1Then the Ephraimites said to him, “What have you done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against the Midianites?” And they upbraided him violently.
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 exclusive pronoun, excluding Gideon.
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Ephraim” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “palm tree” referring to the palm of Deborah in the land of Ephraim (see Judges 4:5. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The name that is transliterated as “Midian” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that depicts Moses fleeing to Midian (see Exodus 2:15, combined with a sign for the region. (Source: Missão Kophós )
The account of the involvement of the Ephraimites with Gideon continues here. In verse 7.24-25 they helped him by fighting the Midianites and killing two of the enemy commanders. Even though a new chapter begins, there is no large division here. However, some languages may want to begin a new paragraph.
And the men of Ephraim said to him: And renders the Hebrew waw conjunction. New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible use the connector “Now,” and New Revised Standard Version has “Then.” Contemporary English Version and New American Bible render it “But” to indicate that the Ephraimites are confronting Gideon here. The verb said may be rendered “complained” since they express their anger in what they say to him. Because a new paragraph begins here, many languages will prefer to say “Gideon” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version) instead of him. This whole clause may be rendered “When the Ephraimites came to Gideon, they complained to him, saying.”
What is this you have done to us…?: This question may be real or rhetorical. Probably the latter is correct, since the point of the question is to accuse Gideon of failing to respect the people of Ephraim. In many honor-shame cultures it would be expected that related clans would call on each other for help. By not doing so, Gideon has greatly offended the Ephraimites. Translators should express the accusatory or angry tone here. The question is literally “What this thing you have done to us…?” The Hebrew noun for “thing” comes from the same root (d-b-r) as the verb rendered “said” at the end of 8.3, so this word begins an inclusio that closes in verse 8.3. The demonstrative this insists on the “thing,” expressing frustration or anger. Possible models for this question are “How could you do this to us?” and “What have you done to us?” New International Version and Revised English Bible say “Why have your treated us like this?”
Not to call us when you went to fight with Midian: This clause explains what “this thing” is. The Ephraimites are upset because Gideon did not invite them to join in the battle against the enemy. Of course, readers know that God had purposely limited the number of warriors, so that Israel would understand the victory came from him. The word call in this military context refers to calling for soldiers to help in the battle. An appropriate verb should be used, such as “summon” (Revised English Bible) or “ask … to help” (Contemporary English Version). The Hebrew verb rendered fight comes from the same root as the noun meaning “battle,” thus translators can say “when you went to battle against the Midianites.”
Here there are two questions: a general one, followed by a more specific one. Good News Translation chooses to put the more specific question first and the more general one second by saying “Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight the Midianites? Why did you treat us like this?” Contemporary English Version is similar with “When you went to war with Midian, you didn’t ask us to help! Why did you treat us like that?” In many languages a combination of a statement and a question may be effective, for example, “You should have called us when you went to fight against the Midianites. How could you have done this to us?”
And they upbraided him violently: The pronoun they refers to the Ephraimites. The Hebrew verb rendered upbraided is usually translated “complain” in the prophetic writings but can also mean “quarrel.” The Ephraimites are very angry with Gideon, so they use sharp and critical words here. Violently is literally “with force.” Translators need to find an expression for upbraided him violently that naturally occurs in such a context. Some languages will say “complained bitterly against him,” while others might say “rebuked him severely” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Contemporary English Version combines this clause with the initial one by beginning this verse with “But the men were really upset with Gideon and complained….”
Translation models for this verse are:
• But the men from Ephraim criticized Gideon severely and said, “Why didn’t you summon us to join you when you went to fight Midian? How could you do this to us?”
• Now the Ephraimites accused Gideon very strongly, saying, “How could you have done this to us? You should have called us to help you when you went to wage war against Midian!”
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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