inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Mark 16:3)

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 inclusive form (including the addressee).

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

complete verse (Mark 16:3)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 16:3:

  • Uma: “On the way they talked among themselves, they said: ‘Who will help us push-aside the rock that closes the grave?’ For that rock was quite big. But in fact, when they arrived at the grave, they saw that the rock was already pushed-aside.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “They were talking on the way, they said, ‘Who will roll the stone away that is closing-off the cave in order that we (incl.) can go inside?’ And the stone was really big.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “They asked each other, ‘Who can roll away for us the large stone which covers the door of the grave?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “While they were still on the way, they asked-each-other saying, ‘Who perhaps will roll-away that stone that was closing (lit. dooring) the cave?’ They said that because the largeness of that-aforementioned stone was extreme. But upon their arrival, they looked-up and saw that it was already rolled-away.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “On the trail they had kept discussing, ‘Expletive, whoever can we ask for help to roll that rock which was used to block?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Mark 16:3

Exegesis:

pros heautas (cf. 10.26; 12.7) ‘to themselves,’ i.e. ‘to one another’ (as in 11.31; 14.4).

For the words in the question, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?’ cf. 15.46.

apokuliō (only here in Mark; cf. proskuliō 15.46) ‘roll away.’

Translation:

A translation of the question in some languages may have to be ‘who will roll away the stone which blocks the entrance to the tomb,’ for door is ‘doorway’ or ‘entrance,’ not ‘door’ in its more usual sense.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .