inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Acts 7:15)

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, translators typically select the inclusive form (including Stephen and his listeners).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (Acts 7:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:15:

  • Uma: “So, Yakub indeed moved to the land of Mesir and lived there until he died. So also all his children.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore Yakub and company went to Misil. Yakub died in that country, and his children, our (incl.) nation’s ancestors, also died there.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then Jacob with all of his followers went to Egypt. The number of them who went to Egypt were 75 people, and after a long time Jacob died in Egypt, and his sons, our ancestors, died also.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So they went to Egipto to stay there, and that country was where plural Jacob and his children who were our ancestors died.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore that’s how Jacob and our fore-fathers came to be in Egipto. There is where they died.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Jacob

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Jacob” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign that signifies “lentil,” referring to the soup he gave his brother in exchange for his birthright (see Genesis 25:34). Note that another Spanish Sign Language sign for Jacob also users the sign for Jewish. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Jacob” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In German Sign Language it is a sign that shows the touching of the hip, described in Genesis 32:25:


“Jacob” in German Sign Language (source: Taub und katholisch )

In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the signs signifying “smooth arm” (referring to the story starting at Genesis 27:11). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Jacob” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Esau.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jacob .

Translation commentary on Acts 7:15

Though the text mentions only Jacob as having gone down to Egypt, quite naturally the implication is that Jacob and the whole family went to Egypt. In some languages it is necessary to specify this fact, for example, “Jacob and the rest went down to Egypt” or “they all went down to Egypt.”

Since, in certain languages, he and our ancestors might be understood to exclude Jacob from among the ancestors, one must translate as “he and our other ancestors.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .