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1–21. Being in distress and awaiting death, Tobit remembers the money given for the safety of Gabael (I:14), informs Tobias about this and at the same time teaches him a number of moral instructions about respect for his mother (vv. 3-4), about the fear of God and piety (5-6), about charity and alms (7-11), about purity and chastity (12-13), about justice and honesty, benevolence and generosity (14–17), about modesty, prudence, devotion to the will of God (18–19). Tob.4:1 On that day Tobit remembered the silver, which he had given for safekeeping to Gabael in the Ragas of Media, Comrade 4:2 and said to himself: I asked for death; Why don’t I call my son Tobiah to tell him about this before I die? 1–2. Instead of money, the book of Tobit speaks everywhere of silver, αργύριον (IV:1; V:2–3; IX:2; X:2; XII:3), just as in cuneiform documents, money is often called silver: this is explained by the absence of minted coins in Assyro-Babylonia before Persian rule; instead of coins, pieces or ingots of metal were used, the relative value of which was determined by weight; therefore, in Assyro-Babylonian documents of a business nature, the expression “weighed” so much money is often found, just like among the ancient Jews, for whom coinage appeared only after the Babylonian captivity, in the application to money - ingots or plates - the term “weigh, weigh, weigh out” was usually attached (Heb. schaqal (jackal), Gen. 23:16; Isa. 44:6; Jer. 32:10. See Bible vol. I). The 10 talents of silver placed by Tobit with Gabael (v. Chapter I) represented a significant burden - over 25 poods - which is why Gabael, returning the bags of silver to Tobit (IX: 2), laid them on two camels - and the value of this silver extended, in our money, up to 23,000 rubles. more than that (see Prof. Drozdov, pp. 490–491). Comrade 4:3 And calling him, he said: My son! when I die, bury me and do not leave your mother; Honor her all the days of your life, do what pleases her and do not cause her grief. Comrade 4:4 Remember, my son, that she had many sorrows because of you even while she was pregnant. When she dies, bury her next to me in the same coffin. Comrade 4:5 Always remember, my son, the Lord our God, and do not desire to sin or transgress His commandments. All the days of your life do righteousness and do not walk in the ways of iniquity, Comrade 4:6 For if you do what is right, your deeds will prosper, like all who do what is right. Tov.4:7 Give alms from your wealth, and let not your eye spare when you give alms. Do not turn your face away from any beggar, then the face of God will not turn away from you. Tov.4:8 When you have a lot, do alms from it, and when you have a little, do not be afraid to do alms little by little; Comrade 4:9 You will store up for yourself rich treasure for the day of need, Comrade 4:10 For alms delivers from death and does not allow one to go into darkness. Comrade 4:11 Almsgiving is a rich gift for all who do it before the Most High. Comrade 4:12 Beware, my son, of every kind of debauchery. Take for yourself a wife from the tribe of your fathers, but do not take a foreign wife who is not from the tribe of your father, for we are the sons of the prophets. From ancient times our fathers were Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Remember, my son, that they all took wives from among their brothers and were blessed with their children, and their offspring will inherit the earth. Comrade 4:13 So, my son, love your brothers and do not be conceited in heart before your brothers and before the sons and daughters of your people, lest you take a wife from them, because from pride comes destruction and great disorder, and from lewdness - poverty and ruin: lewdness is the mother of hunger. Comrade 4:14 The wages of the hired servant who will work for you, do not spend the night with you, but give it back immediately: and you will be rewarded if you serve God. Be careful, my son, in all your actions and be prudent in all your behavior. Comrade 4:15 What you hate, do not do to anyone. Do not drink wine to the point of intoxication, and let drunkenness not follow you on your journey. Comrade 4:16 Give to the hungry of your bread and to the naked of your clothes; From whatever you have in abundance, do alms, and let your eyes not spare you when you do alms. Comrade 4:17 Distribute your bread at the graves of the righteous, but do not give to sinners. Comrade 4:18 Ask advice from everyone who is prudent, and do not neglect useful advice. Comrade 4:19 Bless the Lord God at all times and ask Him that your ways may be right and that all your deeds and intentions will be successful, for no nation has the power to determine the success of its undertakings, but the Lord Himself sends down all good things and humiliates whomever He wants according to His will. Remember, my son, my commandments, and may they not be erased from your heart! 