inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Josh 8:6)

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 exclusive pronoun, excluding the fighting men.

Translation commentary on Joshua 8:6

It may be better to invert the order of the two sentences in this verse. To do so will have two advantages: (1) the first sentence leads more naturally into verse 7, and (2) the second sentence ties closely with the last part of verse 5. Moreover, that we are running from them as we did before may need to be shifted back to the direct discourse of the Hebrew (see Revised Standard Version).There is a textual problem in verse 6; Good News Translation has omitted, translationally, the end of the verse “and we will flee from them” (see Revised Standard Version); New English Bible Bible de Jérusalem Jerusalem Bible, following the Septuagint, omit. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project labels this a “D” decision, which means that it is impossible to decide which is the correct reading. Following these suggestions, the verse may be translated, “They will think, ‘Those Israelites are running from us, as they did before.’ Then they will pursue us, and we will lead them away from the city.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .