inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Jeremiah 8:15)

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 (Jeremiah 8:15)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 8:15:

  • Kupsabiny: “We had thought that we would find peace,
    but nothing good came.
    We thought that a chance to be healed/saved would arrive
    but we found terror.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “We (incl.) desired for peace, but no peace came. We (incl.) desired for healing/goodness, but terror came.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “We hoped/desired that things would go well for us,
    but things have not gone well.
    We hoped that bad things would not happen to us any more,
    but only things that terrify us are happening to us.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 8:15

Looked for is literally “hoped for” (Good News Translation).

Peace: See the comment on “It shall be well with you” at 4.10.

We looked for peace, but no good came is expressed in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch as “We expected that everything would still turn out for the good, but nothing good came.” Revised English Bible has “We hoped to prosper, but nothing went well.”

For a time of healing: It may be advisable to begin this as a new sentence, taking the verb from the previous line: “We hoped for….” In some languages it is necessary to indicate either who or what would be healed, as in “We hoped what is wrong with us would be healed” or “We expected a time for curing our ills.”

For behold see 1.16.

The Hebrew word translated terror is found in the Old Testament only here and in 14.19. It derives from a verb that means “be overtaken by sudden terror,” and so New English Bible translates but behold, terror as “the terror falls suddenly” and Bright has “Instead, sheer terror!”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .