| Toby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Race | Hebrews |
| Age | 10 |
| Height | Unknown |
| Weight | Unknown |
- "I only deal in goods of the highest quality!"
- ―Toby, trying to sell the bejeweled Babylonian dagger to Jedidiah[src]
Toby is an adventurous ten-year-old orphan from the Hebrew town of Zorah and a proficient thief. Branan and Toby cross paths when Sidon's spy Raamah catches Toby in the Zorah marketplace trying to sell a bejeweled Babylonian dagger that he stole from Sidon's tent to a local merchant. When Branan intervenes in the quarrel, Uzal spits cud in Raamah's face, allowing Toby to slip away unharmed.
Eager to do Branan a good turn for the rescue, Toby follows Branan to the Philistine outpost at Ekron where Sidon has taken Branan's grandfather Manoah hostage. Toby continues to trail Branan as he and his grandfather are marched along the road to Ashkelon. When Sidon and his men set up camp for the night, Toby sneaks into Sidon's tent and cuts Manoah's ropes, freeing him.
When Branan hears that his father has escaped, he breaks his chains and the yoke off his back. He storms into Sidon's tent to confront his antagonist, but Sidon proves much more formidable with his Sword of Revenge than Branan thought. Just as Sidon is about to stab Branan in the neck, Toby hurls the bejeweled Babylonian dagger at Sidon's head and knocks him out.
It is implied at the end of volume seven that Toby goes off with Manoah to live at Shiloh.
Personality[]
Toby is incredibly precocious and clever for a ten year-old boy. When he sneaks into the Philistine army's camp and hides behind a camel, the animal makes a bit of a grunt, drawing the attention of a nearby guard. When the sentry approaches the camel to investigate the noise, Toby releases a small snake from his sack, which frightens the Philistine enough for him to return to his campfire.
Despite being a thief, Toby is portrayed as a mostly positive character. He saves both Manoah and Branan's lives, leading one to believe that he is a good child who only turns to thievery because he has no parents to support him. Given the implication at the end of volume seven that Manoah has decided to adopt the boy (or at least find a family for him in Shiloh), there is sufficient reason to believe that he has a bright future ahead of him.