INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY
(See also the Outline and Bibliography Deuteronomy.)
Title. The English title of the book of Deuteronomy is apparently based on the LXX's mistranslation of the phrase, "a copy of this law" (Deut 17:18), as (to deuteronomion touto), "this second law." The Jewish title, (devarim), "words," arises from the custom of using the opening word(s) of a book as its name. Deuteronomy opens with the statement, "These are the words which Moses spake" (1:1 a, ASV). Since ancient suzerainty treaties began in precisely this way, the Jewish title draws attention to one of the clues which identify the literary character of this book.
Date and Authorship. The origin of Deuteronomy is of crucial significance in modern higher critical study of the Pentateuch and, indeed, in studies of Old Testament literature and theology in general. According to the older Developmental Hypothesis, Deuteronomy originated in the seventh century B.C. and was the basis for Josiah's reform (cf. 2 Kings 22:3-23:25), allegedly in the interests of a centralized cultus (cf. Commentary on Deut 12:4-14). That view in modified forms continues among negative critics; but some would suggest a post-Exilic date, and others trace the Deuteronomic legislation to the early monarchic and even pre-monarchic period. Significant for the dating of the several alleged documents of the Pentateuch is the tendency to explain the supposed conflict of their codes not by resort to a long chronological evolution but by positing different geographic - cultic sources for them. Deuteronomy, in particular, is then traced to a Shechemite sanctuary. Instead of associating Deuteronomy with the first four books of the Pentateuch, one modern approach thinks in terms of a Tetrateuch and of a Deuteronomic literary-historical tradition comprising all the books from Deuteronomy through 2 Kings.
Current orthodox Christian scholarship joins older Christian and Jewish tradition in accepting the plain claims of Deuteronomy itself to be the farewell, ceremonial addresses of Moses to the Israelite assembly in the plains of Moab. Deut 31:9 and 24 state that Moses wrote as well as spoke "the words of this law." Some theocratic officer, in all likelihood, completed the document by recording Moses' death (ch. 34) and probably Moses' witness song (ch. 32) and testament (ch. 33). Possibly he also added certain other brief skeletal elements to this legal document.
The unity and authenticity of Deuteronomy as a Mosaic product are confirmed by the remarkable conformity of its structure to that of the suzerainty type of covenant or treaty in its classic, mid-second millennium B.C. form. (See further below and consult Commentary for details. See also M. G. Kline, "Dynastic Covenant," WTJ, XXIII (Nov. 1960), 1, pp. 1-15.)
Historical Occasion. It is only within the framework of the administration of God's redemptive covenant that Deuteronomy can be adequately interpreted. The promises given to the patriarchs and finally and truly fulfilled in Christ had a provisional and typical fulfillment in the covenants mediated to Israel through Moses. In the Sinaitic Covenant the theocracy was established, with Moses as earthly representative of the Lord's kingship over Israel. Then, when the rebellious exodus generation had perished in the wilderness and Moses' own death was imminent, it was necessary to renew the covenant to the second generation. The central, decisive act of the ceremony was the consecration of the servant people by an oath to their divine Lord. In particular, God's reign as symbolically represented in the earthly, mediatorial dynasty must be confirmed by securing from Israel a commitment to obey Joshua as the successor to Moses in that dynasty.
Part of the standard procedure followed in the ancient Near East when great kings thus gave covenants to vassal peoples was the preparation of a text of the ceremony as the treaty document and witness. The book of Deuteronomy is the document prepared by Moses as a witness to the dynastic covenant which the Lord gave to Israel in the plains of Moab (cf. Deut 31:26).
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy
I.
Preamble: Covenant mediator. 1:1-5.
Preamble: Covenant mediator. 1:1-5.II.Historical prologue: Covenant history. 1:6-4:49.
Historical prologue: Covenant history. 1:6-4:49.A. From Horeb to Hormah. 1:6-2:1.B. Advance to the Arnon. 2:2-23.C. Conquest of Trans-Jordania. 2:24-3:29.D. Summary of the covenant. 4.III.Stipulations: Covenant life. 5:1-26:19.
Stipulations: Covenant life. 5:1-26:19.A. The Great Commandment. 5:1-11:32.1. God's covenant Lordship. 5.2. The principle of consecration. 6.3. The program of conquest. 7.4. The law of the manna. 8.5. The warning of the broken tablets. 9:1-10:11.6. A call to commitment. 10:12-11:32.B. Ancillary commandments. 12:1-26:19.1. Cultic-ceremonial consecration. 12:1-16:17.a. Allegiance to God's altar. 12.b. Resistance to apostasy. 13.c. Filial obligations. 14-15.d. Tributary pilgrimages. 16:1-17.2. Judicial-governmental righteousness. 16:18-21:23.a. Judges and God's altar. 16:18-17:13.b. Kings and God's covenant. 17:14-20.c. Priests and prophets. 18.d. Guarantees of justice. 19.e. Judgment of the nations. 20.f. Authority of sanctuary and home. 21.3. Sanctity of the divine order. 22:1-25:19.a. The ordinances of labor and marriage. 22.b. The congregation of the Lord. 23:1-18.c. Protection for the weak. 23:19-24:22.d. Sanctity of the individual. 25.4. Confession of God as Redeemer-King. 26.IV.Sanctions: Covenant ratification. 27:1-30:20.
Sanctions: Covenant ratification. 27:1-30:20.A. Ratification ceremony in Canaan. 27.B. Proclamation of the sanctions. 28:1-68.1. Blessings. 28:1-14.2. Curses. 28:15-68.C. Summons to the covenant oath. 29.D. Ultimate restoration. 30:1-10.E. Radical decision. 30:11-20.V.Dynastic disposition: Covenant continuity. 31:1-34:12.
Dynastic disposition: Covenant continuity. 31:1-34:12.A. Final arrangements. 31:1-29.B. The song of Witness. 31:30-32:47.C. Moses' testament. 32:48-33:29.D. Dynastic succession. 34.Deuteronomy
Bibliography (Commentary on Deuteronomy)
Driver, S. R. A. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Deuteronomy (International Critical Commentary). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1895.
Kiel, C. F. Commentary on the Pentateuch. Vol. III. Edinburgh: T. T. Clark, 1880; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, reprinted 1949.
Manley, G. T. The Book of the Law. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1957.
Reider, J. Deuteronomy. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1937.
Wright, G. E. "The Book of Deuteronomy," The Interpreter's Bible. Vol. 1. New York: Abingdon Press, 1953
Deuteronomy
I. Preamble: Covenant Mediator. 1:1-5.
Ancient suzerainty treaties began with a preamble in which the speaker, the one who was declaring his lordship and demanding the vassal's allegiance, identified himself. The Deuteronomic preamble identifies the speaker as Moses (v. 1 a), but Moses as the earthly, mediatorial representative of the Lord (v. 3 b), the heavenly Suzerain and ultimate Sovereign of this covenant.
Deuteronomy 1:1
These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
These are the words (v. 1 a, ASV). With this introductory formula the extra-biblical treaties began. The site of the covenant renewal ceremony to which Deuteronomy witnesses was the Jordan area in the land of Moab (vv. 1 a, 5 a; cf. Deut 4:44-46). The time was the last month of the fortieth year after the Exodus (v. 3 a), when the men of war of that generation had all perished (2:16), the conquest of Trans-Jordan was accomplished (v. 4; 2:24 ff.), and the time of Moses' death was at hand. It was especially this last circumstance that occasioned the renewal of the covenant. God secured the continuity of the mediatorial dynasty by requiring of Israel a pledge of obedience of his new appointee, Joshua (cf. 31:3; 34:9), and a new vow of consecration to himself. The ceremony is described as a declaration or exposition of this law (v. 5), since the stipulations occupied so central and extensive a place in suzerainty covenants. The location of this assembly is apparently further described in verse 2 b. Although the mention of otherwise unknown localities makes interpretation uncertain, the purpose of the notation in verses 1 b,2 seems to be to orient the Moab assembly historically as much as geographically by indicating that it lay at the end of the journey from Horeb via the Arabah wilderness. For Israel, the journey to Canaan by this route proved to be of forty years duration (v. 3), although the original route they followed to Paran was normally only an eleven-day trek (v. 2). At Paran, on the southern border of Canaan, however, Israel had rebelled, refusing to enter the land (Num 12:16 ff.), and so that generation was sentenced to die in the wilderness. Now their children had arrived via the Arabah route from "Suph" (presumably the Gulf of Aqabah) for an eastern approach to Canaan through the land of Moab. Both the direction of approach to Canaan and the length of the wanderings spoke of a history of covenant breaking and of postponed inheritance. There is, thus, an interesting contrast between the preamble's look south from Moab into the past of failure and curse and Moses' closing look north from Moab into Israel's future of fulfillment and blessing (Deut 34:1-4).
