“When he was about to die, he called his son Tobias and the seven sons of Tobias. He gave them his command.
‘My son, take your children and hurry off to Media.
I believe the word of God that Nahum spoke about Nineveh.
All these things will take place and overtake Assyria and Nineveh.
Everything that was spoken by the prophets of Israel,
Whom God sent,
Will occur.
None of their words will fail.
All will come true at their appointed times.
It will be safer in Media than in Assyria and Babylon.
I know and believe that whatever God has said
Will be fulfilled
And will come true.
Not a single word of the prophecies will fail.
All our kindred,
Inhabitants of the land of Israel,
Will be scattered.
They will be taken as captives from the good land.
The whole land of Israel,
Even Samaria and Jerusalem,
Will be desolate.
The temple of God in it will be burned to the ground.
It will be desolate for a while.’”
As Tobit was about to die, he called his son Tobias and his 7 grandchildren. See the number 7 again. He told them to go to Media because there was going to be trouble in Nineveh. Tobit believed in all prophets and how valuable their prophecies were. He was a strong believer in the prophets proclaiming the word of God. He even said that not a single word of the prophecies would fail. Nahum was considered a minor prophet of the 7th century that he would have known. Nahum saw the destruction of Jerusalem by the Assyrians, but he predicted the downfall of Nineveh, which of course led to the ascent of the Persians. Tobit here also predicted the ruin of both the north and south in Israel, including Jerusalem and also the Temple itself. There would be desolation.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 