Jerusalem: The mention of the city at the end of the first part of Tobit’s hymn (verse 8) leads directly into the second part, which begins with the city’s name (verse 9). In the previous verse the phrase “people of Jerusalem” was the subject of both verbs. But now Tobit addresses the city of Jerusalem itself as if it were human. This poetic device is possible in a number of languages, but there may be languages where it sounds strange and unnatural. In such cases translators should continue to talk about the “people of Jerusalem” (see the alternative model below).

The holy city: Good News Translation “of our God” is not actually in the Greek text, but it brings out the meaning of holy as “belonging to God.” If translators have a term that is a close equivalent of holy and carries this meaning of being God’s possession, that term should be used. Otherwise we may say something like “Jerusalem, God’s city, he will….”

He afflicted you for the deeds of your hands: Good News Translation is following the Greek in this line where New Revised Standard Version has made two changes. With the Old Latin the tense of the first verb is changed from future to past (so afflicted). And instead of “works/deeds of your children,” which Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version follow, New Revised Standard Version renders the Old Latin “works/deeds of your hands.” “Works of your hands” would refer to idols. The Greek does make satisfactory sense, and Good News Translation has “he will punish you for the sins of your people,” while Contemporary English Version has “God will punish … because you have sinned.”

But will again have mercy on the children of the righteous: There is a contrast between the deeds of “your children,” that is, “your people,” and the children of the righteous. Good News Translation translates children of the righteous as “to all who do right.”

An alternative translation model addressing the inhabitants of Jerusalem rather than the city itself is the following:

• God will punish his city because you have sinned;
but he will be kind to all people who do what is right.

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.