inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Exod 1:10)

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.

enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

complete verse (Exodus 1:10)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 1:10:

  • Kupsabiny: “If we do not become clever, they may become many and unite with our enemies making an alliance against us and then leave this land/country going their way.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Thus, we should deal with them intelligently. Otherwise, they will become more in number. During war joining with our enemies they will come to fight against us and will go leaving the country.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “For perhaps/maybe in time of war they will-take-sides with our (incl.) enemies and will-oppose/go-against us (incl.), and then they will-be-able-to-flee from our (incl.) country/nation. So we (incl.) will-search-for/(Let- us -search-for) a good way that they will- no-longer -become- even -more-numerous.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And if some fight happened, then they will join together with our (incl.) enemies and so make a fight against us. [If] it’s like that then they’ll leave our area and go. But we must follow good knowledge and so search for a way to prevent them, in order that they not become numerous any more.’” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “come! let us (incl.) seek a way which they not again will increase, that they might not be united with enemies our (incl.) on day which war will come, that they might not out flee from country our (incl.).»” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “We must find a way to control them! If we do not do that, their population will continue to grow. Then, if enemies attack us, they will join with our enemies and fight against us, and they will escape from our land.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 1:10

This sentence is complex because the “if” clause is embedded within the “lest” clause, and both of them are subordinate to the main clause. It can be simplified by making it two sentences, as Good News Translation has done. Note that Good News Translation also interchanges the clauses, placing the main clause as the second sentence. It is also possible to put the equivalent of “So” or “Therefore” here and say “So we must….” In languages where subordinate clauses must always precede the main clause, Good News Translation‘s model is a good one.

Come in Revised Standard Version reflects a word in the Hebrew that expresses urgency, such as the English expression “Come on!” It increases the force of let us …, which here means “We must” (Good News Translation). To deal shrewdly with them means to “find some way” (Good News Translation), or “devise a plan,” to prevent the Israelites from having so many children. It includes the idea that the Egyptians wanted both to “be prudent” (Jerusalem Bible) and to “take precautions” (New English Bible) to prevent this population increase.

Lest they multiply is quite literal from the Hebrew. New Revised Standard Version has made this a bit clearer: “or they will increase.” The Translator’s Old Testament) has “We must act astutely and prevent their becoming too numerous.” The expression really means “If we don’t outsmart them, their families will keep growing larger” (Contemporary English Version). This clause may be placed at the end of the verse, as Good News Translation has done.

The phrase if war befall us is based on a variant form of the Hebrew text. Literally the Hebrew says “if war happen,” an awkward combination of a singular subject with a plural verb. It may be easier to say “if our enemies attack us” or “if those who hate us attack us.” The meaning is also clearly rendered with “In case of war” (Good News Translation), or “if war breaks out” (New English Bible), or “in the event of war”. They join our enemies and fight against us may also be expressed as “they could easily fight on the side of our enemies” (Good News Translation).

The footnote in Good News Translation points out that the Hebrew can mean either escape from the land or “take control of the country.” The literal “rise up from the earth” is ambiguous. The idea that “they will become masters of the country” (New English Bible) is possible, but most translations understand it in terms of escape. Since Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation both interpret the Hebrew in this way, it is best to translate “escape from the country” (Good News Translation) and place a footnote that shows the other possible meaning.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• If our enemies attack us, the Israelites might join with these enemies and fight against us. As a result they may escape from Egypt. So we must find [or, make] a plan to prevent them from having so many children.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .