inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Deut 30:13)

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 translation uses the exclusive pronoun, excluding God. The Adamawa Fulfulde translation uses the inclusive pronoun, including everyone.

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 30:13

Beyond the sea: or “on the other side of the ocean” (Good News Translation), or “across the sea” (Contemporary English Version). This is another way of referring to some distant land.

The question here is similar to that in the previous verses and is used for the same purpose.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .