| |
Easton's Bible Dictionary
In all the Hebrew manuscripts the Pentateuch (q.v.) forms one roll or volume divided
into larger and smaller sections called parshioth and sedarim . It is not easy
to say when it was divided into five books. This was probably first done by the
Greek translators of the book, whom the Vulgate follows. The fifth of these books
was called by the Greeks Deuteronomion, i.e., the second law, hence our name Deuteronomy,
or a second statement of the laws already promulgated. The Jews designated the
book by the two first Hebrew words that occur, 'Elle haddabharim, i.e., "These
are the words." They divided it into eleven parshioth . In the English Bible it
contains thirty-four chapters.
It consists chiefly of three discourses delivered by Moses a short time before
his death. They were spoken to all Israel in the plains of Moab, in the eleventh
month of the last year of their wanderings.
The first discourse ( Deuteronomy
1 - 4:40 ) recapitulates the chief events of the last forty years in the wilderness,
with earnest exhortations to obedience to the divine ordinances, and warnings
against the danger of forsaking the God of their fathers.
The second discourse ( Deuteronomy 5 - 26:19 ) is in effect the body of the whole
book. The first address is introductory to it. It contains practically a recapitulation
of the law already given by God at Mount Sinai, together with many admonitions
and injunctions as to the course of conduct they were to follow when they were
settled in Canaan.
The concluding discourse ( Deuteronomy 27 - 30) relates almost wholly to the solemn
sanctions of the law, the blessings to the obedient, and the curse that would
fall on the rebellious. He solemnly adjures them to adhere faithfully to the covenant
God had made with them, and so secure for themselves and their posterity the promised
blessings. |
These addresses to the people are followed by what
may be called three appendices, namely
(1), a song which God had commanded Moses to write
( Deuteronomy 32:1 - 47 );
(2) the blessings he pronounced on the separate tribes
( Deuteronomy 33 ); and
(3) the story of his death ( Deuteronomy 32:48 - 52 ) and burial ( Deuteronomy
34 ), written by some other hand, probably that of Joshua.
|
These farewell addresses of Moses to the tribes of
Israel he had so long led in the wilderness "glow in each line with the emotions
of a great leader recounting to his contemporaries the marvellous story of their
common experience. The enthusiasm they kindle, even to-day, though obscured by
translation, reveals their matchless adaptation to the circumstances under which
they were first spoken. Confidence for the future is evoked by remembrance of
the past. The same God who had done mighty works for the tribes since the Exodus
would cover their head in the day of battle with the nations of Palestine, soon
to be invaded. Their great lawgiver stands before us, vigorous in his hoary age,
stern in his abhorrence of evil, earnest in his zeal for God, but mellowed in
all relations to earth by his nearness to heaven. The commanding wisdom of his
enactments, the dignity of his position as the founder of the nation and the first
of prophets, enforce his utterances. But he touches our deepest emotions by the
human tenderness that breathes in all his words. Standing on the verge of life,
he speaks as a father giving his parting counsels to those he loves; willing to
depart and be with God he has served so well, but fondly lengthening out his last
farewell to the dear ones of earth. No book can compare with Deuteronomy in its
mingled sublimity and tenderness." Geikie, Hours, etc.
The whole style and method of this book, its tone and its peculiarities of conception
and expression, show that it must have come from one hand. That the author was
none other than Moses is established by the following considerations:
(1) The uniform tradition both of
the Jewish and the Christian Church down to recent times.
(2) The book professes to have been written by Moses ( Deuteronomy 1:1 ; 29:1
; Isaiah 31:1 , 31:9 - 11 , etc.), and was obviously intended to be accepted as
his work.
(3) The incontrovertible testimony of our Lord and his apostles ( Matthew 19:7
, 19:8 ; Mark 10:3 , 10:4 ; John 5:46 , 5:47 ; Acts 3:22 ; 7:37 ; Romans 10:19
) establishes the same conclusion.
(4) The frequent references to it in the later books of the canon ( Joshua 8:31
; 1 Kings 2:9 ; 2 Kings 14:6 ; 2 Chronicles 23:18 ; 25:4 ; 34:14 ; Ezra 3:2 ;
7:6 ; Nehemiah 8:1 ; Daniel 9:11 , 9:13 ) prove its antiquity; and
(5) the archaisms found in it are in harmony with the age in which Moses lived.
Its style and allusions are also strikingly consistent with the circumstances
and position of Moses and of the people at that time. |
This body of positive evidence cannot be set aside
by the conjectures and reasonings of modern critics, who contended that the book
was somewhat like a forgery, introduced among the Jews some seven or eight centuries
after the Exodus.
Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names
repetition of the law
Smith's Bible Dictionary
which means "the repetition of the law"
Consists chiefly of three discourses delivered by Moses shortly before his death.
Subjoined to these discourses are the Song of Moses the Blessing of Moses, and
the story of his death.
The first discourse. ( Deuteronomy
1:1 ; 4:40 ) After a brief historical introduction the speaker recapitulates the
chief events of the last forty years in the wilderness. To this discourse is appended
a brief notice of the severing of the three cities of refuge on the east side
of the Jordan. ( Deuteronomy 4:41 - 43 )
The second discourse is introduced like the first by an explanation of
the circumstances under which it was delivered. ( Deuteronomy
4:44 - 49 ) It extends from Deuteronomy 5:1 - 26
and contains a recapitulation, with some modifications and additions of the law
already given on Mount Sinai.
In the third discourse, ( Deuteronomy 27:1 - 30
) the elders of Israel are associated with Moses. The people are commanded to
set up stones upon Mount Ebal, and on them to write "all the words of this law."
Then follow the several curses to be pronounced by the Levites on Ebal, ( Deuteronomy
27:14 - 26 ) and the blessings on Gerizim. ( Deuteronomy 28:1-14 ) |
The delivery of the law as written by Moses (for its still further preservation)
to the custody of the Levites, and a charge to the people to hear it read once
every seven years, Deuteronomy 31; the Song of Moses spoken in the ears of the
people, ( Deuteronomy 31:30 ; 32:44 ) and the blessing
of the twelve tribes. ( Deuteronomy 33:5 ) The
book closes ( Deuteronomy 34 ) with an account of the death of Moses, which is
first announced to him. ( Deuteronomy 32:48 - 52
) The book bears witness to its own authorship, ( Deuteronomy 31:19 ) and is expressly cited in the New Testament as the work of Moses. ( Matthew
19:7 , 19:8 ; Mark 10:3 ; Acts 3:22 ; 7:37 ) The last chapter, containing an account
of the death of Moses, was of course added by a later hand, and probably formed
originally the beginning of the book of Joshua. [PENTATEUCH]
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
du-ter-on'-o-mi:
1. Name
In Hebrew 'elleh ha-debharim, "these are the words"; in Greek, Deuteronomion,
"second law"; whence the Latin deuteronomii, and the English Deuteronomy. The
Greek title is due to a mistranslation by the Septuagint of the clause in Deuteronomy
17:18 rendered, "and he shall write for himself this repetition of the law." The
Hebrew really means "and he shall write out for himself a copy of this law." However,
the error on which the English title rests is not serious, as Deuteronomy is in
a very true sense a repetition of the law.
2. What Deuteronomy Is
Deuteronomy is the last of the five books of the Pentateuch, or "five-fifths of
the Law." It possesses an individuality and impressiveness of its own. In Exodus--Numbers
Yahweh is represented as speaking unto Moses, whereas in Deuteronomy, Moses is
represented as speaking at Yahweh's command to Israel (Deuteronomy 1:1 - 4 ; 5:1
; 29:1). It is a hortatory recapitulation of various addresses delivered at various
times and places in the desert wanderings--a sort of homily on the constitution,
the essence or gist of Moses' instructions to Israel during the forty years of
their desert experience. It is "a Book of Reviews"; a translation of Israel's
redemptive history into living principles; not so much a history as a commentary.
There is much of retrospect in it, but its main outlook is forward. The rabbins
speak of it as "the Book of Reproofs." It is the text of all prophecy; a manual
of evangelical oratory; possessing "all the warmth of a Bernard, the flaming zeal
of a Savonarola, and the tender, gracious sympathy of a Francis of Assisi." The
author's interest is entirely moral. His one supreme purpose is to arouse Israel's
loyalty to Yahweh and to His revealed law. Taken as a whole the book is an exposition
of the great commandment, "Thou shalt love Yahweh thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." It was from Deuteronomy that Jesus
summarized the whole of the Old Covenant in a single sentence (Matthew 22:37;
compare Deuteronomy 6:5), and from it He drew His weapons with which to vanquish
the tempter (Matthew 4:4 , 7 , 10 ; compare Deuteronomy 8:3 ; 6:16 , 13).
3. Analysis
Deuteronomy is composed of three discourses, followed by three short appendices:
(1) Deuteronomy 1:1 - 4:43, historical; a review of God's
dealings with Israel, specifying in great detail where and when delivered (Deuteronomy
1:1 - 5), recounting in broad oratorical outlines the chief events in the nation's
experience from Horeb to Moab (Deuteronomy 1:6 - 3:29), on which the author bases
an earnest appeal to the people to be faithful and obedient, and in particular
to keep clear of all possible idolatry (Deuteronomy 4:1 - 40). Appended to this
first discourse is a brief note (Deuteronomy 4:41 - 43) concerning Moses' appointment
of three cities of refuge on the East side of the Jordan.
(2) Deuteronomy 4:44 - 26:19, hortatory and legal; introduced by a superscription
(Deuteronomy 4:44 - 49), and consisting of a resume of Israel's moral and civil
statutes, testimonies and judgments. Analyzed in greater detail, this second discourse
is composed of two main sections:
(a) Deuteronomy chapters
5 - 11, an extended exposition of the Ten Commandments on which theocracy was
based;
(b) Deuteronomy chapters 12 - 26, a code of special
statutes concerning worship, purity, tithes, the three annual feasts, the administration
of justice, kings, priests, prophets, war, and the private and social life of
the people. The spirit of this discourse is most ethical and religious. The tone
is that of a father no less than that of a legislator. A spirit of humanity pervades
the entire discourse. Holiness is its ideal. |
(3) Deuteronomy 27:1 - 31:30, predictive and minatory; the subject of this third
discourse being "the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience." This
section begins with directions to inscribe these laws on plastered stones to be
set up on Mt. Ebal (Deuteronomy 27:1 - 10), to be ratified by an antiphonal ritual
of blessings and cursings from the two adjacent mountains, Gerizim and Ebal (Deuteronomy
27:11 - 26). These are followed by solemn warnings against disobedience (Deuteronomy
28:1 - 29:1), and fresh exhortations to accept the terms of the new covenant made
in Moab, and to choose between life and death (Deuteronomy 29:2 - 30:20). Moses'
farewell charge to Israel and his formal commission of Joshua close the discourse
(Deuteronomy 31). The section is filled with predictions, which were woefully
verified in Israel's later history. The three appendices, spoken of above, close
the book:
(a) Moses' Song (Deuteronomy 32), which the great Lawgiver
taught the people (the Law was given to the priests, Deuteronomy 31:24 - 27);
(b) Moses' Blessing (Deuteronomy 33) which forecast the future for the various
tribes (Simeon only being omitted);
(c) A brief account of Moses' death and burial (Deuteronomy 34) with a noble panegyric
on him as the greatest prophet Israel ever had. Thus closes this majestic and
marvelously interesting and practical book. Its keyword is "possess"; its central
thought is "Yahweh has chosen Israel, let Israel choose Yahweh." |
|
4. Ruling Ideas
The great central thought of Deuteronomy is the unique relation which Yahweh as
a unique God sustains to Israel as a unique people. "Hear O Israel; Yahweh our
God is one Yahweh." The monotheism of Deuteronomy is very explicit. Following
from this, as a necessary corollary almost, is the other great teaching of the
book, the unity of the sanctuary. The motto of the book might be said to be, "One
God, one sanctuary."
(1) Yahweh, a Unique God.
Yahweh is the only God, "There is none else besides him" (Deuteronomy 4:35 , 39
; 6:4 ; 32:39), "He is God of gods, and Lord of lords" (Deuteronomy 10:17), "the
living God" (Deuteronomy 5:26), "the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness
with them that love him and keep his commandments" (Deuteronomy
7:9), who abominates graven images and every species of idolatry (Deuteronomy
7:25 , 26 ; 12:31 ; 13:14 ; 18:12 ; 20:18 ; 27:15), to whom belong the heavens
and the earth (Deuteronomy 10:14), who rules over all the nations (Deuteronomy
7:19), whose relation to Israel is near and personal (Deuteronomy 28:58), even
that of a Father (Deuteronomy 32:6), whose being is spiritual (Deuteronomy 4:12
, 15), and whose name is "Rock" (Deuteronomy 32:4 , 15 , 18 , 30 , 31). Being
such a God, He is jealous of all rivals (Deuteronomy 7:4 ; 29:24 - 26 ; 31:16
, 17), and hence, all temptations to idolatry must be utterly removed from the
land, the Canaanites must be completely exterminated and all their altars, pillars,
Asherim and images destroyed (Deuteronomy 7:1 - 5 , 16 ; 20:16 - 18 ; 12:2 , 3).
(2) Israel, a Unique People.
The old Israel had become unique through the covenant which Yahweh made with them
at Horeb, creating out of them "a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Exodus
19:6). The new Israel who had been born in the desert were to inherit the blessings
vouchsafed to their fathers, through the covenant just now being made in Moab
(Deuteronomy 26:16 - 19 ; 27:9 ; 29:1 ; 5:2 , 3). By means of it they became the
heirs of all the promises given unto their fathers the patriarchs (Deuteronomy
4:31 ; 7:12 ; 8:18 ; 29:13); they too became holy and peculiar, and especially
beloved of Yahweh (Deuteronomy 7:6 ; 14:2 , 21 ; 26:18 , 19 ; 28:9 ; 4:37), disciplined,
indeed, but for their own good (Deuteronomy 8:2 , 3 , 5 , 16), to be established
as a people, as Yahweh's peculiar lot and inheritance (Deuteronomy 32:6 , 9 ;
4:7).
(3) The Relation between Yahweh and Israel a Unique Relation.
Other nations feared their deities; Israel was expected not only to fear Yahweh
but to love Him and cleave to Him (Deuteronomy 4:10 ; 5:29 ; 6:5 ; 10:12 , 20
; 11:1 , 13 , 12 ; 13:3 , 4 ; 17:19 ; 19:9 ; 28:58 ; 30:6 , 16 , 20 ; 31:12 ,
13). The highest privileges are theirs because they are partakers of the covenant
blessings; all others are strangers and foreigners, except they be admitted into
Israel by special permission (Deuteronomy 23:1 - 8). |
5. Unity
The essential unity of the great kernel of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 5 - 26) is
recognized and freely allowed by nearly everyone (e. g. Kautzsch, Kuenen, Dillmann,
Driver). Some would even defend the unity of the whole of Deuteronomy 1 - 26 (Knobel,
Graf, Kosters, Colenso, Kleinert). No other book of the Old Testament, unless
it be the prophecies of Ezekiel, bears such unmistakable signs of unity in aim,
language and thought. "The literary style of Deuteronomy," says Driver, "is very
marked and individual; in his command of a chaste, yet warm and persuasive eloquence,
the author of Deuteronomy stands unique among the writers of the OT" (Deuteronomy,
lxxvii, lxxxviii). Many striking expressions characterize the style of this wonderful
book of oratory: e. g. "cause to inherit"; "Hear O Israel"; the oft-repeated root,
meaning in the Qal verb-species "learn," and in the Piel verb-species "teach";
"be willing"; "so shalt thou exterminate the evil from thy midst"; "as at this
day"; "that it may be well with thee"; "the land whither thou goest in to possess
it"; "with all thy heart and with all thy soul"; and many others, all of which
occur frequently in Deuteronomy and rarely elsewhere in the Old Testament, thus
binding, so far as style can, the different sections of the book into one solid
unit. Barring various titles and editorial additions (Deuteronomy 1:1 - 5 ; 4:44
- 49 ; 29:1 ; 33:1 , 7 , 9 , 22 ; 34:1) and a few archaeological notes such as
Deuteronomy 2:10 - 12 , 20 -23 ; 3:9 , 11 , 14 ; 10:6 - 9, and of course the last
chapter, which gives an account of Moses' death, there is every reason necessary
for supposing that the book is a unit. Few writings in the entire field of literature
have so clear a unity of purpose or so uniform a style of address.
6. Authorship
There is one passage bearing upon the authorship of Deuteronomy wherein it is
stated most explicitly that Moses wrote "this law." It reads, "And Moses wrote
this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi. .... And it came
to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book,
until they were finished (i.e. to the end), that Moses commanded the Levites,
that bare the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, saying, Take this book of the law,
and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, that it
may be there for a witness against thee" (Deuteronomy 31:9 , 24 - 27). This passage
is of more than traditional value, and should not be ignored as is so often done
(e. g. by Ryle, article "Deuteronomy," HDB). It is not enough to say that Moses
was the great fountain-head of Hebrew law, that he gave oral but not written statutes,
or, that Moses was only the traditional source of these statutes. For it is distinctly
and emphatically stated that "Moses wrote this law." And it is further declared
(Deuteronomy 31:22) that "Moses wrote this song," contained in Deuteronomy 32.
Now, these statements are either true, or they are false. There is no escape.
The authorship of no other book in the Old Testament is so explicitly emphasized.
The present writer believes that Moses actually wrote the great body of Deuteronomy,
and for the following general reasons:
(1) Deuteronomy as a Whole Is Eminently Appropriate to What We Know of Moses' Times.
It closes most fittingly the formative period of Israel's history. The historical
situation from first to last is that of Moses. The references to foreign neighbors--Egypt,
Canaan, Amalek, Ammon, Moab, Edom--are in every case to those who flourished in
Moses' own times. As a law book its teaching is based upon the Ten Commandments.
If Moses gave the Ten Commandments, then surely he may have written the Book of
Deuteronomy also. Besides, the Code of Hammurabi, which antedates Moses by at
least 700 years, makes it possible certainly that Moses also left laws in codified
or written form.
(2) Deuteronomy Is Represented as Emanating from Moses.
The language is language put into Moses' mouth. Nearly forty times his name occurs,
and in the majority of instances as the authoritative author of the subject-matter.
The first person is used predominatingly throughout: "I commanded Joshua at that
time" (Deuteronomy 3:21); and "I charged your judges at that time" (Deuteronomy
1:16); "And I commanded you at that time" (Deuteronomy 1:18); "I have led you
forty years in the wilderness" (Deuteronomy 29:5). "The language surely purports
to come from Moses; and if it was not actually used by him, it is a most remarkable
case of impersonation, if not of literary forgery, for the writer represents himself
as reproducing, not what Moses might have said, but the exact words of Moses"
(Zerbe, The Antiquity of Hebrew Writing and Lit., 1911, 261).
(3) Deuteronomy Is a Military Law Book, a Code of Conquest, a Book of Exhortation.
It was intended primarily neither for Israel in the desert nor for Israel settled
in Canaan, but for Israel on the borderland, eager for conquest. It is expressly
stated that Moses taught Israel these statutes and judgments in order that they
should obey them in the land which they were about to enter (Deuteronomy 4:5 ,
14 ; 5:31). They must expel the aborigines (Deuteronomy 7:1 ; 9:1 - 3 ; 20:17
; 31:3), but in their warfare they must observe certain laws in keeping with theocracy
(Deuteronomy 20:1 - 20 ; 23:9 - 14 ; 21:10 - 14 ; 31:6 , 7), and, when they have
finally dispossessed their enemies, they must settle down to agricultural life
and live no longer as nomads but as citizens of a civilized land (Deuteronomy
19:14 ; 22:8 - 10 ; 24:19 - 21). All these laws are regulations which should become
binding in the future only (compare Kittel, History Of the Hebrews, I, 32). Coupled
with them are prophetic exhortations which seem to be genuine, and to have had
their birth in Moses' soul. Indeed the great outstanding feature of Deuteronomy
is its parenetic or hortatory character. Its exhortations have not only a military
ring as though written on the eve of battle, but again and again warn Israel against
allowing themselves to be conquered in religion through the seductions of idolatry.
The book in short is the message of one who is interested in Israel's political
and religious future. There is a paternal vein running throughout it which marks
it with a genuine Mosaic, not a merely fictitious or artificial, stamp. It is
these general features, so characteristic of the entire book, which compel one
to believe in its Mosaic authorship. |
7. Deuteronomy Spoken Twice
Certain literary features exist in Deuteronomy which lead the present writer to
think that the bulk of the book was spoken twice; once, to the first generation
between Horeb and Kadesh-barnea in the 2nd year of the Exodus wanderings, and
a second time to the new generation, in the plains of Moab in the 40th year. Several
considerations point in this direction:
(1) The Names of the Widely Separated Geographical Places Mentioned in the Title (Deuteronomy 1:1 , 2).
"These are the words which Moses spake unto all Israel beyond the Jordan in the
wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suph, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban,
and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab"; to which is added, "It is eleven days' journey from
Horeb by the way of Mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea." If these statements have any
relevancy whatever to the contents of the book which they introduce, they point
to a wide area, from Horeb to Moab, as the historico-geographical background of
the book. In other words, Deuteronomy, in part at least, seems to have been spoken
first on the way between Horeb and Kadesh-barnea, and later again when Israel
were encamped on the plains of Moab. And, indeed, what would be more natural than
for Moses when marching northward from Horeb expecting to enter Canaan from the
south, to exhort the Israel of that day in terms of Deuteronomy 5 - 26? Being
baffled, however, by the adverse report of the spies and the faithlessness of
the people, and being forced to wait and wander for 38 years, what would be more
natural than for Moses in Moab, when about to resign his position as leader, to
repeat the exhortations of Deuteronomy 5-26, adapting them to the needs of the
new desert-trained generation and prefacing the whole by a historical introduction
such as that found in Deuteronomy 1 - 4?
(2) The Double Allusion to the Cities of Refuge (Deuteronomy 4:41 - 43 ; 19:1 - 13).
On the supposition that Deuteronomy 5 - 26 were spoken first between Horeb and
Kadesh-barnea, in the 2nd year of the Exodus, it could not be expected that in
this section the names of the three cities chosen East of the Jordan should be
given, and in fact they are not (Deuteronomy 19:1 - 13); the territory of Sihon
and Og had not yet been conquered and the cities of refuge, accordingly, had not
yet been designated (compare Numbers 35:2 , 14). But in Deuteronomy 4:41 - 43,
on the contrary, which forms a part of the historical introduction, which ex hypothesi
was delivered just at the end of the 39 years' wanderings, after Sihon and Og
had been subdued and their territory divided, the three cities of refuge East
of the Jordan are actually named, just as might be expected.
(3) Section Deuteronomy 4:44 - 49.
The section Deuteronomy 4:44 - 49, which, in its original form, very probably
introduced Deuteronomy chapters 5 - 26 before these
chapters were adapted to the new situation in Moab.
(4) The Phrase "Began Moses to Declare This Law" (Deuteronomy 1:5).
The phrase "began Moses to declare this law" (Deuteronomy 1:5), suggesting that
the great lawgiver found it necessary to expound what he had delivered at some
previous time. The Hebrew word translated "to declare" is found elsewhere in the
Old Testament only in Deuteronomy 27:8 and in Habakkuk 2:2, and signifies "to
make plain."
(5) The Author's Evident Attempt to Identify the New Generation in Moab with the Patriarchs.
"Yahweh made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are
all of us here alive this day," i.e. with us who have survived the desert discipline
(Deuteronomy 5:3). In view of these facts, we conclude that the book in its present
form (barring the exceptions above mentioned) is the product of the whole 39 years
of desert experience from Horeb on, adapted, however, to meet the exigencies of
the Israelites as they stood between the victories already won on the East of
the Jordan and those anticipated on the West. The impression given throughout
is that the aged lawgiver's work is done, and that a new era in the people's history
is about to begin. |
8. Deuteronomy's Influence in Israel's History
The influence of Deuteronomy began to be felt from the very beginning of Israel's
career in Canaan. Though the references to Deuteronomy in Joshua, Judges, Samuel
and Kings are comparatively few, yet they are sufficient to show that not only
the principles of Deuteronomy were known and observed but that they were known
in written form as codified statutes. For example, when Jericho was taken, the
city and its spoil were "devoted" (Joshua 6:17 , 18) in keeping with Deuteronomy
13:15 (compare Joshua 10:40 ; 11:12 , 15 with Deuteronomy 7:2 ; 20:16 , 17). Achan
trespassed and he and his household were stoned, and afterward burned with fire
(Joshua 7:25 ; compare Deuteronomy 13:10 ; 17:5). The fact that his sons and his
daughters were put to death with him seems at first sight to contradict Deuteronomy
24:16, but there is no proof that they suffered for their father's sin (see ACHAN;
ACHOR); besides the Hebrews recognized the unity of the household, even that of
Rahab the harlot (Joshua 6:17). Again when Ai was taken, "only the cattle and
the spoil" did Israel take for a prey unto themselves (Joshua 8:27), in keeping
with Deuteronomy 20:14; also, the body of the king of Ai was taken down before
nightfall from the tree on which he had been hanged (Joshua 8:29), which was in
keeping with Deuteronomy 21:23 (compare Joshua 10:26 , 27). As in warfare, so
in worship. For instance, Joshua built an altar on Mt. Ebal (Joshua 8:30 , 31),
"as Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded" (Deuteronomy 27:4-6), and he wrote
on them a copy of the law (Joshua 8:32), as Moses had also enjoined (Deuteronomy
27:3,8). Moreover, the elders and officers and judges stood on either side of
the ark of the covenant between Ebal and Gerizim (Joshua 8:33), as directed in
Deuteronomy 11:29 ; 27:12 , 13, and Joshua read to all the congregation of Israel
all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings (Joshua 8:34,35), in
strict accord with Deuteronomy 31:11 , 12.
But the passage of paramount importance is the story of the two and a half tribes
who, on their return to their home on the East side of the Jordan, erected a memorial
at the Jordan, and, when accused by their fellow-tribesmen of plurality of sanctuary,
emphatically disavowed it (Joshua 22:29 ; compare Deuteronomy 12:5). Obviously,
therefore, Deuteronomy was known in the days of Joshua. A very few instances in
the history of the Judges point in the same direction: e. g. the utter destruction
of Zephath (Judges 1:17 ; compare Deuteronomy 7:2 ; 20:16); Gideon's elimination
of the fearful and faint-hearted from his army (Judges 7:1 - 7; compare Deuteronomy
20:1 - 9); the author's studied concern to justify Gideon and Manoah for sacrificing
at altars other than at Shiloh on the ground that they acted in obedience to Yahweh's
direct commands (Judges 6:25 - 27 ; 13:16); especially the case of Micah, who
congratulated himself that Yahweh would do him good seeing he had a Levite for
a priest, is clear evidence that Deuteronomy was known in the days of the Judges
(Judges 17:13; compare Deuteronomy 10:8; 18:1 - 8 ; 33:8 - 11). In 1 Samuel 1:1
- 9 , 21 , 24 the pious Elkanah is pictured as going yearly to worship Yahweh
at Shiloh, the central sanctuary at that time. After the destruction of Shiloh,
when the ark of the covenant had been captured by the Philistines, Samuel indeed
sacrificed at Mizpah, Ramah and Bethlehem (1 Samuel 7:7 - 9 , 17 ; 16:5), but
in doing so he only took advantage of the elasticity of the Deuteronomic law:
"When .... he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell
in safety; then it shall come to pass that to the place which Yahweh your God
shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, thither shall ye bring all that
I command you: your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices" (Deuteronomy 12:10 ,
11). It was not until Solomon's time that Israel's enemies were all subdued, and
even then Solomon did not observe strictly the teachings of Deuteronomy; "His
wives turned away his heart," so that he did not faithfully keep Yahweh's "covenant"
and "statutes" (1 Kings 11:3 , 11). Political disruption followed, and religion
necessarily suffered. Yet Jehoiada the priest gave the youthful Joash "the crown"
and "the testimony" (2 Kings 11:12; compare Deuteronomy 17:18). King Amaziah did
not slay the children of the murderers who slew his father, in conscious obedience
apparently to the law of Deuteronomy (2 Kings 14:6; compare Deuteronomy 24:16).
Later on, Hezekiah, the cultured king of Judah, reformed the cult of his day by
removing the high places, breaking down the pillars, cutting down the Asherahs,
and even breaking in pieces the brazen serpent which Moses had made (2 Kings 18:4
, 22). Hezekiah's reforms were unquestionably carried through under the influence
of Deuteronomy.
It is equally certain that the prophets of the 8th century were not ignorant of
this book. For example, Hosea complains of Israel's sacrificing upon the tops
of the mountains and burning incense upon the hills, and warns Judah not to follow
Israel's example in coming up to worship at Gilgal and Beth-aven (Hosea 4:13 ,
15). He also alludes to striving with priests (Hosea 4:4 ; compare Deuteronomy
17:12), removing landmarks (Hosea 5:10; compare Deuteronomy 19:14), returning
to Egypt (Hosea 8:13 ; 9:3 ; compare Deuteronomy 28:68), and of Yahweh's tender
dealing with Ephraim (Hosea 11:3; compare Deuteronomy 1:31 ; 32:10). The courage
of Amos, the shepherd-prophet of Tekoa, can best be explained, also, on the basis
of a written law such as that of Deuteronomy with which he and his hearers were
already more or less familiar (Amos 3:2; compare Deuteronomy 7:6 ; 4:7 , 8). He
condemns Israel's inhumanity and adultery in the name of religion, and complains
of their retaining overnight pledges wrested from the poor, which was distinctly
forbidden in Deuteronomy (Amos 2:6 - 8; compare Deuteronomy 24:12 - 15 ; 23:17).
Likewise, in the prophecies of Isaiah there are conscious reflections of Deuteronomy's
thought and teaching. Zion is constantly pictured as the center of the nation's
religion and as Yahweh's secure dwellingplace (Isaiah 2:2 - 4 ; 8:18 ; 28:16 ;
29:1 , 2 ; compare Micah 4:1 - 4). In short, no one of the four great prophets
of the 8th century BC--Isaiah, Micah, Amos, Hosea--ever recognized "high places"
as legitimate centers of worship.
9. The Critical Theory
Over against the Biblical view, certain modern critics since De Wette (1805) advocate
a late origin of Deuteronomy, claiming that it was first published in 621 BC,
when Hilkiah found "the book of the law" in the temple in the 18th year of King
Josiah (2 Kings 22:8). The kernel of Deuteronomy and "the book of the law" discovered
by Hilkiah are said to be identical. Thus, Dr. G. A. Smith claims that "a code
like the Book of Deuteronomy was not brought forth at a stroke, but was the expression
of the gradual results of the age-long working of the Spirit of the Living God
in the hearts of His people" (Jerusalem, II, 115). According to Dr. Driver, "Deuteronomy
may be described as the prophetic reformulation and adaptation to new needs, of
an older legislation." It is probable that there was a tradition, if not a written
record, of a final legislative address delivered by Moses in the steppes of Moab:
the plan followed by the author would rest upon a more obvious motive, if he thus
worked upon a traditional basis. But be that as it may, the bulk of the laws contained
in Deuteronomy is undoubtedly far more ancient than the author himself.
.... "What is essentially new in Deuteronomy is not the matter, but the form.
.... The new element in Deuteronomy is thus not the laws, but their parenetic
setting" (Deuteronomy, lxi, lvi). This refined presentation of the matter would
not be so very objectionable, were Drs. Smith and Driver's theory not linked up
with certain other claims and allegations to the effect that Moses in the 15th
century BC could not possibly have promulgated such a lofty monotheism, that in
theological teaching "the author of Deuteronomy is the spiritual heir of Hosea,"
that there are discrepancies between it and other parts of the Pentateuch, that
in the early history of Israel down to the 8th century plurality of sanctuaries
was legally permissible, that there are no traces of the influence of the principal
teachings of a written Deuteronomy discoverable in Hebrew literature until the
time of Jeremiah, and that the book as we possess it was originally composed as
a program of reform, not by Moses but in the name of Moses as a forgery or pseudepigraph.
For example, F. H. Woods says, "Although not a necessary result of accepting the
later date, the majority of critics believe this book of the law to have been
the result of a pious fraud promulgated by Hilkiah and Shaphan with the retention
of deceiving Josiah into the belief that the reforms which they desired were the
express command of God revealed to Moses" (HDB, II, 368). Some are unwilling to
go so far. But in any case, it is claimed that the law book discovered and published
by Hilkiah, which brought about the reformation by Josiah in 621 BC, was no other
than some portion of the Book of Deuteronomy, and of Deuteronomy alone. But there
are several considerations which are opposed to this theory:
(1) Deuteronomy emphasizes centralization of worship at
one sanctuary (Deuteronomy 12:5); Josiah's reformation was directed rather against
idolatry in general (2 Kings 23:4).
(2) In Deuteronomy 18:6 - 8, a Levite coming from the country to Jerusalem was
allowed to minister and share in the priestly perquisites; but in 2 Kings 23:9,
"the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of Yahweh in Jerusalem,
but they did eat unleavened bread among their brethren." And according to the
critical theory, "Levites" and "priests" are interchangeable terms.
(3) The following passages in Exodus might almost equally with Deuteronomy account
for Josiah's reformation: Exodus 20:3 ; 22:18 , 20 ; 23:13 , 14 , 32 , 33 ; 34:13
, 14 - 17.
(4) The law book discovered by Hilkiah was recognized at once as an ancient code
which the fathers had disobeyed (2 Kings 22:13). Were they all deceived? Even
Jeremiah (compare Jeremiah 11:3 , 4)? "There were many persons in Judah who had
powerful motives for exposing this forgery if it was one" (Raven, Old Testament
Introduction, 112).
(5) One wonders why so many archaic and, in Josiah's time, apparently obsolete
laws should have been incorporated in a code whose expre (Deuteronomy 7:18 , 22),
and to blot out Amalek (Deuteronomy 25:17 - 19), the last remnants of whom were
completely destroyed in Hezekiah's time (1 Chronicles 4:41 - 43). Especially is
this true of the score and more of laws peculiar to Deuteronomy, concerning building
battlements on the roofs of houses (Deuteronomy 22:8), robbing birds' nests (Deuteronomy
22:6 , 7), the sexes exchanging garments (Deuteronomy 22:5), going out to war
(Deuteronomy 20:1), etc.
(6) Especially remarkable is it that if Deuteronomy were written, as alleged,
shortly before the reign of Josiah, there should be no anachronisms in it betraying
a post-Mosaic origin. There are no allusions to the schism between Judah and Israel,
no hint of Assyrian oppression through the exaction of tribute, nor any threats
of Israel's exile either to Assyria or Babylonia, but rather to Egypt (Deuteronomy
28:68). "Jerusalem" is never mentioned. From a literary point of view, it is psychologically
and historically well-nigh impossible for a writer to conceal all traces of his
age and circumstances. On the other hand, no Egyptologist has ever discovered
any anachronisms in Deuteronomy touching Egyptian matters. From first to last
the author depicts the actual situation of the times of Moses. It is consequently
hard to believe, as is alleged, that a later writer is studying to give "an imaginative
revivification of the past."
(7) The chief argument in favor of Deuteronomy's late origin is its alleged teaching
concerning the unity of the sanctuary. Wellhausen lays special emphasis upon this
point. Prior to Josiah's reformation, it is claimed, plurality of sanctuaries
was allowed. But in opposition to this, it is possible to point victoriously to
Hezekiah's reformation (2 Kings 18:4 , 22), as a movement in the direction of
unity; and especially to Exodus 20:24, which is so frequently misinterpreted as
allowing a multiplicity of sanctuaries. This classical passage when correctly
interpreted allows only that altars shall be erected in every place where Yahweh
records His name, "which presumably during the wanderings and the time of the
judges would mean wherever the Tabernacle was" (Mackay, Introduction to Old Testament,
110). This interpretation of this passage is confirmed and made practically certain,
indeed, by the command in Exodus 23:14 - 19 that Israel shall repair three times
each year to the house of Yahweh and there present their offering. On the other
hand, Deuteronomy's emphasis upon unity of sanctuary is often exaggerated. The
Book of Deuteronomy requires unity only after Israel's enemies are all overcome
(Deuteronomy 12:10 , 11). "When" Yahweh giveth them rest, "then" they shall repair
for worship to the place which "God shall choose." As Davidson remarks: "It is
not a law that is to come into effect on their entry into Canaan; it is to be
observed from the time that Yahweh shall have given them rest from all their enemies
round about; that is, from the times of David, or more particularly, Solomon;
for only when the temple was built did that place become known which Yahweh had
chosen to place His name there" (Old Testament Theology, 361). Besides, it should
not be forgotten that in Deuteronomy itself the command is given to build an altar
in Mt. Ebal (Deuteronomy 27:5 - 7). As a matter of fact, the unity of sanctuary
follows as a necessary consequence of monotheism; and if Moses taught monotheism,
he probably also enjoined unity of worship. If, on the other hand, monotheism
was first evolved by the prophets of the 8th century, then, of course, unity of
sanctuary was of 8th-century origin also.
(8) Another argument advanced in favor of the later origin of Deuteronomy is the
contradiction between the laws of Deuteronomy and those of Leviticus - Numbers
concerning the priests and Levites. In Numbers 16:10 , 35 , 40, a sharp distinction
is drawn, it is alleged, between the priests and common Levites, whereas in Deuteronomy
18:1 - 8, all priests are Levites and all Levites are priests. But as a matter
of fact, the passage in Deuteronomy does not invest a Levite with priestly but
with Levitical functions (compare Deuteronomy 18:7). "The point insisted upon
is that all Levites shall receive full recognition at the sanctuary and be accorded
their prerogatives. It goes without saying that if the Levite be a priest he shall
serve and fare like his brethren the priests; if he be not a priest, he shall
enjoy the privileges that belong to his brethren who are Levites, but not priests"
(J. D. Davis, article "Deuteronomy," in Smith, Dictionary of the Bible, 117).
The Book of Deuteronomy teaches not that all the tribe, but only the tribe of
Levi may exercise priestly functions, thus restricting the exercise of priestly
prerogatives to one and only one tribe. This was in perfect harmony with Lev-Nu
and also in keeping with the style of popular discourse.
(9) Recently Professor Ed. Naville, the Egyptologist, has propounded a theory
of the origin of "the Book of the Law" discovered by Hilkiah, which is not without
some value. On the analogy of the Egyptian custom of burying texts of portions
of "the Book of the Dead" at the foot of statues of gods and within foundations
of temple walls, as at Hermopolis, he concludes that Solomon, when he constructed
the Temple, probably deposited this "Book of the Law" in the foundations, and
that when Josiah's workmen were about their tasks of repairing the edifice, the
long-forgotten document came to light and was given to Hilkiah the priest. Hilkiah,
however, upon examination of the document found it difficult to read, and so,
calling for Shaphan the scribe, who was more expert in deciphering antique letters
than himself, he gave the sacred roll to him, and he in turn read it to both Hilkiah
and the king. The manuscript may indeed have been written in cuneiform. Thus,
according to Naville, "the Book of the Law," which he identifies with Deuteronomy,
must be pushed back as far as the age of Solomon at the very latest. Geden shares
a similar view as to its date: "some time during the prosperous period of David
and the United Monarchy" (Intro to the Hebrew Bible, 1909, 330). |
But why not ascribe the book to the traditional author?
Surely there can be no philosophical objection to doing so, in view of the now-known
Code of Hammurabi, which antedates Moses by so many hundreds of years! No other
age accounts so well for its origin as that of the great lawgiver who claims to
have written the bulk of it. And the history of the disintegration of the book
only shows to what extremes a false method may lead; for example, Steuernagel
separates the "Thou" and "Ye" sections from each other and assigns them to different
authors of late date: Kennett, on the other hand, assigns the earliest strata
to the period of the Exile (Jour. of Theol. Studies, 1904), On the whole, no theory
is so satisfactory as that which, in keeping with Deuteronomy 31:22 , 24, ascribes
to Moses the great bulk of the book. See also \CRITICISM\; \PENTATEUCH\.
LITERATURE
On the conservative side:
James Orr, The Problem of the Old Testament, The Bross Prize, 1906; article "Deuteronomy,"
Illustrated Bible Dict., 1908; James Robertson, The Early Religion of Israel,
1892; article "Deuteronomy," The Temple Bible Dict., 1910; John D. Davis, article
"Deuteronomy," Davis' Dict. of the Bible, 1911; John H. Raven, Old Testament Intro,
1906; A. S. Geden, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, 1909; W. Moller, Are the
Critics Right? 1903; R. B. Girdlestone, The Student's Deuteronomy, 1899; Hugh
Pope, The Date of the Composition of Deuteronomy, 1911; A. S. Zerbe, The Antiquity
of Hebrew Writing and Lit., 1911; Ed. Naville, The Discovery of the Book of the
Law under King Josiah, 1911; E. C. Bissell, The Pentateuch: Its Origin and Structure,
1885; G. L. Robinson, The Expositor, "The Genesis of Deuteronomy," October and
November, 1898, February, March, May, 1899; W. H. Green, Moses and the Prophets,
1891; The Higher Criticism of the Pentateuch, 1895; A. M. Mackay, The Churchman's
Introduction to the Old Testament, 1901; J. W. Beardslee, Outlines of an Introduction
to the Old Testament, 1903; G. Vos, The Mosaic Origin of the Pentateuchal Codes,
1886.
On the other side:
S. R. Driver, A Crit. and Exeg. Commentary on Deuteronomy, 1895; The Hexateuch,
by J. Estlin Carpenter and G. Harford-Battersby, I, II, 1900; G. A. Smith, Jerusalem,
II, 1908; W. Robertson Smith, The Old Testament in the Jewish Church, 1895; A.
Kuenen, The Hexateuch, 1886; H. E. Ryle, article "Deuteronomy," HDB, 1898; G.
F. Moore, article "Deuteronomy," Encyclopedia Bibl., 1899; J. A. Paterson, article
"Deuteronomy," Encyclopedia Brit, VIII, 1910.
In German:
De Wette, Dissert. crit-exeget., 1805; Kleinert, Das De u. d. Deuteronomiker,
1872; Wellhausen, Die Comp. des Hexateuch. u. d. hist. Bucher des Altes Testament,
1889; Gesch. Israels, 1895; Steuernagel, Der Rahmen des Deuteronomy, 1894; Entsteh.
des dt. Gesetzes, 1896.
George L. Robinson
Tags:
bible commentary, bible history, bible reference, bible study, book of deuteronomy, define, delivered, deuteronomy, law, moses (author), old testament, repetition of the law, ten commandments, wilderness
Comments:
|
 |
|
