The dog came out with him and went along with them: The dog is mentioned in the other Greek text (An American Translation a point corresponding to the end of 5.17 in New Revised Standard Version) as “Tobias’s dog,” presumably a pet. The introduction of the dog here is abrupt, but Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version deal with the problem well. “Tobias’ dog” (Good News Translation) sounds like new information, which in this Greek text, of course, it is. In the Greek they do not take the dog with them, as in Good News Translation. Rather, the dog goes with them of its own accord; New American Bible is vivid without being overdone: “the dog followed Tobiah out of the house and went with them.” The dog has no apparent function in our text other than to add a familiar sort of touch (although this may be more in the mind of a modern reader in a culture where pets are kept than in the author’s culture—a pet dog is strikingly unusual in Jewish literature.) The dog reappears at 11.4 and in some manuscripts plays a role in the narrative at that point; see the important note at 11.6.

When the first night overtook them: The Greek text mentions the first night (of the journey), but the fact that it is the first is too obvious to be stated. “That night” (Good News Translation) is certainly a possible translation. In this clause the author probably has in mind the time of evening when it becomes too dark to travel, not “sunset” (Good News Translation), but “nightfall” (New American Bible).

They camped: This probably refers to lying down on blankets under the open sky.

The Tigris river is west of Nineveh, and travelers would not have gone close to it on any kind of direct trip from Nineveh to Media; but the Greek text is clear.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Tobias’s dog came out of the house with him and followed them. They walked toward Media, and when it became dark they prepared to sleep beside the Tigris River.

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.