 18-19, 54, 62, 65, 78, 94 Milne, P. J., 80
Lohfink, Ν., 72 Mommer, P., 81
Lubetski, M., 26 Montague, G. T., 65
Luckenbill, D. D., xi, 50, 103 Moor, F. de, 80
Lucques, C., 78 Moore, C. Α., 5, 40, 4 3 - 4 4 , 52, 65, 80,
Lull, D. J., 85 94, 102, 104, 106-7, 113, 131, 177,
Lundberg, M . J., 82, 86 204, 206, 218, 249, 256, 262, 265,
Luther, M., 31, 57, 62, 78 293, 299, 333
Moran, W. L., 75
Macan, R. W., 205 Morgenstern, M., 80
Macchi, C., 79 Moule, C. F. D., xiv
McCracken, D., 79 Moulton, J. H., xv, 21, 54, 80
McCullough, W. S., 79, 199, 221 Muddiman, J., 73
Mach, M., 79 Mulder, M . J., 71-72
McLean, Ν., 4, 7 - 8 , 15, 60 Müller, H. P., 85, 221
McNamara, M., 70 Müller, J., 13, 16, 18, 22, 53, 80
Madamana, G., 79 Müller, M., 81
Maher, M., 70 Münster, S., xiv, 13, 16, 60
Maiworm, J., 79, 221 Muraoka, T., xiii, 23, 25, 298
Mansi, G., 220 Muss-Arnolt, W., 95
Manuzzi, G.,
Marcus, D., 79 Nau, F., 38, 80, 125
Marinoni, M. C., 79 Naveh, J., 93, 105, 109
Marmorstein, Α., 68, 162 Nestle, E., 18, 80, 125
Neubauer, Α., 8, 11-13, 16, 18, 20-21, Ploeg, J. van der, 26

27, 43, 52, 60, 68, 80, 84, 104, 106- Poehlmann, W., 82
7, 113, 117, 121, 150-51, 187, 192, Porada, E., 73, 157
205, 209, 217, 235, 242, 246, 255, Porten, Β., xvii, 38, 117, 122, 233
270, 273-74, 306, 324 Poulssen, Ν., 65-66
Neuhaus, I., 72 Prado, J., 66, 82
New, D. S., 80 Prato, S., 82
Newsom, C. Α., 84 Preiss, H., 82
Nickelsburg, G. W. E., 2 1 , 4 5 , 53, 65, 69, Priera, G., 22, 66, 82
71, 81 Pritchard, J. B., xi
Nicolas, M., 81 Propp, V., 40^11, 80, 82
Niditch, S., 81, 125
Niebergall, Α., 8 1 , 2 5 2 Qimron, E., 25, 211
Nitzan, Β., 280
Noack, Β., 81, 126 Rabenau, M., 4 3 ^ 5 , 82
Nöldeke, T., 13, 16, 18-19, 53, 81, 205 Rabin, C., 26
Noth, M., 81 Rahlfs, Α., 4, 16, 60, 82
Nowell, I., 35, 41, 44, 47, 65, 81, 199, Rahner, Κ., xv
203, 252 Ranke, Κ., 82, 150, 158
Reardon, P. H., 49, 82
O'Carroll, J., 81
Réau, L., 82
Oeming, M., 81
Reed, S. Α., 82, 86
Oesterley, W. Ο. E., 19, 22, 81
Reichardt, W., 83
Orchard, Β., xii
Reinach, T., 83, 126
Orlinsky, Η., 55, 81
Reiner, E., 83
Oslander, L., 63
Renan, E., 22, 83
Osty, E., 62
Rengstorf, Κ. Η., 79
Otzen, Β., 81
Reusch, F. Η., 16, 18, 66, 83, 150, 158
Papayannopoulos, I. G., 82, 126 Reuss, E., 66, 83
Parrot, Α., 104 Reventlow, H. G., 81
Partsch, J., 219 Richardson, Η. Ν., 43, 66
Pautrel, R., 53, 62, 65, 82, 162, 198-99, Richter, W., 85
300 Ringe, S. H., 84
Pellicanus, C., 63 Ringgren, H., xvii
Peronne, J. M., 63 Rist, M., 83, 220-21
Perrella, G. M., 82 Robert, Α., 83
Perry, Β. E., 101 Roberts, Β. J., 6
Petersen, N. R., 65 Robinson, J. M., xiii
Pfeiffer, R. H., 21, 36, 38, 53, 82 Rosenmann, M., 18, 80, 83
Phelps, M. B., 82 Rosenthal, M., 43, 52, 83
Philonenko, M., 75, 82 Rosso, L., 83, 230
Pichler, J., 63 Rost, L., 21, 43—44, 83
Pirot, L., xvi, 82 Rotermund, H.-M., 66
Pirotta, L. M., 82, 221 Roth, C., 83, 162
Plath, M., 82 Runyon, R., 83
Plautz, W., 82, 252 Ruppert, L., 35, 38, 41, 83
Russell, D. S., 83, 158 Simrock, K., 4 1 , 85

Russell, J . M., 3 3 7 Skehan, P. W., 85
Ruwet, J., 19, 83 Skemp, V. Τ. M . , 2 1 , 85, 112, 114, 121,
136, 139, 152, 157, 179, 2 2 0 , 2 3 2 -
Sabatier, P., 7, 16, 61 33, 244,
Sachau, E., 83 258, 264, 268, 2 7 7 - 7 8 , 282, 289, 318
Sanctius, G., 63 Sloyan, G. S., 66
Sandmel, S., 61 Smend, R., 85
Sartori, P., 83 Soden, W. von, xi, 8 5 , 1 2 4 , 1 3 2 , 2 0 9 , 2 2 1
Sayce, A. H., 83 Soggin, J . Α., 85
Saydon, P., 2 2 , 83 Soll, W., 37, 4 0 - 4 1 , 54, 85, 3 2 0
Scazzochio, L., 83 Spencer, R. Α., 85
Scharbert, J., 84 Spieckermann, Η., 85
Schenkel, D., 73 Steck, Ο. Η., 85
Schiefner, Α., 84 Stemberger, G., 5 7 , 85
Schiffman, L. H., 73 Stiehl, R., 67, 125
Schmid, Β., 6 6 Stock, St G., 85
Schmitt, Α., 84, 126 Stone, Μ . E., 2 3 , 73
Schmitt, C., 84 Straubinger, J., 86, 2 2 1
Schneider, G., xiii Strotmann, Α., 86, 3 2 0
Schneider, H., 84 Strugnell, J., 38, 5 1 , 86
Scholz, Α., 6 6 Stuckenbruck, L. T., 86, 2 8 0
Schreckenberg, Η., 7 9 Stummer, F., 6 6
Schreiner, J., 35, 4 1 , 6 0 , 83 Sullivan, Κ., 86
Schürer, E., 1 2 - 1 3 , 16, 18, 84
Sundberg, Α. C., 86
Schuller, Ε. M., 6 6 , 84
Surburg, R. F., 86
Schulte, Α., 16, 31, 84
Sutcliffe, E. F., xii
Schumpp, M . M . , 2 2 , 6 6
Suter, D. W., 86
Schwartz, J., 5 4 , 84
Swaim, J . C., 86
Schweitzer, R., 66
Swete, H. B., 4 , 13, 16, 6 0
Schweizer, E., 2 9 8
Sysling, H., 7 1 - 7 2
Schwerin, L., 84
Scott, R., XV
Tadmor, H., 96
Seidl, T., 84
Tallqvist, K. L., 3 7
Sengelmann, H., 66
Temporini, H., xi
Senior, D., 61
Termes, P., 86, 126
Sepp, J . Ν., 84
Thackeray, H. St. J., 4, 7 - 8 , 15, 6 0 , 6 6 ,
Serarius, Ν., 64
119
Sereni, E., 84
Thiel, W., 81
Shanks, Η., 84
Thomas, D. W., 86, 199
Sieger, J., 84
Thomas, J . D., 5, 16, 2 1 , 86
Silvestre de Sacy, Α. I., 64 Thompson, R. C., 104, 122
Simonsen, D., 18, 85 Thompson, S., 86
Simpson, D. C., v, 5, 8 , 1 1 , 1 6 , 1 8 , 2 1 - 2 2 , Thurén, J., 86
33, 39, 4 9 , 5 2 , 5 4 , 6 2 , 85, 117, 2 3 6 , Tigchelaar, E. J . C., 5 9
280 Tischendorf, C. von, 4, 6, 16, 6 0
Torrey, C. C., 2 1 , 8 6 , 2 7 4 , 2 8 4 , 3 3 4 , 3 3 8 Weitzmann, S., 87, 3 0 5 , 3 2 0

Tournay, R., 86 Weskott, H., 87
Touzard, J., 86 Westcott, B. F., 87
Τον, E., 9, 16, 86 Westermann, C., 87
Toy, C. H., 87 Westermarck, E., 87, 2 2 0 - 2 1
Treves, M., 87 Wevers, J . W., 18
Tricot, Α., 83 Wicks, H. J., 87
Trinquet, J., 6 2 Widengren, Α., 87
Tufnell, O., 2 5 6 Wikgren, A. P., 2 1 , 4 3 , 87
Wilcken, U., 2 1 9
Ubieta, J . Α., 62 Williamson, H. G. M., 35, 6 9
Ulrich, E., 86 Willi-Plein, I., 6 0
Willis, J . T., 7 0
Vail, G., 131 Wilson, J . C., 109, 126
Vallar, F., 138 Winckler, H., 5 0
VanderKam, J . C., 73, 87, 126 Winston, D., 87
Vaschalde, Α., 87 Wise, M . O., 2 5 , 2 8 , 72, 87, 126
Vattioni, F., 7, 2 1 , 87 Wiseman, D. J., 3 3 7
Vaux, R. de, 2 3 4 Woude, A. S. van der, 2 6
Veen, J . M . van, 68 Wright, G. E., 11
Vermes, G., 87
Vetter, P., 18, 87, 126 Yadin, Y., 2 6 , 93, 97, 109
Vianna, Α., 66 Yalon, H., 2 1 1
Vigouroux, F., 3 1 , 5 0 Yardeni, Α., xvii, 3 8 , 117, 122, 2 3 3
Vilchez, J., 66 Younger, Jr., Κ. L., 87, 96
Virgulin, S., 66, 87
Vivian, Α., 2 6 Zarb, S. M., 87
Vogel, J . L., 63 Zauzich, K.-T., 87
Vogt, E., 2 4 Zeitlin, S., 87, 132, 2 3 6
Voigt, W., 87 Zenger, H., 66
Vriezen, T. C., 2 0 4 Zenner, J . K., 93
Vuilleumier, R., 66 Zerwick, M., xvii
Ziegler, J., 35, 4 1 , 83
Wacholder, Β. Ζ., 9, 16, 60 Zimmermann, F., 2 1 , 4 3 , 5 2 - 5 3 , 66, 92,
Wagner, L. Α., 4 0 94, 1 0 3 - 4 , 107, 111, 113, 116, 120,
Wahl, C. Α., 87 131, 140, 142, 1 5 0 - 5 1 , 155, 186,
Walsh, J . P. M., 93 189, 1 9 3 - 9 4 , 198, 2 0 7 - 9 , 2 1 8 , 2 3 6 ,
Walton, B., 13, 16, 6 0 2 4 0 , 2 6 2 , 2 7 6 , 2 9 8 , 307-8, 312, 3 2 6 -
Wansbrough, H., 61 27
Watson, W. G. E., 74 Zöckler, O., 19, 6 7
Weber, R., 16, 61 Zorell, F., 87, 3 2 0
Weihrich, F., 8 Zucker, L. M., 62

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Joseph A.

Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York

Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York

Library of Congress — Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Bibliothek

Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche

A modern commentary on the Book of Tobit must take on a different shape

Simpson's own commentary presented a detailed apparatus criticus

I. Title and Manuscript Evidence of the Text 3

F. Raphael is Sent to Get Tobit's Money (9:1-6) 253

Index of References 339

BA6 W. Bauer, Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch zu den Schriften des

CentB Century Bible

FTS Frankfurter theologische Studien

JSP Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha

NTS New Testament Studies

SBA Studies in Biblical Archaeology

(2) The manuscript transmission of the story of Tobit is unusually

it has 1:1-4:6; 4:19c-13:6h; 13:10c-14:15, and the lacunae are 4 : 7 - 1 9 b

(5) Although some interpreters of the Book of Tobit have preferred to

9 D. C. Simpson, "The Book of Tobit," APOT, 1. 175.

G1 is seen to be a modification of G", because it reflects the general

of the cave was completed eventually by archaeologists in that year. It was

(10) Unfortunately, these fragmentary texts were never published by Milik.

Contents of the Qumran Aramaic and Hebrew Texts of Tobit

Tob a ar Tob b ar Tob c ar Tob d ar Tob e

question today. Moreover, Neubauer maintained that the medieval Aramaic

55 SS. Biblia Polyglotta, 4. 3 5 - 6 3 . It is thought to be dependent on the Greek of MS B.

Anon., Esra III, Tobias und Prediger [i.e. Ecclesiasticus]: Faksimile-Ausgabe im

made known, P. Deselaers argued in 1982 for a Greek original narrative of

Aramaic Tobit that Milik had revealed at times in various publications.

·ρ"ΡΊΚ (4Q196 17 ii 15-16), 8 3 because in this instance it is difficult to

(28) Similarly, the features that Beyer regards as un-Aramaic provide no

83 See Qumran Cave 4, XIV (DJD 19), 2 7 .

50 See "A Note on 4Q196," 569 n. 4.

(32) In support of this judgment, I offer the following brief considerations:

Boundaries of the Ancient Near Eastern World: A Tribute to Cyrus H. Gordon

(e) The causative conjugation of the verb is normally aphel, with an

Beyer, Κ., ATTM, 298-300; ATTME, 134-47.

(35) Simultaneously, a young relative of Tobit, Sarah, the daughter of

sons to Ecbatana to live with his parents-in-law. There he died in due

righteous conduct, almsgiving, proper burial of the dead, and edifying

108 B. Kollmann, "Göttliche Offenbarung magisch-pharmakologischer Heilkunst im

110 See I. Nowell, "Irony in the Book of Tobit," T B T 3 3 ( 1 9 9 5 ) 7 9 - 8 3 .

(48) In a special way the Tobit story is dominated by the teaching of

113 Cf. R. H. Pfeiffer, History, 2 6 7 - 6 8 .

(51) It is highly debatable, however, whether the author depends in any

119 See B. Porten and A. Yardeni, TADAE, 3. 2 4 - 5 7 ; J. M . Lindenberger, The Aramaic

Certainly it is more reasonable from the evidence at hand to believe in the

(54) The Monster in the Bridal Chamber is said likewise to be an ancient

130 Tobit (AB), 1 1 - 1 2 .

Abrahams, I., "Tobit and Genesis," JQR 5 (1892-93) 348-50.

(56) Is the Book of Tobit, as we have it today, an integral piece of writing?

(57) As early as 1800, K. D. Ilgen distinguished the first-person narrative

explanation were H. Grätz, G. A. Kohut, M. Rosenthal, Α. Neubauer; 139

(60) Moreover, the hymn in chap. 13 may well be an apocalyptic psalm

(62) More recently, P. Deselaers, using literary criticism as a tool for

(63) A more plausible diachronic analysis of the development of the account

144 Judaism Outside the Hebrew Canon, 63.

in the third century B.C. in a Semitic language, probably Aramaic. Three

Does a coherent set of themes necessarily indicate a compositional stratum that

In short, there is no serious reason to think that the Book of Tobit, as we

150 A. A. Di Leila, "The Deuteronomic Background of the Farewell Discourse in Tob