章节研读
Tobit 7 — Marriage Arranged and Consummated
Tobit 7 narrates the family's arrival at Raguel's home, Raguel's recognition of Tobit's son Tobias, and the formal betrothal and wedding of Tobias to Sarah.
经文
- 1.到达拉古尔家 他们到了埃克巴塔那，到了拉古尔家，撒拉接待他们并问候他们。他们回应她的问候，她把他们带进了屋里。Arrival at Home of Raguel When they reached Ecbat′ana and arrived at the house of Rag′uel, Sarah met them and greeted them. They returned her greeting, and she brought them into the house.
- 2.拉古埃对妻子以德娜说：“这年轻人真像我的表弟托比特！”Then Rag′uel said to his wife Edna, “How much the young man resembles my cousin Tobit!”
- 3.拉古珥问他们说，你们是从哪里来的，兄弟们？他们回答说，我们是拿弗他利的子孙，现在被囚在尼尼微。And Rag′uel asked them, “Where are you from, brethren?” They answered him, “We belong to the sons of Naph′tali, who are captives in Nin′eveh.”
- 4.于是他对他们说：“你们认识我们的兄弟托比特吗？”他们回答说：“认识。”他又问他们：“他身体健康吗？”So he said to them, “Do you know our brother Tobit?” And they said, “Yes, we do.” And he asked them, “Is he in good health?”
- 5.他们回答说：“他健健康康，很好。”托比亚斯说：“他是我的父亲。”They replied, “He is alive and in good health.” And Tobi′as said, “He is my father.”
- 6.拉格엘이跳起来亲吻他并哭泣。Then Rag′uel sprang up and kissed him and wept.
- 7.他为他祝福，并惊呼说：“那位好人和高尚的人的儿子啊！”当他听说托比失明了，他十分悲痛，哭了起来。And he blessed him and exclaimed, “Son of that good and noble man!” When he heard that Tobit had lost his sight, he was stricken with grief and wept.
- 8.他的妻子以德娜和他的女儿撒拉哭泣，他们非常热情地接待了他们，并从羊群中杀了一只公羊，在他们面前摆设了大量的食物。托比亚斯和撒拉的婚姻于是托比亚斯对拉法尔说，亚撒利亚兄弟，谈谈你在旅途中所说的事情，让这件事得到解决。And his wife Edna and his daughter Sarah wept. They received them very warmly; and they killed a ram from the flock and set large servings of food before them. Marriage of Tobias and Sarah Then Tobi′as said to Raph′ael, “Brother Azari′as, speak of those things which you talked about on the journey, and let the matter be settled.”
- 9.于是他把这个提议告诉了拉古珥，拉古珥对托比亚说：“吃，喝，欢乐；So he communicated the proposal to Rag′uel. And Rag′uel said to Tobi′as, “Eat, drink, and be merry;
- 10.因为你们有权利带走我的孩子。但是让我向你们说明真实的情况。for it is your right to take my child. But let me explain the true situation to you.
- 11.我已经把我的女儿嫁给了七个丈夫，每当他们到她那里时，都在夜里死了。但现在请欢乐。”托比亚斯说：“在你与我立约之前，我在这里什么也不吃。”I have given my daughter to seven husbands, and when each came to her he died in the night. But for the present be merry.” And Tobi′as said, “I will eat nothing here until you make a binding agreement with me.”
- 12.拉格耳说：“现在按照律法，你可以娶她，因为你是她的亲属，她也该归你。愿仁慈的神引导你们二人得到美好的结果。”So Rag′uel said, “Take her right now, in accordance with the law. You are her relative, and she is yours. The merciful God will guide you both for the best.”
- 13.然后他叫来他的女儿撒拉，拉着她的手，把她交给托比亚，说：“她在这里，按照摩西的律法娶她为妻，并带她去见你的父亲。”于是他为他们祝福。Then he called his daughter Sarah, and taking her by the hand he gave her to Tobi′as to be his wife, saying, “Here she is; take her according to the law of Moses, and take her with you to your father.” And he blessed them.
- 14.随后他叫来妻子伊德娜，拿起一份卷轴，写下契约内容，他们在上面盖上了印章。Next he called his wife Edna, and took a scroll and wrote out the contract; and they set their seals to it.
- 15.于是他们开始吃。Then they began to eat.
- 16.拉古珥叫他的妻子以德娜，对她说，姐姐，你去收拾那间客房，让她进去。And Rag′uel called his wife Edna and said to her, “Sister, make up the other room, and take her into it.”
- 17.于是她照他说的做了，把女儿带到那里，女儿开始哭泣。但母亲在女儿哭泣时安慰她，对她说，So she did as he said, and took her there; and the girl began to weep. But the mother comforted her daughter in her tears, and said to her,
- 18.“孩子，勇敢些吧，天地的主会把欢乐赐给你，代替你现在的悲伤。女儿，勇敢些吧。”“Be brave, my child; the Lord of heaven and earth grant you joy in place of this sorrow of yours. Be brave, my daughter.”
这段经文的意思
Tobit 7 is built around recognition and formal agreement. Raguel identifies Tobias as the son of his cousin Tobit by family resemblance, and the household weeps together when it hears that Tobit has lost his sight. The verse that labels Tobias 'Son of that good and noble man' (v. 7) attaches the father's reputation to the son before any negotiation begins, so the marriage request lands within a frame of known kinship and trust.
The chapter is also about disclosure. Before Raguel will hand over his daughter, he states plainly that he has given Sarah to seven husbands and each died in the night. Tobias responds by insisting on a written contract before he eats, pushing the conversation from hospitality into legal obligation. Raguel then affirms the marriage in terms of kinship and Mosaic law, writing the contract and setting seals before the meal continues (vv. 9–15).
The closing verses shift from public procedure to private room. Edna prepares a separate chamber for Sarah, who weeps, and her mother tells her to be brave and to look to 'the Lord of heaven and earth' for joy in place of sorrow (vv. 16–18). The chapter therefore moves from identification, to honest disclosure, to binding covenant, to a household prayer that hands the outcome over to God.
背景
The chapter sits in the middle of Tobit's narrative arc. It opens with the travelers arriving in Ecbatana at Raguel's house and closes with Sarah being led to a separate bridal chamber, leaving the wedding night itself unresolved at the chapter boundary. The two section headings in the supplied text — 'Arrival at Home of Raguel' and 'Marriage of Tobias and Sarah' — mark the structural break between hospitality (vv. 1–8) and betrothal (vv. 9–18).
The wedding context also sets up the next stage of the story: Raguel's legal disclosure of seven previous deaths creates the crisis that the reader already knows Tobias is equipped to face, and Edna's parting words place the resolution in God's hands rather than in human anxiety.
常见问题
Why does Raguel weep before the marriage is discussed?
The chapter states that when Raguel heard that Tobit had lost his sight, he was stricken with grief and wept (v. 7). His tears come from concern for his kinsman, not from the marriage question, which only enters the conversation in v. 8.
Why does Tobias refuse to eat before the contract is written?
After Raguel reveals that seven husbands have already died, Tobias insists that a binding agreement be made before he eats (v. 11). The demand converts the arrangement from informal hospitality into a legal covenant, which Raguel then grants in vv. 12–14 by citing kinship and the law of Moses and by sealing a written contract.
What is the significance of Edna telling Sarah to be brave in v. 18?
Having just learned she is about to be given to an eighth husband after seven deaths, Sarah weeps, and her mother comforts her by pointing to 'the Lord of heaven and earth' as the one who can exchange her sorrow for joy (v. 18). The words frame the unknown outcome as a matter of divine action rather than Sarah's own fear.