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Tobit / Chapter 1

Tobit 1

27 verses • Latin Vulgate (Jerome)

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Tobit introduces himself as a righteous Israelite from the tribe of Naphtali, exiled to Nineveh under the Assyrians. He recounts his faithfulness in tithing, pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and his dangerous practice of burying the dead — which leads to the confiscation of his goods and his flight.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

This chapter establishes Tobit as a model of covenant faithfulness in exile. His insistence on burying executed Israelites — at personal risk — becomes the defining act of his character and the engine of the plot. Jerome's Vulgate version is notably shorter than the Greek recensions, reflecting his hasty Aramaic source.

Translation Friction

Jerome's Latin compresses narrative that is more expansive in the Greek Septuagint versions. The tribal and geographical references (Naphtali, Thisbe, Kedesh) require careful handling to avoid over-modernizing. The term 'eleemosynas' (almsgiving) carries theological weight beyond simple charity.

Connections

Tobit's exile connects to the Assyrian conquest described in 2 Kings 15-17. His fidelity to the Jerusalem temple echoes Deuteronomy's centralization of worship. The burial of the dead anticipates the corporal works of mercy in later Catholic tradition.

Tobit 1:1

Tobias ex tribu et civitate Nephthali, quae est in superioribus Galilaeae supra Naasson, post viam quae ducit ad occidentem, in sinistro habens civitatem Sephet,

Tobit was from the tribe and city of Naphtali, which is in upper Galilee above Naasson, beyond the road that leads westward, with the city of Sephet to its left.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

tribu
"tribe"

Tribal identity remains foundational even in exile — Tobit's Naphtalite heritage anchors his story in Israel's covenant structure.

Translator Notes

  1. The name 'Tobias' in the Vulgate refers to the father (Tobit) in this opening; Jerome does not consistently distinguish between father and son by name as modern translations do.
Tobit 1:2

cum captus esset in diebus Salmanasar regis Assyriorum, in captivitate tamen positus, viam veritatis non deseruit,

When he was taken captive in the days of Shalmaneser king of the Assyrians, even in captivity he did not abandon the way of truth,

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

viam veritatis
"the way of truth"

A distinctly Jeromian phrase that frames Tobit's faithfulness as adherence to a path — echoing Psalm 119 and Proverbs' imagery of walking in truth.

Translator Notes

  1. 'Viam veritatis' — the way of truth — is Jerome's rendering of a concept that in the Greek is closer to 'the ways of God.' Jerome's phrasing aligns the passage with broader Wisdom literature.
Tobit 1:3

ita ut omnia quae habere poterat cotidie concaptivis fratribus qui erant ex eius genere inpartiret.

so that every day he shared everything he could with his fellow captives who were of his own people.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

concaptivis fratribus
"fellow captives"

Jerome emphasizes both shared captivity and kinship — these are brothers in blood and in suffering.

Tobit 1:4

Cumque esset iunior omnibus in tribu Nephthali, nihil tamen puerile gessit in opere.

Though he was the youngest in the entire tribe of Naphtali, nothing in his conduct was childish.

Tobit 1:5

Denique cum irent omnes ad vitulos aureos quos Hieroboam fecerat rex Israhel, hic solus fugiebat consortia omnium,

Indeed, when all the others went to worship the golden calves that Jeroboam king of Israel had made, he alone fled the company of them all,

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

vitulos aureos
"golden calves"

A direct echo of Jeroboam's schismatic cult objects in 1 Kings 12, linking Tobit's personal righteousness to the great national sin of the northern tribes.

Translator Notes

  1. The reference to Jeroboam's calves (1 Kings 12:28-29) places Tobit's faithfulness in the context of the northern kingdom's apostasy. He is righteous precisely where the rest of Israel has fallen.
Tobit 1:6

sed pergebat in Hierusalem ad templum Domini et ibi adorabat Dominum Deum Israhel, omnia primitiva sua et decimas suas fideliter offerens,

but traveled to Jerusalem, to the temple of the Lord, and there worshipped the Lord God of Israel, faithfully offering all his firstfruits and his tithes,

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

primitiva
"firstfruits"

The offering of firstfruits was a Deuteronomic requirement (Deut 26:1-11) — Tobit's compliance marks him as a man of Torah even among an apostate northern kingdom.

Tobit 1:7

ita ut in tertio anno proselytis et advenis ministraret omnem decimationem.

so that in the third year he gave the entire tithe to converts and foreigners.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

proselytis et advenis
"converts and foreigners"

Jerome distinguishes between proselytes (those who have converted) and advenae (resident aliens) — two categories of the vulnerable in Israelite law.

Translator Notes

  1. The 'third-year tithe' for the poor (Deut 14:28-29) is a specific Deuteronomic obligation. Tobit's scrupulous observance of this detail underscores his extraordinary piety.
Tobit 1:8

Haec et his similia secundum legem Dei puerulus observabat.

These things and others like them the boy observed according to the law of God.

Tobit 1:9

Cum vero factus esset vir, accepit uxorem Annam de tribu sua, genuitque ex ea filium, nomen suum inponens ei,

When he became a man, he took a wife named Anna from his own tribe, and she bore him a son, to whom he gave his own name.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The son is Tobias — named after his father. Jerome's Vulgate uses 'Tobias' for both, requiring context to determine which is meant.
Tobit 1:10

quem ab infantia timere Deum docuit et abstinere ab omni peccato.

From infancy he taught him to fear God and to keep away from all sin.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

timere Deum
"to fear God"

The fear of God — foundational in Wisdom literature (Prov 1:7, Sir 1:14) — is presented as the core of parental instruction.

Tobit 1:11

Igitur cum per captivitatem devenisset cum uxore sua et filio in civitatem Nineven cum omni tribu sua,

So when through captivity he had come with his wife and son to the city of Nineveh, along with his entire tribe,

Tobit 1:12

cum omnes ederent ex cibis gentilium, iste custodivit animam suam et numquam contaminatus est in escis eorum.

while all the others ate the food of the Gentiles, he guarded his soul and was never contaminated by their meals.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

custodivit animam suam
"guarded his soul"

More than dietary discipline — Jerome frames food purity as a matter of spiritual self-preservation.

Translator Notes

  1. This dietary faithfulness in exile parallels Daniel 1:8 — a standard motif of Jewish resistance to assimilation.
Tobit 1:13

Et quoniam memor fuit Domini in toto corde suo,

And because he remembered the Lord with his whole heart,

Tobit 1:14

dedit illi Deus gratiam in conspectu Salmanasar regis,

God gave him favor in the sight of King Shalmaneser,

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

gratiam
"favor"

The same word used of Joseph in Egypt (Gen 39:21) and Daniel in Babylon — divine favor granted to the righteous exile before a foreign king.

Tobit 1:15

et dedit illi potestatem quocumque vellet ire, habens libertatem quaecumque facere voluisset.

and gave him freedom to go wherever he wished, with liberty to do whatever he wanted.

Tobit 1:16

Pergebat ergo ad omnes qui erant in captivitate et monita salutis dabat eis.

So he went to all who were in captivity and gave them counsel for their well-being.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

monita salutis
"counsel for their well-being"

'Salus' here carries both physical and spiritual connotations — advice for survival and for the soul.

Tobit 1:17

Cum autem venisset in Rages civitatem Medorum et ex his quibus honoratus fuerat a rege habuisset decem talenta argenti,

When he came to Rages, a city of the Medes, and from the wealth with which the king had honored him had ten talents of silver,

Tobit 1:18

et in multa turba generis sui Gabelum egentem videret qui erat ex tribu eius, sub chirographo dedit illi memoratum pondus argenti.

and among the great crowd of his kinsmen saw Gabael in need — a man of his own tribe — he gave him the said weight of silver under a signed note.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

chirographo
"signed note"

A handwritten bond or receipt — an ancient financial instrument that drives the narrative forward.

Translator Notes

  1. This loan to Gabael becomes a major plot device — recovering it is the reason Tobias will be sent on his journey in later chapters.
Tobit 1:19

Post multum vero temporis, mortuo Salmanasar rege, cum regnaret Sennacherib filius eius pro eo,

After a long time, when King Shalmaneser had died and his son Sennacherib reigned in his place,

Tobit 1:20

et filios Israhel exosos haberet in conspectu suo,

and he held the children of Israel in contempt,

Tobit 1:21

Tobias cotidie pergebat per omnem cognationem suam et consolabatur eos dividebatque unicuique prout poterat de facultatibus suis;

Tobit went daily through all his kindred and consoled them, distributing to each as he could from his own resources;

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

consolabatur
"consoled"

More than material aid — Tobit ministers emotionally and spiritually to his persecuted people.

Tobit 1:22

esurientes alebat nudosque vestiebat et mortuos atque occisos sepelire sollicitus erat.

he fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and was diligent in burying the dead and the slain.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

sepelire
"burying"

The burial of the dead — Tobit's signature act of mercy — was considered a supreme act of piety (chesed) in Jewish tradition, precisely because the dead cannot repay the kindness.

Translator Notes

  1. This verse is a compressed catalog of the corporal works of mercy. Jerome's language here influenced Matthew 25:35-36 commentary for centuries.
Tobit 1:23

Cumque reversus esset rex Sennacherib fugiens a Iudaea plagam quam circa eum fecerat Deus propter blasphemiam suam, et iratus multos occideret ex filiis Israhel, Tobias sepeliebat corpora eorum.

When King Sennacherib returned fleeing from Judea — because of the plague God had brought upon him for his blasphemy — and in his rage killed many of the children of Israel, Tobit buried their bodies.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

blasphemiam
"blasphemy"

Sennacherib's blasphemy — his defiance of the God of Israel — is the stated cause of his military disaster, connecting Tobit's story to the prophetic narrative of Isaiah.

Translator Notes

  1. This references Sennacherib's catastrophic campaign against Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:35-36, Isaiah 37:36-37), where the angel of the Lord struck down his army.
Tobit 1:24

At ubi nuntiatum est regi, iussit eum occidi et tulit omnem substantiam eius.

But when this was reported to the king, he ordered Tobit killed and seized all his property.

Tobit 1:25

Tobias vero cum filio suo et cum uxore fugiens nudus latuit, quia multi diligebant eum.

But Tobit fled naked with his son and his wife and hid, because many loved him.

Tobit 1:26

Post dies vero quadraginta quinque occiderunt regem filii ipsius,

But after forty-five days the king's own sons killed him,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This corresponds to the assassination of Sennacherib by his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer (2 Kings 19:37).
Tobit 1:27

et reversus est Tobias in domum suam omnisque facultas eius restituta est ei.

and Tobit returned to his house, and all his property was restored to him.

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