So Raphael was sent to heal both of them: Raphael must be identified as an angel, as in Good News Translation. The name means “God heals.” It is found in ancient Jewish literature, but occurs in Scripture only in Tobit. It is important to state Raphael’s mission to Tobit and Sarah in such a way as not to suggest that at this point the healing is effected and the marriage arrangements made. These are anticipations: readers are allowed to share with the narrator the knowledge of how things will turn out. The story of Tobit’s healing is in 11.10-15. The marriage of Sarah and Tobias takes place in 7.12-16. “Angel” in a number of languages may be expressed as “God’s messenger” or something similar.
The white films: See the comments at 2.10.
So that he might see God’s light with his eyes: Good News Translation “so that he could see again” sacrifices the idea of God’s light in the Greek. The imagery of light is important in 5.10; 10.5; 11.8, 14. Translators are urged to keep this imagery. Another way to express God’s light is “the light from God.”
By giving her in marriage to Tobias son of Tobit: This does not mean that Raphael is going to perform the function of the father of the bride, nor is he going to perform a wedding ceremony. He is simply going to work things out so that the young couple can meet and become married. Good News Translation expresses this as “to arrange marriage between Sarah and Tobit’s son Tobias.” This pretty well describes what Raphael does in chapter 7.
By setting her free from the wicked demon Asmodeus: Good News Translation places this clause after “the right to marry her.” For demon see 3.8.
For Tobias was entitled to have her before all others who had desired to marry her: Tobias was entitled to have her is well translated by Good News Translation “Tobias … had the right to marry her.” The narrator is here giving us information that will not be made known to Tobias until Raphael explains it to him in chapter 6. Good News Translation uses “as her cousin” in place of before all others who had desired to marry her. Presumably the idea of “cousin” indicates the reason why Tobias could marry her before the other men in the clan. Perhaps we may translate “Tobias, who, as her cousin, had more right to marry her than any other man in the clan.” However, if in a particular culture there is a severe taboo against marrying cousins, translators may simply say “Tobias, as a close relative, had the right to marry her,” or even “Tobias, as a member of her clan, had….” The background in ancient Israelite law is explained by Raphael in 6.12-13. That background is not entirely clear, but the point that is important for the story is that God has destined Sarah and Tobias for each other.
At the same time, “at the very moment,” intensifies the dramatic device of showing how God is using the characters’ actions to bring about his purposes. Far from being coincidental, these occurrences are part of the divine working.
From the courtyard … from her upper room: Tobit and Sarah both return from their place of prayer, not knowing that their prayers have been answered. The New Revised Standard Version translation from her upper room doesn’t make it clear that Tobit and Sarah were in two different cities. Good News Translation does this nicely with “Sarah, in her house in Ecbatana….” The final sentence may be expressed as “At the very moment that Tobit returned from the courtyard into his house in Nineveh, Sarah was going down from the room on the second floor of the house in Ecbatana.”
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• So God sent his angel [or, messenger] Raphael to help them. He sent him to remove the white films from Tobit’s eyes so he could see the light from God again. He also sent him to arrange for Tobias the son of Tobit to marry Sarah. She was a close relative, and Tobias had the right to take her as his wife. God also sent Raphael to free Sarah from the wicked demon Asmodeus. At the very moment that Tobit returned from the courtyard into his house in Nineveh, Sarah was going down from the room on the second floor of her home in Ecbatana.
Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Tobit. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.