BIBLICAL PRIMARY SOURCES

Read the Scripture.

The biblical text is the primary reference for the accounts discussed here. Read the complete chapters before comparing the guide's interpretation.

Tobit 1:1-8

1 The book of the words of Tobit, the son of Tobiel, the son of Ananiel, the son of Aduel, the son of Gabael, of the seed of Asiel, of the tribe of Naphtali;

2 who in the days of Enemessar king of the Assyrians was carried away captive out of Thisbe, which is on the right hand of Kedesh Naphtali in Galilee above Asher.

3 I, Tobit walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life, and I did many alms deeds to my kindred and my nation, who went with me into the land of the Assyrians, to Nineveh.

4 When I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was yet young, all the tribe of Naphtali my father fell away from the house of Jerusalem, which was chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, that all the tribes should sacrifice there, and the temple of the habitation of the Most High was hallowed and built therein for all ages.

5 All the tribes which fell away together sacrificed to the heifer Baal, and so did the house of Naphtali my father.

6 I alone went often to Jerusalem at the feasts, as it has been ordained to all Israel by an everlasting decree, having the first fruits and the tenths of my increase, and that which was first shorn; and I gave them at the altar to the priests the sons of Aaron.

7 I gave a tenth part of all my increase to the sons of Levi, who ministered at Jerusalem. A second tenth part I sold away, and went, and spent it each year at Jerusalem.

8 A third tenth I gave to them to whom it was appropriate, as Deborah my father’s mother had commanded me, because I was left an orphan by my father.

World English Bible British Edition. Continue in the complete local chapter.

Explore Assyria in the Bible · Search the verse index

The Assyrian setting

Tobit 1 places Tobit's captivity in the days of Enemessar king of the Assyrians and describes his life at Nineveh. The retained translation later names Sennacherib and Sarchedonus. These spellings should be retained when discussing this edition; other textual traditions and translations can use different forms.

Life in exile

The opening chapters emphasise almsgiving, food, burial of the dead and the dangers of loyalty under royal power. Tobit's position changes as rulers change, while his household becomes the setting for the book's connected story of suffering, prayer, travel and restoration.

Nineveh in the closing chapter

Tobit 14 urges departure from Nineveh and recalls its anticipated destruction. The verse wording of this retained edition should be compared carefully when another translation refers to a different prophet or gives different details. Tobit is included in Catholic and many Orthodox Bibles and is treated differently in other traditions. Inclusion here makes its Assyrian material accessible without imposing one canon on every reader.

Exile shapes a household's obligations

Tobit presents an Israelite household in an Assyrian exile setting. Charity, burial, family life and suffering are central activities, while royal names locate parts of the story. The book's concern extends beyond the court.

Tobias and Raphael's journey develops guidance, healing and family relationships. Nineveh also belongs to anticipation of judgement and departure. Present conduct in exile is connected with a future beyond the imperial city.

Canonical status differs between churches, and textual editions have distinct histories. Those distinctions can be named without depriving readers of the narrative. The local passage identifies the particular public-domain witness discussed, rather than leaving its Assyrian references as a short description and link.

Evidence trail

This introduction draws on the following sources: [1]. Section reading trails highlight selected references where a more precise relationship has been recorded. Unmapped passages and other references remain at article level; these trails are not a sentence-by-sentence verification. Editorial guidance is identified in the text.

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Sources & further reading

A foundation to build on

This introduction was compiled from the linked sources and has not received specialist peer review. It is intended as a route into further research. Read how corrections and reviews are handled.

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