Commentaria in Tobiam
5. “He Will Save Us for His Own Mercy.”
—The Greek adds: And he will gather us from all the nations where he scattered us among them. If you be converted to him with your whole heart and your whole soul, to do truth before him (justice, that is, just and holy works), then he will turn to you, and will not hide his face from you.
7. “HE HATH SHEWN HIS MAJESTY TOWARD A SINFUL NATION,”—as if to say: God has shown his august and divine power, justice and vengeance toward the Israelite nation, chastising its idolatry by the destruction and Assyrian captivity, and again has shown his magnificent clemency toward it by having mercy on it and leading it back from captivity to its fatherland.
11. “JERUSALEM, THE CITY OF GOD, THE LORD HATH CHASTISED THEE;”—both because he has already led many Jews captive from Jerusalem to Babylon with the impious king Manasses; and because a little later with Joachim and Sedecias he will lead off the rest by Nabuchodonosor; for he speaks of the future as of the past, on account of the certainty of prophecy.
Note: Tobias from this verse to the end of the chapter foretells the destruction of Jerusalem to be wrought by Nabuchodonosor, and its and the temple’s restoration to be made after 70 years of captivity by Cyrus; but in such a way that, in prophetic manner, he rises allegorically from the city Jerusalem of Juda to the Christian Church to be erected in Jerusalem by Christ, and from it flies anagogically to the Church triumphant in heaven, of which Jerusalem was the figure and type. The same does Isaias, chapters 60, 65 and 66. Therefore this verse and the following, under the type of Jerusalem, partly already desolate on account of the idols of Manasses, as is gathered from 4 Kings chapter 21, verses 10 and 14; partly to be wholly desolated and overthrown under Sedecias, to be restored again and raised to greater glory by Esdras, Nehemias, Zorobabel and Cyrus, prophesies the renewal and restoration of the old Church by Christ, especially of the Christian Church which began at Jerusalem in Sion; and because the Church of all ages was one, though having various states; whence verse 14 foretells the calling of the Gentiles and the spread of the Church through the whole world: but in verse 21 he is carried anagogically to the heavenly Church, or to the state which the Church militant will have in heaven, where it will be triumphant. Whence St. John alludes, Apocalypse 21, where he gloriously depicts the Church triumphant by the figure of Jerusalem, as I have fully explained there.
“FOR THE WORKS,”—that is, on account of the works, namely on account of thy idols and crimes he led, that is, will lead, thee away also to Babylon.
13. “THOU SHALT SHINE WITH A GLORIOUS LIGHT (of the Gospel and the preaching of Christ and his Apostles): AND ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH SHALL WORSHIP THEE.”—He foretells the conversion of all nations to Christ, who adored the Church, as Christ’s spouse, that is, most humbly venerated and worshipped, and venerate and worship her. The same foretold Isaias, chapter 49, verse 23: “They shall adore thee,” he says, “with their face toward the ground, and shall lick up the dust of thy feet.”
14. “AND SHALL ESTEEM THY LAND AS HOLY” (that is, as holy, and sanctified by Christ and the Apostles).
20. “I SHALL BE HAPPY IF THERE SHALL REMAIN OF MY SEED (namely my grandsons and posterity) TO SEE THE GLORY OF JERUSALEM;”—both that which Cyrus will bring it literally, and that which Christ will mystically bring it in this life and more in the life to come.
21. “THE GATES OF JERUSALEM.”—All these things from verse 19, verse 21 and onward properly regard the glorious Church in heaven; for this he says there is to be built of sapphire, emerald and every precious stone, by which figuratively nothing else is signified than the beauty, sweetness, majesty, brightness and eternity of heavenly blessedness, as I have declared on Apocalypse 21. Moreover the Greek in this place has thus: Jerusalem shall be built with sapphire and emerald, and precious stone shall be thy walls, and towers and bulwarks of pure gold; and the streets of Jerusalem shall be paved with beryl and carbuncle and stone of Sophir. The Hebrew adds: The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer gifts, the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring presents.
22. “AND ALLELUIA SHALL BE SUNG IN HER LANES.”—“Alleluia” in Hebrew is the same as praise the Lord. Alleluia is therefore a word of praise, exultation and jubilation, which the blessed perform continually in heaven. Whence St. Augustine, sermon 151 On the Season, which is on Easter:
“The time of sorrow,” he says, “which the days of Lent signify, we both signify and have. But the time of gladness, and rest, and reign, which these days signify, we signify by alleluia, but have not yet the praises. But now we sigh for alleluia. What is alleluia? Praise God. But we have not yet the praises; in the Church the praises of God are frequent after the resurrection, because the praise will be perpetual to us after our resurrection.”