Tobit

the blind and righteous father

Who was Tobit?

An Israelite of the tribe of Naphtali, taken captive to Nineveh. He gave his bread to the hungry and buried the dead. Tobit 1:1-3, 17
He went blind. His son Tobiah, who traveled with the angel Raphael, healed his eyes. Tobit 2:10; Tobit 11:11-13
When he regained his sight, he blessed God and composed a song of praise. Tobit 11:15; Tobit 13:1

The Douay-Rheims calls both father and son “Tobias.” Here, as in Catholic Bibles today, the father is Tobit.

The name: It comes from Tobiah, which means “the Lord is good.” NAB note on Tob 1, 1
Also called: Tobias, as the Douay-Rheims calls him Tobit 1:1
From: From the tribe of Naphtali, in Galilee Tobit 1:1-2
Occupation: Purchasing agent for King Shalmaneser: he bought what the king needed Tobit 1:13

What the Bible says

Tobit 1:1-3, 17

¹Tobias of the tribe and city of Nephtali, (which is in the upper parts of Galilee above Naasson, beyond the way that leadeth to the west, having on the right hand the city of Sephet,) ²When he was made captive in the days of Salmanasar king of the Assyrians, even in his captivity, forsook not the way of truth, ³But every day gave all he could get to his brethren his fellow captives, that were of his kindred. ¹⁷He fed the hungry, and gave clothes to the naked, and was careful to bury the dead, and they that were slain.

Tobit 2:10; Tobit 11:11-13

And as he was sleeping, hot dung out of a swallow’s nest fell upon his eyes, and he was made blind.

Tobit 11:15; Tobit 13:1

And Tobias said: I bless thee, O Lord God of Israel, because thou hast chastised me, and thou hast saved me: and behold I see Tobias my son.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Tobit

Before Jesus. As a young man, he went to Jerusalem for the feasts, as the Law commands, with his first fruits and his tithes. Tobit 1:6
Before Jesus. He married Anna, from his own family, and they had a son: Tobiah. Tobit 1:9
Before Jesus. In Nineveh, he gave his bread to the hungry and his clothing to the naked. He buried the Israelites who had died. Tobit 1:17
Before Jesus. King Sennacherib wanted to kill him for it. Tobit fled and lost everything he owned. Tobit 1:19-20
With Jesus. One night he slept beside the courtyard wall. Bird droppings fell into his eyes, and he became blind. Tobit 2:9-10
With Jesus. Tobit sent his son Tobiah to Media, to collect some money he had left in safekeeping there. Tobit 4:20; Tobit 5:3
Afterward. Tobiah came back and rubbed the fish’s gall on his eyes. Tobit could see again, and he blessed God. Tobit 11:11-15
Afterward. He composed a song of praise to God. He died at a ripe old age, in peace, in Nineveh. Tobit 13:1; Tobit 14:1

Words of Tobit

“Thou art just, O Lord, and all thy judgments are just, and all thy ways mercy, and truth, and judgment.” Tobit 3:2

Blind and grieving, when he began to pray with tears.

“See thou never do to another what thou wouldst hate to have done to thee by another.” Tobit 4:15

Among the counsels he gave his son Tobiah before the journey.

“Eat thy bread with the hungry and the needy, and with thy garments cover the naked.” Tobit 4:16

In the same counsels to his son.

“I bless thee, O Lord God of Israel, because thou hast chastised me, and thou hast healed me; and behold I see Tobias my son.” Tobit 11:15

When he regained his sight and saw his son.

“Thou art great, O Lord, for ever, and thy kingdom is unto all ages.” Tobit 13:1

At the beginning of his song of praise.

What they were like

Righteous and generous: he gave alms and shared his bread. Tobit 1:3, 17
Faithful to the Law of God, even though he lived far from his homeland. Tobit 1:6, 10-11
He kept burying the dead, even after they had searched for him to kill him for it. Tobit 2:7-8

The greatest thing they did

His son came back safe and sound, and he regained his sight. Tobit 11:13, 15
He composed a song of praise that looks toward a new Jerusalem. Tobit 13:1, 9-10

Not to be confused with

Tobiah: Tobiah is his son, the one who traveled with the angel. The Douay-Rheims calls them both Tobias. Tobit 1:9
He is a different man, centuries later, who mocked Nehemiah and the wall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 3:35

What people ask

How did Tobit become blind?

While he was sleeping, bird droppings fell into his eyes. The doctors could not cure him. Tobit 2:10

Why did he bury the dead?

They were Israelites whom no one would bury. For his people, leaving a body unburied was a terrible thing. Tobit 1:17-18; NAB note on Tob 1, 17-18

Did Tobit ask to die?

Yes. In his sorrow he asked God for death, as Moses, Elijah and Job had done before him. God heard his prayer and sent Raphael. Tobit 3:6, 16-17; NAB note on Tob 3, 6

What does the Church say about what Tobit did?

The Catechism teaches that burying the dead is a work of mercy, and it cites Tobit. Catechism 2300

How long did he live?

He died at a ripe old age, in peace. The Douay-Rheims says at 102; Bibles today say at 112. Tobit 14:1

His anger with Anna He did not believe his wife Anna when she told him the young goat was a gift. He got very angry with her. Tobit 2:13-14 Little…

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Who Tobit is connected to

Tobiah · father and son

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All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

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