inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Mark 9:40)

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 disciples).

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

complete verse (Mark 9:40)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 9:40:

  • Uma: “People who don’t oppose us, it means they are on our side.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For a person who does not oppose us (incl.),’ he said, ‘takes our (incl.) side.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For the person who is not our enemy helps us.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because the one who does not oppose us, he is helping us.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because the truth is, if (a person) isn’t opposing me, he is supporting me/on my side.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Mark 9:40

Exegesis:

kata with the genitive meaning ‘against’ (3.6; 11.25; 14.55, 56, 57).

huper (14.24) with the genitive ‘for,’ ‘in behalf of.’

Translation:

Against us … for us would seem to be simple enough, but prepositions such as ‘against’ and ‘for’ do not exist in some languages, and the entire concept must be shifted into verb constructions, e.g. ‘the man who does not fight against us is on our side,’ ‘the man who does not work against us is helping us,’ ‘for he goes with us, who is not against us’ (Batak Toba), or ‘he who does not look mean at us is ours’ (Kekchi).

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 .