inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (2Sam 17:12)

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 Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the inclusive pronoun, including everyone.

complete verse (2 Samuel 17:12)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 17:12:

  • Kupsabiny: “That is when we shall surprise David where he is and fall on him like dew which melt on the ground. We shall destroy him and all his people so that no one will remain.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “When we find David, we will attack him just like dew fall on a field, and not even one of his men will remain alive.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then we (incl.) will-look for David wherever he is, and we (incl.) will-surround him like a dew that engulf on the ground; and he and his men will- all -die.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “We will find your father, wherever he is, and we will attack him from all sides, like dew covers all the ground. And neither he nor any of the soldiers who are with him will survive.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 17:12

So: the common conjunction does not necessarily have to be translated here. It simply connects the next step in Hushai’s proposal with the previous statement.

Come upon him: this is the same verb as in verse 2. Here it may mean “manage to find him” or “attack him” (New International Version). Good News Translation uses the name “David” in place of the pronoun “him” found in the Hebrew, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “your father.”

In some place where he is to be found: this rather awkward-sounding expression means simply “in whatever place he may be” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or more simply “wherever he is” (Good News Translation).

Light upon him: the verb is supplied by Revised Standard Version, since there is none in the Hebrew at this point. The text says literally “and we upon him….” But what is to be understood is the same verb that is used in the figurative expression that follows, falls on. Where possible it will be good to find a verb that can be used in both cases, but in many languages this may not be practical. It may be necessary to use a verb like “attack” here. The exact meaning of the image as the dew falls on the ground is uncertain. What is the basis of comparison between the troops attacking David’s troops and dew falling on the ground? Is it suddenness, as Good News Translation seems to imply? Or is it the idea of total coverage as suggested by Contemporary English Version (and similarly Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), “just as dew falls and covers the ground”? Most English versions leave the answer to the imagination of the reader, but the interpretation of Contemporary English Version seems more likely—especially in the light of the statement that follows. This last statement suggests total annihilation, which is again in sharp contrast with what Ahithophel had proposed.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .