Aramaic Tobit & its differences with Septuagint

[konway87]

Hello Everyone,
If anyone is looking for Aramaic (a.k.a Chaldee) text of Tobit, then its available here.

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This book also contains a Hebrew version of Tobit.

There are several differences between Aramaic Tobit and Septuagint. One of them is Aramaic Tobit Chapter 11 to the end of Aramaic Tobit is very different from Septuagint Tobit. Another important point is the dog in Tobit 6:2 and Tobit 11:4 found in Septuagint manuscripts is not in Aramaic Tobit either. Tobit 11:4 verse in Septuagint is not in Aramaic Tobit.

Let me start with Tobit 5:21-Tobit 6:2 where the dog is mentioned in Septuagint.

Tobit 5:21-22 (New Revised Standard) - Tobit said to her, "Do not worry; our child will leave in good health and return to us in good health. Your eyes will see him on the day when he returns to you in good health. Say no more! Do not fear for them, my sister. For a good angel will accompany him; his journey will be successful, and he will come back in good health. Tobit 6:1-2 (Continuation of New Revised Standard) - "So she stopped weeping. The young man went out and the angel went with him. And the dog came out with him and went along with them. So they both journeyed along, and when the first night overtook them they camped by the Tigris river."

Tobit 5:20-22 (Aramaic Tobit) - "Tobi said to her, Be not afraid, he will go in peace, and he will return in peace, and the good angel will go
with him, and his journey will be prosperous, and thine eyes shall see him return in peace. So make an end of weeping." Tobit 6:1-2 (Continuation of Aramaic Tobit) - "The young man went and Raphael with him. And they came in the evening to the river Tigris, and they passed the night there."

But in KJV version of Septuagint Tobit, the dog is not mentioned in Tobit 6:1-2. But the dog is mentioned in Tobit 11:4.

Tobit 5:22 (KJV version of Septuagint Tobit) - "Then she made an end of weeping." Tobit 6:1 (continuation of Septuagint Tobit) - And as they went on their journey, they came in the evening to the river Tigris, and they lodged there.

So no dog is mentioned here. But in Tobit 11:4, the dog is mentioned.

Tobit 11:4 (KJV Version of Septuagint Tobit) - "And take in thine hand the gall of the fish. So they went their way, and the dog went after them."

This verse is not in Aramaic Tobit.

In Aramaic Tobit, Chapter 11 to the end is very different from Septuagint Tobit.

Let me give you Aramaic Tobit Chapter 11 to the end here.

TOBIT Chapter XI.

"And Tobiyyah went on till he came to the city Akris, which is over against Nineveh. Raphael said to Tobiyyah, My brother, thou knowest how thou didst leave thy father. Now therefore let thy wife go behind us with our men, and I and thou will go to prepare the house. So they went both of them first. And they found his mother sitting on the crossway looking about for her son. And when she saw him, she ran to meet him. And she
embraced and kissed him, saying, Blessed be God, who hath brought thee back in peace, for I counted to see thy face never
more. And now, my son, why didst thou delay to come ? And he told her everything. And she was exceeding glad, and said to him,
Go thou to thy father, and I will stay here until thy wife cometh. So Tobiyyah went, and Raphael with him. And when Tobi
heard that his son was come, he was exceeding glad, and said to him. My son, come towards me that I may kiss thee, for I cannot go towards thee. Then Raphael said to Tobiyah, Take the gall of the fish and put it on his eyes. And God made his eyes whole as they were before. And Tobi rejoiced at the
great goodness which God had shown him. And Tobi blessed God, saying, Blessed be God, who hath not withholden his bounty
from me, and hath brought me out of darkness to light. It is thou who strikest and healest. There is none like thee, who healeth for no reward, and there is no god in heaven or on earth who doeth mighty deeds like thine. Tobiyyah then related to his father all that he had done. And they prepared the
house. Then Tobi went forth with his son Tobiyah to meet his daughter-in-law, and Raphael with them. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rejoiced over her, and brought her into his house, and blessed her, saying. May God give thee of this wife righteous children, and may mine eyes and the eyes of thy mother behold them.

Chapter XII.

Now when they went into the house, Raphael did not enter with them, but went his way. After a time Tobi said to Tobiyyah, Go out into the market-place, and call our brother Azaryah, that I may give him his wages, and we will add to them, because he is a trusty and honest man. And Tobiyyah went out into the market-place, and sought, but found not Raphael, and he enquired about him of all the people of the town, but he did not find a
man who had seen him. He returned to his father, and said to him, I have found him not. Then his father knew that it was the angel Raphael, whom God had sent to deliver Sarah from the hands of the demon, and to heal his eyes. And he blessed God, saying, Blessed be God, who sent his good angel with my son, and who prospered his journey, and hath healed two poor and sick people like ourselves. And from that day forward God prospered Tobi and Tobiyyah his son, and gave him children of his wife Sarah. And Reuel and Ednah his wife died, and Tobiyyah inherited all their goods. After days Tobi fell sick, and called his son Tobiyyah, and enjoined him the commandments of God, saying to him. My son, do goodness all thy days to the poor and the rich, and give alms all thy days, for the sake of which God will bless the works of thine hands. The Lord blessed Abraham our father on account of the alms and tithes which he gave ; and o Isaac for that he gave tithe and did almsdeeds; and so when Jacob went to the house of Laban and prayed, he vowed only to give tithe [and] alms to the poor, and therefore God made him prosperous, and gave him all that he asked, and preserved him from Laban and his brother Esau. And if thou do like as they did, he will bless thee as he blessed them. And he enjoined them other commandments, and when he had made an end of doing so, he was gathered to his people. And Tobiyyah his son buried him with great honour. And after his death God blessed Tobiyyah, because he fulfilled the commandments of his father, and he made him exceeding prosperous, and bestowed blessing on all the works of his hands.

Behold we learn how great is the power of alms and tithes. Because Tobi gave alms and separated his tithes, as is meet, how the Holy One (blessed is he) rewarded him ! And because the fathers of the world knew the power of alms, therefore they gave heed to them. Of Abraham it is written, 'And he gave him tithes of all' (Gen. xiv. 20) ; of Isaac it is written, * Then Isaac sowed in that land' (Gen. xxvi. 12), and 'sowing' means nothing else than alms, as it is said, 'Sow to yourselves in alms' (Hos. X. 12) ; of Jacob it is written, 'And of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee '
(Gen. xxviii. 2 2).

The End of the History of Tobiyyah.

Here is the link to Septuagint Tobit - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/nrsa/tobit/">http://www.biblestudytools.com/nrsa/tobit/</a><!-- m -->

Its very different from Aramaic Tobit especially from Tobit Chapter 11 to the end.

Side note - I want to point out that Raphael said to Tobit that his name is Azariah in Tobit Chapter 5.

[konway87]

Here is Septuagint Tobit from Chapter 11 to the end of Septuagint Tobit.

11:1 After these things 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.

11:2 Then Raphael said to Tobias, Thou knowest, brother, how thou didst leave thy father:

11:3 Let us haste before thy wife, and prepare the house.

11:4 And take in thine hand the gall of the fish. So they went their way, and the dog went after them.

11:5 Now Anna sat looking about toward the way for her son.

11:6 And when she espied him coming, she said to his father, Behold, thy son cometh, and the man that went with him.

11:7 Then said Raphael, I know, Tobias, that thy father will open his eyes.

11:8 Therefore anoint thou his eyes with the gall, and being pricked therewith, he shall rub, and the whiteness shall fall away, and he shall see thee.

11:9 Then Anna ran forth, and fell upon the neck of her son, and said unto him, Seeing I have seen thee, my son, from henceforth I am content to die.
And they wept both.

11:10 Tobit also went forth toward the door, and stumbled: but his son ran unto him,

11:11 And took hold of his father: and he strake of the gall on his fathers? eyes, saying, Be of good hope, my father.

11:12 And when his eyes began to smart, he rubbed them;

11:13 And the whiteness pilled away from the corners of his eyes: and when he saw his son, he fell upon his neck.

11:14 And he wept, and said, Blessed art thou, O God, and blessed is thy name for ever; and blessed are all thine holy angels:

11:15 For thou hast scourged, and hast taken pity on me: for, behold, I see my son Tobias. And his son went in rejoicing, and told his father the great things that had happened to him in Media.

11:16 Then Tobit went out to meet his daughter in law at the gate of Nineve, rejoicing and praising God: and they which saw him go marvelled, because he had received his sight.

11:17 But Tobias gave thanks before them, because God had mercy on him. And when he came near to Sara his daughter in law, he blessed her, saying, Thou art welcome, daughter: God be blessed, which hath brought thee unto us, and blessed be thy father and thy mother. And there was joy among all his brethren which were at Nineve.

11:18 And Achiacharus, and Nasbas his brother?s son, came:

11:19 And Tobias? wedding was kept seven days with great joy.

12:1 Then Tobit called his son Tobias, and said unto him, My son, see that the man have his wages, which went with thee, and thou must give him more.

12:2 And Tobias said unto him, O father, it is no harm to me to give him half of those things which I have brought:

12:3 For he hath brought me again to thee in safety, and made whole my wife, and brought me the money, and likewise healed thee.

12:4 Then the old man said, It is due unto him.

12:5 So he called the angel, and he said unto him, Take half of all that ye have brought and go away in safety.

12:6 Then he took them both apart, and said unto them, Bless God, praise him, and magnify him, and praise him for the things which he hath done unto you in the sight of all that live. It is good to praise God, and exalt his name, and honourably to shew forth the works of God; therefore be not slack to praise him.

12:7 It is good to keep close the secret of a king, but it is honourable to reveal the works of God. Do that which is good, and no evil shall touch you.

12:8 Prayer is good with fasting and alms and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with unrighteousness. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold:

12:9 For alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin. Those that exercise alms and righteousness shall be filled with life:

12:10 But they that sin are enemies to their own life.

12:11 Surely I will keep close nothing from you. For I said, It was good to keep close the secret of a king, but that it was honourable to reveal the works of God.

12:12 Now therefore, when thou didst pray, and Sara thy daughter in law, I did bring the remembrance of your prayers before the Holy One: and when thou didst bury the dead, I was with thee likewise.

12:13 And when thou didst not delay to rise up, and leave thy dinner, to go and cover the dead, thy good deed was not hid from me: but I was with thee.

12:14 And now God hath sent me to heal thee and Sara thy daughter in law.

12:15 I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the prayers of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy One.

12:16 Then they were both troubled, and fell upon their faces: for they feared.

12:17 But he said unto them, Fear not, for it shall go well with you; praise God therefore.

12:18 For not of any favour of mine, but by the will of our God I came; wherefore praise him for ever.

12:19 All these days I did appear unto you; but I did neither eat nor drink, but ye did see a vision.

12:20 Now therefore give God thanks: for I go up to him that sent me; but write all things which are done in a book.

12:21 And when they arose, they saw him no more.

12:22 Then they confessed the great and wonderful works of God, and how the angel of the Lord had appeared unto them.

13:1 Then Tobit wrote a prayer of rejoicing, and said, Blessed be God that liveth for ever, and blessed be his kingdom.

13:2 For he doth scourge, and hath mercy: he leadeth down to hell, and bringeth up again: neither is there any that can avoid his hand.

13:3 Confess him before the Gentiles, ye children of Israel: for he hath scattered us among them.

13:4 There declare his greatness, and extol him before all the living: for he is our Lord, and he is the God our Father for ever.

13:5 And he will scourge us for our iniquities, and will have mercy again, and will gather us out of all nations, among whom he hath scattered us.

13:6 If ye turn to him with your whole heart, and with your whole mind, and deal uprightly before him, then will he turn unto you, and will not hide his
face from you. Therefore see what he will do with you, and confess him with your whole mouth, and praise the Lord of might, and extol the everlasting King. In the land of my captivity do I praise him, and declare his might and majesty to a sinful nation. O ye sinners, turn and do justice before him: who can tell if he will accept you, and have mercy on you?

13:7 I will extol my God, and my soul shall praise the King of heaven, and shall rejoice in his greatness.

13:8 Let all men speak, and let all praise him for his righteousness.

13:9 O Jerusalem, the holy city, he will scourge thee for thy children?s works, and will have mercy again on the sons of the righteous.

13:10 Give praise to the Lord, for he is good: and praise the everlasting King, that his tabernacle may be builded in thee again with joy, and let him make joyful there in thee those that are captives, and love in thee for ever those that are miserable.

13:11 Many nations shall come from far to the name of the Lord God with gifts in their hands, even gifts to the King of heaven; all generations shall praise thee with great joy.

13:12 Cursed are all they which hate thee, and blessed shall all be which love thee for ever.

13:13 Rejoice and be glad for the children of the just: for they shall be gathered together, and shall bless the Lord of the just.

13:14 O blessed are they which love thee, for they shall rejoice in thy peace: blessed are they which have been sorrowful for all thy scourges; for they shall rejoice for thee, when they have seen all thy glory, and shall be glad for ever.

13:15 Let my soul bless God the great King.

13:16 For Jerusalem shall be built up with sapphires and emeralds, and precious stone: thy walls and towers and battlements with pure gold.

13:17 And the streets of Jerusalem shall be paved with beryl and carbuncle and stones of Ophir.

13:18 And all her streets shall say, Alleluia; and they shall praise him, saying, Blessed be God, which hath extolled it for ever.

14:1 So Tobit made an end of praising God.

14:2 And he was eight and fifty years old when he lost his sight, which was restored to him after eight years: and he gave alms, and he increased in the fear of the Lord God, and praised him.

14:3 And when he was very aged he called his son, and the sons of his son, and said to him, My son, take thy children; for, behold, I am aged, and am ready to depart out of this life.

14:4 Go into Media my son, for I surely believe those things which Jonas the prophet spake of Nineve, that it shall be overthrown; and that for a time peace shall rather be in Media; and that our brethren shall lie scattered in the earth from that good land: and Jerusalem shall be desolate, and the house of God in it shall be burned, and shall be desolate for a time;

14:5 And that again God will have mercy on them, and bring them again into the land, where they shall build a temple, but not like to the first, until the time of that age be fulfilled; and afterward they shall return from all places of their captivity, and build up Jerusalem gloriously, and the house of God shall be built in it for ever with a glorious building, as the prophets have spoken thereof.

14:6 And all nations shall turn, and fear the Lord God truly, and shall bury their idols.

14:7 So shall all nations praise the Lord, and his people shall confess God, and the Lord shall exalt his people; and all those which love the Lord God in truth and justice shall rejoice, shewing mercy to our brethren.

14:8 And now, my son, depart out of Nineve, because that those things which the prophet Jonas spake shall surely come to pass.

14:9 But keep thou the law and the commandments, and shew thyself merciful and just, that it may go well with thee.

14:10 And bury me decently, and thy mother with me; but tarry no longer at Nineve. Remember, my son, how Aman handled Achiacharus that brought him up, how out of light he brought him into darkness, and how he rewarded him again: yet Achiacharus was saved, but the other had his reward: for he went down into darkness. Manasses gave alms, and escaped the snares of death which they had set for him: but Aman fell into the snare, and perished.

14:11 Wherefore now, my son, consider what alms doeth, and how righteousness doth deliver. When he had said these things, he gave up the ghost in the bed, being an hundred and eight and fifty years old; and he buried him honourably.

14:12 And when Anna his mother was dead, he buried her with his father. But Tobias departed with his wife and children to Ecbatane to Raguel his father in law,

14:13 Where he became old with honour, and he buried his father and mother in law honourably, and he inherited their substance, and his father Tobit?s.

14:14 And he died at Ecbatane in Media, being an hundred and seven and twenty years old.

14:15 But before he died he heard of the destruction of Nineve, which was taken by Nabuchodonosor and Assuerus: and before his death he rejoiced over Nineve.

[IPOstapyuk]

And who knows Aramaic or Greek is right here?

[konway87]

The only other surviving Aramaic Tobit is in Serto Script. So I may have to check that version to see the differences.