He treated his parents-in-law with great respect in their old age: “Edna and Raguel,” the parents-in-law, are named in Good News Translation. Both Good News Translation and New Revised Standard Version make things clearer for the reader; the Greek just says “them,” but even though Edna is not mentioned in this context, both parents-in-law are clearly meant. It is also possible to put this information at the end of verse 12, as Contemporary English Version does with “ … he lived with his father-in-law Raguel and his mother-in-law Edna. He treated them with….”

And buried them in Ecbatana of Media: “When at last they died” (Good News Translation) may leave the wrong impression, since the next sentence tells how Tobit inherited Raguel’s property. “At last” makes it sound as if he were impatiently waiting for Raguel to die so he could get his property. It corresponds to nothing in the Greek text. “When they died” or “until they died” (Contemporary English Version) reflects the meaning of the text more accurately.

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.