Tobit 6

Verse 1. Dog. Greek and Hebrew specify this circumstance, (Calmet. 5:22) but not here. Those who attack the authority of this book, infer that such a trifle would not be noticed by the Holy Spirit. Calmet. 11:9. Yet Homer mentions the fawning of the dog upon Ulysses, after he had been 20 years from home; and the gravest historians record instances of the fidelity of dogs. Calmet.—Night, or stage, mansione, ( Bible.) at a caravansera, or house where travellers might stop all night, and sometimes, though seldom, might be supplied with necessaries. Herodotus (verse 52.) mentions several in the kingdom of Persia.

Verse 2. Feet. Greek “to bathe.”—Fish. The learned are of opinion that this was the fish which Pliny calls callyonymus, (l. xxii. ch. 7.) the gall of which is of sovereign virtue to remove white specks that grow over the eyes. Challoner.—Other fishes have the like virtue; and as the aforesaid has no scales, and is not above a foot long, it could not be lawfully eaten by the Israelites, nor could it suffice for ten days’ provision, verse 6. Leviticus 11:10. Others, therefore, prefer ( Calmet.) the sea-calf, (Brado) the hippopotamus, (Grot.) the crocodile, (Carthus.) whale, (Theophylact.) sturgeon, or silurus. Bochart, Anim. iv. 15.—But there are great difficulties with respect to all these; and Fran. George adopts the sentiment of the Rabbins in favour of the pike, which seems the least objectionable, as it has scales, gills, and cannot live long out of water, verse 4. It grows to a great size in the Tigris, and its gall is good for the eyes. Calmet.

Verse 3. And. This verse is not in Greek. Tobias and the fish were both in the water. Calmet.

Verse 4. Take him. “It,” would be as proper.—Gill. Greek “Seize the fish, and the boy got the better of the fish, and threw it upon the land.” Bible.—Hebrew also omits the gill and the panting, ( Calmet.) circumstances which would invalidate the opinions of many respecting the nature of this fish, verse 2. Bible.

Verse 5. For thee. Greek “carefully.” Bible.—The rest is omitted also in the Hebrew of Fagius. Calmet.

Verse 6. Flesh. Saint Paul uses the like expression, (1 Corinthians 15) as well as Pliny ix. 15. Worthington.—Took. Greek and Fagius, ( Calmet.) “eat, and both went on till they came near to Ecbatana.” Bible.—From Ninive to Rages would be 10 or 12 days’ journey. Calmet.

Verse 7. Tell. Greek “What is the heart, the liver, and the gall of the fish for?” Bible.

Verse 8. Its heart, and so forth The liver, (verse 19.) God was pleased to give to these things a virtue against those proud spirits, to make them, who affected to be like the Most High, subject to such mean corporeal creatures, as instruments of his power. Challoner.—God sometimes makes use of things as remedies which have, naturally, a different effect; as when Christ put clay on the eyes of the blind man. John 9. The things which the angel ordered were salutary, by God’s appointment. Worthington.—They could not act directly upon a spirit: but they might upon the person troubled by one, as Saul was relieved by music. Calmet. Diss.—The smoke was a sign of the devil’s expulsion, and of the efficacy of prayer; or rather, God subjected the proud spirits to such weak elements. Serar. q. 3. Menochius.—Greek “and he said to him, respecting the heart and liver, if any demon or wicked spirit be troublesome, make these smoke before a man or a woman, and the person shall be troubled no longer.

Verse 9. Gall. This is generally allowed by physicians to be most excellent, particularly that of the callyonymus, and of the hyena, (Vales. Philippians 42. Galen 10. Menochius.) and silurus, and so forth so that one objection of the adversaries of this book falls to the ground. Houbigant.

Verse 10. And. Greek “But as they approached to Rages, the angel said to the young man: Brother, to-day we shall lodge with Raguel, and he is thy relation, and he has an only daughter, by name Sara: I will propose that she may be given to thee for a wife, because the inheritance belongs to thee, and thou art the only one of her kindred. The girl is beautiful and prudent. Now, therefore, give ear to me, and I will speak to her father, and when we return from Rages, we will celebrate the nuptials. For I know Raguel, that he will not give her to another man, comformably to the law of Moses, or he will incur death; because thou art entitled to the to the inheritance before any other. Then,” and so forth verse 14. Bible.—The law regulated the marriages of heiresses, (Numbers 36:6) though not under pain of death. Calmet.

Verse 14. Died. Greek “were destroyed in the nuptial chamber, (νυμφη). And as I am my father’s only son, I fear lest, approaching to her, I should die like the former; because a demon is in love with her, which hurts no one but such as approach to her. Now, therefore, I fear lest I should die, and bring down the life of my father and mother upon me to their grave.” Bible.—If this text may be styled Scripture, it only records the opinion of Toby. ( Calmet.) or what he had “heard.” Bible.—Many grave authors have been of the same persuasion that devils could be enamoured with mortal beauties: ( Calmet.) talesque asseverant ut hoc negare impudentiæ esse videatur. Saint Augustine de Calmet. xv. 23. Delrio, Magic. 2.—But this opinion is now almost entirely abandoned. Many who have testified such things, may have experienced only some diabolical illusions. The devil could not love the beauty, nor the virtue of Sara. But he was permitted by God to exercise his malice against those who would have gratified their impure desires. Calmet.—We may perhaps decide to peremptorily on the nature of devils with which we are little acquainted. As they are susceptible of pride, anger, and so forth why may they not also give way to some subtle kind of mental impurity? Houbigant.

Verse 15. To hell. That is, to place where the souls were kept below, before the coming of Christ; ( Challoner.) as the just had not yet access to heaven. See Genesis 37. Worthington. Greek adds, “and they have no other son to bury them.”

Verse 16. Raphael. Greek “said to him: Dost thou not remember that thy father ordered thee to take a wife of thy kindered? Now then hearken to me brother; for she shall be thy wife. Mind not the devil. For this night she shall be given in marriage to thee; and if thou enter the nuptial chamber, thou shalt take the ashes of incense, and shalt place thereon some of the heart and liver,” and so forth verse 19. Bible.

Greek if.

Verse 17. Mule, which are very libidinous. Psalms 13.—Power. Yet he is not always permitted to kill them, as God often allows them time for repentance, or surrers them to draw down heavier judgments. Menochius.—“The devils can do no more than God secretly permits;” (Saint Augustine de Calmet. ii. 23.) and “God justly suffers the wicked to fall victims to their iniquitous appetites.” Saint Gregory mor. ii.