Tobit 4: Tobit's instructions to his son

A free study, verse by verse. Text: Brenton’s English of the Greek (1851). Notes come from the Greek. How to read a study

What happens?

Tobit remembers the silver he left in trust with Gabael at Rages in Media and, since he has asked for death, he calls his son Tobias. He tells him to bury him well, to honor his mother and bury her beside him, to remember the Lord, to give alms from what he has, to take a wife from his father's tribe, to pay workers the same day, to do to no one what he hates, to seek advice, and to bless God at all times. At the end he tells him of the ten talents of silver, and tells him not to be afraid that they have become poor.

Who is speaking?

No verse is in gold: this book has no speaker marks. The narrator tells verse 1. Tobit speaks to himself in verse 2, and from verse 3 to verse 21 he speaks to his son Tobias. Tobias does not speak in this chapter.

¹In that day Tobit remembered the money which he had committed to Gabael in Rages of Media,

In plain English: On that day Tobit remembered the silver that he had left in trust with Gabael at Rages in Media.

²and said with himself, I have wished for death; wherefore do I not call for my son Tobias, that I may signify to him of the money before I die?

In plain English: He said in his heart, "Look, I have asked for death (Brenton: wished for death). Why do I not call my son Tobias and tell him about this silver before I die?"

³And when he had called him, he said, My son, when I am dead, bury me; and despise not thy mother, but honour her all the days of thy life, and do that which shall please her, and grieve her not.

In plain English: He called his son Tobias, and he came to him, and he said to him, "Bury me well. Honor your mother, and do not leave her all the days of her life. Do what pleases her, and do not grieve her spirit in anything.

Good to know: The long Greek has "bury me well", "do not leave her all the days of her life" and "do not grieve her spirit in anything". Brenton's verse has "when I am dead, bury me", "despise not thy mother" and "all the days of thy life".

⁴Remember, my son, that she saw many dangers for thee, when thou wast in her womb; and when she is dead, bury her by me in one grave.

In plain English: Remember her, my child: she went through (literally: saw) many dangers for you in her womb. When she dies, bury her beside me in one grave.

⁵My son, be mindful of the Lord our God all thy days, and let not thy will be set to sin, or to transgress his commandments: do uprightly all thy life long, and follow not the ways of unrighteousness.

In plain English: All your days, my child, remember the Lord, and do not be willing to sin and to break his commandments. Do righteous deeds all the days of your life, and do not walk in the ways of wrongdoing.

⁶For if thou deal truly, thy doings shall prosperously succeed to thee, and to all them that live justly.

In plain English: For those who do the truth will prosper in what they do. And to all who do what is right (here the long Greek breaks off; see the note)

Good to know: Swete prints no long Greek from the end of this verse to the middle of verse 19: the long Greek breaks off after "and to all who do what is right" and takes up again with the words "the Lord will give them good counsel". So the plain lines for verses 7 to 19 follow the short Greek, the Greek that Brenton's English translates. Brenton's verse 6 ends "and to all them that live justly".

⁷Give alms of thy substance; and when thou givest alms, let not thine eye be envious, neither turn thy face from any poor, and the face of God shall not be turned away from thee.

In plain English: Give alms (or: do acts of mercy; see the note at 1:3) from what you have, and when you give alms, do not let your eye begrudge it (Brenton: be envious). Do not turn your face away from any poor person, and the face of God will not be turned away from you.

Good to know: In this chapter Tobit's alms (see the note at ) are given "from what you have" and "to any poor person", and in verse 16 they are bread and clothes. In verse 10 he says they rescue "from death". The Greek word allows "alms" or "acts of mercy", and the plain lines give both.

⁸If thou hast abundance, give alms accordingly: if thou have but a little, be not afraid to give according to that little:

In plain English: If you have much, give alms from it in proportion (literally: according to the abundance). If you have little, do not be afraid to give alms according to that little.

⁹for thou layest up a good treasure for thyself against the day of necessity.

In plain English: For you are storing up a good treasure (literally: a good deposit) for yourself against the day of need.

¹⁰Because that alms do deliver from death, and suffereth not to come into darkness.

In plain English: For alms (or: mercy) rescues from death, and does not let one go into the darkness.

¹¹For alms is a good gift unto all that give it in the sight of the most High.

In plain English: For alms is a good gift before the Most High for all who give it (literally: who do it).

¹²Beware of all whoredom, my son, and chiefly take a wife of the seed of thy fathers, and take not a strange woman to wife, which is not of thy father's tribe: for we are the children of the prophets, Noe, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember, my son, that our fathers from the beginning, even that they all married wives of their own kindred, and were blessed in their children, and their seed shall inherit the land.

In plain English: Keep yourself, my child, from all sexual immorality (Brenton: whoredom). First of all (or: above all; Brenton: chiefly) take a wife from the family line of your fathers. Do not take a foreign wife, who is not of your father's tribe, because we are the sons of prophets. Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our fathers from of old: remember, my child, that they all took wives from among their own brothers (that is, their own people), and they were blessed in their children, and their offspring will inherit the land (or: the earth).

Good to know: Two of the marriages Tobit names are told in Genesis. Abraham sends his servant "to my country, and to my relatives" to find a wife for Isaac (), and Isaac tells Jacob to take a wife "from the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother" (). In Abraham is called "a prophet".

¹³Now therefore, my son, love thy brethren, and despise not in thy heart thy brethren, the sons and daughters of thy people, in not taking a wife of them: for in pride is destruction and much trouble, and in lewdness is decay and great want: for lewdness is the mother of famine.

In plain English: And now, my child, love your brothers. Do not be proud in your heart toward your brothers and the sons and daughters of your people, so that you will not take a wife from among them. For in pride there is ruin and much disorder (Brenton: trouble), and in idleness (or: worthlessness; Brenton: lewdness; see the note) there is loss (Brenton: decay) and great need, for idleness is the mother of famine.

The Greek word: "Idleness" is achreotēs, uselessness or worthlessness. In all of Swete's Greek it is only in this verse, twice (counted all forms). A close word, achreios, is in the Greek of , where the World English Bible has "worthless" and Brenton has "vile".

How it is translated: Brenton's English has "lewdness" both times. The Greek word says nothing of lewdness. It speaks of being of no use, and the verse ties it to "loss and great need" and to famine.

¹⁴Let not the wages of any man, which hath wrought for thee, tarry with thee, but give him it out of hand: for if thou serve God, he will also repay thee: be circumspect, my son, in all things thou doest, and be wise in all thy conversation.

In plain English: Do not keep overnight (literally: let it lodge with you) the wages of anyone who works for you, but pay him at once. If you serve God, you will be repaid (Brenton: he will also repay thee). Be careful, my child, in all you do, and be well taught (Brenton: wise) in all your conduct.

Good to know: The law speaks of the same thing. says, "The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning", and says, "In his day you shall give him his wages".

¹⁵Do that to no man which thou hatest: drink not wine to make thee drunken: neither let drunkenness go with thee in thy journey.

In plain English: What you hate, do to no one. Do not drink wine until you are drunk, and do not let drunkenness go with you on your way.

Good to know: Tobit says it as what not to do: "What you hate, do to no one." says, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself".

¹⁶Give of thy bread to the hungry, and of thy garments to them that are naked; and according to thine abundance give alms; and let not thine eye be envious, when thou givest alms.

In plain English: Give some of your bread to the hungry, and some of your clothes to the naked. Whatever you have more than you need, give as alms (Brenton: according to thine abundance give alms), and do not let your eye begrudge it when you give alms.

¹⁷Pour out thy bread on the burial of the just, but give nothing to the wicked.

In plain English: Pour out your bread on the grave (Brenton: burial) of the righteous, but do not give to sinners (Brenton: the wicked).

¹⁸Ask counsel of all that are wise, and despise not any counsel that is profitable.

In plain English: Seek advice from everyone who is sensible (Brenton: wise), and do not look down on any useful advice.

¹⁹Bless the Lord thy God alway, and desire of him that thy ways may be directed, and that all thy paths and counsels may prosper: for every nation hath not counsel; but the Lord himself giveth all good things, and he humbleth whom he will, as he will; now therefore, my son, remember my commandments, neither let them be put out of thy mind.

In plain English: At all times bless the Lord God, and ask him that your ways may be made straight and that all your paths and plans may prosper. For not every nation has counsel (or: no nation has counsel), but the Lord himself gives all good things, and he humbles whom he will, as they wish (Brenton: as he will). And now, my child, remember my commandments, and do not let them be wiped out of your heart (Brenton: put out of thy mind). (This verse follows the short Greek; see the note.)

Good to know: The long Greek has only the end of this verse, worded differently: "the Lord will give them good counsel, and whom the Lord wills he humbles, down to the lowest Hades. And now, my child, remember these commandments, and do not let them be wiped out of your heart." So that the two forms are not mixed, the plain line gives the whole verse from the short Greek.

²⁰And now I signify this to thee, that I committed ten talents to Gabael the son of Gabrias at Rages in Media.

In plain English: And now, my child, I tell you that I left ten talents of silver in trust with Gabael, the son of Gabri (literally: the one of Gabri), at Rages in Media (the long Greek spells it Argoi here).

Good to know: In Gabael is "the brother of Gabri". Here the Greek says "Gabael, the one of Gabri", and Brenton prints "the son" as words he added (Brenton: "Gabael the son of Gabrias"). The Greek names fathers the same way in , "Tobit, of Tobiel", where Brenton has "the son of". The text does not say how the two fit together.

²¹And fear not, my son, that we are made poor: for thou hast much wealth, if thou fear God, and depart from all sin, and do that which is pleasing in his sight.

In plain English: Do not be afraid, my child, that we have become poor. You have many good things, if you fear God, run from all sin, and do what is good before the Lord your God."

Good to know: The long Greek has "many good things" and "do what is good before the Lord your God". Brenton's verse has "much wealth" and "do that which is pleasing in his sight".