Is the "Book of Life" in Psalm 69:28 literal or metaphorical? Text Of Psalm 69:28 “May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.” Psalm 69 In Its Canonical Context Psalm 69 is a Davidic lament and imprecation. Verses 22–28 move from petition to judicial appeal. David is not creating a poetic fancy; he calls on Yahweh to administer covenant justice by removing the wicked from the very record that secures covenant life (cf. Deuteronomy 29:20). The verse functions within real covenantal categories, not mere metaphor. Ancient Near Eastern Parallels Royal archives at Mari, Ugarit, and Egypt preserved enumerations of citizens, soldiers, and temple personnel. Tablets from Ebla (c. 2300 BC) list inhabitants whose civic rights depended on their names’ presence. Such records ground the biblical imagery: Yahweh, as cosmic King, maintains His own sovereign register. Intrabiblical Corroboration Exodus 32:32–33 : “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.” Daniel 12:1: “…everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered.” Malachi 3:16: “…a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the LORD.” The New Testament amplifies the motif: Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27. Each reference presupposes a genuine divine ledger rather than an abstract idea. Literal Reality With Figurative Expression A literal heavenly book does not exclude figurative language; Scripture routinely describes unseen realities in human terms (e.g., “hand of God,” “eyes of the LORD”). The record is literal—names are truly kept—yet the mechanism is expressed anthropomorphically. The metaphor serves to communicate the certainty and covenantal formality of God’s knowledge. Theological Implications 1. Divine Omniscience: The book underscores God’s exhaustive knowledge (Psalm 139:16). 2. Covenant Membership: Inclusion signifies salvific standing; exclusion denotes judgment. 3. Security and Warning: Revelation 3:5 promises permanence for overcomers, while Psalm 69:28 warns of judicial erasure, harmonizing grace and responsibility. Historical And Patristic Witness Irenaeus (Against Heresies 3.18.7) cites the “book of life” as the Father’s genuine record. Augustine (City of God 20.15) treats Revelation’s book as literal, reinforcing continuity of interpretation from Judaism through the early Church. Synthesis Psalm 69:28 employs concrete legal language rooted in Israel’s covenant theology and the wider ancient Near Eastern practice of royal record-keeping. The verse’s force depends on a genuine book from which names can be erased; its literary form is imprecatory poetry, but its referent is literal. Any metaphorical coloring serves to make the literal reality comprehensible, not to negate it. Conclusion The “Book of Life” in Psalm 69:28 is literal in essence—a real, divine register of the righteous—expressed through the accessible poetic language of erasure. David’s plea assumes that such a heavenly book exists and that God acts upon it, a truth consistently affirmed throughout Scripture. |
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