Language and Manuscripts

Aramaic Origins Confirmed

Tobit was originally written in Aramaic, not Hebrew. This is confirmed by the Dead Sea Scrolls, where multiple copies of Tobit were found in Cave 4 at Qumran.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Multiple copies labeled 4Q196 through 4Q200

Dating

Scrolls date to roughly 100–50 BC

Language

Matches Jewish Aramaic used in Babylonian exile communities

Composition Date

Story itself composed earlier, likely between 225 and 175 BC

Setting vs. Writing Date

722 BC
Story Setting

The narrative is set during the Assyrian exile of Israel

The backdrop used in the story
225-175 BC
Actual Writing

Written 500 years later during Greek Seleucid control

When the author actually lived

The narrative reflects the struggles of Jewish families living under foreign governments and trying to keep Torah while in exile. It uses an older setting as a backdrop, but the actual author lived during Hellenistic times.

Not Part of the Torah or Prophets

  • ❌ Not included in any Paleo-Hebrew Torah scroll
  • ❌ Does not appear in any known early Square Script Torah
  • ❌ Not among the writings of the Prophets
  • ❌ The Masoretic Text excluded it completely
  • ❌ Preserved only by a small group of diaspora Jews
  • ❌ Later copied in Greek for the Septuagint, where many pagan elements were added

Key Themes in the Aramaic Tobit

In the Aramaic version found at Qumran, the focus is on:

– A righteous man named Tobit, who buries the dead despite the law of the Assyrians
– Tobit's blindness as a test of faith
– His son Tobias, who journeys to recover family property
– A woman named Sarah, who had been widowed multiple times
– A divine messenger (Raphael), who helps them on their journey

No Demons or Magic in the Early Text

The Aramaic scrolls do not mention Asmodeus by name. The idea of a demon killing Sarah's husbands is far less dramatic and may reflect fear or misfortune rather than supernatural evil.

The use of a fish gall to heal Tobit's blindness is portrayed as folk medicine, not sorcery.

The angel Raphael never receives worship or divine status in the early form.

Greek Corruption Added Later

Aramaic Original

  • • Simple moral tale
  • • Folk medicine remedies
  • • Helpful divine messenger
  • • Focus on righteousness and trust

Greek Additions

  • – Named demons like Asmodeus
  • – Stronger emphasis on magical rituals
  • – Prayers and poetic additions not found in Qumran copies
  • – A more dramatic role for the angel Raphael

These were likely added by Hellenistic Jews who merged Hebrew themes with Greek storytelling and superstition.

Conclusion

Tobit is not law, not prophecy, and not a covenant book. It was written during Greek rule, not Mosaic times. It is a moral tale from the Aramaic-speaking Jewish exile community, meant to teach trust in YHWH and righteous behavior under foreign oppression.

✅ Has Some Value

It has some value as a reflection of faithful Jewish life during exile and foreign oppression.

❌ Not From YHWH

But it is not from Sinai, not Torah, not Paleo-Hebrew, and not divine instruction from YHWH.

It was never in the covenant scrolls or read alongside Moses' writings.