Tobit 7:1
Intraverunt autem ad Raguelum, et suscepit eos Raguel cum gaudio.
They entered Raguel's house, and Raguel received them with joy.
Translator's Introduction
What This Chapter Is About
Tobias and Raphael arrive at the house of Raguel in Ecbatana. Raguel recognizes the family resemblance and weeps at news of Tobit's blindness. When Tobias asks for Sarah in marriage, Raguel is torn — he warns of the seven dead husbands but ultimately consents, writing a marriage contract and giving Sarah to Tobias with a blessing.
What Makes This Chapter Remarkable
The marriage contract ('instrumentum coniugii') described here is one of the earliest detailed depictions of a Jewish marriage ceremony in literature. Raguel's anguished honesty — he must disclose the deaths of the seven husbands even as he hopes this marriage will succeed — gives the scene real emotional tension. The chapter also shows Edna, Sarah's mother, weeping and comforting her daughter.
Translation Friction
Jerome compresses the hospitality sequence. The marriage contract language is legal and formal in the Latin. Raguel's private aside to his wife about digging a grave for Tobias (present in some Greek versions) is muted in the Vulgate but the underlying dread is still palpable.
Connections
The arrival at a kinsman's house echoes Jacob arriving at Laban's home (Gen 29). The marriage contract connects to the mohar tradition. Raguel's blessing draws on the patriarchal blessings of Genesis. The phrase 'Deus Abrahae et Deus Isaac et Deus Iacob' links to Exodus 3:6.
Tobit 7:2
Intuensque Tobiam Raguel dixit Annae uxori suae: Quam similis est iuvenis iste consobrino meo!
Looking at Tobias, Raguel said to his wife Anna: 'How much this young man resembles my kinsman!'
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
- The family resemblance is immediately recognized — another instance of the kinship bonds that structure the entire narrative.
Tobit 7:3
Et cum haec dixisset, ait: Unde estis, iuvenes fratres nostri?
And when he had said this, he asked: 'Where are you from, our young brothers?'
Tobit 7:4
At illi dixerunt: Ex tribu Nephthali sumus, ex captivitate Nineve.
They said: 'We are from the tribe of Naphtali, from the captivity of Nineveh.'
Tobit 7:5
Dixitque illis Raguel: Nostis Tobiam fratrem meum? Qui dixerunt: Novimus.
Raguel said to them: 'Do you know my brother Tobit?' They said: 'We do.'
Tobit 7:6
Cumque multa bona loqueretur de eo, dixit angelus ad Raguelem: Tobias de quo interrogas pater istius est.
When they had spoken many good things about him, the angel said to Raguel: 'The Tobit you ask about is this young man's father.'
Tobit 7:7
Et proiecit se Raguel et osculatus est eum et flevit,
And Raguel threw himself forward and kissed him and wept,
Tobit 7:8
et benedicens Deum dixit: Benedictio sit tibi, fili, quia boni et optimi viri filius es.
and blessing God, he said: 'Blessing upon you, my son, for you are the son of a good and excellent man.'
Tobit 7:9
Et Anna uxor eius et Sarra filia eius lacrimatae sunt.
And Anna his wife and Sarah his daughter wept.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
- Three people weeping at once — Raguel, Anna, and Sarah. The tears are mixed: joy at kinship reunited, grief at Tobit's blindness, and (for Sarah) perhaps desperate hope.
Tobit 7:10
Postquam autem locuti sunt, praecepit Raguel occidi arietem et parari convivium. Cumque hortaretur eos discumbere ad prandium,
After they had spoken, Raguel ordered a ram slaughtered and a feast prepared. When he urged them to recline for the meal,
Tobit 7:11
Tobias dixit: Hic ego hodie non manducabo neque bibam, nisi prius petitionem meam confirmes et promittas mihi dare Sarram filiam tuam.
Tobias said: 'I will not eat or drink here today unless you first confirm my request and promise to give me your daughter Sarah.'
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
- Tobias's boldness is striking — he refuses hospitality until the marriage is agreed. This is not rudeness but urgency, driven by Raphael's instructions.
Tobit 7:12
Quod verbum cum audisset Raguel, expavit sciens quid evenerit illis septem viris qui ingressi sunt ad eam, et timere coepit ne forte et huic similiter contingeret.
