Keluaran 32:32

32:32 But now, if you will forgive their sin…, ¹  but if not, wipe me out ²  from your book that you have written.” ³ 

Mazmur 56:9

56:9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; ⁴ 

I know that God is on my side. ⁵ 

Mazmur 87:6

87:6 The Lord writes in the census book of the nations, ⁶ 

“This one was born there.” ⁷  (Selah)

Lukas 10:20

10:20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice that ⁸  the spirits submit to you, but rejoice ⁹  that your names stand written ¹⁰  in heaven.”

[32:32]  ¹ tn The apodosis is not expressed; it would be understood as “good.” It is not stated because of the intensity of the expression (the figure is aposiopesis, a sudden silence). It is also possible to take this first clause as a desire and not a conditional clause, rendering it “Oh that you would forgive!”

[32:32]  ² tn The word “wipe” is a figure of speech indicating “remove me” (meaning he wants to die). The translation “blot” is traditional, but not very satisfactory, since it does not convey complete removal.

[32:32]  ³ sn The book that is referred to here should not be interpreted as the NT “book of life” which is portrayed (figuratively) as a register of all the names of the saints who are redeemed and will inherit eternal life. Here it refers to the names of those who are living and serving in this life, whose names, it was imagined, were on the roster in the heavenly courts as belonging to the chosen. Moses would rather die than live if these people are not forgiven (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 356).

[56:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “then my enemies will turn back in the day I cry out.” The Hebrew particle אָז (’az, “then”) is probably used here to draw attention to the following statement.

[56:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “this I know, that God is for me.”

[87:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “the Lord records in the writing of the nations.”

[87:6]  ⁷ tn As noted in v. 4, the translation assumes a contrast between “there” (the various foreign lands) and “in her” (Zion). In contrast to foreigners, the citizens of Zion have special status because of their birthplace (v. 5). In this case vv. 4 and 6 form a structural frame around v. 5.

[10:20]  ⁸ tn Grk “do not rejoice in this, that.” This is awkward in contemporary English and has been simplified to “do not rejoice that.”

[10:20]  ⁹ tn The verb here is a present imperative, so the call is to an attitude of rejoicing.

[10:20]  ¹⁰ tn The verb here, a perfect tense, stresses a present reality of that which was a completed action, that is, their names were etched in the heavenly stone, as it were.