BIBLE CHAPTER STUDY
Tobit 1 — Genealogy, Piety, and Captivity
Tobit introduces himself as a faithful Naphtalite who kept the temple ordinances, was deported to Nineveh, refused Gentile food, served as the king's purchasing agent, and risked his life burying the dead under Sennacherib.
Scripture
1The book of the acts of Tobit the son of To′biel, son of Anan′iel, son of Ad′uel, son of Gab′ael, of the descendants of As′iel and the tribe of Naph′tali,
2who in the days of Shalmane′ser, king of the Assyrians, was taken into captivity from Thisbe, which is to the south of Kedesh Naph′tali in Galilee above Asher.
3Tobit’s Youth and Virtuous Life I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life, and I performed many acts of charity to my brethren and countrymen who went with me into the land of the Assyrians, to Nin′eveh.
4Now when I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still a young man, the whole tribe of Naph′tali my forefather deserted the house of Jerusalem. This was the place which had been chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, where all the tribes should sacrifice and where the temple of the dwelling of the Most High was consecrated and established for all generations for ever.
5All the tribes that joined in apostasy used to sacrifice to the calf Ba′al, and so did the house of Naph′tali my forefather.
6But I alone went often to Jerusalem for the feasts, as it is ordained for all Israel by an everlasting decree. Taking the first fruits and the tithes of my produce and the first shearings, I would give these to the priests, the sons of Aaron, at the altar.
7Of all my produce I would give a tenth to the sons of Levi who ministered at Jerusalem; a second tenth I would sell, and I would go and spend the proceeds each year at Jerusalem;
8the third tenth I would give to those to whom it was my duty, as Deb′orah my father’s mother had commanded me, for I was left an orphan by my father.
9When I became a man I married Anna, a member of our family, and by her I became the father of Tobi′as.
10Taken Captive to Nineveh Now when I was carried away captive to Nin′eveh, all my brethren and my relatives ate the food of the Gentiles;
11but I kept myself from eating it,
12because I remembered God with all my heart.
13Then the Most High gave me favor and good appearance in the sight of Shalmane′ser, and I was his buyer of provisions.
14So I used to go into Media, and once at Rages in Media I left ten talents of silver in trust with Gab′ael, the brother of Gabri′as.
15But when Shalmane′ser died, Sennach′erib his son reigned in his place; and under him the highways were unsafe, so that I could no longer go into Media.
16Courage in Burying the Dead In the days of Shalmane′ser I performed many acts of charity to my brethren.
17I would give my bread to the hungry and my clothing to the naked; and if I saw any one of my people dead and thrown out behind the wall of Nin′eveh, I would bury him.
18And if Sennach′erib the king put to death any who came fleeing from Judea, I buried them secretly. For in his anger he put many to death. When the bodies were sought by the king, they were not found.
19Then one of the men of Nin′eveh went and informed the king about me, that I was burying them; so I hid myself. When I learned that I was being searched for, to be put to death, I left home in fear.
20Then all my property was confiscated and nothing was left to me except my wife Anna and my son Tobi′as.
21But not fifty days passed before two of Sennach′erib’s sons killed him, and they fled to the mountains of Ar′arat. Then Esarhad′don, his son, reigned in his place; and he appointed Ahi′kar, the son of my brother An′ael, over all the accounts of his kingdom and over the entire administration.
22Ahi′kar interceded for me, and I returned to Nin′eveh. Now Ahi′kar was cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and in charge of administration of the accounts, for Esarhad′don had appointed him second to himself. He was my nephew.
What this passage means
Tobit 1 is framed as a first-person memoir. It opens with a four-generation genealogy tracing Tobit's line back to an ancestor named Asiel of the tribe of Naphtali. The tribe is placed geographically: in Galilee above Asher, near Thisbe south of Kedesh Naphtali. This combination of genealogical and geographic grounding is typical of Israelite self-identification in exile; the text supplies identity by lineage and place before supplying identity by action.
The chapter then contrasts Tobit's faithfulness with the apostasy of his tribe. He recalls going alone to Jerusalem for the feasts, giving firstfruits and tithes to the Aaronite priests at the altar, and a second tenth which he would sell and spend at Jerusalem each year. A third tenth he gave according to the command of his grandmother Deborah, who raised him as an orphan. This triple-tithing pattern, with a portion given to Levites, a portion consumed at the sanctuary, and a portion distributed at his grandmother's direction, makes his obedience to the temple cult unusually explicit and personal.
The second half narrates captivity and persecution. Tobit refuses Gentile food because he remembered God with all his heart, is favored by Shalmaneser, and entrusts ten talents of silver to Gabael in Rages of Media. After Shalmaneser dies, Sennacherib's reign makes travel to Media unsafe, and Tobit begins his dangerous ministry of burying murdered Jews. When his activity is reported to the king, his property is confiscated and he flees, leaving only his wife Anna and son Tobias. Sennacherib is soon assassinated by two of his sons, who flee to Ararat; Esarhaddon appoints Tobit's nephew Ahikar, who secures Tobit's return. The chapter closes with Ahikar's titles: cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and second-in-charge of accounts.
Context
The chapter functions as the opening movement of a narrative that will span captivity in Nineveh, a journey to Media, and the healing of Tobit's blindness. It establishes three things the rest of the book depends on: Tobit's piety (his temple observance and refusal of Gentile food), his possession of ten talents of silver deposited with Gabael in Rages, and his kinship with Ahikar, the powerful court official. The deposited silver is the plot device that will send Tobias on his journey, and Ahikar's position frames the Ninevite court as a place where Tobit's life is both at risk and, at key moments, protected.
Tobit's burial of the dead and his loss of property under Sennacherib form the immediate backstory to his later misfortunes described in chapter 2. The abrupt transition from Shalmaneser to Sennacherib, the sons' flight to Ararat, and Esarhaddon's succession are presented in compressed form, consistent with a narrator summarizing events he did not witness directly.
Common questions
Why does Tobit go alone to Jerusalem when his tribe has apostatized?
The chapter presents Tobit's solitary pilgrimages as a deliberate contrast to the apostasy of the rest of the tribe of Naphtali, who sacrificed to the calf Baal. His first-person narration repeatedly underscores that his temple observance was personal obedience, not tribal custom.
What is the significance of the ten talents of silver left with Gabael?
The deposited silver is the material reason Tobias will later be sent to Gabael in Rages of Media to retrieve it, which initiates the journey in which the book's central events unfold. As long as Sennacherib's reign makes the roads unsafe, the deposit remains inaccessible.
How does Ahikar figure in the opening chapter?
Tobit identifies Ahikar as the son of his brother Ana'el, appointed by Esarhaddon second to himself, with titles of cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and chief administrator. Ahikar immediately intercedes and secures Tobit's return to Nineveh after his flight under Sennacherib, establishing him as Tobit's protector within the imperial court.