When Raguel heard this, he was terrified, knowing what had happened to the seven men who went in to her, and he began to fear that the same thing might happen to this one too.
Tobit 7:13
Et cum nutaret et non daret petenti ullum responsum,
And while he hesitated and gave no answer to the one asking,
Tobit 7:14
dixit ei angelus: Noli timere dare eam isti, quoniam huic timenti Deum debetur coniux filia tua; propterea alius non potuit habere illam.
the angel said to him: 'Do not be afraid to give her to him, for your daughter is owed as wife to this man who fears God; that is why no other could have her.'
Notes & Key Terms 1 term
Key Terms
huic timenti Deum debetur
"is owed to this man who fears God"
The fear of God is the qualifying criterion — not wealth, status, or even kinship alone, but spiritual disposition.
Translator Notes
- Raphael resolves Raguel's paralysis with a theological explanation — Sarah was preserved for Tobias because he fears God. The seven deaths were not Sarah's fault but the result of divine reservation.
Tobit 7:15
Tunc dixit Raguel: Non dubito quod Deus preces et lacrimas meas in conspectu suo admiserit;
Then Raguel said: 'I do not doubt that God has received my prayers and tears before him;
Tobit 7:16
et credo quoniam ideo fecit vos venire ad me, ut ista coniungeretur cognationi suae secundum legem Moysi; et nunc noli dubium gerere quod tibi eam tradam.
and I believe he has caused you to come to me so that she might be joined to her own kindred according to the law of Moses. Have no doubt that I will give her to you.'
Notes & Key Terms 1 term
Key Terms
secundum legem Moysi
"according to the law of Moses"
The marriage is grounded in Torah — kinship rights and tribal endogamy as commanded in Numbers 36.
Tobit 7:17
Et adprehendens dexteram filiae suae, dexterae Tobiae tradidit dicens: Deus Abraham et Deus Isaac et Deus Iacob vobiscum sit, et ipse coniungat vos inpleatque benedictionem suam in vobis.
And taking his daughter's right hand, he placed it in Tobias's right hand and said: 'May the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob be with you, and may he himself join you together and fulfill his blessing in you.'
Notes & Key Terms 1 term
Key Terms
Deus Abraham et Deus Isaac et Deus Iacob
"the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob"
The triple patriarchal invocation — used by God himself at the burning bush (Exod 3:6) and by Jesus to prove the resurrection (Matt 22:32). It claims the full weight of covenant history for this marriage.
Translator Notes
- The joining of right hands (dextrarum iunctio) became the iconic gesture of Christian marriage. Raguel invokes the three patriarchs — the fullest form of the covenant blessing.
Tobit 7:18
Et accipiens chartam fecit conscriptionem coniugii.
And taking paper, he wrote out the marriage contract.
Notes & Key Terms 1 term
Key Terms
conscriptionem coniugii
"marriage contract"
The earliest narrative description of a written Jewish marriage contract. The ketubah tradition continues to this day in Judaism.
Translator Notes
- This written marriage contract (ketubah) is described with legal precision — it is not merely a ceremony but a documented agreement with rights and obligations.
Tobit 7:19
Et post haec epulati sunt, benedicentes Deum.
And after this they feasted, blessing God.
Tobit 7:20
Vocavitque Raguel ad se Annam uxorem suam et praecepit ei ut praepararet alterum cubiculum.
Raguel called his wife Anna to him and instructed her to prepare another bedchamber.
Tobit 7:21
Et introduxit Sarram filiam suam illuc, et lacrimata est.
And she brought her daughter Sarah in there, and she wept.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
- Edna/Anna's tears as she prepares her daughter for yet another bridal chamber — knowing that seven grooms have died in this situation — are among the most poignant details in the book.
Tobit 7:22
Dixitque ei: Forti animo esto, filia mea; Dominus caeli det tibi gaudium pro taedio quod perpessa es.
And she said to her: 'Be of strong courage, my daughter. May the Lord of heaven give you joy in place of the sorrow you have endured.'
Notes & Key Terms 1 term
Key Terms
gaudium pro taedio
"joy in place of sorrow"
The exchange of sorrow for joy — a pattern that defines Tobit's theology and echoes Isaiah 61:3 ('beauty for ashes, joy for mourning').