inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Luke 3:10)

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, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding John).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (Luke 3:10)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 3:10:

  • Noongar: “People asked John, ‘What will we do then?'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “The people asked Yohanes, they said: ‘If thus, what must we (excl.) do?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The crowds of people asked him, they said, ‘Na, what shall we do?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now the people, they asked John, they said, ‘What shall we do so that we might avoid that you are talking about?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then the many-people inquired, ‘What then are we (excl.) to do?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When those people heard, they asked him saying, ‘Well if it’s like that, what would be good for us (excl.) to do?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 3:10

Exegesis:

kai epērōtōn auton hoi ochloi ‘and the crowds asked him.’ The imperfect tense epērōtōn suggests that this question was asked repeatedly.

legontes ‘saying,’ has the force of a colon.

ti oun poiēsōmen ‘what then are we to do?’ oun implies that the question is a reaction to what John had said.

Translation:

What then shall we do? The question is not a rhetorical one, expressing despair, but a real one, asking for information how to bear fruits that are good in God’s eyes; hence such renderings as, ‘what is it God wants us to do?’ (Manobo), ‘what good shall we do?’ (Kekchi).

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.