Texts in Conversation
Tobit 12 draws on biblical wisdom literature, including Proverbs 25. Raphael’s farewell speech, framed as wisdom instruction, reflects the same ideal celebrated in Proverbs, showing how Tobit places itself in continuity with these wisdom traditions.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Proverbs 25:2
Hebrew Bible
1 These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of King Hezekiah of Judah copied: 2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and it is the glory of a king to search out a matter. 3 As the heaven is high and the earth is deep so the hearts of kings are unsearchable. 4 Remove the dross from the silver, and material for the silversmith will emerge;
Date: 600–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Tobit 12:11
Deuterocanon
9 almsgiving does deliver from death, and it purges away all sin. They that do alms shall be fed with life; 10 they that commit sin and unrighteousness are enemies to their own life. 11 I will show you all the truth and will keep close nothing from you. Already I have shown you and have said, It is good to keep close the secret of a king, but the works of God to reveal gloriously. 12 And now, when you did pray and Sarah, I did bring the memorial of your prayer before the glory of the Lord: and when you did bury the dead, likewise.
Date: 225–175 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In the context of the passage Tobit 12:6-20 the ethical exhortation seems slightly unexpected; again this is a distinguishing feature of an angelophany within the Tobit narration. Raphael's words resemble sentences of wisdom, as they can be found in Tobit's testament in Tobit 4:6-11.16; the topic is revisited in Tobit's legacy in Tobit 14:8-11. With terms like "fidelity", "almsgiving" and "righteousness" (Tobit 12:8) the central themes of the Book of Tobit are named. (Altogether, these instructions remind of utterances as they are found in the Book of Proverbs or Jesus Sirach (thus for example Proverbs 10:2; Proverbs 11:4; Proverbs 25:2; 28:6; Sirach 29:10-13; Sirach 40:2) ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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