Tobit speaks about two tithes (tenths) he gives in verses 7-8. His first tithe (Num 18.21-24), given to the Levites, is described in the second half of the first sentence in verse 7. A second tithe (Deut 14.22-29), given for a feast, is described in verses 7b-8.

I would give these to the priests: Priests may be difficult to translate in some languages, although in most languages the words or expressions which are most appropriate will already have been decided for the New Testament. A Handbook on Leviticus has an excellent discussion on the Levitical priests:

The primary duty of the priest was to serve as an intermediary between the LORD and his people. The means by which this was done was sacrifice. Thus in some languages this word has been translated “sacrificer” or “intermediary.” But care should be taken to avoid negative connotations of a word like “sacrifice.” If it evokes ideas of pagan sacrifice quite different from those of the people of Israel, then another term should be sought….

A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark lists terms that a number of cultures have used. Some examples are “one who presents man’s sacrifice to God,” “one who takes the name of the sacrifice,” and “spokesman of the people before God.”

The altar: In cultures where altars are unknown, we may say something like “place [or, platform] for sacrificing animals.” An alternative translation model for the first part of the verse is: “I would always take these offerings to the temple and give them to the priests at the altar” (Contemporary English Version).

The tenth of the grain, wine, olive oil, pomegranates, figs, and the rest of the fruits: This tenth refers to the tithe given to the Levites. Grain refers to crops of wheat and barley. Some translators will need to make this clear. For wine translators should not substitute something like “rice wine,” as the writer is referring to a fermented drink made from grapes. If wine is unknown in a particular culture, a translator may say something like “fermented drink made from the fruit called ‘grape,’ ” or simply transliterate the word wine and include a footnote explaining what wine is. Olive oil may be expressed as “oil made from the fruit called ‘olive.’ ” Pomegranates and figs, if not present in a culture, may be described in a similar way.

The sons of Levi refers to men from the priestly tribe of Levi who were not priests themselves, but who assisted the priests and took care of temple business that did not involve worship.

Also for six years I would save up a second tenth in money and go and distribute it in Jerusalem: Six years refers to the years between every seventh year (Good News Translation “Every year, except the seventh year”). Since the land was not to be farmed on the seventh year, no tithes were paid then; see Lev 25.1-7. A second tenth refers to the second tithe given by Tobit. For six years in a row he took an additional tenth and used it for a festive meal, as described in Deut 14.22-26.

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.

Do not be afraid here means “don’t worry” (Good News Translation).

We have become poor … You have great wealth: Note Tobit’s use of the pronouns we and You. When Tobit speaks of his son having wealth, he uses the present tense, not the future; and the Greek does not actually say that this wealth is money, though Good News Translation and New American Bible assume so. The sense need only be that “if you fear [obey] God and avoid sin and do what is right, you already have [literally] many good things.”

Fear God means to “obey [or, respect] God,” not fear in a literal sense of being afraid.

Flee from every sin: It will be appropriate in certain languages to maintain the metaphor of flee or “run” (Contemporary English Version), while in other languages translators must use a term such as “avoid” (Good News Translation).

Do what is good in the sight of the Lord your God means to do what God considers good.

There is not necessarily any promise of a future in Tobit’s words, but only a reassurance that doing right is reward enough. If this interpretation is followed, an alternative translation model for the verse is:

• We have become poor, but don’t worry. If you obey [or, respect] God, avoid sin, and do what he considers good, you already are wealthy [or, have many good things].

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.

When he entered: Raphael is the subject of the sentence in Greek (and New Revised Standard Version); Good News Translation includes Tobias as well with “they.” The two had not only “reached” Media, they had actually entered it. In fact, they had gotten as far as the approaches to Ecbatana; this seems to be the meaning of the rather awkward expression already was approaching. It will be helpful to identify Media as a country and Ecbatana as a city again at this point.

The footnote in New Revised Standard Version simply reports what is in the other Greek text. Translators may ignore it.

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.

He said, “It is possible that he will die”: What Raguel says is an incomplete sentence in Greek. New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and New American Bible have different ways of making this into a complete sentence, each equally good. There is comic irony in Raguel’s statement, since at this point only he and Edna are ignorant of what is happening. Raphael knows, Tobias and Sarah know, and the narrator has let the reader know. The reader can only laugh at Raguel’s efforts to keep from being laughed at one more time. Good News Translation translates “Raguel thought,” indicating that this statement was not actually spoken in the hearing of the servants, as Raguel didn’t want them to know his intentions. This interpretation is certainly possible.

We will become an object of ridicule and derision may be rendered “people will laugh and make fun of us” (Good News Translation) or “they will make fun of us and insult us” (Contemporary English 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.

Then Tobit said: This is literally, “And he said.” Although the speaker is not indicated, Tobit is certainly intended. “Tobit prayed” (Good News Translation) reflects the content of what he said, although the chapter is more a hymn of praise than what we usually think of as a prayer. This is the first verse of a new section, so it will be helpful to connect this passage with the previous chapter; we may say, for example, “After the angel Raphael returned to heaven, Tobit said [or, prayed] ….”

Blessed be God …: For Blessed see the note on 3.11. The first two lines of the prayer are difficult. The Greek is literally “Blessed be God who lives forever, and his kingdom/rule.” Good News Translation accepts this, but in the second line shifts the focus from rulership to “the one who rules.” The Greek can also be understood as “Blessed forever be the living God, and his kingdom/rule,” or even “Blessed be the living God; his kingdom also is forever.” New Revised Standard Version renders the Old Latin, and this does produce a more neatly balanced pair of lines. (The footnote marker in New Revised Standard Version is misplaced. It should be at the end of the line, for the phrase lasts throughout all ages is part of the Old Latin also.) But the Old Latin sounds like an attempt to make a difficult text easier; and there is no convincing reason for translators to move away from the Greek text. The likeliest of the renderings above is Good News Translation‘s. Another way to express because his kingdom lasts throughout all ages is “because he rules eternally.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• After the angel Raphael returned to heaven, Tobit prayed:
“Praise God who lives forever,
because he rules eternally.”

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.

The events in verses 18-20 of the Greek text are not related in the order in which they actually happened. Translators should study the models of Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version to see how the clauses in these three verses may be reordered to give the events in their proper sequence.

In verse 18, in particular, we will discuss the clauses in this chronological sequence rather than as they appear in New Revised Standard Version. The order of the events in verse 18 seems to be as follows:

Sennacherib is blasphemous.
God punishes him.
As a result, Sennacherib flees Judah and returns to Nineveh.
There Sennacherib kills many Israelites in anger.
Their bodies are thrown outside the city wall.
Tobit secretly removes the bodies and buries them.
The king (or, emperor) notices that the bodies are gone.

Judea is used by New Revised Standard Version since the text is in Greek and “Judea” is the Greek form. Good News Translation uses “Judah” since “Judah” is the form generally used in the Old Testament. Both refer to the southern part of Palestine occupied by the kingdom whose capital was Jerusalem. It was largely the territory occupied by the tribe of Judah.

Because of his blasphemies: The Greek text does not say that Sennacherib was punished for any one act of blasphemy, as suggested by Good News Translation “One day Sennacherib cursed God.” Rather, Sennacherib’s retreat from Judah is seen as divine punishment for a regular practice of blasphemy. So it will be more correct to translate this as “King Sennacherib kept on cursing God” or “King Sennacherib kept on saying bad words against God.” It will also be helpful to place Sennacherib in Judah before having him flee (a legitimate addition); for example, “King Sennacherib and his soldiers had invaded Judah and he kept on insulting God.”

Those days of judgment that the king of heaven executed upon him simply means that “God, the King of Heaven, punished him.” King of heaven means “the one who rules in heaven” or “the high chief of heaven.”

When he came fleeing from Judea: Sennacherib did not return to Media, as Good News Translation says; this is not in 2 Kgs 19.35-36 nor the Greek text of Tobit. He returned to Nineveh, his capital. This is where Sennacherib had these people killed, not while on the way back, as Good News Translation seems to say. (If he killed them on the way, he would not be bringing the bodies back to be thrown outside the city walls.)

In his anger: The Greek noun for anger represents a very strong emotion, so something like “he was so angry that” captures the meaning well. Many languages have figurative expressions for anger; for example, “his heart/nose became very hot” or “his heart/liver/stomach burned [or, pained] greatly.”

An alternative translation model reordering the clauses of this verse is as follows:

• King Sennacherib and his soldiers had invaded Judah and he kept insulting God, the King of Heaven. So God punished him and his soldiers, and he fled Judah. He was so angry that he killed many Israelites when he returned to Nineveh and threw their bodies outside the city wall. But I secretly took the bodies away and buried them. Later, when Sennacherib looked for them, he couldn’t find them.

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.