inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (1Cor. 9:25)

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 inclusive form (including the addressee).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (1 Corinthians 9:25)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 9:25:

  • Uma: “People who compete, they have many kinds of taboos [i.e., things they won’t do/eat] and they endure all kinds of things, because they really want to get the prize. That prize, it’s a flower [i.e., any decorative plant] that will just wilt in a while. But we, we endure all kinds of things because we desire to get a prize that will last forever.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The people who want to join in the race, train/practice first and do no longer indulge their desires. They do this in order to win and to be honored. For honoring them they are given a wreath made of leaves and it does not last long. But we (incl.) the ones trusting in Isa Almasi, we (incl.) will be honored, and the good/blessing given to us (incl.) will last forever. That’s why we (incl.) don’t indulge our (incl.) desires.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for the one who’s going to race, he works hard so that his body might be trained. The reason he does this is so that he might receive a reward whose value is soon gone. But as for us believers, we work hard also in following our Lord so that we might receive the reward whose value can never be removed forever.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “All who join-in-competing, they thoroughly control and toughen (lit. make-firm) their bodies. And as for them, they do that so they will be able-to-gain a reward that doesn’t last, but we by-contrast, we do it in order to gain a reward that has no end.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Like that too, as for the contestants, their discipline of themselves in everything is very strict so that they will win. But as for the prize that they receive, it’s just foliage made into a circle that soon withers. But as for the prize that we are assured of, it has no ending. Therefore let us not play-at our serving of the Lord, but rather strive-hard-at-it.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “All those who seek to win in a sport do not want to miss any hardening in order to win. They earnestly endeavor to win a crown, one made from only leaves. It doesn’t last many days. But as for us, we endeavor to do what God orders us in order that we be given his blessing, that which will never pass away.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Corinthians 9:25

The first part of this verse echoes verse 24a, but the second part turns aside from the main thought. Athlete translates a Greek word that is more general than “runner” in verse 24 and prepares the way for an illustration about boxing in verse 26b.

Exercises self-control is the same verb used in 7.9 concerning self-control in sexual matters, but in this verse there is no special reference to sexual self-discipline. A phrase such as “disciplines himself very carefully” will be a good translation here.

The word translated wreath can also mean “crown.” Good News Bible brings this meaning out by adding the verb “crowned” where the Greek only has “will receive.” This word has been added because wreaths in many English speaking countries are associated more with funerals than with running competitions. In other parts of the modern world they are placed around the neck, rather than on the head as in Greek custom. The context makes it clear that the text is referring to the prize that a successful athlete receives, not the crown of some ruler.

In Paul’s time, winners of the Isthmian games, held near Corinth, were given a wreath of pine. But in earlier times more perishable materials had been used, and this is the point of Paul’s illustration.

The phrase but we an imperishable will be too abrupt in many languages. Possible translations are “but we do our work to win an imperishable wreath” or “but we run our race to receive a prize that will never fade.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .