inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Acts 15:27)

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, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressees in Antioch).

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

complete verse (Acts 15:27)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 15:27:

  • Uma: “That is why we (excl.) decided here with one heart, to choose two of our companions whom we ordered to go there. The ones we order to go are our relatives Yudas and Silas. Those two will say to you with their own lips what we (excl.) have written in this letter. Yudas and Silas we (excl.) have ordered to go along with Barnabas and Paulus whom we (excl.) love. This Barnabas and Paulus are people who have offered their lives to our Lord, Yesus Kristus, in order to spread his name.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then, here we (excl.) are sending to you Judas and Silas to tell you in person like what we (excl.) have written.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And these which we send, Judas and Silas, they will also tell you what is in our letter for you.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore we (excl.) had-a-meeting, and we (excl.) decided that it would be good if Pablo and Barnabas return there-near-addressee. They are our (excl.) valuable friends who have risked their lives in serving the Lord Jesu Cristo. We (excl.) also chose Judas and Silas to go-with them to confirm with their words this that we (excl.) have written.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, Judas and Silas are the ones we (excl.) chose to go there to you. Therefore you won’t only be able to read what we (excl.) are saying to you in this letter, but on the contrary they will also explain everything.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 15:27

We send is literally “we have sent,” a verb tense which reflects the point of view of the readers of the letter and not of the writer. Who will tell you in person the same things we are writing is literally “and they through a word will tell the same things.” “Through a word” means “by word of mouth,” which the Good News Translation takes as equivalent to in person. And “the same things” is a specific reference to what was written (see Jerusalem Bible “what we have written in this letter”). The meaning of this entire verse is that the written message from the Council and the oral message by the messengers would be identical. This last clause may be rendered in some languages as “they themselves will tell you the same thing as we have written” or “their words, which they will tell you themselves, will be the same as the words which we have written.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .