inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Deut 3:4)

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.

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 3:4

This verse, describing the complete conquest of Og’s territory, is like 2.34.

All his cities … not a city which we did not take from them: we should notice the switch of pronouns, from his [cities] to [from] them. The second clause is repetitive, and in many languages it will be more natural style to combine both clauses and translate, for example, “We captured [or, conquered] all his towns.” City is really “town” (so Good News Translation, and Contemporary English Version; also see 1.4).

Argob is identified as Og’s domain in the territory of Bashan (1 Kgs 4.13).

It is possible to reorder the clauses of this verse as follows:

• About that time we conquered the whole region of Argob in the territory of Bashan where King Og ruled. We captured all his towns. There were sixty of them.

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 .