inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Jeremiah 5:24)

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 5:24)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 5:24:

  • Kupsabiny: “They also do not accept to obey me as God,
    even though I have given them rain for the morning and the beginning of rainy season
    so they can harvest every year.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They never say from their heart [linker], ‘Let- us (incl.) -respect the LORD our (incl.) God who gives rain at the right time and gives us (incl.) harvest at the time of harvest-time.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You do not say to yourselves,
    ‘We should revere Yahweh our God,
    the one who sends us rain at the times when we need it,
    the one who causes the grain to become ripe at the harvest season.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)