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 writer and the readers of this letter).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of Galatians 5:25:
Uma: “If the Holy Spirit has given us new life, we must therefore follow the Holy Spirit.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Because we (incl.) have been given new life by God’s Spirit, we (incl.) ought now to be willing to be ruled over by him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for the Holy Spirit, since He has given us new life it’s necessary that we submit ourselves also to Him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Since our new lives are from God’s Spirit, it is also necessary that he be the one who directs us.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Because we have been given new life by the Espiritu Santo, therefore hopefully we will always submit to his control in this life of ours.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “The Holy Spirit gives us new life. It is important that we let the Holy Spirit teach us how we should walk.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-tama (御霊) or “Spirit (of God)” in the referenced verses.
Illustration by Horst Lemke (1922-1985) for the GermanGute Nachricht für Sie – NT68, one of the first editions of the Good News Bible in German of 1968. Lemke was a well-known illustrator who illustrated books by Erich Kästner , Astrid Lindgren and many others.
The Spirit has given us life is a conditional clause in the Greek (literally “if we live by the Spirit”). As in verse 18, the “if” clause refers to something that is presently existing, but it is usually better to translate “if” as “since.” In a number of languages one cannot speak of “giving life.” One can, however, say “the Spirit has caused us to live,” or possibly “… to really live” (as a means of indicating a significant new quality in life).
“To live by the Spirit” is related to two other expressions which Paul has used in this chapter, namely, “to walk by the Spirit” (verse 16) and “to be led by the Spirit” (verse 18). These expressions are essentially equivalent. If one wishes to make a distinction, perhaps “to live” would refer to the believer’s relationship with the Spirit, “to walk” would refer to the believer’s conduct, and “to be led” to the believer’s willingness to follow the Spirit’s guidance. But some translators understand “to live by the Spirit” as the Spirit being “the source of our life” (New English Bible), rather than the basis of the believer’s relationship with the Spirit (Jerusalem Bible “since the Spirit is our life”).
Since it is true that the Spirit has given us life, it follows that he should also control our lives. The Greek literally says “let us also walk by the Spirit,” and this is an exhortation to live in accordance with the implications of the believer’s relation to the Spirit. It is not the inevitable or automatic consequence of such a fact. This should not be understood as synonymous with the expression in verse 16, since Paul here uses a different word for “walk.” The word used here can be literally translated “to walk in a straight line” and probably means in this context “to behave properly according to accepted standards.” In this sense, then, the expression here is synonymous with the expression in verse 18. Some other ways of translating “walk” are “guided” (Phillips) and “directed” (Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible). He must also control our lives may simply be rendered as “he must be the one to tell us how to live,” “he should command how we live,” “we should let him command our lives,” or “we must let him tell us what we should do.”
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Since we live by the Spirit: In Greek this phrase is more literally “If we live by the Spirit.” It is a rhetorical question in Greek. In this “if” clause, Paul stated a true fact. The Galatians, as believers, received life from the Spirit. In some languages, it may be more natural to translate the “if” by “since,” as the Berean Standard Bible has done. In other languages, it may be best to leave it untranslated. For example:
Since we are living by the Spirit, (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
We get our new life from the Spirit (New Century Version)
we live by the Spirit: This clause means that believers get their new life from the Spirit. The Spirit is the source of their spiritual life.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
the Spirit is the source of our life (Revised English Bible) -or-
God’s Spirit has given us life (Contemporary English Version) -or-
We get our new life from the Spirit (New Century Version)
5:25b
let us walk in step with the Spirit: In Greek the word the Berean Standard Bible translates as let us walk is more literally “let us follow” or “let us be in line with.” Paul wanted the Galatians to follow closely the Spirit’s leading and allow the Spirit to direct their lives. This command is similar to 5:16a, but the Greek verbs are different.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
let us live as the Spirit wants us to live -or-
let him be the one who leads/guides us -or-
and so we should follow the Spirit (Contemporary English Version)
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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