inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Acts 28:1)

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, translators typically select the exclusive form (only including the people on the ship).

Source: SIL International Translation Department (1999).

complete verse (Acts 28:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 28:1:

  • Uma: “When we were all on land, only then did we know that that island was named Malta.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When we (excl.) reached the shore, somebody told us (excl.) that the name of that island was Malta.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “When we landed we learned that the name of that island was Malta.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When we (excl.) arrived at its edge, that’s when-we (excl.) -found-out that Malta was the name of the place where-we (excl.) -had-arrived.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When we had come ashore, we found out that the name of that island was apparently Malta.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 28:1

Malta is a Mediterranean island, in a straight line about 150 miles southwest from the “toe” of Italy.

When we were safely ashore appears in most translations as something like “after we had escaped” (see 27.43 and 28.4 for the same verb). The clause when we were safely ashore may be rendered as “when we had reached the shore and were safe” or “when we had escaped by reaching the shore.”

No doubt those who had escaped safely to shore learned the name of the island from the local people. Certainly there would have been no signs to identify the place. Since in some languages there are very distinct terms for learning, depending upon whether one reads something or hears it from someone else, it may be necessary to say “we learned from the people who lived there.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .