inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Num 14:4)

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 (Numbers 14:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 14:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then those people said, ‘Let us choose another leader and return to Egypt.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then they spoke to one another like this, "Let’s choose someone as leader and go back to Egypt!"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “And they talk to each other, ‘Let us (incl.) choose a leader and go-back to Egipto!’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then some of them said to each other, ‘We should choose a leader who will take us back to Egypt!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 14:4

And they said to one another, “Let us choose a captain, and go back to Egypt”: The Israelites suggest to each other that a new leader be chosen in place of Moses to bring them back to Egypt. The Hebrew word for captain (roʾsh) is literally “head,” which will be an acceptable term for “leader” (Good News Translation) in many languages.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .