What is the meaning of Exodus 32:32?

Yet now

Moses has just come down from Sinai to find Israel worshiping the golden calf (Exodus 32:19). God tells him He is ready to wipe the nation out and start over (32:10). Instead of distancing himself, Moses draws near and begins his plea with the humble words, “Yet now.”

• He acknowledges that judgment is deserved, but he will not leave the conversation.

• “Yet now” signals a pivot from wrath to intercession, echoing Abraham’s approach for Sodom (Genesis 18:23–32) and foreshadowing Christ’s mediating heart (Hebrews 7:25).

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If You would only forgive their sin

Moses boldly asks for complete pardon. He knows only God can cover such idolatry (Isaiah 43:25; 1 John 1:9).

• His request is specific—“forgive their sin”—not lessen, overlook, or postpone it.

• The ellipsis in the verse (“…”) shows Moses feels the weight of the offense; words almost fail him (Psalm 106:23).

• He trusts God’s covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 32:13), appealing to grace, not merit.

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But if not

Moses presents a conditional clause, counting the cost of unanswered intercession. Like Paul who later says he could wish himself “accursed” for Israel (Romans 9:3), Moses places the people’s destiny above his own.

• This is not manipulation; it is sacrificial love (John 15:13).

• He leaves the final decision with God, showing submission even while pleading (2 Samuel 15:25–26).

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Please blot me out of the book that You have written

Moses refers to God’s heavenly register of the living—later called the “book of life” (Psalm 69:28; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5).

• He is willing to forfeit his covenant standing rather than see Israel destroyed.

• His readiness to be erased underscores the seriousness of sin and the depth of covenant solidarity (Galatians 3:13, where Christ actually bears the curse Moses could only offer).

• God answers by affirming that each sinner bears personal responsibility (Exodus 32:33), yet He also grants mercy by sparing the nation (32:14).

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summary

Exodus 32:32 showcases Moses as a self-sacrificing mediator who pleads, “Yet now… forgive,” stands ready to absorb the fallout, and trusts God’s righteous judgment. The verse points ahead to the greater Mediator, Jesus, who was not merely willing but actually “blotted out” on the cross so that repentant sinners could remain forever written in God’s book of life (Revelation 13:8; 20:15).