3–19. Tobit's instructions to his son, v. 3–19, have the character of general biblical moral teaching; Individual instructions may have many parallels from other biblical books, but there are also individual and historical features that do not allow us to see (with Fritzsche and others) in these instructions a tendentious selection of moral teachings, freely compiled in imitation of other biblical books. Thus, Tobit’s instruction to his son about respect for his mother (vv. 3–4) has support in the whole view of the Old Testament on honoring parents, first of all in the Law of Moses (Exod. XX:12; Deut. V:16), then in teaching books (Sir. III:1–16, VII:29) and other parts of Holy Scripture; in the same way, Tobit’s desire to be buried with his wife was also characteristic of the patriarchs of the Jewish people (Gen. XXV:10, XLIX:29) and other biblical persons and quite naturally follows from the true biblical concept of the marital union as an indissoluble union (Gen. II:24; 1 Cor. VI:16). But at the same time, this instruction characterizes the marital union of Tobit and Anna in terms of the moral strength of their marriage, despite the wife’s reproaches to her husband (II:14). The instruction about the constant fear of God and keeping the commandments of God (vv. 5–6), expressing the essence of piety according to the Old Testament teaching (Deut. VI:2; Eccl. XII:13), is quite appropriate in the address of the God-fearing Tobit to his son entering life. Instruction on almsgiving (v. 7–11), with a very understandable - in view of the main significance of the teaching on alms in biblical moral teaching - similarity with the teaching on this subject of other Holy books of the Old and New Testaments (see, for example, Proverbs 3:9; Sir. 4:8, 14:13, 29:15, 35:9; Luke 14, etc.), had a special meaning and application in captivity, where there were so many needy Jews (see I:16ff). The idea of the sin-smoothing meaning of alms, which is also found in the book of the prophet Daniel (Dan. 4:24; cf. Sir. 29:15; Luke 11:41), is expressed especially strongly here: “alms delivers from death and does not allow one to go into darkness” (v. 10): here we are talking, obviously, about posthumous bribes from beyond the grave, and in view of the latter the great importance of alms is affirmed in delivering a person from the “second death” (Rev. 20:4) and “utter darkness” (Matthew 8:12, 25:30), and not from the first death and the grave - inevitable for the righteous. The commandment of chastity (12a), as a marital virtue, is connected with Tobit’s advice to his son to take a wife from among his people and tribe, and the purity of the family of Tobit and his fellow tribesmen is indicated: “we are the sons of the prophets” and patriarchs, who during marriages equally protected the purity of their family (12b, fn. Gen. XXIV ff.), and this instruction is elevated to a general rule - not to neglect native tribe, not to be proud of the sons and daughters of one’s people (v. 13), a rule that undoubtedly had great practical importance in view of the original tendency of the Jews to marry, bypassing their native tribe, with women from foreign tribes; This rightly indicates pride, which leads to destruction. The instruction on justice in relation to a mercenary (14a) is given twice in the Mosaic legislation (Lev. XIX:13; Deut. XXIV:14), and in the Assyrian captivity, where the poor Jews, no doubt, earned their livelihood by the labor of day laborers, there was a special need for strict observance of this rule (cf. James V:4). The rule is, “whatever you hate, do not do to anyone” (v. 15a), expressed by the Lord Savior in a positive form: “in everything that you want people to do to you, do so to them” (Matthew VII:12; Luke VI:31), - according to the word of the Lord - “this is the law and the prophets.” The prohibition of drunkenness (v. 15b) may have had in mind the prevalence of this vice in Assyria (Nahum. I:10). Further, when repeating the instruction about alms to the needy (v. 16), a special instruction is given: “distribute your bread at the grave of the righteous, but do not give to sinners” (v. 17): this refers to the common custom among biblical Jews to bring bread of sorrow and a cup of consolation to those who mourn the dead, to distribute alms to the poor for the dead and to offer prayers and propitiatory sacrifices for them ( 2 Sam. 3:35; Jer. 12:45; and at the same time, Jews are prohibited from participating in the funeral rites of the Assyrians, who, as can be seen from some of the inscriptions of Asurbanipal, had the custom of bringing food and drink to the shadows of the dead. (See Prof. Drozdov, pp. 61–65 and 468). This instruction could also have a broader scope, containing advice not to give alms to the pagans at all - an instruction that was quite understandable in the mouth of the Old Testament man (cf. Matt. V:43) and, moreover, during the difficult time of captivity, when the Jews suffered great embitterment from the pagan Assyrians and, naturally, they themselves had the same feeling towards them (cf. Ps. CXXXVI). Comrade 4:20 Now I will reveal to you that I gave ten talents of silver for safekeeping to Gabael the son of Gabriel in the Ragas of Media. Comrade 4:21 Do not be afraid, my son, that we have become poor: you have much if you fear the Lord and, turning away from all sin, do what is right in His sight.