וְעַתָּ֖ה אִם־תִּשָּׂ֣א חַטָּאתָ֑ם וְאִם־אַ֕יִן מְחֵ֣נִי נָ֔א מִֽסִּפְרְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּתָֽבְתָּ׃
Ngunit ngayon, kung patatawarin Mo ang kanilang kasalanan—; at kung hindi, burahin Mo ako, isinasamo ko, mula sa Iyong aklat na Iyong isinulat.”
Rashi
ועתה אם תשא חטאתם YET NOW, IF THOU WILT FORGIVE THEIR SIN — well and good: then I do not suggest to You, “Blot me out [of Thy book], ואם אין מחני BUT IF NOT, BLOT ME OUT.” This is an elliptical sentence, the words “Well and good” being omitted; of such there are many in Scripture.
Ramban
YET NOW, IF THOU WILT FORGIVE THEIR SIN. Rashi comments: “If You forgive their sins — well and good, and I do not say to you ‘Blot me out.’ But if not, blot me out. This is thus an abbreviated verse. There are many cases similar to it. Out of Thy book — this means out of the whole Torah; so that people should not say about me that I was not worthy [successful] to seek mercy for them.” But if so, what was the answer that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave to Moses — Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book401Verse 33. — since there was no one else to be blotted out of His book [i.e. the Torah, since they are not mentioned therein to begin with]? Perhaps [Rashi] will interpret it thus: “I shall only blot out [from My Torah] those who have sinned against Me, and you have not sinned against Me.” But this is not correct.
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that the expression out of Thy book which Thou hast written is like, The judgment was set, and the books were opened,402Daniel 7:10. “the books” in Ibn Ezra’s opinion being the dispositions of the heavenly bodies upon which the fate of the lower creatures depends. And G-d answered, Whosoever had sinned against Me, him will I blot out from My book,401Verse 33. which means: “I will not blot you out, but I will blot out from among the people those sinners who have sinned against Me in their thoughts, and were not killed by the sons of Levi.” It is with reference to this that it is said, And the Eternal smote the people.403Verse 35. — This interpretation [of Ibn Ezra] does not appear to me to be correct, for besides those killed by the sword of the sons of Levi and those who died in the plague, most of the people had sinned against Him, as I have written.404Above, Verse 7.
In my opinion [the interpretation of the verse is as follows]: Moses said, “Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin in Thine mercies [— well and good]; but if not, blot me out in their place from the book of life, and I will share their punishment,” it being similar to what Scripture says, But he was wounded because of our transgressions, he was crushed because of our iniquities; the chastisement of our welfare was upon him, and with his stripes we were healed.405Isaiah 53:5. And the Holy One, blessed be He, answered Moses: “I will erase from My book [of life] whosoever sinned, but not you, for you have not sinned.”
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that the expression out of Thy book which Thou hast written is like, The judgment was set, and the books were opened,402Daniel 7:10. “the books” in Ibn Ezra’s opinion being the dispositions of the heavenly bodies upon which the fate of the lower creatures depends. And G-d answered, Whosoever had sinned against Me, him will I blot out from My book,401Verse 33. which means: “I will not blot you out, but I will blot out from among the people those sinners who have sinned against Me in their thoughts, and were not killed by the sons of Levi.” It is with reference to this that it is said, And the Eternal smote the people.403Verse 35. — This interpretation [of Ibn Ezra] does not appear to me to be correct, for besides those killed by the sword of the sons of Levi and those who died in the plague, most of the people had sinned against Him, as I have written.404Above, Verse 7.
In my opinion [the interpretation of the verse is as follows]: Moses said, “Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin in Thine mercies [— well and good]; but if not, blot me out in their place from the book of life, and I will share their punishment,” it being similar to what Scripture says, But he was wounded because of our transgressions, he was crushed because of our iniquities; the chastisement of our welfare was upon him, and with his stripes we were healed.405Isaiah 53:5. And the Holy One, blessed be He, answered Moses: “I will erase from My book [of life] whosoever sinned, but not you, for you have not sinned.”
Rashbam
מחני נא מספרך, the Book of Life which You have written. Compare Isaiah 4,3 כל הכתוב לחיים בירושלים, “everyone who has been inscribed for life in Jerusalem, etc.” Moses asked to be killed by G’d.