Welcome! God save you: This is literally “May you come/go in good health and safety [saved by God].” These are expressions of a hearty greeting, but expressed in religious language. Compare 5.10. God save you expresses this, but makes it sound as if Raphael is in some danger. In English, and in many other languages, “God bless you” is so natural as to be a cliché; it also misses the idea of God keeping Raphael safe. Unknown to himself, Tobit is speaking with irony, since he himself is the one who will emerge in good health and safety as a result of Raphael’s actions. When Tobit says God save you, he is simply relieved and overjoyed to be convinced that Raphael is an appropriate companion for his son. Contemporary English Version keeps this meaning with “I pray that God will protect you.” “May you come/go” appears again at the end of this verse; see the note below on Hearty welcome.
Brother: This form of address is used twice here, which Good News Translation translates only once as “my son.” See 5.10 for a note on this word.
Do not feel bitter toward me … because I wanted to be sure: Good News Translation has “Please don’t be offended because I wanted to know the truth,” and Contemporary English Version has “Please don’t be upset with me; I had to find out for certain.” These both express the sense and the tone of Tobit’s speech well in English.
About your ancestry means “what family you are from” (Contemporary English Version).
You are a kinsman, and of good and noble lineage: Contemporary English Version has a helpful model, “You really are one of our relatives, and you come from a good family.”
For I knew Hananiah and Nathan: Tobit claims to have known Raphael’s father and uncle. Raphael is working out God’s plan. To the young Tobias he casually drops the name of Gabael (5.6), which means something to the young man. To get a response from the aged Tobit (5.13), he helps him recall precious old memories.
The two textual footnotes in New Revised Standard Version regarding the variants on the names Nathan and Shemaliah are of no relevance to the Greek text followed here, and translators may ignore them.
Were not led astray: Good News Translation expresses this positively, “They were always loyal to their religion.” The New Revised Standard Version rendering is more literal, and certainly includes Good News Translation in its meaning; but the verb Tobit uses has to do with a literal wandering away, such as getting off on the wrong road. There is a comparison suggested here between Tobit’s reliable old companions, who never got lost on their way, and Raphael, to whom he is entrusting his son for guidance. In some languages this meaning may be made clear; for example, “and they never strayed from the true path.”
Good stock is literally “good root.” It is possible to combine the two expressions good people and good stock with the superlative expression “you come from a very good family” (Contemporary English Version).
Hearty welcome!: This is literally “May you come/go in joy.” “Joy” is the word used in greeting (or departure) discussed at 5.10. The verb form used both at the beginning of this verse and here is like a frame around this speech of Tobit (this rhetorical device is called inclusio). But the wording also raises the important question as to whether Tobit is welcoming Raphael (into the house) or wishing him well on the journey. Either can be justified. New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, and New American Bible take the expression to be words of welcome on both occasions. Good News Translation understands the first to be a welcome, but this last to be a farewell. This too can be defended, but the New Revised Standard Version interpretation is recommended.
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.