8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does goodness mean when a faithful father loses his sight and a young woman's wedding nights end in horror?
The Book of Tobit is an ancient Jewish wisdom tale about two families in distress. In Nineveh, Tobit gives alms and buries the dead, yet becomes blind. His wife, Anna, earns their living by weaving. Far away, Sarah faces shame and grief after the deaths of seven husbands.
Tobit sends his son Tobias to Media to recover his silver. A stranger named Azarias offers to guide him, while Anna grieves at their parting. According to the story, their road brings encounters with a dangerous fish and supernatural forces. Alongside the journey, the text explores prayer, charity, marriage, and how to live when life seems unjust.
What you’ll discover
- Goodness tested by suffering Meet Tobit, whose care for others offers no protection from sudden affliction.
- Two sorrowing households Follow Tobit and Sarah as each turns toward prayer in distress.
- A stranger on the road Travel with Tobias and Azarias, a guide who knows more than he reveals.
- The fish in the Tigris Encounter a startling river scene where an ordinary journey meets the marvelous.
- Plain lessons for living Explore the tale's teachings on charity, faith, and marriage through its troubled families.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who like old tales with a warm heart, and anyone curious about Jewish and Christian writings outside the Hebrew Bible. Those who want a tense, fast plot may find the pace gentle, and its teaching is plain.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Tobit keeps faith in exile and buries the dead
- Two prayers rise from two sorrowing houses
- Tobias sets out with a guide named Azarias
- A fish on the Tigris and a bride in Ecbatana
- What the tale teaches about faith, charity, and marriage
- How the story is told, and why it stands apart
Who’s who
- TobitA devout Israelite exile in Nineveh who gives alms and buries the dead, and who is struck blind despite his goodness.
- AnnaTobit's wife, who must earn the family's living by weaving once he is blind, and who grieves when her son leaves.
- TobiasTobit and Anna's son, an obedient young man sent on a long journey to Media to recover his father's silver.
- SarahRaguel's daughter in Ecbatana, shamed because seven husbands have died on their wedding nights, who longs for release through prayer.
- RaguelSarah's father, a kinsman of Tobit, who is hospitable but fearful for his daughter's future.
- AzariasThe stranger who agrees to guide Tobias to Media and back, and who knows much more than he first says.
- AsmodeusThe demon who plagues Sarah and has caused the deaths of her husbands.
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Tobit keeps faith in exile and buries the dead
The book opens with Tobit speaking in the first person. He comes from the tribe of Naphtali and was carried to Nineveh by the Assyrians. He tells us that even as a young man he kept the Law, made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and gave generously to the poor. In exile he stays faithful when many of his neighbors do not.
He is also a man of some standing. Under the Assyrian king Shalmaneser he serves at court, and he leaves a sum of silver in trust with a kinsman named Gabael in the land of Media. That money will matter later. For now it shows that Tobit once had security, and that he spent his wealth on others.
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What is the Book of Tobit about?
It tells of Tobit, a righteous Israelite exile in Nineveh who goes blind, and of Sarah, a woman in Media afflicted by a demon. Tobit's son Tobias travels with a guide, and the two families' stories meet.
Why is the Book of Tobit not in the Protestant Bible?
Protestant churches follow the Hebrew canon, which did not include Tobit, so they place it in the Apocrypha. Catholic and Orthodox churches count it as deuterocanonical and include it in their Old Testament.
Who is Raphael in the Book of Tobit?
Raphael is an angel sent by God to help both Tobit and Sarah. In the story he travels with Tobias under another name, and his name in Hebrew is often understood to mean God heals.
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