inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Lev 25:20 )

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 Leviticus 25:20

And: since what follows is in contrast with the idea of living in the land without any worries, it is perhaps better to use a conjunction that marks this contrast, as in Good News Translation.

If you say: this is a hypothetical situation where someone might wonder how the people would be fed during the Rest Year. It is not so much a question from one person to another, but a kind of “thinking out loud.” New Jerusalem Bible has “In case you should ask….” In many languages it will be more natural to avoid a direct quotation and to begin the verse “But if you are wondering….”

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .