Ecbatana was the capital city of Media. It is the modern city of Hamadan, in Iran.

Sarah, the daughter of Raguel: Both Sarah and Raguel are introduced here for the first time. Good News Translation marks this as new information by speaking of “a man named Raguel.” In Hebrew Raguel means “friend of God.”

Reproached by one of her father’s maids: In Greek this clause is literally “heard insults from one of her father’s female servants.” Both New Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation miss a phrase here that serves a literary purpose of connecting Tobit’s story with Sarah’s. This is that Sarah “heard insults,” the same phrase used in verse 6 above, when Tobit cries “I have had to listen [literally, listened] to undeserved insults.” So the translation here should be “had to listen to one of her father’s women servants insulting her.” Reproached may also be expressed as “said bad [or, hurtful] words to her.” Maids are young servant girls; whether they were virgins or not is irrelevant.

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.