inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (John 9:4)

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 (“we must work” in English translations), translators select the exclusive form (excluding the disciples) (source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.) or the inclusive form, since “Jesus [was] referring primarily to himself….If his disciples were minded to be disciples
indeed, then these were the works which they also must do, in fellowship with their Master” (source: SIL International Translation Department (1999)).

The Yagua and the Tok Pisin translators chose the inclusive form. The Yagua translators justify this by saying “Is this an editorial ‘we’ or a ‘we’ representing the Godhead or does He include his disciples? We chose the inclusive interpretation.” (Source: Paul Powlison in Notes on Translation with Drills, p. 165ff.)

complete verse (John 9:4)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 9:4:

  • Uma: “While it is still light, we must work, working the work of God who sent me. Because the dark/night is about to come, and there will no longer be anyone working.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “While it is yet day we (dual) should do the works of God, God the one who sent me,’ said Isa. ‘When the night has been reached nobody can work anymore.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “While it is still daytime, which is to say, while we are still alive, it is necessary that we do that which God wants us to do, that God who sent me, because when night comes, no one can work.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘We must do what the one who sent me gave-to-be-done because it is still daytime, meaning to say, we still have opportunity. Because later it will become-night and we will have no way to do-it.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “It is necessary that as for us, we will do the things which God is causing to be done, he who sent me to come here. It’s necessary that we do it while we are still alive for that’s like daytime. Because when already dead, there’s no more opportunity to work, a likeness of it being night-time. Well, who would still be able to work? Isn’t it so that no-one can then?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “While there is time it is necessary that I do the work for him who sent me. When the time has come, then I won’t be able to work.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

Honorary "are" construct denoting God (“send”)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, tsukawas-are-ru (遣わされる) or “send” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on John 9:4

The phrase As long as it is day, which must be understood figuratively, in general should be placed close to the expression of “doing.” It may be better to place it at the beginning of the sentence, for example, “as long as it is day, we must keep on doing the works of him who sent me.” Otherwise, the reader might understand it as a qualification of him who sent me.

In Greek an impersonal construction (literally “it is necessary for us to do”) is used, which Good News Translation transforms into a more natural English expression (We must do).

In place of the first person plural we, some manuscripts have the singular “I,” while in the latter half of the verse some Greek manuscripts read “us” in place of me. Good News Translation accepts the reading we because it has the best manuscript support, and because, since Jesus is the speaker, it is more likely that a scribe would change the plural we to the singular “I” than the other way around. The reading “us” is supported by good manuscript evidence, but the UBS Committee on the Greek text suggests that the translator follow the reading me on the assumption that “us” was introduced into the manuscripts in order to conform with we in the first part of the verse. Moffatt, Revised Standard Version, Phillips, New American Bible, and New English Bible all follow the same text as Good News Translation; Jerusalem Bible, La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Luther accept the reading of the first person singular in both places (“I … me”). The choice of text is not easy, and the UBS Committee has rated its decision “C,” indicating considerable doubt concerning the reading selected.

Him who sent me clearly refers to God; see Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “I must accomplish the works for which God has sent me.”

It may not be easy to reproduce effectively the meaning of the clause we must do the work of him who sent me. Work refers, of course, to miracles, or “only such works as God himself can do.” It may be possible in some languages to translate “We must keep on doing such wonderful works as only God who sent me can do” or “We must keep on doing what the one who sent me ordered me to do.”

Night is coming, when no one can work may be rendered in some languages “It will soon be night, and then no one can work.” Such a modification must be introduced in languages in which one cannot speak of night “coming.” It is also necessary in this type of context to avoid a term for work which would mean only physical labour. Thus the final clause of the verse may be translated “then no one will be able to do anything.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .