inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (1Sam 11:12)

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. They both also use the exclusive pronoun, excluding Samuel.

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 11:12

As in verse 9 above, this verse contains a quotation within a quotation. In some languages it may be more natural to change the second quotation into an indirect quotation. The problem is further complicated by the fact that the embedded quotation is a question. The overall sense of the whole quotation may be captured by saying something like “asked Samuel who were the people who had [earlier] questioned Saul’s ability to rule. They insisted that those men come forward so that they could kill them.”

Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ This almost certainly is an allusion to the people mentioned in 10.27.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .