Tobit 3: The prayers of Tobit and of Sarah, and Raphael is sent
A free study, verse by verse. Text: Brenton’s English of the Greek (1851). Notes come from the Greek. How to read a study
What happens?
In his grief Tobit weeps and prays: he asks God not to punish him for his sins, and asks to die rather than hear more insults. On the same day, in Ecbatana in Media, Sarah the daughter of Raguel is insulted by one of her father's servant girls, because the evil demon Asmodaeus has killed her seven husbands before any of them had been with her. She goes up to her father's upper room to hang herself, but thinks of the shame it would bring on her father, and prays instead that God will let her die, or else hear her. Both prayers are heard, and Raphael is sent to heal Tobit's eyes, to give Sarah as wife to Tobias, and to set her free from Asmodaeus.
Who is speaking?
No verse is in gold: this book has no speaker marks. Tobit tells verses 1 to 6, speaking as "I", and prays to the Lord in verses 2 to 6. From verse 7 on, the story is told by a narrator, no longer by Tobit. One of her father's servant girls speaks to Sarah in verses 8 and 9. Sarah thinks aloud in verse 10, where she gives the words people might say to her father, and she prays in verses 11 to 15. Verses 16 and 17 are the narrator's words.
1Then I being grieved did weep, and in my sorrow prayed, saying,
In plain English: Deeply grieved in my soul, I groaned and wept, and I began to pray with groans:
Good to know: The long Greek has "deeply grieved in my soul", "I groaned" and "with groans". Brenton's verse has "being grieved did weep, and in my sorrow prayed".
2O Lord, thou art just, and all thy works and all thy ways are mercy and truth, and thou judgest truly and justly for ever.
In plain English: "You are righteous, Lord, and all your works are righteous, and all your ways are mercy (see the note) and truth. You judge the world (or: you judge for ever).
Good to know: "Mercy" is eleēmosynē, the same Greek word that is "alms" in (see the note there). Here it is said of God's own ways. The same pair, mercy and truth, is in the Greek of , where Brenton has "thou shalt execute mercy and truth toward me".
Good to know: The long Greek adds that God's works are "righteous", and ends "you judge the world" (the Greek word can mean the world or for ever). Brenton's verse has "thou judgest truly and justly for ever".
3Remember me, and look on me; punish me not for my sins and ignorances, and the sins of my fathers, who have sinned before thee:
In plain English: And now, Lord, remember me and look on me. Do not punish me for my sins and for the wrongs I did without knowing (Brenton: ignorances), and for those of my fathers. I sinned (or: they sinned) before you
The Greek word: "I sinned" is hēmarton. The same Greek word can mean both "I sinned" and "they sinned". In the long Greek the next words are "and I disobeyed", and Brenton's verses have "who have sinned before thee: for they obeyed not".
What changes: Read as "I sinned", Tobit confesses his own sin. Read as "they sinned", he speaks of his fathers. Either way, he asks God not to punish him for his sins and theirs.
4for they obeyed not thy commandments: wherefore thou hast delivered us for a spoil, and unto captivity, and unto death, and for a proverb of reproach to all the nations among whom we are dispersed.
In plain English: and I disobeyed your commandments, and you gave us up to plunder, to captivity and to death, and to be a byword, a thing to talk about and a reproach in all the nations among whom you scattered us.
Good to know: The long Greek has "I disobeyed" and "you scattered us", and adds "a thing to talk about". Brenton's verse has "they obeyed not" and "among whom we are dispersed".
5And now thy judgments are many and true: deal with me according to my sins and my fathers'; because we have not kept thy commandments, neither have walked in truth before thee.
In plain English: And now your many judgments are true, in dealing with me (or: deal with me; see the note) for my sins, because we did not keep (literally: do) your commandments and did not walk in truth before you.
The Greek words: "In dealing with me" is word for word "to do from me". The Greek can be read as part of what Tobit says about God's judgments (they are true when God deals with him), or as a request, as Brenton has it: "deal with me according to my sins".
Good to know: The long Greek says "for my sins"; Brenton's verse has "my sins and my fathers'".
6Now therefore deal with me as seemeth best unto thee, and command my spirit to be taken from me, that I may be dissolved, and become earth: for it is profitable for me to die rather than to live, because I have heard false reproaches, and have much sorrow: command therefore that I may now be delivered out of this distress, and go into the everlasting place: turn not thy face away from me.
In plain English: And now do with me what pleases you. Command that my spirit be taken up from me, so that I may be set free (Brenton: dissolved; see the note) from the face of the earth and become earth. For it is better for me to die than to live, because I have heard false insults, and great grief is with me. Lord, command that I be set free from this distress. Set me free into the everlasting place, and do not turn your face away from me, Lord. For it is better for me to die, and not to hear insults, than to see much distress in my life."
The Greek word: "Set free" is apolyō, to set free, release or let go. In the long Greek of Tobit it is in 3 verses (counted all forms): three times in this verse, in Sarah's prayer in , and in , where the white films are "set loose" from Tobit's eyes. Brenton has "dissolved" here.
Good to know: The long Greek is longer than Brenton's verse: it has "from the face of the earth", calls on the Lord twice, and ends "it is better for me to die, and not to hear insults, than to see much distress in my life".
7It came to pass the same day, that in Ecbatane a city of Media, Sara the daughter of Raguel was also reproached by her father's maids;
In plain English: On that day it happened to Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, who lived in Ecbatana in Media, that she too heard insults from one of her father's servant girls,
Good to know: In the long Greek Sarah heard insults "from one of her father's servant girls". Brenton's verse has "by her father's maids", more than one.
8because that she had been married to seven husbands, whom Asmodeus the evil spirit had killed, before they had lain with her. Dost thou not know, said they, that thou hast strangled thine husbands? thou hast had already seven husbands, neither wast thou named after any of them.
In plain English: because she had been given in marriage to seven husbands, and Asmodaeus, the evil demon (Brenton: the evil spirit; see the note), killed them before they had been with her as husbands are with their wives (literally: as is set down for wives). And the servant girl said to her, "You are the one who kills your husbands! Look, you have already been given to seven husbands, and you have not been called by the name of a single one of them.
The Greek word: "Demon" is daimonion. Brenton gives it as "evil spirit" here and in , and as "devil" or "wicked spirit" in chapter 6. In the long Greek of Tobit it is in 7 verses (counted all forms). In this chapter the text names him Asmodaeus and says that he killed each husband before he had been with Sarah.
Good to know: In the long Greek one servant girl speaks: "You are the one who kills your husbands!" Brenton's verse has "Dost thou not know, said they, that thou hast strangled thine husbands?". Both have "named after" (or: called by the name of) any of them. The short Greek has a word that looks almost the same, "you have had the good of" (ōnasthēs).
9Wherefore dost thou beat us for them? if they be dead, go thy ways after them, let us never see of thee either son or daughter.
In plain English: Why do you whip us because of your husbands, because they died? Go with them, and may we never see a son or a daughter of yours!"
10When she heard these things she was very sorrowful, so that she thought to have strangled herself; and she said, I am the only daughter of my father, and if I do this, it shall be a reproach unto him, and I shall bring his old age with sorrow unto the grave.
In plain English: On that day she was grieved in her soul and wept. She went up to her father's upper room and wanted to hang herself. But she thought again and said, "They might insult my father and say to him, 'You had one dear daughter, and she hanged herself because of her troubles.' Then I would bring my father's old age down in grief to Hades (Brenton: unto the grave; see the note). It is better for me not to hang myself, but to pray to the Lord that I may die and hear insults no more in my life."
The Greek word: "Hades" is hadēs, the place of the dead. Brenton has "the grave" here, but in , where Jacob uses almost the same words in the Greek, Brenton has "ye shall bring down my old age with sorrow to Hades". The World English Bible there has "to Sheol". In the long Greek of Tobit the word is in 3 verses (counted the form hadou): here, and chapter 13.
