Is the Book of Tobit in the King James Bible?
Yes — it was included in the Apocrypha of the original 1611 KJV, between Nehemiah and Judith. Most modern KJV editions omit the Apocrypha, but full 1611-style editions still contain it.
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The Book of Tobit — Free PDF Study Guide
A clear, scholarly introduction to the Book of Tobit — the fourteen-chapter exile narrative about Tobit, his son Tobias, the woman Sarah, and the archangel Raphael disguised as a travelling companion. Tobit was included in the Apocrypha of the original 1611 King James Bible and is canonical for Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. This free guide walks through its plot, theology, and best-known passages.
An original Bible Sundays study companion. The full 1611 KJV text of Tobit is included in our free KJV Apocrypha PDF, which contains all fourteen Apocryphal books bound in the original King James Bible.
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Inside this PDF
- Length
- 2 pages
- File size
- 0.00 MB
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- Searchable PDF
- Access
- Free, no account
- Plot walkthrough — Tobit in Nineveh, Sarah in Ecbatana, the journey of Tobias
- Raphael, Asmodeus, and the angelology behind Revelation 8
- How Tobit 4:15 stands behind Jesus's Golden Rule in Matthew 7:12
- Status in the 1611 KJV, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant canons
- Five passages every reader should know
What you get
Plot walkthrough — Tobit in Nineveh, Sarah in Ecbatana, the journey of Tobias
Raphael, Asmodeus, and the angelology behind Revelation 8
How Tobit 4:15 stands behind Jesus's Golden Rule in Matthew 7:12
Status in the 1611 KJV, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant canons
Five passages every reader should know
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What is the Book of Tobit?
Tobit is a fourteen-chapter narrative set in the eighth-century-BC Assyrian exile, written in Aramaic or Hebrew around 225–175 BC and preserved in Greek in the Septuagint. It tells the parallel stories of two faithful Jews — old Tobit in Nineveh, blinded by misfortune, and young Sarah in Ecbatana, tormented by the demon Asmodeus who has killed her seven previous bridegrooms — and how the archangel Raphael, sent in human disguise as the travelling companion Azarias, brings healing, marriage, and restoration through Tobit's son Tobias.
Is the Book of Tobit in the King James Bible?
Tobit was included in the Apocrypha section of the original 1611 King James Bible, placed between Nehemiah and Judith. It is canonical Scripture for Roman Catholics (who call it 'deuterocanonical') and Eastern Orthodox, and is read devotionally by Anglicans and Lutherans. The Protestant Westminster Confession (1647) excluded it from the inspired canon while still permitting its devotional use.
Why this book matters for Bible readers today
Tobit gives the clearest pre-Christian portrait of personal piety in exile — daily prayer, almsgiving, burial of the dead, marrying within the covenant — and is the source of the famous detail that there are 'seven holy angels which present the prayers of the saints' (Tobit 12:15), the language behind Revelation 8:2–4. Jesus's own teaching on almsgiving (Matthew 6:1–4) and his version of the Golden Rule ('whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them,' Matthew 7:12) closely parallels Tobit 4:15. Reading Tobit helps modern Christians hear the New Testament writers as their first audience would have.
Frequently asked questions
Did the events of Tobit really happen?
Most scholars read Tobit as edifying religious fiction set against a real historical backdrop, not as straight history. It belongs to the same Jewish short-story genre as Esther, Ruth, and Judith.
Who is the demon Asmodeus in Tobit?
Asmodeus is a demon named in Tobit 3:8 who kills Sarah's first seven husbands on their wedding night. The name reappears in later Jewish tradition (Talmud) but not in the rest of the biblical canon.
Who is the angel Raphael in Tobit?
Raphael is one of 'the seven holy angels which present the prayers of the saints' (Tobit 12:15). He is sent by God in human form as Azarias to accompany young Tobias, heal Tobit's blindness, and free Sarah from Asmodeus.
When was the Book of Tobit written?
Most scholars date the composition to roughly 225–175 BC, in either Aramaic or Hebrew. The book is set centuries earlier, in the eighth-century-BC Assyrian exile.
Why isn't Tobit in the Protestant Bible?
The Reformers followed Jerome in distinguishing the Hebrew Old Testament from the Greek-only books, which they classed as Apocrypha — useful but not inspired Scripture.
Where can I read the full text of Tobit?
The complete 1611 KJV translation of Tobit is included in our free KJV Apocrypha PDF, which contains all fourteen Apocryphal books bound in the original King James Bible.
Can I share this study guide?
Yes. This Bible Sundays study guide is free to share for any personal, ministry, or educational purpose.
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Biblical names and their meanings
Every name below appears in the King James Bible. Each page gives the meaning, the verse it appears in, and who carried it in Scripture.
- HavenSafe place; Harbor; Refuge
- HavenSafe place; Harbor
- HavenPlace of safety; Refuge
- HazelHazel tree; Light brown color
- HopeExpectation of good
- HopeHope; Expectation; Confidence
- ImmanuelGod with us
- ImmanuelGod is with us
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