inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Acts 28:2)

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 (excluding the addressee).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (Acts 28:2)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 28:2:

  • Uma: “The townspeople on that island had very good hearts toward us. They received us well and lit a fire for us to warm ourselves by, because it was raining again and cold.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The people living there minded/paid-attention to us (excl.) very well. Because it was starting to rain and it was cold, they built a fire and they all attended to us (excl.).” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for the inhabitants there, they were very kind to us. It was raining then and it was very cold, and they built a fire.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The inhabitants there, very-good was their treatment of us (excl.). They lit a fire-for-us (excl.) -to-warm-up-by, because it was raining and chilly.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The ways/natures of the people from there were really good for their grace/aid to us was far-from-ordinary. They at once lit a fire for us to warm up by, for we were extremely chilled now, and for another thing the rain wasn’t stopping.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 28:2

The natives (Jerusalem Bible “the inhabitants”) renders a term which refers primarily to people who speak a language other than Greek; to render as “barbarous people” (King James Version) or “rough islanders” (New English Bible) is to press the meaning of the word too far. The equivalent in some languages is “the tribe of people who lived there.”

Friendly comes from the same root as the word rendered kind in 27.3. In some languages friendly may be rendered as “they welcomed us,” while in other languages the closest equivalent is “they helped us.”

In order to present what is a more logical and chronological order for the English reader, the remainder of this verse has been inverted from the Greek order. The kind of fire referred to here is a wood fire built out in the open. The two references to us in this verse are very vague. Did Luke have in mind all of the persons from the ship or, more specifically, merely the Christian group? It seems almost impossible to imagine that two hundred and seventy-six people could have gathered around a fire, and it is quite likely that Luke is now limiting his interests to the attitude of the islanders toward Paul and his companions.

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 .