The Hebrew that is translated as “I have indeed heard (the cry of my people)” or “(the cry of the people) has come to me” in some English translations is translated into Thai (Thai Common Language Version, 1985) as “take heart and put into” meaning “take a deep interest in.”
Translation commentary on Exodus 17:8
Then is the usual conjunction waw, but here it begins a new episode. Amalek was the name of the ancestor of the Amalekites, used here to represent the entire tribe. (See the introductory statement above.) In many languages this will be expressed as “people of Amalek.” And fought with Israel is understood by Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and others to mean that they “attacked the Israelites.” In languages that favor the passive voice, one may say “The Israelites were attacked by the people of Amalek.” The decisive battle comes in the following verses. There is no indication as to why they attacked them, but it is possible they fought over access to the source of water. (See the comment at verse 1.) At Rephidim suggests that the Amalekites may have been far from their original territory, which Gen 14.7 identifies as Kadesh, in the northeast part of the Sinai peninsula.
Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Exo. 3:18)
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 both parts of this verse with a 1st person plural pronoun, the Jarai translation and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation use the exclusive pronoun, “since it excludes the king.”
inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Exo. 5:3)
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 all parts of this verse with a 1st person plural pronoun, the Jarai translation and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation use the exclusive pronoun, “since it excludes the king.”
inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Exo. 5:8)
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 the first part of this verse (“let us go” in English translations), translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee).
For both plural pronouns in this verse, the Jarai translation and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation use the exclusive pronoun, “since it excludes the king.”
inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Exo. 5:16)
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, the Adamawa Fulfulde translation uses the exclusive pronoun, “since it excludes the king.”
inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Exo. 8:10)
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 (“our God” in English translations), translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee). This is what the Jarai translators did.
inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Exo. 8:27)
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 (“our God” in English translations), translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee). This is what the Jarai translators did.