I have not disgraced my name or the name of my father: The name of my father suggests a contrast with the name of God (3.11), which is blessed forever. The name of this family, that is, its existence, is on the verge of extinction. It was customary for a person to marry within his or her own tribe and clan. After the seven deaths, there was no one else left in Raguel’s line to marry Sarah; so it appeared that she would be the last of the family line. But if this family were to die out, its name, its honor, will be free of shame. Sarah affirms to God (and of course informs readers) that she has done nothing to disgrace her name or her father’s. Disgraced may also be expressed as “brought shame upon” or “caused … to receive shame.” Since the name stands for the person himself, translators may also say in a number of languages “I have not caused myself or my father to lose face.”
In the land of my exile: Sarah speaks of the land of my exile, using my rather than “our.” But perhaps the author wants to focus on Sarah’s feeling of utter loneliness: she was exiled not only in Media but also within the history of her own family. Some scholars believe the Greek word “exile” here is an ancient translator’s mistake for a Hebrew word meaning “place of residence”; but again, the Greek text is clear. New Jerusalem Bible and Good News Translation sidestep the problem by saying “this land of exile.” In the land of my exile may also be rendered as “in this foreign country where I live as a captive” or “in this foreign country where I am forced to live.”
I am my father’s only child; he has no other child to be his heir: Many languages have a special word for heir. But if there is no such term available, translators may say something like “the one who will receive everything [or, all the property].” In the case of this present verse, an alternative translation, combining the two lines, is the following: “My father has no other child to receive his property [or, possessions].”
He has no close relative or other kindred: Good News Translation combines this and the following line, and many translators will find the Good News Translation model helpful.
For whom I should keep myself as wife: In many languages this is normally expressed in a similar way to Contemporary English Version, “who could marry me,” or we may say “who could take me as wife.”
Why should I still live?: This is an expression of despair in question form. Sarah is not asking God for information. In some languages translators will need to restructure this as a statement; for example, “I don’t have any reason to live any longer.”
But if it is not pleasing to you, O Lord, to take my life: This may be expressed as in Good News Translation, “But if it is not your will to take my life,” or we may say, “But if you have not decided to kill me.”
Hear me in my disgrace: The last line of Sarah’s prayer is a problem. The Greek text we follow says, “now hear my insult.” Notice that this uses again the word “insult,” which has acted as an organizing focus in the two prayers in this chapter, and its use here does seem to bring Sarah’s prayer to a forceful close. On the other hand, it is hard to see how it follows from the previous line. New Revised Standard Version hear me in my disgrace resolutely stays with the Greek text it is following, but gives the Greek noun a meaning not otherwise found in the chapter. The Good News Translation footnote rendering, “listen to my complaint,” is close to the same thing. Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible change the text by following the alternate Greek text form. Good News Translation indicates this in a footnote. Notice carefully that the material Good News Translation covers in its note extends over two lines, from “at least” to “again.” The Greek text we are following can be understood, however, as follows for the last two lines: “If, Lord [notice that ‘Lord’ appears only in this text, not the one followed by Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible], it doesn’t seem good to you to go ahead and kill me, then just listen to how I am being insulted!” “My insult” is thus the insult directed against Sarah, not anything she utters. What she really wants is to die; but if she cannot, her plea “listen to how I am insulted” is really a prayer for deliverance from her shame. The last line then can be seen as properly following from the line before it.
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• I have never caused my name or my father’s name to receive shame [or, be shamed] as long as I have lived in this foreign land as a captive. My father has no other child to receive his property [or, possessions], and there is no close relative who can take me as wife. Already seven of my husbands have died, so why should I live any longer? But if, Lord, it doesn’t seem good to you to kill me, then please, stop all these insults!
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.