inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Rom. 15:1)

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 writer of the letter and the readers).

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

complete verse (Romans 15:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 15:1:

  • Uma: “We whose faith is strong in God must be patient with the uncertain hearts of others whose faith is not yet strong. Let’s not just seek our own happiness.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “We (incl.) the ones whose trust in God is strong, we (incl.) ought-to/must help the ones whose trust is weak in their troubles/worries. Don’t let’s please ourselves (incl.).” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now as for us (incl.) whose faith in God is drawn tight, it’s necessary that we just endure our not doing activity which might cause our fellows to sin whose faith is not yet drawn tight. And let us not insist on what we want,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “We whose faith is mature, it is necessary that put-up-with the failings of people whose faith is weak while at-the-same-time we sympathize-with (lit. feel-with) them. Let us not think of what will please ourselves,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “We who understand well about how we must live must be patient with our fellow believers who do not understand how they must live. We must not look for just our own good, but for the good of others.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Romans 15:1

It is interesting to note that Paul includes himself among those who are strong in the faith. The words in the faith are not a part of the Greek text as such, but they are included by the Good News Translation to make explicit the meaning of the word strong.

To carry (translated support in 11.18) is used of Jesus carrying his cross in John 19.17 and of believers carrying their cross in Luke 14.27. This verb also occurs in Galatians 6.2. In light of these passages, it is most likely that the verb means more than simply “to tolerate” or “to put up with.” It perhaps indicates that those who are strong in faith should be willing to experience self-denial for the sake of believers whose faith is weak.

To carry their burdens seems so natural a metaphor that sometimes translators are not aware that this cannot always be transferred literally into another language. In some instances the metaphor must be changed to a nonmetaphor—for example, “to help the weak to deal with their problems” or “to cause the weak to continue in faith.”

We should not please ourselves may be translated as “we should not do just what we ourselves want to do” or “we should not do just what is going to make us happy.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1973. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .