SESSION FIFTEEN: Getting Deeper 6:10-8:18

It’s hard to believe that the resolution to this story begins in this session and ends in the next but that’s exactly what happens. Raphael has Tobit stop on his way to getting his Father’s money in the city of Tobiah’s relative, Raguel, the city of Ecbatana. This is somewhat surprising since the destination of the journey has always been Rages to retrieve the money but the omniscient reader knows why they are going to Ecbatana already so we aren’t tremendously surprised. Tobiah hears the story of Sarah and listens intently. It’s hard to know if this is because he is the younger of the two and, so, he listens to a story that has already heard or if Tobiah didn’t know that this is the town of the Sarah with seven dead husbands. But you can imagine the shock Tobiah must have felt at basically being handed a death sentence. Of course, had fear not taken hold of him, he may have remembered the fact that he’s carrying fish guts in his backpack in order to deal with just such a situation.

Raphael reminds him of this and has the great phrase in 6:18 “Do not be afraid”, a phrase used often when Angels appear. One New Testament example especially applicable is from Luke 1:30 where the Angel appeared to Mary with the same sentiment. This is especially pertinent since one of Tobiah’s fears is that “I am my father’s only child. If I should die, I would bring my father and mother down to their grave in sorrow over me. And they have no other son to bury time.” (6:18) The word here translated as “only child” (monogenetes) is the same one used in the New Tesament to describe Jesus’ state within the Holy Family. For St. Jerome (and others) this points to an understanding that Jesus was Mary’s only child ever, not just her first born.

When Tobiah and Raphael arrive at Ecbatana, they are greeted by Raguel who immediately brings him to his wife, Edna. Her name comes from the same root as Eden. It is very unusual that Edna asks all the questions, a fact that seems to challenge the notion that women always played a diminished role in this society. She is the one that asks “Where are you brothers from?” in verse 3 (which is erroneously translated here in most Catholic Bibles as “Who are you, brothers?”). She asks the question Raguel seems almost afraid to ask about their relationship to Tobit and she seems like the one most concerned about getting to know the strangers.

Raguel springs into action after he finds out that this is, indeed, their relative’s son but is heart broken to hear of Tobit’s blindness. He welcomes them with food and drink, a sign of Middle Eastern hospitality. Yet, avoiding any small talk, Tobiah asks Raguel for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Unlike Edna, Sarah is completely silent in these negotiations. You can just imagine what she must have been thinking. This same negotiation had happened seven times before and she has maintained her virginal state. Raguel promises him marriage since he is the closest living relative who can marry her. Tobiah is skeptical, however, and wants assurance that he won’t find someone else with his wife. So, Raguel has Edna bring him paper to draw up a contract to “seal the deal.” There doesn’t appear to be an engagement announcement and, contrary to the Latin translation called the Vulgate, there is no reason to believe that there was a three day waiting period before the marriage was consummated. Night comes, and the couple go to bed to do that very act.

There is something interesting in the book of Tobit involving the words night and day. In the first five chapters, the word “day” is used fourteen times. In the middle two chapters (from 6:2-8:18) the word “night” seems to be the focus with ten times. The final 6 chapters return to day with eighteen times used. Thus, in the darkest part, when our hero is proving himself, the night dominates. But before and after this is the dawning of the day. This makes for a deep connection to the book of Genesis 1, a connection that seems to permeate the book. This section could easily be compared to Isaac’s search for a wife in Genesis 24.

At this point, the centrality of prayer becomes very clear. One commentator said, “At every crucial moment, the main characters turn to prayer. It is the turning to God in prayer that finally delivers Sarah from the demon Asmodeus.”[1] There is scholarly debate, however, for its role in the exorcism. Some say that the text indicates that the liver and heart do the exorcising and the prayer merely “baptizes” what could otherwise seem a pagan activity. Others say that prayer is an integral part of the ritual in sealing Sarah from the effects of Asmodeus. I tend to be of the latter opinion. Just because Raphael didn’t mention it at the river didn’t mean that it wasn’t important. It just means that it didn’t have to do with catching the fish.

The conclusion to this part is pure slapstick humor. Fearing a repeat of what has already happened seven times, Raguel orders his servants to dig a grave. Even though Raphael most likely would have been allowed to go home to tell Tobit about his son’s death, it seems as though Raguel simply wants to keep it from the neighbors. He doesn’t want them spreading news of number eight. But, when Tobit is still alive, he quickly fills in the grave so that his Son-in-Law doesn’t think that he was doubted by dear old Dad. I can only imagine what the maid thought as she entered the bedroom, smelled the fish, somehow ascertained that Tobiah was still awake (a mirror under his nostrils?) and had to report all of this to Raguel and Edna.

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[1] Nowell, Irene Collegeville Bible Commentary: Jonah, Tobit, Judith, Liturgical Press, Collegeville Minnesota c1986 p. 37