inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Rom. 3:8)

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 (“what we say”), translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the readers of the letter).

In the Karbi and Tok Pisin translations only the first two instances are translated with the exclusive pronoun, but the third (“Let us do evil” in English) is inclusive. (This also matches the recommendation of SIL International Translation Department (1999).)

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff. and W. R. Hutton in The Bible Translator April 1953, p. 86ff. (Karbi).

complete verse (Romans 3:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 3:8:

  • Uma: “If it’s like that, we can actually say like this: ‘It’s better if we just do evil actions, so that good will appear.’ There in fact are people who falsely-accuse me, they say that I have at one time talked like that. People like that are very fit to be punished by God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If like this is your (pl.) defense/argument, it means we (dual) ought to continue to sin so that its outcome is good. There are people slandering me and they accuse me that this ko’ is my teaching. God will punish the people who say this and they are worthy to be punished.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now there are some people that say that what I teach is like this; however, I do not accept arguments like this because they teach that it’s good to do evil, if by means of that, good can come. The people who teach things like this, it will be very just for God to punish them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The one who says this, it’s as if he is saying, ‘We might-as-well-just (lit. Even-if we) do evil in order that the result will be good.’ Some people, they are speaking-evil-of me by saying that that’s what I teach, but it is definitely not true. So they deserve their punishment.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Then we could do more evil in order that we say we were trying to make it seem that God is very good. Concerning this word, there are some people who accuse me of speaking like this when I teach. These people who say this are people who deserve to go to punishment.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Romans 3:8

If one accepts as valid the argument of Paul’s opponents in verse 7, the natural conclusion will be let us do evil (“sin”) that good (“honor to God”) may come. Paul himself cannot accept this conclusion as valid, and affirms that those who accuse him of saying this thing will be condemned, as they should be.

This initial question in verse 8 may be changed into a statement by modifying the introductory portion—for example, “Therefore some people argue, Let us do evil as a way of honoring God.”

Although Paul uses the first person plural “us” in the expressions “have insulted us by accusing us,” commentators agree that Paul is here speaking about himself, and hence the Good News Translation employs the first person singular me. The relation between the events insulted and accusing is essentially one of means and result: “by means of accusing Paul, they insulted him.” This relation may be expressed in a number of languages by two paratactically combined sentences—for example, “Some people indeed have insulted me; they have accused me of saying this very thing;” or “Indeed, some people have spoken bad about me; this is the very argument which they said I have used.”

In the last part of this verse Paul literally says “their condemnation is just” (Revised Standard Version). The Good News Translation takes this as a reference to the condemnation which God will bring upon such people, they will be condemned, as they should be. An American Translation* has “such people will be condemned as they deserve!” but the Jerusalem Bible (“but they are justly condemned”) and the New English Bible (“to condemn such men as these is surely no injustice”) apparently take this as a human condemnation. Moffatt (“such arguments are rightly condemned”) and Phillips (“such an argument is quite properly condemned”) seem to understand “they” as a reference to the arguments, rather than to the people who make the arguments.

Though in some languages one can be ambiguous as to the agent of the condemnation, in most languages that is not possible, especially if an active form of the verb “condemn” must be employed—for example, “God will condemn them just as he should.” If one interprets the condemnation as being from persons, the subject may simply be changed: “people will condemn such accusations” or “people will condemn those who make such accusations.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1973. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .