Mother of Jacob and Mother of Tobiah: From the Book of Genesis to the Book of Tobit

The parallelism found between two particular passages in Jubilees and Tobit is of special interest. It concerns the great similarity between the description of Rebecca’s sorrow on Jacob’s departure to Padan Aram, and Isaac’s attempt to console her (Jub. 27:13-18), and the sorrow of Hannah, the mother of Tobiah, upon his departure on his journey to Media, and Tobi’s act of consoling her (Tob 5:18-23). The article analyzes in detail their underlying narrative structure and compares it with their possible source in 4Q364 3 ii, a fragment from the Qumranic Reworked Pentateuch. For this purpose 4Q364 3 ii is presented, translated and commented upon.