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Let them be blotted out of the book of life, And not be written with the righteous.

Verse Takeaways

1

A Curse on Earthly Life?

Several commentators, like Albert Barnes, suggest this is not a prayer for eternal damnation. They argue the "book of the living" refers to a registry of living people. The psalmist is asking for his enemies to be cut off from physical life and community, a common Old Testament understanding of judgment for wickedness. In this view, the curse is temporal, not eternal.

See 3 Verse Takeaways

Book Overview

Psalms

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Commentaries

6

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes

On Psalms 69:28

18th Century

Theologian

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living - That is, let them cease to live; let them not be numbered among living people; …

Charles Ellicott

Charles Ellicott

On Psalms 69:28

19th Century

Bishop

Book of the livingor life.—This image, which plays such a great part in Christian poetry ([Reference Revelation …

John Calvin

John Calvin

On Psalms 69:28

16th Century

Theologian

Let them be blotted out from the book of the living. This is the final imprecation, and it is the most dreadful of all; but it nevertheles…

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John Gill

John Gill

On Psalms 69:28

17th Century

Pastor

Let them be blotted out of the book of life Which some understand of this animal life, or of the catalogue of living sain…

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry

On Psalms 69:22–29

17th Century

Minister

These are prophecies of the destruction of Christ's persecutors. Verses 22 and 23 are applied to the judgments of God upon the unbelieving Jews, in…