Good to know: The long Greek is much longer than Brenton's verse. Sarah goes up to her father's upper room, gives the words people might say to her father, and decides to pray instead. Brenton's verse has "she thought to have strangled herself", and "I am the only daughter of my father, and if I do this, it shall be a reproach unto him".
11Then she prayed toward the window, and said, Blessed art thou, O Lord my God, and thine holy and glorious name is blessed and honourable for ever: let all thy works praise thee for ever.
In plain English: At that very time she spread out her hands toward the window and prayed, and said, "Blessed are you, merciful God, and blessed is your name forever, and may all your works bless you forever.
Good to know: The long Greek has "spread out her hands toward the window" and "merciful God". Brenton's verse has "prayed toward the window", "O Lord my God" and "thine holy and glorious name".
12And now, O Lord, I set mine eyes and my face toward thee,
In plain English: And now I have lifted up my face and my eyes to you (literally: I have looked up with my face and my eyes).
13and say, Take me out of the earth, that I may hear no more the reproach.
In plain English: Command that I be set free from the earth (Brenton: take me out of the earth), and that I hear insults no more.
14Thou knowest, Lord, that I am pure from all sin with man,
In plain English: You know, Master (Brenton: Lord), that I am clean of all uncleanness with a man (Brenton: pure from all sin with man),
15and that I never polluted my name, nor the name of my father, in the land of my captivity: I am the only daughter of my father, neither hath he any child to be his heir, neither any near kinsman, nor any son of his alive, to whom I may keep myself for a wife: my seven husbands are already dead; and why should I live? but if it please not thee that I should die, command some regard to be had of me, and pity taken of me, that I hear no more reproach.
In plain English: and that I have not defiled my name, or my father's name, in the land of my captivity. I am my father's only child, and he has no other child to inherit from him, and no close relative (literally: near brother) and no kinsman, for whom I should keep myself as a wife. Already seven have been lost to me. Why should I live any longer? But if it does not please you to kill me, Lord, now hear the insults spoken against me (literally: hear my reproach)."
Good to know: The long Greek has "no kinsman" where Brenton's verse has "nor any son of his alive", and it ends "Lord, now hear the insults spoken against me". Brenton's verse ends "command some regard to be had of me, and pity taken of me, that I hear no more reproach".
16So the prayers of them both were heard before the majesty of the great God.
In plain English: At that very time the prayer of both of them was heard before the glory of God (Brenton: the majesty of the great God),
Good to know: The long Greek has "before the glory of God". The short Greek, as Swete prints it, reads "before the glory of the great Raphael, and he was sent". Brenton's verse has "before the majesty of the great God".
17And Raphael was sent to heal them both, that is, to scale away the whiteness of Tobit's eyes, and to give Sara the daughter of Raguel for a wife to Tobias the son of Tobit: and to bind Asmodeus the evil spirit; because she belonged to Tobias by right of inheritance. The self-same time came Tobit home, and entered into his house, and Sara the daughter of Raguel came down from her upper chamber.
In plain English: and Raphael was sent to heal the two of them: Tobit, by setting the white films loose from his eyes, so that he might see the light of God with his eyes; and Sarah the daughter of Raguel, by giving her as wife to Tobias the son of Tobit, and by setting Asmodaeus the evil demon loose from her (Brenton: to bind Asmodeus), because it falls to Tobias to have her as his inheritance, above all who wanted to take her. At that time Tobit came back from the courtyard into his house, and Sarah the daughter of Raguel also came down from the upper room.
Good to know: Brenton's verse says Raphael was sent "to bind" Asmodaeus; the long Greek says "to set Asmodaeus loose from her". The long Greek also adds "so that he might see the light of God", "above all who wanted to take her", and that Tobit came back "from the courtyard".