Exodus 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 

Romans 5:7-10

5:7 (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.) ⁴  5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 5:9 Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous ⁵  by his blood, ⁶  we will be saved through him from God’s wrath. ⁷  5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life?

Romans 9:3

9:3 For I could wish ⁸  that I myself were accursed – cut off from Christ – for the sake of my people, ⁹  my fellow countrymen, ¹⁰ 

[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).

[5:7]  ⁴ sn Verse 7 forms something of a parenthetical comment in Paul’s argument.

[5:9]  ⁵ tn Grk “having now been declared righteous.” The participle δικαιωθέντες (dikaiwqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[5:9]  ⁶ tn Or, according to BDF §219.3, “at the price of his blood.”

[5:9]  ⁷ tn Grk “the wrath,” referring to God’s wrath as v. 10 shows.

[9:3]  ⁸ tn Or “For I would pray.” The implied condition is “if this could save my fellow Jews.”

[9:3]  ⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.

[9:3]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “my kinsmen according to the flesh.”