inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (1Kings. 22:3)

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, both the Jarai translation and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation use the inclusive pronoun, “since King Ahab is speaking to his own officials.”

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 22:3

The king of Israel said to his servants: Instead of repeating the king of Israel, Good News Translation refers to him by name. Servants in this context refers to the king’s “officials” (Good News Translation). See the comments on 1 Kgs 1.2.

Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us…?: Ahab’s question is rhetorical and may be translated as a statement (so Good News Translation for the first part of the question). Ramoth-gilead (see the comments on 1 Kgs 4.13) had belonged to the Israelites, but this verse makes it clear that the Syrians had at some time captured the city of Ramoth. Perhaps the Syrians had captured Ramoth during the wars mentioned in chapter 20.

The sense of the Hebrew clause translated we keep quiet is better expressed in English as “we are doing nothing” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New American Bible) or “we do nothing” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible). That is, it is not a matter of simply not making noise, but of remaining inactive or refraining from trying to recover the city.

The first person plural pronouns us and we are to be understood as inclusive since King Ahab is speaking to his own officials.

Do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria: Out of the hand of may be translated “out of the control of.” The idea is that Ahab wanted “to retake it from the king of Aram” (New International Version) or “to wrest it away from the king of Aram” (New Jerusalem Bible). The Hebrew does not mention the king of Syria by name. The reference is probably to Benhadad II, but see the discussion on 1 Kgs 20.1. For the translation of “Aram” as Syria, see the comments at 1 Kgs 10.29.

Care must be taken in translating Ahab’s words. At the time he was speaking to his officials, Ramoth did not, in fact, belong to the Israelites. The sense is that Ramoth used to belong to Israel, and Ahab thought that it still should belong to them. Compare International Children’s Bible: “Remember that the king of Aram took Ramoth in Gilead from us? Why have we done nothing to get it back?”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .