inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Gen 34:21)

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.

complete verse (Genesis 34:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 34:21:

  • Newari: “‘These are good people. Keeping them here we will allow them to do business. There is still much room for them to live in our place. Then we will also be able to marry their daughters, we will also be able to give our daughters to them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They said, ‘These people (are) friendly. So we (incl.) will- just -let- them -stay here now and be-allowed to-do-business here. Anyway, this place of ours is also big. We (incl.) can-marry their young-ladies and they can- also -marry our (incl.) young-ladies.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘These men are friendly toward us. We should let them live here and travel around (OR, buy and sell things) and if they find land that they want, they can buy it. There is plenty of land for them to live here. Our young men can marry their daughters, and their young men can marry our daughters.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 34:21

These men are friendly with us: These men refers to Jacob and his sons. Friendly translates an adjectival form of the Hebrew shalom and expresses their peaceful and friendly intentions, as misunderstood by Hamor and his son. In some languages a peaceful and friendly attitude is expressed simply as “are good people” or “are a good group.”

Let them dwell in the land: translators will notice that with us is linked in Revised Standard Version to friendly. However, in Good News Translation with us is connected to dwell in the land. The reason for the difference is that Good News Translation follows the Septuagint and the src Samaritan Pentateuchsrc*. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, which acknowledges some degree of doubt in the Hebrew text, recommends the translation of Revised Standard Version.

And trade in it: for trade see the recommendation in verse 10.

The land is large enough for them is literally “the land is wide on both hands.” Westermann says concerning this expression that it “imagines that the arms are stretched out on both sides to indicate the extent of the land.”

Let us take … give them our daughters: see verse 9.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .