Believing himself near death, Tobit gives his son Tobias a comprehensive set of moral instructions — a 'wisdom testament' covering honoring parents, almsgiving, marriage within the tribe, fair wages, humility, and the golden rule. He also reveals the ten talents of silver deposited with Gabael in Rages.
This chapter is one of the most influential ethical teachings in the deuterocanonical literature. Tobit 4:15 contains the negative form of the Golden Rule ('What you hate done to you, do not do to anyone') — predating the positive formulation attributed to Jesus in Matthew 7:12. The almsgiving theology here ('alms deliver from death') shaped Catholic soteriology for centuries.
Jerome's Vulgate renders this as a continuous speech without the pauses present in some Greek versions. The relationship between almsgiving and salvation ('eleemosyna ab omni peccato et a morte liberat') must be rendered faithfully without importing later theological debates about faith versus works.
The 'wisdom testament' genre connects to Jacob's blessing (Gen 49), Moses' farewell (Deut 33), and David's charge to Solomon (1 Kings 2). The Golden Rule formulation anticipates Matthew 7:12. The almsgiving theology is echoed in Sirach 3:30 and Acts 10:4.
Igitur cum Tobias putaret orationem suam exaudiri ut mori potuisset, vocavit ad se Tobiam filium suum
So when Tobit thought his prayer had been heard and that he might die, he called his son Tobias to him
dixitque ei: Audi, fili mi, verba oris mei et ea in corde tuo quasi fundamentum construe.
and said to him: 'Hear, my son, the words of my mouth, and build them in your heart as a foundation.
An architectural metaphor for moral instruction — wisdom is the foundation on which a life is built. This anticipates Christ's parable of building on rock (Matt 7:24-27).
Cum acceperit Deus animam meam, corpus meum sepeli, et honorem habebis matri tuae omnibus diebus vitae eius;
When God has taken my soul, bury my body, and honor your mother all the days of her life;
memor enim esse debes quae et quanta pericula passa sit propter te in utero suo.
for you must remember what great dangers she endured for you in her womb.
Cum autem et ipsa conpleverit tempus vitae suae, sepelias eam circa me.
And when she too has completed the time of her life, bury her beside me.
Omnibus autem diebus vitae tuae in mente habeto Deum, et cave ne aliquando peccato consentias et praetermittas praecepta Domini Dei nostri.
All the days of your life keep God in your mind, and take care that you never consent to sin or neglect the commandments of the Lord our God.
The distinction between temptation and consent is important — sin requires an act of will. This formulation influenced scholastic moral theology.
Ex substantia tua fac eleemosynam et noli avertere faciem tuam ab ullo paupere; ita enim fiet ut nec a te avertatur facies Domini.
Give alms from your substance, and do not turn your face away from any poor person; for so it will come about that the face of the Lord will not be turned from you.
Almsgiving is the central ethical practice in Tobit — not an optional extra but a fundamental expression of covenant faithfulness.
Quomodo potueris, ita esto misericors.
Be merciful to the extent that you are able.
The command to be merciful 'as you are able' acknowledges human limitation while maintaining the obligation — proportional generosity, not equal sacrifice.
Si multum tibi fuerit, abundanter tribue; si exiguum tibi fuerit, etiam exiguum libenter inpartire stude.
If you have much, give abundantly; if you have little, strive to give even that little willingly.
Praemium enim bonum tibi thesaurizas in die necessitatis;
For you are storing up a good reward for yourself against the day of need;
The same verb used in Matthew 6:20 — 'treasuring up treasures in heaven.' Tobit's teaching on almsgiving as heavenly investment deeply shaped the gospel vocabulary.
quoniam eleemosyna ab omni peccato et a morte liberat et non patietur animam ire in tenebras.
because almsgiving delivers from all sin and from death, and will not allow the soul to go into darkness.
This formulation — alms as salvific — was cited at the Council of Trent and remains important in Catholic teaching on the meritorious nature of charitable works.
Fiducia magna erit coram summo Deo eleemosyna omnibus facientibus eam.
Almsgiving will be a great confidence before the Most High God for all who practice it.
Fiducia — bold confidence before God. The word later became central to Lutheran theology (fiducia as trust), though here it describes the assurance produced by charitable works.
Attende tibi, fili mi, ab omni fornicatione, et praeter uxorem tuam numquam patiaris crimen scire.
Guard yourself, my son, from all fornication, and apart from your wife never allow yourself to know the guilt of sin.
Sexual purity is placed immediately after almsgiving in Tobit's hierarchy of instruction — both are expressions of self-mastery and covenant loyalty.
Superbiam numquam in tuo sensu aut in tuo verbo dominari permittas; in ipsa enim initium sumpsit omnis perditio.
Never let pride rule in your mind or in your speech, for in pride all ruin had its beginning.
Superbia — the queen of vices in the later Christian moral tradition. Tobit identifies it as the origin of 'all ruin' (omnis perditio).
Quicumque tibi aliquid operatus fuerit, statim ei mercedem restitue, et merces mercennarii tui apud te omnino non remaneat.
Whoever has done work for you, pay him his wages at once, and do not let the wages of your hired worker remain with you at all.
The prompt payment of wages is a justice issue in Torah — the laborer depends on daily pay for daily bread.
Quod ab alio oderis tibi fieri, vide ne tu aliquando alteri facias.
What you would hate to have done to you, see that you never do to another.
The Silver Rule / negative Golden Rule. This Tobit formulation was widely cited in patristic literature as a natural law principle accessible to all people.
Panem tuum cum esurientibus et egenis comede, et de vestimentis tuis nudos tege.
Share your bread with the hungry and the needy, and cover the naked with your garments.
Panem tuum et vinum tuum super sepulturam iusti constitue, et noli ex eo manducare et bibere cum peccatoribus.
Set your bread and wine upon the burial of the righteous, and do not eat and drink it with sinners.
Consilium semper a sapiente perquire.
Always seek counsel from the wise.
Omni tempore benedic Deum et pete ab eo ut vias tuas dirigat et omnia consilia tua in ipso permaneant.
At all times bless God and ask him to direct your ways, and let all your plans remain in him.
Indico etiam tibi, fili mi, dedisse me decem talenta argenti, dum adhuc infantulus esses, Gabelo in Rages civitate Medorum, et chirographum eius apud me habeo.
I also tell you, my son, that when you were still very young I gave ten talents of silver to Gabael in Rages, a city of the Medes, and I have his signed note in my possession.
An enormous sum — ten talents would represent decades of wages for an ordinary worker. This is not pocket money but a family fortune held in trust.
Et ideo perquire quemadmodum ad eum pervenias et recipias ab eo supra memoratum pondus argenti et restituas ei chirographum suum.
Therefore find out how you may reach him, recover the above-mentioned sum of silver from him, and return his signed note to him.
Noli timere, fili mi; pauperem quidem vitam gerimus, sed multa bona habebimus si timuerimus Deum et recesserimus ab omni peccato et fecerimus bene.
Do not be afraid, my son. We lead a poor life indeed, but we shall have many good things if we fear God and withdraw from all sin and do what is good.'
The fear of God bookends the chapter (vv. 6, 23) — it is both the foundation and the conclusion of Tobit's ethical teaching.