Do you remember, in Tobit, at the very end? Tobit tells his son about Ahiqar, his nephew, who was betrayed by the boy he brought up. I always wondered who Ahiqar was.
Myths of the Near East · Preference
The Wise Ahiqar
It is better to… than to, would rather, would sooner, prefer… to, prefer to… rather than, and rather than: the grammar of choosing well, for the wisest counsellor of Assyria, his ungrateful nephew, and the Pharaoh’s impossible riddles.
🦅 Play the story too: in the gamebook, you are Ahiqar.Play the gamebook →
PHILO
SOPHIA
Everybody knew, once. His story was told from Egypt to Persia. And the man who wrote the life of Aesop borrowed half of it.
The story
After the Story of Ahiqar, and Tobit 14
Ahiqar was the chief counsellor of the kings of Assyria, the wisest man in Nineveh. He had no son, so he adopted his nephew Nadin, and taught him all his wisdom: hundreds of proverbs. “My son, it is better to carry stones with a wise man than to drink wine with a fool.”
But Nadin was ungrateful. He forged letters and accused his uncle of treason, and the king ordered Ahiqar to be executed. The executioner, whose life Ahiqar had once saved, hid him in a cellar under his house and killed a slave in his place.
Soon after, the Pharaoh of Egypt sent the king of Assyria a challenge: send me a man who can build me a castle between heaven and earth, and answer my riddles, or pay me three years’ taxes. Nobody in Assyria could do it. The king said, “If only I had Ahiqar!” And the executioner said, “My king, he is alive.”
Ahiqar went to Egypt. He trained eagles to carry boys in baskets high into the air, and the boys shouted down: “Bring us bricks and mortar, and we will build the castle!” Nobody could. When Pharaoh asked him to make a rope of sand, he made holes in the wall, and when the sun shone through them in long rays, he said: “Twist those into a rope, and I will make you another.” Pharaoh laughed, and paid Assyria three years’ taxes.
Ahiqar came home in honour. And Nadin? In most versions, he swelled up like a bag and burst. Tobit, remembering, said to his son: “See what Nadin did to Ahiqar, who brought him up. Ahiqar gave alms, and escaped the snare of death; but Nadin fell into it and perished.”
The Story of Ahiqar retold in brief. Tobit is quoted from the Septuagint.
What we know today
The oldest copy of the Story of Ahiqar was found in 1907 among papyri on the island of Elephantine, in the Nile, at the southern border of Egypt, where a community of Jewish soldiers lived in the 5th century BCE. It is written in Aramaic.
The story was later told in Syriac, Arabic, Armenian and many other languages, and the Greek Life of Aesop includes a version of it, with Aesop in Ahiqar’s place.
It is better to… than to…
PHILO
“It is better to carry stones with a wise man than to drink wine with a fool.” Ahiqar’s proverbs are full of better.
SOPHIA
It is better to + verb than (to) + verb, and the proverb form, Better X than Y: Better a wise enemy than a foolish friend. Both balance two choices.
Would rather, would sooner
MARCOS
I would rather drink wine with the fool, to be honest.
SOPHIA
Of course you would. Would rather / would sooner + bare verb (+ than + bare verb): I’d rather carry stones than drink with a fool. With another subject, use the past: I’d rather you didn’t, Marcos.
Prefer… to, prefer to… rather than
DEMETRIA
Ahiqar preferred wisdom to wine.
SOPHIA
Prefer + noun / -ing + to + noun / -ing: He preferred reading to drinking. With an infinitive, use rather than: He preferred to hide rather than run.
Rather than
THE CLERK
The executioner hid Ahiqar rather than kill him.
SOPHIA
Rather than + bare verb or -ing = instead of: He hid him rather than kill(ing) him. The executioner’s choice saved the kingdom.
Aesop again
PHILO
So Aesop and Tobit are joined by a clever man who answers impossible riddles. Every scroll on this shelf seems to know every other.
SOPHIA
That is what a library is, Philo.
Sophia’s summary
| Form | Use | From the fable |
|---|---|---|
| it is better to… than (to)… / Better X than Y | comparing two choices; proverbs | It is better to carry stones with a wise man than to drink with a fool. |
| would rather / would sooner + bare verb (+ than) | preference now | I would rather hide than run. |
| would rather + person + past | preference about someone else | I’d rather you didn’t. |
| prefer X to Y / prefer to X rather than Y | general preference | He preferred wisdom to wine. |
| rather than + bare verb / -ing | instead of | He hid him rather than kill him. |
Practice
Answer all the questions, then press “Check my answers”. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Choose the best form
Choose the form that fits best.
1. It is better to be poor and wise ___ rich and foolish.
2. I would rather ___ stones with a wise man.
3. Ahiqar preferred wisdom ___ wine.
4. The executioner hid him ___ kill him.
5. I’d rather you ___ tell anybody about Ahiqar.
6. He preferred to build a castle in the air ___ pay the taxes.
B · Complete the sentence
Write the missing word.
7. Better a wise enemy a foolish friend.
8. I would die than betray the king. (preference)
9. Nadin preferred wine work.
10. It is better give alms than to store up gold.
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
11. “I prefer reading than drinking.”
12. “He’d rather hide than run.”
13. “I would rather to stay in Nineveh.”
Now be Ahiqar yourself: betrayed, hidden, and sent to Egypt to answer Pharaoh’s riddles.Play the gamebook →