Tobit and Moses Redux

This article argues that the book of Tobit is a tapestry woven from many different traditions within Israel and the wider culture. One of the primary influences on the book of Tobit according to most scholars is the book of Deuteronomy and its theology of retribution, one in which humans are responsible for their own fortunes by way of their obedience. The author of Tobit depicts the title character as one who emulates the figure of Moses in Numbers and Deuteronomy. Tobit assumes a Moses-like place among his exiled people, an intertextual strategy with which the author addresses the problem of individual misfortune and its eventual alleviation.