Translation introduction to Tobit

Translating Tobit

Tobit is a devout Jew living in Nineveh. He becomes blind after performing the good deed of burying a fellow Jew who had been executed. Later he sends his son Tobias with the angel Raphael to claim some money being held for him. Tobias does this, and returns home with a wife, a young woman who had once been plagued by a demon. Tobit regains his sight, and eventually dies with honor and dignity.

Cast of characters in the book of Tobit

The following list of characters is the order in which they occur in the book of Tobit.

Tobit — A pious Israelite man living in exile in Nineveh, capital of Assyria.
Anna — Tobit’s wife.
Tobias — Tobit’s son.
Ahikar — A kinsman of Tobit, and an official in the Assyrian government.
Sarah — A young woman who is an Israelite living in Ecbatana, a city in Media.
Asmodeus — A demon who plagues Sarah.
Gabael — A man living in Media in the city of Rages; Tobit has deposited some money with him.
Raphael — An angel sent by God to assist Tobit and Sarah; in disguise, he goes by the name of Azariah.
The dog — Tobias’s pet.
Raguel — Sarah’s father.
Edna — Sarah’s mother.
Nadab — A kinsman of Tobit and Ahikar.

Some characteristics of the book of Tobit

Tobit is a charming narrative involving the private lives of two Israelite families living in exile far to the east of their homeland, in Assyria and Media. There is no real suspense in the story, since the author tells us early on just what is going to happen. But since the reader knows the course of the story in advance, the author can make use of irony to an extent that might not otherwise be possible.

Most of the characterizations are well done. Anna is an especially believable figure, dominating each scene in which she appears. Her husband Tobit is also convincingly drawn. Sarah and her parents, Raguel and Edna, are less prominent, but still realistic characters. Much of the narrative is about the adventures of Tobit’s son Tobias. However, Tobias never assumes the vigor of the other human characters. He seldom shows any initiative or strong emotion. He follows the directions of his father, of Raphael, and of his father-in-law. It is really not clear how old Tobias is. He is old enough to be married, but why is he not supporting the family after his father loses his sight? Why must his mother go to work? Why does he need company on the journey to Media? Tobias is the one character without personality.

A warm feeling for family life runs through the book. Love and respect are shown between husband and wife: Tobit and Anna, Raguel and Edna. Tobit’s love for Anna is nowhere better seen than when he realizes he has been insensitive to her feelings. Care for the unfortunate, especially in the giving of alms, is a religious duty and a virtue warmly commended. Both the young people, Tobias and Sarah, are admonished to treat their in-laws as their own parents, and both pairs of parents accept them as their own children.

The circumstances of the writing of Tobit

The author of Tobit is unknown. All that can be said is that he or she was a Jew, who wrote probably around the year 200 B.C. It is not known where the book was written. It can be said that the book was originally written in a Semitic language, either Hebrew or Aramaic. Fragments of Tobit in both languages have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Through the centuries, however, Tobit has been known only in its Greek translation.

The text of Tobit

Unfortunately the Greek text of Tobit presents difficult problems. There are three different forms of the Greek text, two of them major. One major form is the longer text found in Codex Sinaiticus (and often called the S text because of this), as well as in the Old Latin version. The Dead Sea fragments also belong in this group. The other major form is the shorter text found in Codex Vaticanus (and often called the B or BA text) and other manuscripts. Scholars have identified a third text form found in a small group of manuscripts. Textual comments in this Handbook will largely refer only to the longer and shorter forms.

The majority of scholars today believe that the longer text is closest to the original form of Tobit. This text has been translated by the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), Today’s English Version (TEV), the New American Bible (NAB), the New English Bible (NEB), the Revised English Bible (REB), and the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB). In this Handbook it is referred to as “our text” or “the text we are following.” The shorter text was the basis of the Revised Standard Version (RSV). It is referred to in this Handbook as “the alternate text” or “the other text.”

Special problems in translating Tobit

Similar names: There are several pitfalls for the inattentive translator in the proper names in the book of Tobit. Tobit, the father, and Tobias, the son (in some versions called Tobiah), are especially easy to confuse. If the translator is accustomed to writing abbreviated notes, he or she should be careful from the beginning to distinguish the two. There is even Tobiel, but he appears only in 1.1. There is a character Gabael, who must be distinguished from the angel Gabriel, who does not appear in this book. The angel Raphael is a major character, but there is also Raguel, and these two must be distinguished.

Ahikar: This is not exactly a problem for the translator, but it is a name that seems to appear out of nowhere in the book, and the translator needs to know who is meant. Ahikar (often spelled Ahiqar) appears to have been an historical person who served as a court official under the Assyrian kings Sennacherib and Esarhaddon in the seventh century B.C. The name became prominent in the folklore of the time; Ahikar was known as a wise and politically powerful man. A Book of Ahikar, perhaps written as early as the late seventh century, is known from an Aramaic manuscript. Ahikar appears several times in Tobit, where he is a relative, and where we find several parallels to material in the ancient Book of Ahikar. These will be mentioned in the notes as necessary.

Jews/Israelites: Tobit is a member of the tribe of Naphtali, one of the northern tribes of Israel. The action of the book takes place during the Assyrian exile of these people, at a time when the Kingdom of Judah, the southern kingdom, was still secure. The book of Tobit was written at a time when the people of the northern tribes had disappeared from history, and only the people of the tribe of Judah survived. Technically, the word “Jew” applies only to those of the tribe of Judah. This would include the author, but it would not include Tobit himself. The text that we follow actually uses the word “Jews” in one place (11.17) to refer to Tobit’s acquaintances. It is not technically correct, but the author about 200 B.C. clearly recognized his kinship in the faith with the inhabitants of northern Israel several centuries back, and this is what he means by his use of the word. TEV has introduced the word “Jews” in a number of places. Translators may want to think twice before using the word, but the author has set a precedent for doing so.

The dog: Tobias has a pet dog that accompanies him and Raphael on their journey. The dog is mentioned at 6.2, when they leave home, and at 11.4, when they return. In the text as it stands, there is not much reason for the dog to be there at all. But in a few manuscripts (the third form of the text mentioned above under “The text of Tobit”), the dog appears in 11.6, where Tobias’s mother first becomes aware that her son is returning when she sees the dog. This makes a great deal of narrative sense, but none of the major translations adopt this form of the text. Other translators may be bolder. Many other textual decisions must be made in this book, but this one affects the drama of the story.

Verse numbers: Unfortunately there is confusion in the numbering of verses in Tobit, as well as confusion in the text. This is most noticeable in the extended passage from 5.10 to 7.17. NRSV and NAB use one system of numbering; TEV, NEB, and REB use another. In this Handbook the verse numbering is always that of NRSV, and the TEV text printed alongside the NRSV text is that which is equivalent in content, and not always that which has the same verse number.

Outline of contents

Introduction (1.1-2)
The troubles of Tobit and Sarah (1.3–3.17)
Tobit’s religious devotion (1.3-22)
Tobit’s troubles (2.1-14)
Tobit’s prayer (3.1-6)
Sarah’s troubles (3.7-10)
Sarah’s prayer (3.11-15)
God sends the angel Raphael to help Tobit and Sarah (3.16-17)
The journey to Ecbatana (4.1–6.18)
Tobit gives advice to his son Tobias (4.1-21)
Raphael is hired to accompany Tobias (5.1–6.1a)
Tobias and Raphael travel to Ecbatana (6.1b-18)
God answers the prayers of Tobit and Sarah (7.1–12.22)
Preparations for a wedding (7.1-16)
God answers Sarah’s prayers (8.1-21)
Raphael travels to Rages and back (9.1-6)
Tobit and Anna worry about Tobias (10.1-7a)
Tobias and Sarah leave Ecbatana (10.7b-13)
Tobias is welcomed home (11.1-9)
Tobit is healed (11.10-15)
Sarah is welcomed (11.16-18)
Raphael reveals himself (12.1-22)
Conclusion (13.1–14.15)
Tobit’s hymn of praise (13.1–14.1)
Tobit’s dying words and death (14.2-11)
Tobias’s later life and death (14.12-15)

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.

Translation commentary on Tobit 2:9

I washed myself: See 2.5.

The courtyard was a small open area surrounded by the rooms of the house. A single door would open out into the street.

My face was uncovered: The Greek noun meaning face is used here, and New Revised Standard Version translates it literally. Most people do not sleep with their face covered (there is a danger of suffocation). Good News Translation surely has the proper picture: Tobit was sleeping with something over his body, but because he was warm enough he did not pull it up over his head.

Because of the heat: Some versions, which are translating another Greek text, may indicate that Tobit slept outside because he was defiled from touching the corpse. Our text does not say this. The ritual purification would have been accomplished by Tobit’s washing himself, as Good News Translation makes clear. The narrator may think of Tobit being in the courtyard simply because “it was a hot night.”

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.

Translation commentary on Tobit 4:13

So now, my son, love your kindred: In verse 12 Tobit has reminded Tobias that his ancestors took wives from their own clans, and in this verse he urges Tobias to do the same. In many languages it will be good to keep the connector So and say, for example, “So my son….” Love your kindred is a literal rendering, interpreted by Good News Translation as “be loyal to your own relatives.”

In your heart do not disdain your kindred … by refusing to take a wife for yourself among them: The verb disdain comes from the same Greek root as the noun pride later in the verse. Good News Translation, by use of the words “proud” and “pride,” maintains this link, which is lost in New Revised Standard Version by its use of disdain and pride. Good News Translation also omits much of the repetition in this second sentence, and has simply “Don’t be too proud to marry one of them,” meaning your kindred. The phrase in your heart would in the original Hebrew mean “in your mind”; that is, “don’t think yourself too good to marry….” But this is what Good News Translation is saying. Contemporary English Version has “Don’t be proud and think that you are too good to marry an Israelite woman.” Translators must decide whether the phrase the sons and daughters in the original Greek will sound unnatural. If it does, either Good News Translation or Contemporary English Version may be used as a model.

For in pride there is ruin and great confusion: In New Revised Standard Version the sentence beginning For in pride appears to have no connection with Tobit’s counsel about the proper choice of a wife; it could as well be part of a new paragraph. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version show the connection more clearly with “Such pride” and “Pride like that.” The ruinous pride spoken of is the arrogance of setting yourself up as superior to tradition, violating the tradition against an outside marriage. Ruin is coupled with confusion (Good News Translation “frustration”), which translates a word that has the sense of a lack of stability or continuity. In some languages translators will find suitable terms for both words, but in others they may be combined; for example, “Such pride will cause you to have a great instability in your life” or “… will cause you to have a life full of confusion.”

And in idleness there is loss and dire poverty: A connection needs to be made between the saying on “pride” and this one on “laziness.” Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version make the logical connection clear with “just as….” The saying in New Revised Standard Version sounds like an independent proverb, but the Greek does make the connection. Idleness or “laziness” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) means “refusal to work,” resulting in “severe poverty” (Good News Translation). So we may say “just as a refusal to work will make you very poor.”

Because idleness is the mother of famine; that is, people who are idle will eventually not have enough to eat, precisely because of that idleness. This repeats the information in the previous clause, and the two clauses may be combined in many languages, as Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have done.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• My son, have love in your heart for [or, be loyal to] your relatives. Don’t be proud and think that you are too good to marry one of them. If you are proud like that you will have a very unstable life, just as refusing to work causes people to become very poor and starve.

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.

Translation commentary on Tobit 6:2

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.

Translation commentary on Tobit 8:2

Remembered here means “was mindful of,” “called to mind,” or “thought about.” It is not that Tobias had forgotten what Raphael had told him to do, his “instructions” (Good News Translation, literally words).

On the order of events in verses 2-4, see first the note on 6.18. In that note the place of the fish organs in the sequence of events was left unsettled, since it was not relevant there. But here it is. The problem is this: Are Edna and Raguel just standing around the bed where Tobias and Sarah are lying, while Tobias throws the fish organs onto a brazier? There are three solutions:

(1) Ignore the problem. This is what Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, and New American Bible do.
(2) Assume that the parents leave the room at the end of verse 1, and indicate this, as Jerusalem Bible and New Jerusalem Bible do at verse 4, “The parents meanwhile had gone out.” The difficulty with this solution is that the text does not say that. But it is clever.
(3) This solution involves some boldness. Zimmermann observes that the problematic sentence in verse 4a, “they went out and shut the door of the room,” ends with the same Greek word as does verse 1, “room.” Suppose the original text was “They led the young man away and into the bedroom. Then they left and shut the door of the bedroom.” If a scribe copied the first sentence, and then looking back at his copy, saw the second occurrence of “room,” he would have left out that second sentence. Then if he or another scribe later noticed the omission, he could well have written it in the margin, from where a later scribe incorporated it into the text, but at the wrong place, verse 4. This sort of thing happened frequently with the copying of manuscripts. Zimmermann translates with this rearrangement of text, verse 4a immediately following verse 1. It is probably taking no more liberty than adding “meanwhile” in verse 4.

Not to brush off solution 1, we must allow the possibility that the text, problem and all, is correct, and that the fault is the author’s. This author is not the best literary craftsman in the world—after all, this scene could have been filled with dramatic tension, but the author has long since given it all away and robbed the scene of any suspense. He could well have reported events clumsily. This Handbook, therefore, recommends that translators follow solution 1.

The Greek clause that New Revised Standard Version translates where he had them can equally well be rendered “which he had with him,” as in New American Bible. The bag is new information; nothing is said of it in 6.6, although in the other Greek text Raphael there tells Tobias to keep these organs safe.

The embers of the incense: See the note on 6.17.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Then Tobias thought about what Raphael had told him about the fish’s liver and heart. So he took them out of the bag where he had kept them [or, which he had with him] and put them on the hot coals where incense was burned.

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.

Translation commentary on Tobit 10:12

The translator should probably not attempt the rest of this chapter without a good night’s sleep!

A massive textual problem accounts for the large differences between New Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation in the first part of this verse. The Greek text we follow is translated by Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible, and others. New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, and New American Bible follow another form of the text, one which is supported by the Old Latin and by some Greek manuscripts. The text behind Good News Translation is literally “And he said to his daughter Sarah, ‘Go to your father-in-law, since from now on they….’ ” Note that Good News Translation “with your husband” is not in the Greek. Also, “his parents’ [plural] house” takes a modest liberty; the text speaks only of the father-in-law. Mentioning the house is only an acceptable shift of focus. Good News Translation omits Go in peace, which should be kept. Another way to express this is “Have a safe journey.”

The alternate form of the text speaks of Raguel kissing Sarah before he speaks, and has a longer clause in place of “Go to your father-in-law.” This longer clause says nothing about “going”; it speaks of both the father-in-law and mother-in-law separately, and Sarah is told to honor them.

The kiss is a nice touch, and we might wish to keep it; but the simplest solution, solving more problems while raising fewer, is for translators to follow Good News Translation in rendering the text as it stands. Even Good News Translation‘s change from “father-in-law” to “parents-in-law” should be adopted. There are two reasons to support this. First, the expression that follows, they are as much your parents, clearly shows that the author intended to refer to both. The author’s use of “father-in-law” followed by the plural is not really a conflict; the household would have been identified as his. A second reason for accepting “parents-in-law” is that this word appears in the alternate, shorter Greek text. So Good News Translation provides a reliable model for the first part of this verse.

There is a further textual complication involving this part of the verse, which we will discuss below at verse 13.

Then Edna said to Tobias: A sharp problem in narrative writing shows up here, when Edna speaks to Tobias after Raguel appears to have already sent Tobias and Sarah on their way (verses 11-12a). Here is the sequence the author gives us:

Raguel sends the couple off (verse 11).
Raguel speaks to Tobias.
Raguel speaks to Sarah (verse 12).
Raguel sends the couple off.
Edna speaks to Tobias.
Edna kisses Tobias and Sarah and sends them off.
Tobias blesses Raguel and Edna (but see below on verse 13).

It is well to think of the author painting two panels here—three if you count Tobias’s farewell words. A lot of action is going on at the same time. The author, by having the couple sent off three times, has not solved the narrative challenge well, and there is only so much the translator can do to the text without rewriting the story. The word Then used by New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and New American Bible to introduce Edna’s words only makes the problem worse. In verse 13, “Finally…” (New Revised Standard Version) makes it even worse again. New Jerusalem Bible has a clever and helpful approach: “Edna in her turn said to Tobias….” It is the smallest of liberties, but is helpful indeed in making a potentially confusing situation clearer. Perhaps the confusion itself is intended to express Raguel and Edna’s loving hesitance to let the young couple go.

Dear brother means “kinsman” of course. Good News Translation omits this touch and links the word “dear” to “child.” See 5.10 for a comment on brother.

The Lord of heaven: The words of heaven do not appear in our Greek text, and do not belong here. They are in the other Greek text, translated by Revised Standard Version. The revisers appear to have left the phrase here inadvertently.

Bring you back: You is singular, referring to Tobias. It is not clear whether Edna means “bring you safely home” (Good News Translation), referring to Nineveh, or “bring you safely back here” (that is, to Ecbatana, so Contemporary English Version). If Ecbatana is intended, the Contemporary English Version rendering making may I live long enough to see children a logical result of the first clause, seems a reasonable translation: “Tobias, my son, I pray that the Lord will let you and Sarah return here before I die, so that I may see my grandchildren.” In the context it seems that the Contemporary English Version interpretation is the more likely one, and translators are urged to follow it.

In the sight of the Lord: This is expressed by Good News Translation as “The Lord is my witness,” and by Contemporary English Version as “with God as my witness”; or we may say, “I ask the Lord to witness that I am placing….”

Do nothing to grieve her all the days of your life: The phrase all the days of your life is poorly placed in New Revised Standard Version; it belongs after do nothing. Good News Translation expresses it better with “Never, at any time in your life, do anything that would break her heart.” Contemporary English Version is shorter with “Please don’t ever cause her any sorrow.”

Go in peace, my child: Go in peace becomes in Good News Translation “Have a safe journey.” In Greek it is simply “in peace.” It seems to convey, in its shortened form, a sense of choking back emotion. In Good News Translation the use of Tobias’s name rather than the word child lends an appropriate warmth to the scene; but translators should again use a form that is the most natural in this social context.

For the New Revised Standard Version footnote on wife, see the note at 8.21.

May we all prosper together all the days of our lives: Contemporary English Version has a helpful model, “I pray that God will always bless our family.” We may also translate “I pray that God will always cause all of us to prosper.” For prosper, see the notes on verse 11 and 7.12.

Saw them safely off: See the note on verse 11.

A model for the last part of this long verse could be:

• Edna in her turn said, “Tobias, my dear child, may the Lord take you safely home, and may you and Sarah come back some day with your children, while I am alive to see them. The Lord is my witness; I am placing my daughter in your care. Never, at any time in your life, do anything to cause her sorrow. Goodbye, son. I am your mother from now on, just as Sarah is your wife. I pray that we may all live happily as long as we live.” Edna then kissed them both, and saw them safely off on their way.

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.

Translation commentary on Tobit 12:15

I am Raphael, one of the seven angels: This is a dramatic moment of self-revelation, calling to mind Gen 45.3. Unlike the angel who was Jacob’s opponent (Gen 32.29), Raphael reveals his name, even without being asked. For angels see 3.17. Only two other angels are named in Scripture: Gabriel (Dan 8.16; 9.21; Luke 1.19, 26) and Michael (Dan 10.13, 21; 12.1; Jude 9; Rev 12.7).

Stand ready; that is, “at the Lord’s call,” “ready to serve him” (Good News Translation).

Who … enter; that is, “who have access to.”

The glory of the Lord: See the note on verse 12.

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.

Translation commentary on Tobit 14:8 - 14:9

Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version make a paragraph break at the beginning of these verses. It is a good place for one; New Revised Standard Version has a long paragraph running from verse 5 through 11.

So now, my children: The connector So now is used for emphasis. Tobit has just finished predicting that Israel will be great again. So he warns his children to do what is pleasing to God. Good News Translation simply has “Now.” Translators should find a similar word of emphasis to begin this paragraph. Tobit is addressing Tobias and his sons with the phrase my children; compare the note on verse 3. In some languages it will be necessary to identify children as including Tobias and his children, Tobit’s grandchildren; for example, “Now, my son and my grandchildren” (Contemporary English Version).

Your children are also to be commanded to do what is right: The Greek has an impersonal clause, “It must be commanded to your children to do right,” but obviously the parents are intended to do the teaching, and Good News Translation reflects this with “Bring up your children to do what is right.”

For give alms, see 4.7.

To be mindful of God and to bless his name at all times: In most languages this can be translated as something like “always remember to praise God” (Good News Translation).

With sincerity and with all their strength: With sincerity means “don’t just pretend to.” With all their strength is omitted by Good News Translation, but this phrase should be included. Contemporary English Version translates the last clause as follows: “don’t just pretend to praise God—praise him with all your strength.”

So now, my son: Here So now means “I have said all this, and now….” Good News Translation uses the name “Tobias” for emphasis. Some translators may find this helpful.

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.