It’s been awhile (almost six weeks) since my last post in the deuterocanonicals series. So here’s a round-up of past posts on the topic: 123456789. As before, I’m treating these books as fallible but important pieces of our Judaeo-Christian heritage, with respectful disagreement with my Roman Catholic and Orthodox brethren who may view this book as fully inspired in the normal canonical sense, whatever that may be.We find Tobiah where we left him last: in the midst of a multi-day wedding to a woman his parents have not yet met. Different times. And the angel Raphael, masquerading as Azaryah, is off to bring Gaba’el to the wedding and collect some gold from him. Tobit’s parents don’t realize Tobit’s gotten married, and are expecting his soon return.
1 Now his father Tobit counted the days, and when the days the journey was to take were up, and they had not returned, 2 Tobit said, “Have they been detained? Or is Gaba’el dead, and is there no man to give him [Tobiah] the money [which I had previously deposited with him]?” 3 So he was quite upset.
Tobit’s a concerned father, worried about his son away so long. But his wife quickly jumps to a horrible conclusion:
5 Then his wife said to him, “My song has been so long in coming–he is dead!” And she began to mourn for him, and said, 5 “Nothing matters any more to me, my son, since I have lost you, the light of my eyes!”
Seeing his wife’s rash presumption that Tobit is dead, Tobit makes his own presumption to calm her down.
6 Tobit said to her, “Settle down and do not be anxious. He is safe.” 7 But she said, “Be quiet and don’t lie to me–my son is dead!” And every day she went to the place where they had left, and she did not eat meat during the daytime, and mourned all night for her son Tobiah, until the fourteen days of the wedding were up, which Raguel had sworn he should spend there.
Then Tobiah said to Raguel, “Let me go. I do not want my mother and father to wait for me any longer.
8 But his father-in-law said to him, “Stay with me a while longer, then I will send you to your father, and they will tell him how you are.”
9 But Tobiah said to Raguel, “No, let me go to my father.”
10 Then Raguel arose, and gave him Sarah his wife, and half his goods, and servants, and cattle, and money. 10 And he blessed them and sent them away, saying, “May the God of Heaven give you a prosperous journey, my children.”
Remember that bit about how Tobiah called his wife “sister” in 8:4? Well, here’s another passage where family relations are used rather loosely.
And [Raguel] said to his daughter, “Honor your father- and mother-in-law, who are now your parents, so that I may hear good things about you.” And he kissed her.
And Edna spoke to Tobiah, “May the Lord of Heaven restore you, my dear brother, and may he grant that I may see your children with my daughter Sarah before I die, that I may rejoice in the presence of the Lord. See, I commit my daughter to you with a special trust–you are not to treat her evilly.”
And so marriage contract, for that’s what a marriage is–a contract, is completed.
posting through the deuterocanonicals: tobit 10
It’s been awhile (almost six weeks) since my last post in the deuterocanonicals series. So here’s a round-up of past posts on the topic: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. As before, I’m treating these books as fallible but important pieces of our Judaeo-Christian heritage, with respectful disagreement with my Roman Catholic and Orthodox brethren who may view this book as fully inspired in the normal canonical sense, whatever that may be.We find Tobiah where we left him last: in the midst of a multi-day wedding to a woman his parents have not yet met. Different times. And the angel Raphael, masquerading as Azaryah, is off to bring Gaba’el to the wedding and collect some gold from him. Tobit’s parents don’t realize Tobit’s gotten married, and are expecting his soon return.
1 Now his father Tobit counted the days, and when the days the journey was to take were up, and they had not returned, 2 Tobit said, “Have they been detained? Or is Gaba’el dead, and is there no man to give him [Tobiah] the money [which I had previously deposited with him]?” 3 So he was quite upset.
Tobit’s a concerned father, worried about his son away so long. But his wife quickly jumps to a horrible conclusion:
5 Then his wife said to him, “My song has been so long in coming–he is dead!” And she began to mourn for him, and said, 5 “Nothing matters any more to me, my son, since I have lost you, the light of my eyes!”
Seeing his wife’s rash presumption that Tobit is dead, Tobit makes his own presumption to calm her down.
6 Tobit said to her, “Settle down and do not be anxious. He is safe.” 7 But she said, “Be quiet and don’t lie to me–my son is dead!” And every day she went to the place where they had left, and she did not eat meat during the daytime, and mourned all night for her son Tobiah, until the fourteen days of the wedding were up, which Raguel had sworn he should spend there.
Then Tobiah said to Raguel, “Let me go. I do not want my mother and father to wait for me any longer.
8 But his father-in-law said to him, “Stay with me a while longer, then I will send you to your father, and they will tell him how you are.”
9 But Tobiah said to Raguel, “No, let me go to my father.”
10 Then Raguel arose, and gave him Sarah his wife, and half his goods, and servants, and cattle, and money. 10 And he blessed them and sent them away, saying, “May the God of Heaven give you a prosperous journey, my children.”
Remember that bit about how Tobiah called his wife “sister” in 8:4? Well, here’s another passage where family relations are used rather loosely.
And [Raguel] said to his daughter, “Honor your father- and mother-in-law, who are now your parents, so that I may hear good things about you.” And he kissed her.
And Edna spoke to Tobiah, “May the Lord of Heaven restore you, my dear brother, and may he grant that I may see your children with my daughter Sarah before I die, that I may rejoice in the presence of the Lord. See, I commit my daughter to you with a special trust–you are not to treat her evilly.”
And so marriage contract, for that’s what a marriage is–a contract, is completed.
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