Isaiah 4:3

4:3 Those remaining in Zion, ¹  those left in Jerusalem, ² 

will be called “holy,” ³ 

all in Jerusalem who are destined to live. ⁴ 

Ezekiel 13:9

13:9 My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying omens. They will not be included in the council ⁵  of my people, nor be written in the registry ⁶  of the house of Israel, nor enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the sovereign Lord.

Luke 10:20

10:20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice that ⁷  the spirits submit to you, but rejoice ⁸  that your names stand written ⁹  in heaven.”

Philippians 4:3

4:3 Yes, I say also to you, true companion, ¹⁰  help them. They have struggled together in the gospel ministry ¹¹  along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life.

Hebrews 12:23

12:23 and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect,

Revelation 13:8

13:8 and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, ¹²  everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world ¹³  in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. ¹⁴ 

Revelation 20:12-15

20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then ¹⁵  books were opened, and another book was opened – the book of life. ¹⁶  So ¹⁷  the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. ¹⁸  20:13 The ¹⁹  sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death ²⁰  and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. 20:14 Then ²¹  Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire. 20:15 If ²²  anyone’s name ²³  was not found written in the book of life, that person ²⁴  was thrown into the lake of fire.

¹ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

² map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

³ tn Or “set apart,” cf. CEV “special.”

⁴ tn Heb “all who are written down for life in Jerusalem.” A city register is envisioned; everyone whose name appears on the roll will be spared. This group comprises the remnant of the city referred to earlier in the verse.

⁵ tn The Hebrew term may refer to the secret council of the Lord (Jer 23:18; Job 15:8), but here it more likely refers to a human council comprised of civic leaders (Gen 49:6; Jer 6:11; 15:17 Ps 64:3; 111:1).

⁶ tn The reference here is probably to a civil list (as in Ezra 2:16; Neh 7:64) rather than to a “book of life” (Exod 32:32; Isa 4:3; Ps 69:29; Dan 12:1). This registry may have been established at the making of David’s census (2 Sam 24:2, 9).

⁷ tn Grk “do not rejoice in this, that.” This is awkward in contemporary English and has been simplified to “do not rejoice that.”

⁸ tn The verb here is a present imperative, so the call is to an attitude of rejoicing.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ tn Or “faithful fellow worker.” This is more likely a descriptive noun, although some scholars interpret the word σύζυγος (suzugos) here as a proper name (“Syzygos”), L&N 42.45.

¹¹ tn Grk “in the gospel,” a metonymy in which the gospel itself is substituted for the ministry of making the gospel known.

¹² tn Grk “it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³ tn The prepositional phrase “since the foundation of the world” is traditionally translated as a modifier of the immediately preceding phrase in the Greek text, “the Lamb who was killed” (so also G. B. Caird, Revelation [HNTC], 168), but it is more likely that the phrase “since the foundation of the world” modifies the verb “written” (as translated above). Confirmation of this can be found in Rev 17:8 where the phrase “written in the book of life since the foundation of the world” occurs with no ambiguity.

¹⁴ tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”

¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

¹⁶ tn Grk “another book was opened, which is of life.”

¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the books being opened.

¹⁸ tn Grk “from the things written in the books according to their works.”

¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

²⁰ sn Here Death is personified (cf. 1 Cor 15:55).

²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

²² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

²³ tn The word “name” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

²⁴ tn Grk “he”; the pronoun has been intensified by translating as “that person.”