inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Gen. 42:31)

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, both the Jarai translation and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation use the exclusive pronoun (excluding Jacob).

complete verse (Genesis 42:31)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 42:31:

  • Kankanaey: “We answered, ‘We (excl.) are not spies, what we (excl.) are saying is emphatically true.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “We said to him, ‘We are good men, not ones who have come to spy.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But we (excl.) answered him that we (excl.) are (not) spies and we (excl.) are-telling the truth.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But we told him, ‘We are honest men! We are not spies.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 42:31

We are honest men, we are not spies: see verse 11.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .