Translation introduction to Tobit (United Bible Societies)

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 a 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 2:4

Left the dinner before even tasting it may be rendered “left the table without even touching the food.” It is also possible to put this sentence at the beginning of the verse as follows: “I hadn’t even begun eating my food. So I jumped up from the table and went….”

The body: In many languages a word must be used that indicates a “dead body” or “corpse.”

The square or “street” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) is the open portion of the market—the public plaza. The phrase from the square does not appear in the other Greek text, and New Revised Standard Version has a footnote about it. However, the phrase does appear in the text we are following, and a note is unnecessary.

One of the rooms: It is not clear where Tobit brings the body; this expression apparently refers to Tobit’s house. The Greek suggests a separate but smaller structure, perhaps an outbuilding of some kind (Good News Translation “little shed”), but also that there were more than one. Perhaps we may translate “left it in one of the small sheds near the house.”

Tobit waits until sunset to bury the body, perhaps so as not to defile the holiday. This idea may be made clear; for example, “because it was unlawful [or, taboo] to bury it until dark.” On the other hand, Tobit may be waiting for darkness, so that he can bury the body without being seen by the authorities. This too may be built into the translation: “where I left it until sunset, when I could bury it safely.” Translators may choose between these two options.

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 4:7

Give alms from your possessions: To give alms means to give something (usually money or food) to a poor person, in this case a “righteous” or “good” person. From your possessions is literal, but rather obvious; you cannot give as alms something which is not yours to begin with.

Do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it: The idea of giving “generously” (Good News Translation) is an interpretation of the metaphor in the original Greek, the eye begrudging the gift (compare Matt 20.15). The Greek repeats this clause word for word in verse 16.

An alternative translation model for the final clause of verse 6 and this first clause in verse 7 is the following:

• … If people faithfully obey God, but are poor, you must give generously to them.

Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor, and the face of God will not be turned away from you: The metaphor of turning the face away, whether done by a prospective giver or by God, is interpreted in Good News Translation by the use of the word “stingy” twice. There is a double danger in the use of this word, however. First, turning aside from the poor, that is, avoiding them or ignoring them, is not quite the same as being stingy. Though the two things may go hand in hand, the focus is different. Second, being stingy is a character trait that we would really not want to attribute to God, even when he withholds his generosity. A better translation for the final two clauses is the following:

• Always be willing to help the poor, and God will always provide for your needs.

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 5:19

Do not heap money upon money, but let it be a ransom for our child: New Revised Standard Version is literal, except that the meaning ransom for the Greek noun used is doubtful. The best English equivalent to this word is “crud,” meaning an encrustation scraped off an object. Compare its use in 1 Cor 4.13, where Good News Translation renders it “scum.” What Anna means is this: “We don’t have to have that money; it’s nothing but garbage/filth/crud compared with our son!”

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 7:13

Then he called her mother and told her to bring: Good News Translation indicates that “Raguel asked his wife to bring” (similarly Contemporary English Version). Edna was probably in another room (see verse 12). Her mother may also be expressed as “his wife Edna” (Contemporary English Version).

Writing material is one word, often meaning “book,” which is hardly meant here. Good News Translation and New American Bible speak of a “scroll,” which is not really intended either. No one is going to write enough to require a scroll. A single sheet of papyrus or a piece of leather is probably all that is needed. “Paper” is of course anachronistic (that is, inappropriate for that time), but arguably no more so than speaking of people “seated at a table” for meals. It is possible to avoid this problem with a translation like “some writing material” or “something to write on” (Contemporary English Version).

Marriage contract: This appears to be the first reference in Jewish literature to a marriage contract, but it is not the ketuba or marriage contract known in rabbinic law. That document was drawn up by the bridegroom, not by the bride’s father, as here. The author is probably reading back into an earlier time, which he understands imperfectly. It is a ritual that in his own time may also be expressed as “an agreement saying that he [Raguel] gave Sarah to Tobias as his wife.”

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 10:7

Be quiet…!: While Tobit’s words to Anna are comforting and loving, Anna’s outburst is angry, loud, and insistent, almost incoherent.

Perished means “dead” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

She would rush out: Rush out may also be translated as “rush [or, hurry] out of the house.” The repeated use of would in this verse, in both New Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, tells English speakers that these are actions that Anna did every day.

Would heed no one: Both New Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation give the text of other manuscripts in the footnote, “she would taste/eat nothing” (New American Bible adopts this). The only problem with the text as it stands is that it seems to assume people other than Tobit and Anna are on the scene. This is not a big problem, and there seems to be little reason not to stay with our text. Some translations do so without a note. The meaning of our text is a bit unclear, however. New Revised Standard Version translates it in as broadly literal a fashion as possible; Good News Translation slants it in the direction of Anna paying no attention to people trying to comfort her, which is quite possible. Contemporary English Version is similar with “no one could change her mind.” New Jerusalem Bible takes the verb in its common meaning of “trust/believe” and renders “She trusted no eyes but her own.” This is also quite possible, and makes good sense after the scene in which the distraught mother spends her daylight hours watching the Ecbatana road. A possible way to express this would be “… watch for him until sunset, trusting no one’s word.”

She would go in and mourn and weep: Go in means that Anna would return inside the house. The verbs for mourn and weep are those used in verse 4; see the note there.

New Revised Standard Version includes verses 7b-13 in one paragraph, but Good News Translation opens new paragraphs as verses 8, 9, 10, 12b, and 13. Translators must decide which form of paragraphing is more appropriate in their language here.

The fourteen days of the wedding celebration had ended that Raguel had sworn to observe for his daughter may be rendered “… that Raguel had made a solemn promise to hold for his daughter” (see 8.20). In some languages it will be better to reorder the clauses in this first sentence as follows: “Raguel had made a solemn promise to hold a wedding celebration for his daughter Sarah for fourteen days. And at the end of that time, Tobias came to him and said….”

I beg of you, father: This is literal but confusing, since Tobias refers to both Raguel and Tobit as father in the same sentence. Good News Translation relieves the difficulty by having Tobias call his father-in-law by name: “Please, Raguel.” However, in many languages for Tobias to address his father-in-law by name would be extremely impolite. Some languages use the equivalent of “Sir”; others have special pronouns or honorifics that are suitable in this context. In this scene Tobias is not pleading with Raguel. Neither “Please” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) nor I beg of you should be open to that interpretation. Raguel is not holding Tobias against his will—this is a polite way of breaking the bond. Each man knows that Tobias is going to go back home, but etiquette requires this respectful bargaining.

My own father: This is literally “my father.” New Revised Standard Version inserts own to distinguish Tobit from Raguel, whom Tobias has just addressed as father. Good News Translation has no problem here, since it had Tobias address Raguel by name.

I have already explained to you how I left him may be rendered “I have already told you that my father was in bad health when I left him.”

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 12:10

Are their own worst enemies; that is, “they are actually harming themselves” or “they bring only harm to themselves.”

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 14:3

He called his son Tobias: This does not mean that he raised his voice or even that he called Tobias by name. Good News Translation expresses it better by saying “he sent for his son Tobias.”

New Revised Standard Version adds, with the Old Latin, the phrase and the seven sons of Tobias. (The other Greek text adds “his sons.”) Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version do not do this. The addition may be a scribal attempt to introduce Tobias’s children before Tobit mentions them (“my children” in verse 8). A Dead Sea fragment of this passage has the phrase “his sons,” adding strength to the argument for it. All told, the addition of “his sons” appears to be likely, and it is certainly helpful, though “the seven sons” of the Old Latin may be too much. Translators are urged to follow New Revised Standard Version.

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.