See Also: Tobit(encyclopedia)

Tobit (sh)




Main character in the Bible's apocryphal book of Tobit.

Tobit, a pious Jew living in exile in Nineveh, gives alms and buries the dead in accordance with Hebrew law but is struck blind in spite of his good works. Sarah, daughter of a close relative, has had seven husbands, each of whom was killed by a demon on their wedding night. The two pray for deliverance, and the angel Raphael intercedes for them. Tobit regains his sight, and Sarah marries Tobit's son Tobias. The book is an effort to reconcile the evil in the world with God's justice. See also Apocrypha.