Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
The Copainalá Zoque translators chose an exclusive form, because “we take this to refer to Paul and his associates speaking of their ministry” (source: Roy and Margaret Harrison in Notes on Translation with Drills, p. 173ff.). SIL International Translation Department also mentions the possibility of using the inclusive form (including the Corinthians).
Following are a number of back-translations of Ephesians 2:16:
Uma: “By his death on that cross, Kristus united/made-at-peace the Yahudi people and those who are not Yahudi people, and from there he united us all / made us all at peace with God. The death of Kristus on that cross ended all differences.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Because of his death on the post the Yahudi and non Yahudi are reconciled by Almasi and they are no longer enemies and they are now made one by him. Likewise because of his death we (incl.) have been reconciled with God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “By means of Christ letting Himself be killed on the cross, he removed our (incl.) hostility, Jews against not-Jews, and He made us (incl.) one kind of person so that we (incl.) might return to the worship of the true God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because when he died on the cross, he terminated the law of the Jews which contained many rules so that he would become-the-only-one that we (excl.) Jews and you Gentiles would follow. So now, that is the basis-of-our -getting-along-together because he made-us -new by turning-us -into what is like a single body on account of our being joined to him. He did that in order that he would bring-us all -close to God.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “For because of that death of his on the cross, he terminated the opposition between the Jews and the nations who are not Jews. They are all the same in that he caused them to return to God and he made them like all-one-body now.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Because the fact is that Christ died on the cross, and that has reconciled God with the people who believed in him. For the Jews and for the people who are not Jews, now has come to an end the disagreement these people had in their hatred. He brought together all the two groups as though they become one person.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
The Karbi and Copainalá Zoque translators chose an inclusive form. D. Filbeck says: “We do not feel that Paul expected to be made an exception to believers in general. Informant insists on inclusive.”
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
The Copainalá Zoque translators chose an exclusive form, because “we take this to refer to Paul and his associates speaking of their ministry” (source: Roy and Margaret Harrison in Notes on Translation with Drills, p. 173ff.). SIL International Translation Department (1999) points out that it’s also possible that this only refers to Paul.
Following are a number of back-translations of Ephesians 4:14:
Uma: “When we become like that, we will no longer like children who are easily deceived or like dry leaves that are blown back and forth by the wind. We no longer follow just any old teaching [lit., follow-following randomly teaching-teachings], we no longer immediately swallow the words of people who want to deceive us with their plans that make-fall.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “When our (dual) trust is already firm/strong, our (dual) thinking is no longer like the thinking of a child who is easily deceived/taken-in. We (dual) are no longer carried-along by whatever is taught. We (dual) are no longer like other people, whatever they are taught by the deceiving religious-teachers they believe-obey, they figuratively just go along wherever the waves or the wind carry them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then it will be possible that we will be no longer like children, because the person who is like that, His faith varies because He can easily believe any kind of doctrine that’s taught to Him by lying people who know how to deceive.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “And if that’s what we are like, we will not be like a child who easily keeps-changing his mind, because we will not of course be deceived by the not true teaching of clever and lying people.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “For the Lord wants that we are not like children who can be influenced by various (lit.taken by here and there) teaching, in which they are like a boat that’s just floating and being-lifted-up-and-down by the waves and driven along by the wind. Good if we are not fooled by the teaching of people who don’t have good motives for they are just like lying-in-wait for whoever they might deceive.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Then we won’t be doing like children. Because the children are easily deceived. Like when the wind blows something here and there, thus are the children in that they follow after whatever teaching comes along. Because the teachers who are deceivers are knowledgeable in searching how to deceive the people. They want us to follow their lies which they teach.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Copainalá Zoque: “Thus that we not be like children, and that we not totter back and forth, and that whatever teaching that blows [lit. runs] like wind may not blow [run] us along here and there, because thus men take thought how they may deceive us and (how) we may lose our way.” (Source: William Wonderly in The Bible Translator 1953, p. 14ff. )
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
The Copainalá Zoque translators chose an inclusive form “for ‘our (inclusive) brethren’ as being brethren of the churches not just of Paul and his associates.”
Source: Roy and Margaret Harrison in Notes on Translation with Drills, p. 173ff.
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee). Tok Pisin, for instance, uses the exclusive form (see SIL International Translation Department (1999)).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
The Mal translators used an inclusive form (source: David Filbeck in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 401ff.). The Copainalá Zoque translators also chose an inclusive form, because they take it “as referring to Christian Corinthians as well as Paul and his associates” (source: Roy and Margaret Harrison in Notes on Translation with Drills, p. 173ff.).
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
The Mal, Karbi and Copainalá Zoque translators chose an inclusive form. D. Filbeck says: “We do not feel that Paul expected to be made an exception to believers in general. Informant insists on inclusive.”