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 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.

Introduction to Tobit (Christian Community Bible)

(The Catholic Christian Community Bible [first English edition 1997, other translations into Indonesian, Chinese, Cebuano, Chavacano, French, Ilonggo, Korean, Quechuan, Spanish, and Tagalog] “for the Christian Communities of the Third World” uses the following introduction.)

The Book of Tobit is one of the later books of the Scriptures. It goes back two centuries before the Common Era. The original text, written in Aramaic, became lost but it had been translated into Greek.

In the last two centuries before Jesus, the dispersed Jews among the nations grew to be much more numerous than those who were living in Palestine. Even when living in foreign countries, far from the Promised Land, was considered a disgrace, they were doing quite well. Just as it would be the case later in the Christian world, many in the Jewish world discovered the benefits of that new vocation as minorities in the pagan world and to be the witnesses of divine revelation in the world. The families who wanted to remain faithful in their observance of the law were relying on their communities where the synagogue weekly worship was celebrated with reading the Scripture together.

However, they were aware that for the most part, the future of Judaism depended on the families’ transmission of their identity as people of God. It was necessary to prevent the Jews from intermingling with the people who surrounded them and to keep them from forgetting their vocation. In particular, the father of the family was to bear witness to the faith that he lived each day.

The author of the Book of Tobit wanted to provide the Jews with a model. To write his story, he took his inspiration from a story of “The Grateful Dead.” A generous man had discovered an unburied corpse and he had buried it with dignity. Later on, in the course of a journey, a stranger approached him, started to walk with him and he freed him from various dangers. When this generous man wanted to compensate him, the stranger revealed to him that he was the dead man whom he had buried and then he disappeared.

The author of the Book of Tobit used this plot and he introduced the angel… The old story of Tobit has not lost its value at a time when many Christians do not know anything about the path that Jesus proclaimed to us. We have relied too much on “the Church,” on the catechism being taught by priests, and very often, parents are not able to transmit the word of God.

Down below are the introductions in the Mandarin Chinese and Spanish editions.

Translation: Mandarin Chinese

多俾亚传：引言

《多俾亚传》是个很短的故事（见《艾斯德尔传》引言）。

多俾亚书诞生于犹太人散居各国的时期，也就是说它成书于巴勒斯坦境外的犹太人团体中，希腊圣经的“七十人”版本将其收入。像其他“第二经典”书本一样，本书也受到审查。因为它有两种不同的版本，其中一个版本有更多的详细描述，明显地比另一版本要冗长得多。是否这一版本就比另一个更有神圣性呢？

故事有教益，流传许久，可能今天的我们感到它的陈旧，但我们仍然欣赏它。本书之所以在圣经中占一席之地，并非偶然。公元前二世纪，散居各国的犹太人的人数越来越多，超过了生活在巴勒斯坦的犹太人人数。虽然人们认为生活在远离许地的外邦异国不值得庆幸，但他们的处境并没有坏到哪里去。许多犹太人，就像我们现世的基督徒，发现了新圣召的益处：作为少数人生活在异教世界中，为神圣的启示作见证。（与其他文化的相遇，使我们的精神振奋；与无信仰者的接触，给我们提供机会，向他们开启唯一上主的真理之门）。因为犹太教以遵循律法为基础，犹太家庭在团体中找到了坚强的依靠：每周在犹太教堂聚会，共同诵经祈祷等等。

然而，凡事不是一帆风顺。慢慢地，人们发现：犹太教的未来取决于每一个犹太家庭，他们应该把作为天主子民的特性一代代传承给子孙。所以要竭力避免与非天主子民的接触，以免忘却作为天主启示、诺言接受者的特征。

这就是多俾亚书的主题。书中重点表现两个只有独子和独女的家庭，以强调父传子承的使命，至于母亲，则几乎隐于幕后。实际上，只有一个家庭才是作者真正乐于表现的，这是一个世代传承的象征：托彼耳、托彼特、多俾亚，父亲永远清楚自己的重大使命——把接受了盟约的子民的品德和希望传给儿子。

Translation: Spanish

El libro de Tobías es uno de los libros tardíos de la Biblia. Data de dos siglos antes de nuestra era. El original, que estaba escrito en arameo, se perdió; pero había sido traducido al griego.

En los dos últimos siglos antes de Jesús, los judíos dispersos entre las naciones llegaron a ser mucho más numerosos que los que vivían en Palestina. Aun cuando se considerara como una desgracia vivir en países extranjeros, lejos de la Tierra Prometida, no les iba tan mal. Muchos en el mundo judío, tal como ocurrirá más tarde en el mundo cristiano, descubrieron los beneficios de esa nueva vocación: vivir como minorías en el mundo pagano, ser testigos en el mundo de la revelación divina. Las familias que querían mantenerse fieles en la observancia de la Ley, se apoyaban en sus comunidades donde se celebraba el culto semanal de la sinagoga con la lectura en común de la Escritura.

Se daban cuenta sin embargo que el porvenir del judaísmo dependía en gran parte de la transmisión por la familia de su identidad como pueblo de Dios. Era preciso evitar que los judíos se mezclaran con los pueblos que los rodeaban y se olvidaran de su vocación. El padre de familia, en especial, debía dar testimonio de su fe vivida en lo cotiidiano.

El autor del libro de Tobías quiso darles un modelo. Para componer su historia, se inspiró en un cuento de la época llamado: “El muerto agradecido”. Un hombre generoso descubre un cadáver sin sepultura y lo entierra dignamente. Más tarde, durante un viaje, se le acerca un desconocido, se pone a caminar con él, le libra de varios peligros y, cuando quiere recompensarlo, el desconocido, antes de desaparecer, le revela que él era el muerto al que había dado sepultura.

El autor del libro de Tobías se aprovechó de esta trama, introdujo el ángel... La vieja historia de Tobías no ha perdido su valor en un tiempo en que muchos cristianos no saben nada del camino que Jesús nos anunció. Se ha confiado demasiado en “la Iglesia”, en el catecismo impartido por el sacerdote, y los padres, muy a menudo, no son capaces de transmitir la palabra de Dios.