inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Num 32:17)

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 exclusive pronoun, excluding Moses.

complete verse (Numbers 32:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 32:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “We are prepared for battle and shall go in front so that the other people of Israel can follow us until they arrive at where they can stay/live. During all that time, our children/families shall live in cities that are secured in this country/land.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then, taking weapons, we will go before them into battle until we have brought Israelites to their place. During that time our women and children will be inside the walls of the cities we have built, protected from the people of this land.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But we (excl.) are ready to lead our (excl.) fellow Israelinhon to fight until we (excl.) can-bring them to their places. While we (excl.) fight, our (excl.) women and children will- just -stay here in the stone-wall towns which we (excl.) will-build-up, so-that they are free from the residents of this land.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then our families will live in strong cities with walls around them, and they will be safe from the people who live in this land. Then we will get ready to fight battles. We will help the other Israelis to get land on the other side of the river.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 32:17

But we will take up arms: But renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction (literally “and”), which introduces a contrast here between the Gadites and Reubenites and their dependents (verse 16). The independent Hebrew pronoun for we reinforces this contrast, which King James Version expresses clearly by beginning this clause with “but we ourselves” (similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). In many languages it will be helpful to begin a new sentence for this contrast (so New International Version, New International Readers Version). The Hebrew verb rendered take up arms literally means “become equipped [for battle]” or “put weapons on” (see 31.3, where it is translated “Arm”).

Ready to go before the people of Israel: The Gadites and Reubenites promise that they not only will fight along with the other Israelites, but they also will go in front of them. Good News Translation makes this explicit by rendering this clause and the previous one as “Then we will be ready to go with the other Israelites into battle and lead the attack,” which follows the Septuagint. This would represent a shift in the normal battle array or marching order in which the Gadites and Reubenites were in the second rank (see 2.16). The Hebrew verb for ready to go is often understood to mean “swiftly” (Levine), “quickly” (Parole de Vie, Bijbel: Vertaling in opdracht van het Nederlandsch Bijbelgenootschap, Buber, Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra), or “immediately” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Milgrom also give this sense to the verb by rendering the first two clauses of this verse as “And we will hasten as shock-troops in the van[guard] of the Israelites.” Some translations emend this verb to read “equipped in battle array” (Ashley; similarly NET Bible).

Until we have brought them to their place means until the Gadites and Reubenites have brought the other tribes safely to the different areas in the land of Canaan allotted to them. Good News Translation says “until we have settled them in the land that will be theirs.”

And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered and may be translated “In the meantime” (Good News Translation) or “Meanwhile” (New Living Translation). For our little ones, which may be rendered “our dependents” (Good News Translation) or “our families” (New Living Translation), see verse 16. The fortified cities are already mentioned in verse 16 (so Rashi). Because of the inhabitants of the land is literally “from the face of the inhabitants of the land,” which may be rendered “safe from the inhabitants of the land” (De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling, Willibrordvertaling; similarly Good News Translation) or “for fear of the people in this land” (Chewa). New Living Translation renders this phrase as a clause, saying “so they will be safe from any attacks by the local people.”

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 .