Tobit 11: Tobias comes home, and Tobit sees again

In plain English: When they came near Kaserein, which is across from Nineveh,

Good to know: The long Greek begins the homecoming at Kaserein, "across from Nineveh". Brenton's verse has "Tobias went his way, praising God that he had given him a prosperous journey, and blessed Raguel and Edna his wife, and went on his way till they drew near unto Nineve".

In plain English: Raphael said, "You know how we left your father (or, as a question: Do you know how we left your father?).

Good to know: The long Greek has "how we left your father". Brenton's verse has "Dost thou not know, brother, how thou didst leave thy father?"

In plain English: Let us run on ahead of your wife and get the house ready, the one they are coming to (or: while they are coming)."

In plain English: So the two of them went on together, and he said to him, "Take the gall in your hands." And the Lord (see the note) went along with them, behind him and her son.

Good to know: Swete prints the long Greek here as "the Lord" (kyrios). Brenton's verse, with the short Greek, has "the dog" (kyōn): "So they went their way, and the dog went after them." In the long Greek the dog is named once, when the two set out on the journey (Swete's 6:2; Brenton tells the same setting out in 5:16).

In plain English: Anna sat watching the road for her son.

In plain English: She caught sight of him coming, and said to his father, "Look, your son is coming, and the man who went with him."

In plain English: Before Tobias came near his father, Raphael said to him, "I know that his eyes will be opened.

Good to know: The long Greek has "before Tobias came near his father" and "his eyes will be opened". Brenton's verse has "I know, Tobias, that thy father will open his eyes".

In plain English: Smear the fish's gall on his eyes. The medicine will make the white patches shrink and will peel them off his eyes, and your father will see again and see the light."

Good to know: The long Greek has "the medicine will make the white patches shrink and will peel them off" and "your father will see again and see the light". Brenton's verse has "being pricked therewith, he shall rub, and the whiteness shall fall away, and he shall see thee".

The Greek word: "The whiteness" (Brenton) is leukōmata, white patches or films, from the word for white. In the long Greek it is in 4 verses: Tobit's blindness in 2:10, the healing promised in 3:17 and 6:8, and here.

In plain English: She ran up and fell on her son's neck, and said to him, "I have seen you, child. From now on I can die (literally: I will die)." And she wept.

Good to know: The long Greek ends "And she wept". Brenton's verse ends "And they wept both".

In plain English: Tobit got up, stumbling as he walked, and came out of the door of the courtyard. And Tobias went to him

Good to know: The long Greek has "Tobit got up, stumbling as he walked, and came out of the door of the courtyard". Brenton's verse has "Tobit also went forth toward the door, and stumbled: but his son ran unto him".

In plain English: with the fish's gall in his hand. He blew into his eyes, took hold of him, and said, "Take courage, father." He put the medicine on him and gave it time (literally: gave; the Greek here is short and hard to follow).

Good to know: In the long Greek Tobias blows into his father's eyes and puts the medicine on him. Brenton's verse has "he strake of the gall on his father's eyes, saying, Be of good hope, my father".

In plain English: The long Greek has no words for this verse. In the short Greek, which Brenton follows, it says: when his eyes stung, he rubbed them.

Good to know: Swete prints no long Greek for this verse. Brenton's verse is "And when his eyes began to smart, he rubbed them".

In plain English: Then with both hands he peeled the patches away from the corners of his eyes (the Greek does not say whether Tobias or Tobit did this), and he fell on his neck,

Good to know: The long Greek has "with both hands". Brenton's verse has "the whiteness pilled away from the corners of his eyes: and when he saw his son, he fell upon his neck".

In plain English: and wept, and said to him, "I have seen you, child, the light of my eyes!" And he said, "Blessed be God, and blessed be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels. May his great name be over us, and blessed be all the angels for all the ages,

Good to know: The long Greek has Tobit say to his son, "I have seen you, child, the light of my eyes", and has a longer blessing: "May his great name be over us". Brenton's verse has "Blessed art thou, O God, and blessed is thy name for ever; and blessed are all thine holy angels".

In plain English: because he whipped me, and look, I see Tobias my son." And Tobias went in, rejoicing and blessing God with all his body (or: with all his being). Tobias told his father that his journey had gone well, that he had brought the silver, how he had taken Sarah the daughter of Raguel as his wife, and that she was on her way and was near the gate of Nineveh.

Good to know: The long Greek has "he whipped me" without "and had mercy on me", and tells what Tobias told his father: the journey, the silver, and Sarah near the gate. Brenton's verse has "thou hast scourged, and hast taken pity on me" and "told his father the great things that had happened to him in Media".

The Greek word: "Scourged" (Brenton) is from mastigoō, to whip; mastix is a whip. In the long Greek the word for whipping, or for a whip, is in 5 verses: 3:9 (Brenton: "beat us"), here, and in Tobit's prayer, 13:2, 13:5 and 13:14. In 13:2 it stands next to mercy: "he whips and he has mercy".

In plain English: Then Tobit (the long Greek says only "he") went out to meet his daughter-in-law (or: his son's bride) at the gate of Nineveh, rejoicing and blessing God. The people of Nineveh saw him walking and going along with all his strength, with no one leading him by the hand, and they were amazed.

Good to know: The long Greek has "the people of Nineveh saw him walking ... with all his strength, with no one leading him by the hand". Brenton's verse has "they which saw him go marvelled, because he had received his sight". The word for daughter-in-law, nymphē, is also the word for a bride.

In plain English: And Tobit gave thanks (or: praised God openly) before them, because God had had mercy on him and had opened his eyes. Tobit came near Sarah, the wife of Tobias his son, and blessed her and said to her, "Come in, in good health, daughter. Blessed be your God, who has brought you to us, daughter. Blessed be your father, and blessed be Tobias my son, and blessed be you, daughter. Come into your house in good health, with blessing and joy. Come in, daughter." On that day there was joy for all the Jews who lived in Nineveh.

Good to know: The long Greek has "and had opened his eyes", a longer blessing on Sarah, and "joy for all the Jews who lived in Nineveh". Brenton's verse has "Thou art welcome, daughter: God be blessed, which hath brought thee unto us, and blessed be thy father and thy mother" and "joy among all his brethren which were at Nineve". "Gave thanks" is the word explained at 12:6.

In plain English: And Acheikar and Nabad, his cousins (or: his kinsmen), came to Tobit, rejoicing.

Good to know: The long Greek has "Acheikar and Nabad, his cousins", and has them come "to Tobit, rejoicing". Brenton's verse has "Achiacharus, and Nasbas his brother's son". Achiacharus (Brenton's spelling) is the man who held high office under the king and fed Tobit in his blindness (1:21, 1:22, 2:10).

The Greek word: "Cousins" is exadelphoi, built on adelphos, brother. Brenton gives it as "brother's son" here and in 1:22, where Tobit says of Achiacharus, "he was my brother's son". In Swete's Greek books the word is found only in Tobit: in 1:22 and here, in both Greek forms.

In plain English: The long Greek has no words for this verse. In the short Greek, which Brenton follows, it says: Tobias' wedding was kept with gladness for seven days.

Good to know: Swete prints no long Greek for this verse. Brenton's verse is "and Tobias' wedding was kept seven days with great joy". The long Greek goes straight on to the next chapter, which begins "When the wedding was over".