inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (2Sam 12:18)

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.

David

The name that is transliterated as “David” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign signifying king and a sling (referring to 1 Samuel 17:49 and 2 Samuel 5:4). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff.)


“Elizabeth” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In German Sign Language it is only the sling. (See here ).


“David” in German Sign Language (source )

The (Protestant) Mandarin Chinese transliteration of “David” is 大卫 (衛) / Dàwèi which carries an additional meaning of “Great Protector.”

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about David (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 12:18

On the seventh day: this can mean either on the seventh day of the life of the child or on the seventh day of his illness. Since the latter is much more likely, it is probably best to translate “seven days later” or “after seven days of sickness.”

Servants of David: that is, the officials of King David’s court mentioned in the previous verse.

Behold: see the comments on verse 11 above.

The question how then can we say to him the child is dead? is not intended to give the idea that these officials were looking for the proper words to use to inform the king of the death of his son. Rather they were saying, in effect, “We cannot tell him that the child is dead!”

Do himself some harm: literally “do evil” (so Fox), but the reference is obviously to doing evil to himself. This final sentence in verse 18 may be rendered in some languages as “He may do something bad to himself if we tell him that the child is dead” or “If we tell him that his son has died, he may injure himself.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .