Before them all, Tobit acknowledged may be rendered “Tobit told everyone.” “Tobit praised God” (Good News Translation) introduces an element that is not in the text. He is simply telling the people what God has done for him.

The wife of his son Tobias is not included in Good News Translation, as being unnecessary.

He blessed her: Good News Translation translates blessed in this context as “greeted,” and we recommend that translators should follow this model.

On Blessed be your God, see the note on 3.11.

Blessed be your father and your mother means “May God be kind [or, good] to your….”

To your home: Good News Translation says “your new home.” “New” is clearly to be understood in the context.

The invitation Come in is twice incorporated by Good News Translation into “Welcome.” It occurs three times in the Greek text; compare New Revised Standard Version.

The New Revised Standard Version series welcome … blessing … joy are expressed respectively by Good News Translation as “good health … blessed … happiness.” On welcome as “good health,” see the note on 5.14.

Jews: This is what the Greek text says, although the Israelites weren’t actually called Jews until much later in their history. So when it is applied to members of the tribe of Naphtali, it is incorrect. However, since Jews is in the text, translators should use it. But it will be helpful to explain the problem in a footnote such as this: “jews: The Israelites exiled in Nineveh were not technically Jews, who are descendants of the tribe of Judah which was not conquered by the Assyrians. Our writer uses the term loosely of any of the Israelites of whatever tribe.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Tobit told everyone that God had been kind to him and healed his eyes. When he came near to Sarah he said, “Welcome, my daughter. I want to praise God for bringing you to us. May God be good to your parents as well as to my son and you. Welcome to your new home. I pray God will give you good health and happiness here. Welcome!”
On that same day all the Jews in Nineveh celebrated with 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.

Jerusalem: The mention of the city at the end of the first part of Tobit’s hymn (verse 8) leads directly into the second part, which begins with the city’s name (verse 9). In the previous verse the phrase “people of Jerusalem” was the subject of both verbs. But now Tobit addresses the city of Jerusalem itself as if it were human. This poetic device is possible in a number of languages, but there may be languages where it sounds strange and unnatural. In such cases translators should continue to talk about the “people of Jerusalem” (see the alternative model below).

The holy city: Good News Translation “of our God” is not actually in the Greek text, but it brings out the meaning of holy as “belonging to God.” If translators have a term that is a close equivalent of holy and carries this meaning of being God’s possession, that term should be used. Otherwise we may say something like “Jerusalem, God’s city, he will….”

He afflicted you for the deeds of your hands: Good News Translation is following the Greek in this line where New Revised Standard Version has made two changes. With the Old Latin the tense of the first verb is changed from future to past (so afflicted). And instead of “works/deeds of your children,” which Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version follow, New Revised Standard Version renders the Old Latin “works/deeds of your hands.” “Works of your hands” would refer to idols. The Greek does make satisfactory sense, and Good News Translation has “he will punish you for the sins of your people,” while Contemporary English Version has “God will punish … because you have sinned.”

But will again have mercy on the children of the righteous: There is a contrast between the deeds of “your children,” that is, “your people,” and the children of the righteous. Good News Translation translates children of the righteous as “to all who do right.”

An alternative translation model addressing the inhabitants of Jerusalem rather than the city itself is the following:

• God will punish his city because you have sinned;
but he will be kind to all people who do what is right.

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.

His son Sennacherib reigned in his place: History is abbreviated here. Shalmaneser was followed in 722 B.C. by Sargon; Sennacherib followed Sargon in 705 B.C. This clause may also be expressed as “his son Sennacherib succeeded him as emperor” (Good News Translation) or “… took his place as king” (Contemporary English Version), or even “… ruled over Assyria in his place.”

The highways into Media became unsafe; that is, “Media was no longer a safe place to travel” (Contemporary English Version). We may also connect this clause logically to the final clause and say, “It soon became so dangerous to travel on the roads in Media that I….” Tobit could not travel the roads to Media because travel had become unsafe, presumably because of robbers.

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.

And now, Lord, I turn my face to you: Another way to translate this first line is “Lord, I am praying, asking you to help me.” The word Lord is supplied in both New Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation from the alternate text; it is absent from our text. New Revised Standard Version includes a textual footnote. Translators may or may not include “Lord,” but if it is included, it is probably legitimate to do so on translation grounds without a footnote, as Good News Translation has done.

Raise my eyes toward you: New Revised Standard Version preserves the picture of Sarah actually looking upward to heaven. (In English, it is possible to look to someone for help without actually looking at that person.)

In rendering the verse as a whole, Good News Translation has combined two closely parallel lines, and clarifies the purpose of the prayer: “for help.” Good News Translation “I look to you” might be understood as metaphorical only, meaning “I am asking you.”

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.

Translators should have no difficulty translating this verse. New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and Contemporary English Version have almost identical translations.

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 demon will smell it and flee, and will never be seen near her any more: Translators need to connect these clauses with the final clause of the previous verse; we may say, for example, “ … It will give off such a bad odor in the room that the demon will run away and never come near Sarah again.” “Come near” (Good News Translation) is better than the literal be seen. We are never actually told, unless it is here, that the demon is visible. Whether it can be seen or not is irrelevant to the story, and “come near” avoids raising the question.

Now when you are about to go to bed with her, both of you must first stand up and pray: A peculiar picture is presented here in which Tobias and Sarah are lying down or sitting, but before they have intercourse, they both must stand up again to pray. This raises the question of why they would lie down or sit in the first place. Raphael’s instructions are acted out in 7.16-8.4, but the sequence of events is not entirely clear there. We may gather this much from that passage:

(1) Sarah’s mother takes her into the room and leaves her there (7.16).
(2) Sarah’s parents escort Tobias into the room (8.1).
(3) The young couple lie down or sit on the bed together.
(4) The parents leave the room (8.4).
(5) The couple rise to pray (8.4).

This may be helpful in understanding the picture here at 6.18, but there are problems with how the events of 8.2-3 fit in.

The Lord of heaven means “the Master of heaven” or “the one who rules in heaven” (see “king of heaven” in 1.18).

Mercy and safety may be granted to you: God is the one who will grant the mercy and safety. This is clearly expressed in Good News Translation: “pray for the Lord in heaven to be merciful to you and to protect you.”

Do not be afraid, for she was set apart for you before the world was made: Tobias has nothing to worry about; since Sarah was chosen to be his wife before the world was made, no demon can stand in the way or frustrate God’s plan. In languages that do not have a passive voice, it will be necessary to show that God is the agent in both choosing Sarah and creating the world; for example, “Do not be afraid, for God chose her to be your wife before he made the world.”

You will save her and she will go with you: Tobias’s appearance on the scene and his actions will save her, that is, “rescue her from the demon” (Good News Translation). Then she will go with Tobias. Good News Translation is helpful in filling in the picture of both verbs: save “from the demon” and go “to your home.”

I presume that you will have children by her: The promise of children is plain and unqualified in Good News Translation, but the Greek does have Raphael introduce the promise with I presume, which New American Bible expresses as “I suppose.” He probably means “I take it for granted that you will have children,” and perhaps he says this with a wink and a smile.

They will be as brothers to you: This is difficult to understand. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version take it to mean that he will love these children very much; but it seems to carry the sense that brothers are more dearly loved than children. New American Bible “[they] will take the place of brothers for you” seems to say “since you never had any brothers, at least you will have children”; but again this seems to assume that love for brothers is deeper than love for a person’s children. We suggest something like “you will love them like the brothers and sisters you never had.”

Say no more repeats the clause found in verse 16.

When Tobias heard the words of Raphael: “Very carefully” (Good News Translation) is not in the Greek text.

And learned that she was his kinswoman: “He knew” (Good News Translation) can be misleading. Tobias did not know this until Raphael told him. He learned from Raphael that Sarah was related in such a way as to make a proper marriage. Contemporary English Version has a good model for translators: “As soon as Tobias learned that Sarah was related to him on his father’s side of the family….” Kinswoman is literally “sister” in Greek, as the New Revised Standard Version footnote indicates. However, in this context it more broadly means “relative” (Good News Translation).

He loved her very much, and his heart was drawn to her: His heart was drawn to her is literally “his heart was united/joined with her.” The Greek could be saying the same thing in two different ways here, but probably Good News Translation is correct in seeing two stages: first he falls in love, and then he wants to marry her. In English “began to fall in love with her” sounds less abrupt, since Tobias has not even met Sarah yet.

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.