Psalms 87:6

6. The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people The allusion is to the civic book, or census roll, in which the nationality or tribe of each person was entered, the children, or the childless family, recorded, (Jeremiah 22:30,) and from which the dead and the excommunicated were erased. Exodus 12:33. Jehovah himself should keep this book, and each entry should be made under his inspection. When he shall pass through the nations (as Joshua 18:8) to take the account of their converts, in writing them down he will enter each as a Zion-born citizen. The worship of Zion’s God should be accounted as the privilege of birthright citizenship. The whole is to be construed of the spiritual Church and the conversion of the nations. Compare “book of life.” Revelation 20:12-15; Luke 10:20