inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Ezek 11:3)

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 this verse, the Jarai translation uses the inclusive pronoun, including everyone. The Adamawa Fulfulde translation uses the exclusive pronoun.

complete verse (Ezekiel 1:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 1:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “There was in the middle of those animals a thing that shone like a torch that moved forward coming back. It threw out fire when it flashed.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Their appearance was like a burning ember/live-coal, and there was something-that-passed-by in their midst as-if-like a burning lamp. This lamp was very bright, and from this lamp there is a lightning that flashes.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Thefour creatures resembled burning coals or torches. A blazing fire moved back and forth among the creatures, and lighting flashed from among them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 1:13

In the midst of the four living creatures there was something that looked like burning coals of fire: Instead of In the midst of, the Hebrew has “And the likeness of.” Revised Standard Version follows the Septuagint here (so also New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible). This change is not necessary. In Hebrew this whole clause reads literally “And the likeness of the creatures, their appearance [was] like burning coals of fire.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh treats the first phrase as a summary of the previous verses, saying “Such then was the appearance of the creatures. With them was something that looked like burning coals of fire.” In King James Version it introduces the rest of the verse as follows: “As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire.” The use of both “likeness” and “appearance” in the Hebrew text simply reflects how hard it was for Ezekiel to describe adequately what he saw. If possible, translations should emphasize strongly the vagueness of what Ezekiel saw. Nevertheless, it would be satisfactory to follow New Century Version here, which says “The living creatures looked like burning coals of fire,” although Revised English Bible captures the vagueness a little better with “The appearance of the creatures was as if fire from burning coals.” The idea that there was something In the midst of the four creatures arose as a result of some translators reading the wrong word in the Hebrew text. In fact, it was the four creatures themselves that looked like burning coals of fire, not something in the middle of them. The creatures reminded Ezekiel of red hot coals, glowing brightly, with flames still coming from the coals.

Like torches: The creatures also reminded him of torches or fire sticks. These are long poles with pitch on the end, or rags soaked in oil wrapped around the top. When set alight on a dark night, the flames shoot up brightly. It was this brightness and flashing of flames that impressed Ezekiel as he saw the creatures.

According to the Hebrew text, the fire, not the torches, was moving to and fro among the living creatures. It was like sparks flying between them. The flames were “darting to and fro” (Revised English Bible), “darting backwards and forwards” (New Jerusalem Bible), or “zigzagging” (Brownlee) among the creatures. And the fire was bright or “radiant” (Revised English Bible) all the time, not just when it blazed up, as Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version imply. And this fire was as bright as lightning, because out of the fire went forth lightning, that is, lightning flashed from it.

A possible model for this verse is:

• In appearance, the creatures looked fiery, like glowing, red hot coals, like fire sticks. Fire was darting to and fro among the creatures. It was very bright and lightning was flashing out of it.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .