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, Aramaic, Greek and Latin that is translated as “army” in English is translated in Chichewa as “group of warriors.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 8:6:
Kupsabiny: “But those leaders of Succoth said to Gideon, ‘Why should you be given food when you have not caught Zebah and Zalmunna?” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “But the officials of Succoth replied — "What! Have you already caught Zeba and Zalmunna in your hand? if that Why should we give bread to your soldiers?"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “But the officers of Sucot replied, ‘You (plur.) have- not indeed -caught Zeba and Zalmuna yet. Why are- we (excl.) -to-give you (plur.) food?’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “But the leaders of Succoth replied, ‘You have not caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet. So why should we give food to your troops now? Catch them first, and then we will give you food.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.
In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
The leaders of the town of Succoth laugh in Gideon’s face. By asking a question, they show their refusal to come to the aid of Gideon and his men. However, the text does not say why these people respond in this way.
And the officials of Succoth said: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And is better translated “But” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New International Version), since the leaders of Succoth refuse Gideon’s request for food. The Hebrew word rendered officials (sar), referring to the town leaders, is the same one translated “princes” in verse 8.3, so some irony may be intended (see comments on verse 4.2, where this word is rendered “commander”). In this context the verb said may be rendered “answered” (Contemporary English Version), “replied” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible), or “asked.”
Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand…? is a rhetorical question. There is a strong play on words here, as the leaders of Succoth mock Gideon. The Hebrew is literally “Is the palm of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand…?” The Hebrew word for “palm” refers to the inside of the hand, so they are saying “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands…?” which means “Have you already defeated Zebah and Zalmunna…?” Once again the word hand plays an important role in the book of Judges. The word already adds irony to this remark. Translators may be able to retain some of its flavor by saying “Do you already hold Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand…?” If this rendering is not possible, a freer translation may be needed, such as “Have you already captured Zebah and Zalmunna…?” In many languages a strong affirmation would be better than a question here, for example, “You haven’t even captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet…!”
That we should give bread to your army: This part of the question implies that there is no reason for the people of Succoth to give Gideon’s army food, since they have not yet earned it by defeating the enemy. The Hebrew word for bread is not preceded by the word for “loaves” as it is in verse 8.5, so here it seems to be a more direct reference to “food” (Good News Translation). For the Hebrew word rendered army, see the comments on verse 4.2. It may be translated “troops” or “soldiers.” Possible models here are “Do you really think we are going to give food to your army?” and “Why should we feed your soldiers?” In some languages it will be better to reverse the order of the two clauses in the question: “Why should we give your army any food? You haven’t captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet.”
Translation models for this verse are:
• But the leaders of Succoth said, “You haven’t even captured Zebah and Zalmunna! So why should we give your soldiers anything to eat?”
• But the leaders of Succoth replied, “Why should we give your army any food? Zebah and Zalmunna aren’t in your hands yet!”
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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