II. Historical Prologue: Covenant History. 1:6-4:49.
The preamble in the international suzerainty treaties was followed by a historical survey of the relationship of lord and vassal. It was written in an I-thou style, and it sought to establish the historical justification for the lord's continuing reign. Benefits allegedly conferred upon the vassal by the lord were cited, with a view to grounding the vassal's allegiance in a sense of gratitude complementary to the sense of fear which the preamble's awe-inspiring identification of the suzerain was calculated to produce. When treaties were renewed, the historical prologue was brought up to date. All these formal features characterize Deut 1:6-4:49.
The historical prologue of the Sinaitic Covenant had referred to the deliverance from Egypt (Ex 20:2 b). Deuteronomy begins at the scene of the Sinaitic Covenant and continues the history up to the covenant renewal assembly in Moab, emphasizing the recent Trans-Jordanian victories. When, still later, Joshua again renewed the covenant to Israel, he continued the narrative in his historical prologue through the events of his own leadership of Israel, the conquest and settlement in Caanan (Josh 24:2-13).
A. From Horeb to Hormah. 1:6-2:1.
Deuteronomy 1:6-8
The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:
By the end of a year's encampment in the Sinai area, where the convenant was ratified and the Tabernacle established as God's dwelling in Israel, the time had come for the next decisive step in the fulfillment of the promises made to the fathers (vv. 6,8 b). The initiative in the advance against the land of promised possession was provided by the Lord's command, Go in and possess the land (v. 8; cf. Num 10:11-13). On verse 7 b, see Gen 15:18 ff.
Deuteronomy 1:9-18
And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
With the hour of his death at hand, Moses was concerned to confirm the authority of those who must bear the burden of rule after him. Of primary importance was the succession of Joshua, to which he would presently refer (Deut 1:38; 3:21,28), but now Moses reminded Israel of the authorization of other judicial officers. For the original account, see (Ex 18:13 ff.). 10. As the stars of heaven. The very circumstance that gave rise to the need for these judical assistants to Moses, namely, the multiplication of Abraham's seed, was itself evidence of the Lord's faithfulness in fulfilling his promises (Gen 12:2; 15:5; etc.), and thus afforded encouragement to Israel to advance in faith to take possession of Canaan (cf. Deut 1:7-8). God's faithful mediator, reflecting the goodness of the Lord, prayed for the full realization of all the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant (v. 11). 17. For the judgment is God's. This reason for righteous administration of justice was at the same time a reminder of the theocratic nature of the Israelite kingdom, a reminder that God was the Lord who was making covenant anew with them that day.
Deuteronomy 1:19-40
And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.
Over against the convenant faithfulness of the Lord (cf. 6-18) there had been the infidelity and disobedience of Israel. The fact that the Lord was renewing his covenant against this background of the vassal's past rebellions further magnified his grace and goodness (cf. introductory comments on II. Historical Prologue). The particular sin of the people of Israel recalled on the eve of their conquest of Canaan was their refusal to advance into Canaan when they were first commanded to do so, some thirty-eight years earlier. For the original account, see Numbers 13; 14.
At that time Israel's approach to Canaan was from the south (Deut 1:19). Moses clearly advised them that Canaan was theirs for the taking (vv. 20,21; cf. 7,8; Gen 15:16); yet when so ordered by the Lord (cf. Num 13:1 ff.), he consented to Israel's strategy of reconnaissance before attack (Deut 1:22-25). 26,27 a, Ye rebelled ... And ye murmured. Israel's response to the report of the spies was one of faithless fear and refusal to advance. 27 b. He hath brought us forth ... to destroy us. Israel's perversity went to the extreme of interpreting their election as an expression of God's hatred of them; he had delivered them from the Egyptians only that the Canaanites might kill them! 29-33. They could not be dissuaded - ye did not believe (v. 32) - from their open revolt against the Lord's covenant program by all Moses' pleas and assurances of God's fatherly and supernatural help, such as they had experienced in Egypt and in the wilderness.
34. The Lord heard ... and was wroth. Their unbelief provoked the divine verdict, sealed by an oath, sentencing them to exile from the homeland which they had refused to enter (v. 35), exile unto death in the wilderness (v. 40). 36-38. Save Caleb.... Joshua. In the announcement of judgment there was a manifestation of God's covenant mercy, for not only the godly spies Caleb and Joshua were to be spared to enter Canaan at a later day, but the whole second generation of Israel as well (v. 39). Therein lay the promise of a gracious new beginning - now being fulfilled in the Deuteronomic covenant renewal. 37. The Lord was angry with me. Israel's rebelliousness became the occasion for a failure on Moses' part to fulfill properly his calling as a type of the messsianic mediator who is always submissive to the Father's will (cf. Deut 3:26; 4:21; 32:50 ff.). That happened at the return to Kadesh after the thirty-eight years of wandering (cf. Num 20:1 ff.), but it is mentioned here because its consequence was the exclusion of Moses along with the older generation from Canaan (cf. v. 35). It was this that necessitated the appointment of Joshua as heir to the mediatorial dynasty-Joshua "shall go in thither" (v. 38) - to lead the spared little ones (v. 39) into Canaan.
Deut 1:41-2:1. After the people of Israel had capped their revolt against the Lord's will with a presumptuous and disastrous assault on Canaan, in the vain hope of escaping God's verdict against them (1:41-44; cf. Num 14:40 ff.), they remained a while in Kadesh (Deut 1:46). Then, as God had commanded (1:40; cf. Num 14:25), they wandered unto their wilderness graves (Deut 2:1 a). So the time was spent in the area to the southwest of the Edomites until the fortieth year (2:1 b; cf. 2:14-16).
B. Advance to the Arnon. 2:2-23.
Deuteronomy 2:2-8
And the LORD spake unto me, saying,
Cf. Num 20:14-21. 3 b. Turn you northward. The divine mandate to advance on Canaan given a generation earlier (cf. Deut 2:14-16) was now repeated. On the route, apparently around the north of Edom and across the way of the Arabah which leads from the Gulf of Aqabah to the Dead Sea, see Num 20:21 ff.; 21:1-12; 33:36-44. Uncertainty as to the route arises from our inability to identify many of the sites, but it is not probable that Deut 2:8 or Num 21:4 suggests a southern detour as far as the Gulf of Aqabah as part of a circuit of Mount Seir. 4. They shall be afraid of you. Esau's fear of Israel (contrast Gen 32:3 ff.) was displayed by his blocking entry into Seir (Num 20:20). 5. Do not contend with them (RSV). The struggle for the birthright was long since settled; Canaan was Jacob's. Nevertheless, Esau had his possession, too, in Mount Seir (cf. Gen 36), and Israel was forbidden to contend for it. (See Deut 23:7-8 for the relatively privileged position of the Edomites in Israel's assembly.) When the policy dictated by the Lord was followed, the Edomites refused passage through their land, thus compelling Israel to make a circuit about their borders (v. 8; cf. Num 20:14 ff.). The Numbers passage does not say that the Edomites refused to sell provisions to the Israelites once it was clear that Israel was content to go around Edom. Moreover, Deut 2:6 and 29 do not clearly state that Edom did sell provisions to Israel. For even 2:29 a possibly refers only to the last clause in verse 28 (cf. 2:29 b with 23:3-4). Hence there is no contradiction between Numbers and Deuteronomy on this matter. 7. Thou hast lacked nothing. This verse is one more reminder of God's past benevolences bestowed on Israel even during the execution of his judgment of exile (cf., e.g., 32:1).
Deuteronomy 2:9-37
And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.
Israel came into contact next with the descendants of Abraham's nephew Lot, the Moabites and Ammonites (Gen 19:37-38). 9. Distress not the Moabites. Though these groups did not enjoy the Edomites' privilege of entrance into Israel's assembly (Deut 23:3 ff.), they too had possessions for which Israel was not to contend (cf. 5,19). Each nation had dispossessed a tall Anakim-like people usually known as Rephaim, but called Emim by the Moabites (vv. 10,11) and Zamzummim by the Ammonites (vv. 20,21; cf. Gen 14:5). The tribe of Anak is mentioned in Egyptian execration texts and the Rephaim in Ugaritic administrative texts. 12. The Horites ... dwelt in Seir beforetime. In connection with the territorial acquisitions of each nation, it is noted that similarly the Lord had dispossed the earlier Horite (i.e., Hurrian) population of Seir in favor of the Edomites (cf. 5 b,22). Also, in each case one further comparison is made; respectively, the Lord's bestowal of an inheritance on Israel (v. 12 b) and the dispossession of the Avvim by the Caphtorim (v. 23). If the notice concerning Israel's inheritance was not appended by some unnamed official, like the one who evidently completed the Deuteronomic document after Moses' death, then it doubtless refers to the conquest of Trans-Jordan.
By all these historical notices the covenant servant Israel was advised that the Lord had a hegemony over the territory about the promised land. In his all-controlling providence he had repeatedly dispossessed great nations - even the Anakim, whose presence in Canaan had frightened Israel into rebellion against the Lord a generation before (cf. Deut 1:28; 2:14-15). And the Lord had done this in behalf of various peoples who enjoyed no such special status of covenant calling as elect Israel enjoyed. With what confidence, therefore, Israel might obey the Lord's summons to rise up (v. 13) and cross the mountain torrents of Zered and Arnon (v. 24), and soon the Jordan (cf. Josh 1:2). See Amos 9:7 for another lesson drawn from such historical data. The Zered marked the southern boundary of Moab, along whose eastern border Israel went, so approaching the frontiers of Ammon, which lay east and north of Moab (Deut 2:18-19; cf. 8 b; Num 21:11 ff.).
C. Conquest of Trans-Jordan. 2:24-3:29.
Across the Arnon (Deut 2:24), Moab's northern boundary, Israel would encounter Amorites. Sihon the Amorite ruled from the Arnon to the Jabbok (2:36; cf. Num 21:24), with his capital at Heshbon (Deut 2:26), and Og the Amorite (cf. 3:8) ruled from the Jabbok over northern Gilead and Bashan to Mount Hermon (3:4,8-10; cf. 3:13; 12:5). The Amorites were protected by no such inviolability as the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites. The fact that an offer of peace was made to Sihon (Deut 2:26) indicates that his land in Trans-Jordania (which had earlier belonged to the Moabites and Ammonites; cf. Josh 13:25; 21:26; Judg 11:13) was not a part of Israel's promised land proper (cf. Deut 20:10). But his people, as a people of Canaan, fell under the (herem) principle (see on 7:1-5; cf. 2:33-35; 3:6; 7:2,16; 20:14-17).
It was indeed the time when the Amorites should have ripened for judgment, which had been set as the hour for Israel's conquest of Canaan (cf. Gen 15:16). With the spread of these Amorites across the Jordan, there was a corresponding extension of the territory that would fall into Israel's possession by conquest. Therefore, a new divine order met Israel at the Arnon: Begin to take possession and contend (v. 24, RSV); and a new divine promise; This day will I begin to put the dread of thee ... upon the nations (v. 25). The process of Sihon's fall was much the same as that of the fall of Amenophis II, the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Each was approached with a request to favor the Israelites (vv. 26-29), which he refused, because the Lord ... hardened his spirit (v. 30). Each made a hostile advance against Israel (v. 32) and suffered defeat, as the Lord fought for His people (vv. 31,33 ff.). (On Deut 2:29, see comments on 2:2-8.) The upper course of the Jabbok to the east ran north and south, separating Sihon's kingdom from the Ammonites (2:37) 36. The Lord ... delivered all unto us. In this victory, the beginning of the dispossession of the Amorites, there were demonstrated the irresistible power and absolute authority of the Lord's dominion exercised over and in behalf of Israel. For the original account of the conquest of Sihon, see Num 21:21 ff.; for the conquest of Og, see Num 21:33 ff. 3:2. I will deliver him ... into thy hand. The advance against Og was also at God's command, accompanied by his promise of success (cf. Deut 2:24-25); and victory was again the gift of the Lord (3:3). 5. Fortified with high walls (ASV). The height of the enemy's fortifications was not to arouse fear in the armies of the Lord, nor the size of their king (v. 11; cf. 2:11,20). Deut 3:8-11 summarizes the fruits of Israel's victories at Jahaz (2:32) and Edrei (3:1).
Deuteronomy 3:12-20
And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites.
It was given to Moses to see both the beginning of the conquest under his leadership and also the distribution of the tribal allotments. For this latter event, see Numbers 32. 12. This land ... gave I unto the Reubenites and ... Gadites. The tribes of Reuben and Gad took the initiative in requesting the newly conquered land. But when Moses granted the request, he took account of particular triumphs gained in the north by the Manassite families of Machir, Jair, and Nobah (v. 14; cf. Num 32:39-42). To this half tribe of Manasseh was given the territory of Og, i.e., Gilead north from the Jabbok and Bashan (Deut 3:13,15; cf. Josh 13:29-31). To Reuben and Gad was given Sihon's land from the Jabbok in Gilead south to the Arnon, the tribe of Gad being located north of Reuben, with their boundary just above the Dead Sea. Gad also received the Jordan Valley as far as the Sea of Chinereth (see Deut 3:12,16-17; cf. Josh 13:15-28). 18. Ye shall pass over armed. The strict condition laid upon the two and a half tribes inheriting land outside of Canaan was that they must first fulfill their responsible share in the conquest of Canaan (Num 32:6-32). Moses' intense concern for this matter emerges again here in the Deuteronomic treaty (vv. 18-20).
Deuteronomy 3:21-29
And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest.
Except for the convenant renewal ceremony itself, the conquest and distribution of the land beyond Jordan eastward brought Moses' work there to an end. 24. Thou hast begun to shew ... thy mighty hand. In these achievements the servant of God had witnessed the earnest of Israel's entrance upon its inheritance. But much as he longed to see the fulfillment of God's promises in Canaan itself - let me go over (v. 25)-, he was not permitted to pass over the Jordan but only to look across it (v. 27; cf. Num 27:12 ff.; Deut 34:1 ff.). On 3:26, see 1:37; 4:21-22. Moses' final duty, therefore, was to charge the people to conquer in the name of the Lord (v. 22) and to commission Joshua to lead them in that conquest (vv. 21,28; cf. Num 27:18-23; Deut 1:38; 31:7-8,14,23). The reference to Beth-peor in the identification of the site of these final acts of Moses (Deut 3:29; cf. 4:46) recalls other events that transpired during Israel's encampment there (cf. Num 22-25).
D. Summary of the Covenant. 4:1-49.
The historical prologue closes with exhortation. This is transitional to the following section on the obligations of the covenant relationship. The summons to obedience sounded here is briefly echoed in paragraphs that introduce significant divisions within the stipulations (see Deut 5:1; 6:1; 12:1). Deutronomy 4 is remarkable in that it embodies, to some extent, all the features which constitute the documentary pattern of ancient suzerainty treaties. Thus, there are: (1) the identification of the author of the covenant as speaker (vv. 1,2,5,10); (2) references to past historical relations; (3) the presentation of the central demand for pure devotion to the suzerain; (4) appeal to the sanctions of blessing and curse; (5) invocation of witnesses (v. 26); (6) the requirement to transmit the knowledge of the covenant to subsequent generations (vv. 9,10); and (7) allusion to the dynastic issue (vv. 21,22). This mingling of the several leading aspects of covenant institution found here and elsewhere throughout the book is explained by the origin of the material in the free oratory of Moses' farewell. Deuteronomy is not a document prepared in the state office with dispassionate adherence to legal form.
Deuteronomy 4:1
Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.
Verses 1-8 present a call to wisdom. The statutes that Moses taught Israel were a revelation of the will of God (v. 5). 2. Ye shall not add ... neither ... diminish ought. God's laws must not suffer amendment or abridgment through human legislation ( cf. Deut 12:32; Rev 22:18 ff.). Man's whole obligation is to heed, and to the obedient Israelities was given the promise of life and rich inheritance - that ye may live, and ... possess the land (v. 1). The fact that, ultimately, piety and prosperity will be united is foreshadowed in the history of the Israelite theocracy, for it symbolizes God's consummate kingdom. Illustrative of this fact was God's recent judgment on Israel for her involvement in the idolatry of the Baal of Peor (v. 3; Num 25:1-9); for those who proved faithful in that temptation were spared the plague of death (Deut 4:4). Understandably, then, obedience to God's law is identified as true wisdom. 7,8. God so nigh.... statutes ... so righteous. Obedience is the way to the enjoyment of the supreme blessings of the covenant - the nearness of God in saving power, and the knowledge of true righteousness. This light revealed in Israel has indeed become the light of the Gentiles (v. 6 b). In this exposition of the way of the covenant as the way of wisdom, the foundation was laid in the Torah for the Wisdom literature which was afterwards to find its place in the sacred canon.
In verses 9-31 the folly of idolatry is declared. As Moses confronted the new generation with the challenge to reaffirm the allegiance their fathers had pledged at Sinai, he was vividly mindful of the fathers' sin of the golden calf, by which they had violated the covenant almost immediately after it had been sealed (cf. Deut 9:7 ff.; Ex 32). He therefore stressed the prohibition contained in the second commandment as he contrasted to the way of wisdom and life (Deut 4:1-8) the way of folly and destruction.
Deuteronomy 4:10-40
Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.
I will make them hear my words. At Horeb God had revealed to Israel the manner of true worship. That revelation was contained in the covenant which was first orally communicated and then inscribed on the two tables. The preparation of duplicate documents, one for the suzerain and one for the vassal, was the regular procedure in ratifying suzerainty treaties. The fact that the contents of the tables are called the "ten commandments" as well as "covenant" points to the nature of the covenant as a declaration of God's lordship. 12. The Lord spake ... out of ... the fire (see also v. 15). The manner of true worship was also revealed by the very nature of the theophany. For though a voice was heard declaring the words of the covenant, no form of God was seen but only the devouring fire of God's glory. The visible symbols of God's self-revelation thus re-enforced the prohibition of the second commandment.
Israel was to beware of the idolatry of worshiping the work of men's hands - a graven image (vv. 16-18,23; cf. Deut 5:8) - but also that of worshiping the work of God's hands, the host of heaven (v. 19). The worship of the visible and creaturely was characteristic of the Gentile nations whom God had abandoned to their perverse folly (v. 19 b; cf. 29:26; Rom 1:21 ff.). 20. To be ... a people of inheritance. For Israel to turn aside into idolatry was to prefer the lot of reprobation to her divine election as God's own redeemed and exclusive possession (see also Deut 7:6; 14:2), an exclusive privilege which required an exclusive service and devotion. 23. Take heed unto yourselves. Prophetically Moses warned that prolonged enjoyment of the blessings of Canaan, blessings denied even to him (vv. 21,22 a), would produce the forgetfulness of old age (v. 25; cf. v. 9). Let the Israelites, therefore, recall that the God to whom they had sworn allegiance at Sinai appeared there as a consuming fire (v. 24). If provoked to jealousy by idolatry, he would visit the covenant curses on such folly. And what greater curse than to abandon the repudiators of divine election to the vanity of the idolatry they preferred and to the community of men of like reprobate mind and destiny? (vv. 27,28; 28:64 ff.). 29-31. Thou shalt find him, if thou seek him. Nevertheless, God's covenant is one of salvation, and its fulfillment is guaranteed by the oath of God to the patriarchs. Hence, after Israel's folly and judgment God would grant repentance so that beyond the curse of exile there might arise the blessings of restoration (cf. 30:1 ff.).
Verses 32-40 present evidences of true religion. The identity of the Lord as God alone - none else beside him (v. 35) -, sovereign Creator of heaven and earth, was evidenced by his wondrous self-revelations in theophany and redemptive miracle (vv. 35,39 cf. Ex 10:2). 32. Ask ... whether there hath been any such thing. His glorious acts at Horeb and in Egypt were signs without parallel; no idol of the nations ever thus identified itself. If the purpose of Israel's calling was to bring the people to reverent fear (v. 36) and knowledge of the Lord as God (vv. 35,39), the source of that calling was found in God's free grace (cf. Deut 9:5). 37,38. Because he loved thy fathers. Moses traced the deliverance from Egypt and the inheritance of the promised rest (earnest of which was the occupation of Trans-Jordan) to God's sovereign love of the patriarchs, first of all, of Abraham. 39. The Lord he is God. Moses further pointed to the totality of past miraculous mercies and the sanction of the covenant's future hope (v. 40) as reasons for conscientious reckoning with the claims of the Lord's exclusive deity.
Deuteronomy 4:41-43
Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;
As part of the historical prologue of the Deuteronomic treaty, the most recent significant event in God's gracious government of Israel is here cited. In obedience to God's direction (cf. Num 35:1,14), Moses appointed three cities of refuge in Israel's Trans-Jordanian inheritance, one each in the southern, central, and northern sectors (cf. Deut 19:1-13).
Deuteronomy 4:44-49
And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:
This passage is transitional. As a summary of the Trans-Jordanian conquests (vv. 46 b-49 cf. Deut 2:32-36; 3:1-17), it serves as a conclusion to the historical prologue. But it is also immediately introductory to the stipulations (vv. 44-46 a). The scene of the covenant ceremony and Moses' farewell is precisely set (cf. 1:3-5; 3:29). 46. When they came forth out of Egypt ASV marks the transaction as belonging to the Mosaic era of prolonged journeying from Egypt to the Jordan. The ratifying of this covenant was to be finally concluded in the new era when Israel entered into Canaan under Joshua (cf. 11:29 ff.; 27).
III. Stipulations: Covenant Life. 5:1-26:19.
When suzerainty treaties were renewed, the stipulations, which constituted the long and crucial central section of the covenant, were repeated but with modifications, especially such as were necessary to meet the changing situation. So Moses rehearsed and reformulated the requirements promulgated in the Sinaitic Covenant. Furthermore, just as treaty stipulations customarily began with the fundamental and general demand for the vassal's absolute allegiance to the suzerain, and then proceeded to various specific requirements, so Moses now confronted Israel with the primary demand for consecration to the Lord (vv. 5-11) and then with the ancillary stipulations of covenant life (vv. 12-26).
A. The Great Commandment. 5:1-11:32.
The covenant's first and great commandment, the requirement of perfect consecration to the Lord, is enunciated in chapters 5-7, and enforced by divine claims and sanctions in chapters 8-11. These subject divisions are not, however, rigid; the exhortative strand is pervasive. Analyzed in somewhat more detail, this section develops the theme of the great commandment as follows: the Lord's existing claims upon Israel (ch. 5); the challenge of God's exclusive lordship over Israel, expressed as a principle (ch. 6) and a program (ch. 7); warnings against the temptation to autonomy, whether in the form of the spirit of self-sufficiency (ch. 8) or of self-righteousness (Deut 9:1-10:11); a call to true allegiance (10:12-11:32).
1) God's Covenant Lordship. 5:1-33.
Deuteronomy 5:1
And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.
Verse 1. Hear ... learn ... keep, and do. This chapter opens and closes (vv. 32,33) with a charge to follow carefully the divine stipulations of the covenant which was in process of solemnization.
Deuteronomy 5:2-5
The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
The commitment to which Israel was summoned was to be a renewal of the covenant relationship to the Lord which already obtained. Forty years earlier, at Sinai, God had by covenant ceremony established Israel as his theocratic people (v. 2). That was done in faithfulness to his earlier promises to the patriarchs. 3. Not ... with our fathers, but with us. The patriarchal "fathers" (cf. Deut 4:31,37; 7:8,12; 8:18) had died without receiving the promises. But the present generation, with whom the Sinaitic Covenant was established as well as with the older generation that perished in the wilderness (cf. 11:2), was privileged to see the promised kingdom realized. 5. I stood between the Lord and you. At Sinai, as now, Moses was the mediator between God and Israel, an office the more needful because of Israel's fear of face-to-face confrontation with the fiery theophany (cf. 4:12). If the reporting role of Moses described here does not refer to revelations given after the promulgation of the Decalogue, then statements found elsewhere to the effect that Israel heard God declare the Decalogue (e.g., 4:12; 19:9; 20:19) would mean that God's voice was audible but his words were indiscernible to Israel. However, verse 5 is more likely proleptic, like 22 b.
Deuteronomy 5:6-22
I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
(Heb. Bible 6-18). From the fact of the Sinaitic Covenant Moses proceeds to its documentary content as inscribed on the duplicate tables (cf. comments on Deut 4:13). While continuing the thought that Israel was already covenantly bound to the Lord, this achieves the additional purpose of incorporating the comprehensive summary of permanent covenant law into the stipulations section of the Deuteronomic renewal document. The Decalogue, being itself not simply a moral code but the text of a covenant, exhibits the treaty pattern as follows: preamble (v. 6 a), historical prologue (v. 6 b), and stipulations interspersed with curse and blessing formulae (vv. 7-21). 12. Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it. Most significant of the variations from the form of the Decalogue as presented in Ex 20:2-17 is the new formulation of the fourth "word" or commandment. The sabbatic cycle of life symbolizes the consummation principle characteristic of divine action. God works, accomplishes his purpose, and, rejoicing, rests. Ex 20:11 refers to the exhibition of the consummation pattern in creation for the original model of the Sabbath. Deut 5:15 refers to the consummation pattern manifested in redemption, where the divine triumph is such as to bring God's elect to their rest also. Most appropriately, therefore, was the Sabbath appointed as a sign of God's covenant with the people he redeemed from the bondage of Egypt to inherit the rest of Canaan (cf. Ex 31:13-17). The New Testament's association of the Sabbath with the Saviour's resurrection triumph, by which his redeemed, with him, attain to eternal rest, corresponds to the Deuteronomic interpretation of the Sabbath in terms of the progress of God's redemptive purpose.
Other notable Deuteronomic variations in the Decalogue are the reversal of the order of wife and house in the tenth commandment, and the addition there of his field (Deut 5:21). The latter is added because Israel was about to enter upon a settled existence in the land, whereas during the wilderness wanderings such legislation would have been irrelevant. This is a good example of the kind of legislative modification found in ancient secular renewal treaties. 22. These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly. The uniqueness of the revelation of the ten "words" is underscored in this verse. That revelation alone was spoken directly by God to all Israel; it alone was written by God.
Deuteronomy 5:23-27
And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;
(Heb. Bible 20-24). Continuing the account of the covenant-making at Sinai, Moses reminded the people of Israel of their former vow to obey God's voice (cf. Ex 20:18-21). Indeed, such had been their fear of God in the presence of his glory that they desired Moses to receive the further revelations of the divine voice for them - Go thou near, and hear (Deut 5:27). Such reluctance to experience the presence of God is a far cry from man's original delight in communion with his Creator in the Garden. And therein is exposed the exceeding cursedness of the curse upon sin. There are, of course, ultimate limits to man's qualifications for the vision of God (cf. Ex 33:20). But even though, within those limits, redemptive grace makes possible the enjoyment of a vision of God, fallen man regards the experience as a threat to his life (e.g., Gen 32:30; Judg 6:22-23). In God's holy presence at Sinai, the Israelites were so keenly conscious of their defilement that they feared to venture further with their unique privilege (cf. Deut 4:33). Nevertheless, their fear was godly, for they acknowledged the God who appeared so terribly on the mount as their God, and committed themselves to do his will.
Deuteronomy 5:28-33
And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken.
(Heb. Bible 25-30). What more stirring memories could Moses have evoked in anticipation of his concluding exhortation to walk in the way of the Lord and of life (vv. 32,33) than these: (1) God's approbation of Israel's previous vow - they have well said (v. 28); (2) his fatherly yearning that when the Sinaitic theophany should have ceased, the reverent devotion it had inspired might continue and thus it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! (v. 29) This response of the Lord supplements the record of Ex 20.
In chapter 6 the principle of exclusive devotion to the Lord is enunciated, and with it the corollary prohibition of allegiance to alien deities. Then in chapter 7 the program of conquest is announced for the elimination of foreign gods and their people from the domain of Canaan, the land chosen by the Lord as an earthly type of his eternal and universal kingdom.
2) The Principle of Consecration. 6:1-25.
Deuteronomy 6:1-3
Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
Verse 1-3. The commandments about to be given were the divinely dictated law for the theocratic kingdom as it was soon to be erected in the new paradise land of milk and honey. 3. That it may be well with thee. Israel's continued enjoyment of a habitation in God's land, like Adam's continued enjoyment of the original paradise, depended on continued fidelity to the Lord. Certain important distinctions are necessary in making such a comparison. Flawless obedience was the condition of Adam's continuance in the Garden; but Israel's tenure in Canaan was contingent on the maintenance of a measure of religious loyalty, which needed not be comprehensive of all Israel nor perfect even in those who were the true Israel. There was a freedom in God's exercise or restraint of judgment, a freedom originating in the underlying principle of sovereign grace in his rule over Israel. Nevertheless, God did so dispense his judgment that the interests of the typical-symbolical message of Israel's history were preserved. (See further the comments on chs. 27-30).
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
4. The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. This confession (various translations of which are grammatically possible) seems best understood as equivalent to the declarations of monotheism in Deut 4:35 and 32:39 (cf. 1 Chron 29:1). "For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) but to us there is but one God, the Father ... and one Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 8:5-6). God is unique; deity is confined to him exclusively. To him alone were the people of Israel to submit in religious covenant, and him they were to serve in the totality of their being, with the intensity of love (Deut 6:5). God's demand of this exclusive and intensive devotion to himself Jesus called "the first and great commandment" (Matt 22:37-38; Mark 12:29-30; cf. Luke 10:25-28). It is the heart principle of all the covenant stipulations. 6. These words ... shall be in thine heart. The past mercies of God rehearsed in the historical prologue would prompt such love, and the love would reveal itself in reverent obedience to all God's particular commandments (cf. Deut 11:1,22; 19:9; 30:16; John 14:15). These verses are thus the text for all that follows. 7 a. Thou shalt teach them ... unto thy children. The family character of covenant administration requires that the children be brought under the government of the stipulations (cf. 20 ff.). Day and night the godly are to meditate on God's law (vv. 7 b-9; cf. Ps 1:2). Moses was not here making ceremonial requirements, but elaborating with concrete figures the demand for a constant focus of concern on the good pleasure of Israel's Lord. 9. Posts ... gates. These words reflect architectural custom in the world of Moses' day. For the figurative use of such language, see Ex 13:9,16. A literal practice of the injunctions of Deut 6:8-9 came into vogue among later Jews in the form of the phylacteries worn on the person (cf. Matt 23:5) and the mezuzah affixed over the doorpost.
Deuteronomy 6:10-19
And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
The constant corollary of the demand for loyalty in ancient suzerainty treaties was the prohibition of allegiance to any and all other lords. In Canaan the temptation to idolatry would be fierce, since the claim made for the gods of that region was that they were the bestowers of fertility and abundance in the land. Such is human perversity that Israel, satisfied with the material plenty of a plundered culture, would be inclined to honor the claims of their victims' idols and forget the claims of the Lord who had saved from Egypt and given victory in Canaan (vv. 10-12). 13. Swear by his name. Such swearing constituted a renewal of the oath of allegiance which ratified the covenant and invoked God as the deity who avenged perfidy. 14. Ye shall not go after other gods. Thus God explicitly forbade entanglement with the gods of Canaan. He would indeed jealously guard the honor of his name (v. 15). 16. Ye shall not tempt the Lord. Israel must not, therefore, presume to put God on trial, as at Massah (cf. Ex 17:7), seeking proof of his presence and his power to visit on them the covenant sanctions, whether blessing or curse. Let Israel rather be faithful, and God would faithfully fulfill his good promises (vv. 17-19; cf. v. 10).
Deuteronomy 6:20-25
And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?
Seeing generations come and go had lengthened Moses' perspective. His interest was not confined to the present assembly of Israel but took in the long future of God's kingdom (cf. v. 2). 20. When thy son asketh. Crucial to the well-being of the theocracy would be the faithful nuture of the children in the message of God's redemptive actions and purposes for his people. 24. For our good always. In particular, God's giving of the Law furthered the purposes of mercy by revealing the path of righteousness, to follow which would lead to divine favor and blessing. 25. It shall be our righteousness. This verse does not present a works principle of salvation. The stress falls on the function of law as disclosing the standard of conduct which is righteous in God's sight, a love for which is prerequisite to beatitude but not the meritorious ground of such a state.
3) The Program of Conquest. 7:1-26.
In the Book of the Covenant produced at Sinai there was promulgated a program of conquest and extermination against the Canaanite people and cultus (cf. Ex 23:20-33; 34:11-16). Thereby the ancient prophecy in which Noah pronounced Canaan accursed and the servant of Shem (Gen 9:25-26; cf. Gen 10:15-18; Ex 23:23) would be fulfilled (see, too, Gen 15:16-21). The hour of divine judgment having come, Moses now charged Israel with the execution of that program. Everybody and everything in Canaan that was consecrated to idols rather than to the service of God must be consecrated to the wrath of God.
Deuteronomy 7:1-5
When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
Verse 1-5. Seven nations (cf. Josh 3:10; 24:11). In such lists elsewhere the number varies from three to ten. The "seven" specified here possibly is a figure for completeness. 2. The Hebrew root (hrm), translated utterly destroy in the major English versions, means primarily (devote) and hence "ban" and "extirpate." The (herem) principle comes to full and final manifestation in the judgments of hell.
Some people take offense at God's command to Israel to exterminate the Canaanites, as though it represented sub-Christian ethics. Actually, they are taking offense at the theology and religion of the Bible as a whole. The New Testament, as well as the Old, warns men concerning the realm of the everlasting ban, where the reprobates, devoted to wrath, must magnify the justice of the God whom they have hated. Since the OT theocracy in Canaan was a divinely appointed symbol of the consummate kingdom of God, there is found in connection with it an intrusive anticipation of the ethical pattern that will obtain at the final judgment and beyond.
Moreover, the extermination of the Canaanites and their cultic installations (destroy their altars ... burn their ... images; v. 5) was necessary if Israel's calling to positive consecration to God in living service was to be fulfilled. For, because of Israel's frailty, the proximity of the Canaanites would lead to the dissolution of Israel's spiritual distinctiveness (v. 3), to foreign and idolatrous allegiances (v. 4 a), and hence to Israel's own destruction (4 b). The program of conquest (ch. 7) is thus a consistent application of the principle of consecration (ch. 6; esp. Deut 6:12-15).
Deuteronomy 7:6-16
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
The purposes of Israel's election which were to be protected by the elimination of the Canaanites are here elaborated. 6. Chosen ... to be a special people. This recalls Ex 19:5-6, the classic formulation of the unique theocratic status for which Israel was chosen. High calling is attended by temptation to boasting (cf. Moses' concern with this problem in chs. 8-10). Therefore, Israel was reminded to glory only in the name of God. 8. Because the Lord loved you. In his sovereign love and faithfulness alone was to be found the explanation of Israel's election (Deut 4:37), certainly not in the nation's size. For God chose their father Abraham, being only one, and the family of Jacob, which descended into Egypt as only some seventy souls (7:7; cf. 10:22). It followed from the sovereignty of God's grace that Israel had no claims upon him that might encourage carelessness with respect to his covenant demands and sanctions. 9. Keepeth covenant ... to a thousand generations. Alluding to the sanction formulae which are affixed to the second commandment, Moses declared that though unmerited grace would be continued to the thousandth generation (5:10), apostate despisers of grace and holiness would discover that the covenant curses were not idle threats (7:9-11). 12. The Lord ... shall keep ... covenant. The faithful might be confident that the covenant blessings were not empty promises (vv. 12-15; cf. Gen 12:2-3; Ex 23:22-31). The God of Israel, the Creator, not Baal, was the bestower of fertility in field, flock, and family (Deut 7:13-14). 15. The Lord will take away ... all sickness. It was the Lord who had subjected man to nature's curse for his sin, and he could therefore deliver the Israelites from Egypt's notorious diseases (e.g., elephantiasis, dysentery, and ophthalmia) just as he had rescued them from Egypt's infamous Pharaoh (v. 15; cf. v. 8; Ex 15:26). Verse 16 summarizes, repeating the command and its purpose.
Deuteronomy 7:17-26
If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
Though in respect to the privileges of election the Israelites were tempted to vanity, in the face of the responsibility of their commission they would be tempted to timidity (v. 17; cf. Num 13:31 ff.). 18,19 a. Thou shalt not be afraid. In answer to any such rising fears Moses reminded them of that wondrous experience in Egypt during their youth when by mighty signs their God saved them. He assured them that this same terrible God was still in their midst to war in their behalf against the Canaanite kings (vv. 19 b-24). Whom then should they fear? 20. The hornet (cf. Ex 23:28; Josh 24:12) is not here a symbol for Pharaoh's power, even though it be so in Egyptian usage. It is, rather, a figure for the terror of God, which, descending on Israel's foes, would produce panic and rout (cf. Deut 7:23). The fact that certain species of hornets in Palestine build nests underground and in rock crevices suggests the appropriateness of the figure to the destruction of Canaanites in hiding. Some would translate (sir` a) not "hornet" but "discouragement." 22. Will put out ... by little and little. Cf. Ex 23:29-30; Judg 2:20-23; 3:1-2. God's gradual dispossessing of the Canaanites, designed for Israel's good, was suspended after Israel's post-Joshuan apostasy, as a chastisement. 24. Thou shalt destroy their name. Reassuring promise turns into renewed imperative in verses 24 b-26 (cf. v. 5). To appropriate that which had fallen under God's ban would be to forfeit the status of covenant favor and place oneself under the divine anathema (cf. Josh 7).
Chapters 8-11 set forth the truth that absolute allegiance to the Lord (Deut 6:4 ff.) meant not only that the Israelites must refrain from simultaneous service to any other god (6:12 ff.; 7:1 ff.), but also that they might not declare their religious independence. Moses therefore enforced the fundamental obligation of wholesouled devotion to God by warning against the dangers of an autonomous attitude, whether manifested in the spirit of self-sufficiency (ch. 8) or in the spirit of self-righteousness (9:1-10:11). Following the negative warnings, this section concludes with a positive challenge to submit to God's lordship (10:12-11:32).
4) The Law of the Manna. 8:1-20.
The focal point of this chapter is verse 17, with its picture of a future Israel at ease in Canaan, basking in self-congratulation. The recollection of God's providential guidance during the forty years in the wilderness (v. 2 ff.) would afford the corrective for such vanity.
Deuteronomy 8:1-6
All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.
Verse 1-6. Verse 1 is another introductory summary of the covenant summons and sanctions (see also Deut 4:1; 5:1; 6:1). 2. So far as the surviving generation was concerned, the wilderness wandering was designed as a period of probation - to prove thee - (v. 2 b; cf. 13:3) and of necessary instruction (v. 3 c). It was a fatherly discipline and contributed to their ultimate blessing (v. 5; cf. 16 c). 3. He ... fed thee with manna. What is meant by God's humbling Israel (v. 2) is illustrated by reference to his extraordinary provision for every need during the forty years (vv. 3,4; cf. 29:5-6), particularly by means of the manna (see Ex 16, esp. v. 4). Humbling consisted of privation and then the provision of the "What-is-it?", the unknown, supernatural bread of heaven, which compelled the people to recognize their dependence on God (cf. Deut 8:16 a,b). Modern naturalistic exegesis identifies the Biblical manna with the honey-like excretions of scale insects found in tamarisk thickets in the Sinai area. Whatever substantive role was or was not played by these excretions, the bread of heaven was, none the less, in its nature and manner of provision, clearly a miraculous product. Moreover, a mere change from one normal, palatable food staple to another, no matter how exotic, would neither have humbled Israel nor taught them the truth which the manna did: Man doth not live by bread only (ASV), but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
God led Israel into a situation in which life was derived and must be daily sought from a heavenly bread, the fruit of a daily creative exercise of the word of God. This was an effective reminder that the creature does not exist as a self-sufficient being, sustained by the fruits of an earth also existing and producing independently of God. He is ultimately and always dependent on the divine word which called him and his world into being. Furthermore, God purposed to teach Israel that man's life, unlike a beast's, does not consist solely in a physical vitality which bread, whether earthly or heavenly, might sustain. Hence he provided the bread of heaven in such a way as to require an ethical-religious response to his preceptive word. This response was appropriately focused on the observance of the Sabbath, the sign of man's covenant allegiance as well as the recaller of God's role as Creator. The manna thus taught Israel that only as man stands obediently under his Lord's sovereign word, the ultimate source of life, does he find true and lasting life (cf. Deut 30:20).
Deuteronomy 8:7-20
For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
7 a. A good land. The recollection of the wilderness lesson was necessary at this point, for God was conducting Israel into a land where the normal products of nature would afford a comparatively luxurious standard of living (vv. 7-10 a). 9 b. Whose stones are iron. In the sandstone substratum of Palestine are copper and iron veins, and ancient mining operations have been discovered where this sandstone outcrops in the Arabah. 11. Beware that thou forget not. Though all these natural products were to be gratefully recognized as the gifts of God just as much as the supernatural manna (v. 10 bx), luxury and ease would blunt the edge of Israel's awareness of God (vv. 12,13). 14. Thine heart be lifted up. Pride would suppress the memory of humbler days of slavery, scorpions, and thirst, days when deliverance and survival required divine intervention by hitherto unknown ways (vv. 15,16). Of such denial of their Lord through self-adulation they must beware. The same truth that had to be learned in the former days of empty stomachs would be the relevant truth in the coming days of full stomachs: the source of man's life is the word of God - he ... giveth thee power (17,18 a). Israel's beatitude was due solely to God's fidelity to his covenant oath (v. 18 b; cf. Gen 15). At the same time the Lord would visit upon covenant-breakers the curses they had invoked. 20. So shall ye perish. Repudiation of election as the Lord's peculiar possession, and identification with the anathematized Canaanites in their idolatrous iniquity, would result in Israel's identification with the heathen in their doom.
5) The Warning of the Broken Tablets. 9:1-10:11.
For Israel to assume that Canaan was a reward for their righteousness (Deut 9:4), would be an even greater contradiction of the realities of the covenant relationship than their boasting that the possession and prosperity of the land were achieved by their might (8:17). The conceit of self-righteouness is an attempt of the sinner lusting after autonomy to free himself from God at that very point where his need of God is most desperate - the need for forgiveness and cleansing. Moses therefore passionately presented the truth that the promises and blessings of the covenant relation were Israel's by virtue of mercy, not of merit.
Deuteronomy 9:1-5
Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven,
Verse 1-5. The occasion for this admonition was the prospect of Israel's dispossessing a people reputedly invincible in offensive warfare and defended by seemingly impregnable fortifications - cities great and fortified (ASV) up to heaven (v. 1). On the Anakim and other impressive people, see Deut 1:28; 4:38; 7:1; Num 13:28. The spearhead of Israel's advance, however, was the One who dwelt in the heavens and made the highest mountains of earth his footstool, who was, moreover, a devouring fire (cf. Deut 4:24; 7:17 ff.). 4 c. For my righteousness. This is the tragic misinterpretation of the conquest events to which Israel would be prone in defiance of all the obvious historic facts and God's explicit warning to the contrary. The explanation of Israel's triumph could lie only in the wickedness of the Canaanites on the one side (vv. 4 c,5) and in God's forgiving grace to Israel on the other (9:6-10:11). For the relationship of the iniquity of the inhabitants of Canaan to the fulfillment of the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant, see Gen 15:16. Archaeological investigation has revealed the abysmal depths of moral degeneration in Canaanite society and religion in the Mosaic age. The way in which Israel's acquisition of their promised land was bound up with the elimination of the Canaanites exemplifies the principle of redemptive judgment. The salvation of the friends of God necessarily involves their triumph over the friends of Satan. From the viewpoint of the elect, the judgment of the latter is a redemptive judgment (e.g., Rev 19:11 ff.; 20:9, where the redemption of the elect is consummated by the doom of the Satanic hordes).
Deut 9:6-10:11. Israel's self-righteous interpretation of the conquest had been contradicted in advance by all Moses' experience with the nation during the forty years past (vv. 7,24). They had repeatedly shown themselves to be a fractious, covenant-breaking people (vv. 6-17,21-24). They had been spared and preserved in covenant relationship to God only through the Lord's merciful renewal of the broken covenant (10:1-11) in response to the importunate mediatorial intercession of Moses (9:18-20,25-29).
Deuteronomy 9:8-29
Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you.
In Horeb ye provoked the Lord. The classic example of Israel's faithlessness occurred at the very time the covenant was being solemnized at Horeb (Deut 9:8 ff.; cf. Ex 32). Israel had just sworn allegiance to God and vowed obedience to his commandments (Ex 24). Indeed, it was while the Lord was in the very process of inscribing the treaty on the duplicate stone documents during Moses' first stay of forty days and nights on the mount that Israel broke the covenant by engaging in idolatry. In that hour the wrath of God blazed and Israel was at the brink of destruction - Let me alone, that I may destroy them (v. 14; cf. 19 a). So far as merit was concerned, therefore, Israel deserved not to inherit the bounties of Canaan but to fall under the ban along with the dispossessed Canaanites. Moses' treatment of the treaty tablets - I ... brake them before your eyes (v. 17) - and the golden calf (v. 21) was symbolic of the shattering of the covenant. Such ritual procedure is attested in ancient state treaties in connection with a vassal's violation of his oath. 22. And at Taberah ... Massah ... Kibroth-hattaavah. Other instances of Israel's provoking God's wrath preceded and followed the day of assembly at Sinai (Ex 17:2-7; Num 11:1) until their perversity at Kadesh-barnea (Deut 9:23, cf. 1:26 ff.; Num 13; 14) brought the verdict of exile unto death upon the older generation.
More than once judgment had been averted through the intercession of Moses. In this aspect of Moses' ministry, more remarkably than in any other, his mediatorship prefigured the antitypical mediatorship of Christ, who also "made intercession for the transgressors" (Isa 53:12). When at Sinai God threatened to blot out Israel and offered to exalt Moses' descendants as a new covenant nation (Deut 9:14; cf. Ex 32:10), Moses faithfully fulfilled his mediatorial office in behalf of Israel rather than grasp at the opportunity to be a second Abraham. In fact, he offered himself as a second Isaac on the alter. Moses pleaded that if there must be a blotting out, rather than being made the one exception to the judgment, he might be blotted out as a means of securing forgiveness for the others (Ex 32:32). He "stood before him in the breach to turn away his wrath lest he should destroy them" (Ps 106:23). The intercession referred to in Deut 9:18-19,25-29 (cf. 10:10) was offered during Moses' second forty days on the mount.
Difficulty has been found in the fact that the content of Moses' prayer, Deut 9:26-29, corresponds to that recorded in Ex 32:11-13, for it has been assumed that the latter refers to Moses' first forty days before God. Actually, Ex 32:11-14 is an introductory summation of the following account, which embraces the second period of forty days. The immediate chronological sequence is from Ex 32:10 to 32:15, as is reflected in Deut 9:14-15. The Exodus narrative from Ex 32:30-34:29 possibly all refers to the second forty days and their sequel, not to preceding events; the arrangement, as often in Hebrew narrative (cf. Deut 9 itself), subordinates strict chronological sequence to topical interests. For at that time also (9:19; 10:10), even at that time would be better, giving (gam) its more frequent emphatic sense.
God's particular wrath against Aaron, (v. 20), not mentioned in the Exodus account, is cited here to demonstrate how completely devoid of merit Israel was and how dependent on mercy - even their high priest was a brand plucked from the burning! The same truth is apparent from the grounds of Moses' intercession (vv. 26-29). 27. Remember ... Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He pleaded for a stay of judgment in spite of Israel's stubborn wickedness (v. 27 b) and only on the basis of God's interest in his own name among the nations of the earth. God had from of old declared his sovereign purposes of redemptive judgment and had identified that program with his dealings with Israel and Egypt. 28 b. Not able to bring them into the land. If now he destroyed Israel, even though he would not thus violate his covenant and though he would still faithfully fulfill his promises to the patriarchs (cf. Deut 9:14), such a procedure would be liable to misunderstanding. The significance of God's mighty revelation of his name in judgment and salvation at the Exodus would be obscured and the fear of him diminished by contempt for what would be misinterpreted as weakness.
Deuteronomy 10:1-11
At that time the LORD said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.
The renewal of the covenant after Israel's idolatry at Sinai was, therefore, due solely to divine grace. Part of the ceremony of renewal was the preparation of the two new treaty tablets. See Ex 34:1-4 a, which possibly belongs chronologically between Deut 32:29 and 32:30. Similarly, Deut 10:1 a precedes in time 9:18 ff. and 9:25 ff.. There is further disregard of chronological distinctions within 10:1-5, for the mention of the construction of the ark as the depository for the stone tablets is interwoven with the account of the hewing and engraving of this second set of treaty texts. It was actually after the second period of forty days that Moses had Bezalel construct the ark (Ex 35:30 ff.; 36:2; 37:1) and it was, of course, some time later that Moses put the testimony in the ark (Ex 40:20) and then put the ark in the Tabernacle (Ex 40:21).
The condensed, summarizing treatment in Deut 10:1-5 reflects the requirement found in the international suzerainty treaties that the duplicate covenant texts were to be deposited in the sanctuaries of the two covenant parties in order thus to be under the surveillance of the oath deities. In the case of God's covenant with Israel, there was but one sanctuary involved, since God, the covenant Suzerain, was also the God who had his sanctuary in Israel. The purpose of 10:1-5 being to state in a comprehensive and general way that God had mercifully reconfirmed the covenant with the rebellious vassals, Moses included the matter of the ark as a familiar and integral element in the standard ratification procedure.
Verses 6 and 7, with which verses 8 and 9 belong materially, constitute a stylistic break. It is uncertain (1) whether this excursus originated as a quotation read from an itinerary in the course of Moses' address, (2) whether he parenthetically inserted it when writing the Book of the Law, or (3) whether someone like the author of Deut 34 added it. 6. The children of Israel took their journey. The journey in view is that southward from Kadesh recorded in Num 33:37 (for the particular stations, see Num 33:30-33). His son ministered in the priest's office (v. 6 c). Verses 6,7 are relevant to the context; for they further enhance the covenant-renewing grace of God by recalling that the Lord re-instituted the priesthood of Aaron of the tribe of Levi and continued it in Aaron's son Eleazer in spite of his anger against the father (Deut 9:20). 8. The Lord separated ... Levi. Cf. Ex 28; 29; Num 1:49 ff.; 3:9 ff.; Deut 4:17 ff.; 8:6 ff.; Deuteronomy 18:20-24. This section may also be regarded as an elaboration of the subject of the covenant tables (Deut 10:8; cf. v. 5). The intercession theme is concluded in 10:10-11. 10. The Lord hearkened unto me. Cf. 9:18-19. The journey to the promised homeland, of which Israel was so utterly undeserving, was to be resumed because of God's regard for his own name, the name he had taken in oath because he could swear by no higher (10:11; cf. Ex 33:1 ff.).
6) A Call to Commitment. 10:12-11:32.
Israel was now confronted with the great decision, the choice between the blessing and the curse (Deut 11:26-32). Moses enforced the call to obedience (10:12 ff.; 11:1,8,13,18 ff., 32) by focusing the eyes of the people on him who addressed to them his covenant as the righteous Judge of heaven and earth (Deut 10:12-22), whose impartial judgment Israel had in the past seen irresistibly executed in Egypt and in the wilderness (11:1-7) and should in the future find sovereignly exercised over the land and inhabitants of Canaan (11:8-25).
Deuteronomy 10:12-22
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
12. And now introduces the conclusion to a major division of the address (cf. Deut 4:1). Fear the Lord ... love him. The basic and comprehensive covenant requirement is here repeated (vv. 12,13,20; cf. 6:5,13,24; 6:8). True fear and true love are complementary and inseparable. They are the response of a true heart to God's majesty and goodness, respectively, and together they are productive of wholehearted service in obedience to all God's good pleasure. 16. Circumcise ... your heart. Such genuine devotion can flow only from a heart that has experienced the reality of that qualification which was symbolized in the initiatory sign of the covenant (cf. Deut 30:6; Ex 6:12,30; Lev 26:41; Jer 6:10; 9:25-26). To inspire the fear of the Lord, Moses summoned Israel to behold him as Lord of the cosmos (Deut 10:14), as God above all that be called gods (v. 17 a), as righteous Judge (v. 17 b), and as Sovereign over history and nature (v. 21). To encourage love toward him, Moses recalled how God had bestowed the privilege of covenant status on Israel's ancestors (v. 15 a), fulfilled the patriarchal promises (vv. 15 b,21,22), and shown himself a Helper of the helpless (vv. 18,19).
Deuteronomy 11:1-7
Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.
The charge to love the Lord (v. 1) is a connecting refrain in Deut 10:12-11:32. After "And know ye this day" (v. 2), there is a parenthetical remark (see RSV), which notes that the summons to covenantal decision was not addressed to the children born in the wilderness. It was, rather, directed to those who had been born in Egypt and had seen God's great acts of judgment in the past (v. 7). 2. The object of know ye is the discipline (AV, chastisement) of the Lord your God, his greatness, etc. (RSV). Israel had been disciplined to reverence the Lord as the Judge with whom they had to do by their experience of his judgement on their enemies (vv. 2-4) and themselves alike (vv. 5,6). They knew, therefore, that his judgment was almighty, so that the mightiest on earth could not prevent it; and it was impartially righteous, so that even his covenant people dared not presume upon their election. 6. What he did unto Dathan and Abiram. See Numbers 16, especially verses 31-33. Moses' silence with respect to the rebel Korah was possibly in deference to the surviving Levitical Korahites (Num 26:11).
Deuteronomy 11:8-17
Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;
From Israel's future, too, Moses adduced motives for obedience. 8,9. That ye may ... posses the land ... and ... prolong your days. On the relation of Israel's tenure on the land to her covenant fidelity, see comments on Deut 6:1-3. Unlike Egypt, with its irrigation agriculture, Canaan was clearly dependent for its fruitfulness on the direct blessing of God (vv. 11,12; cf. 8:7 ff.); and in that sphere God's righteous judgment with respect to Israel's conduct would be registered (vv. 13-17). 13,14. If ye shall hearken ... I will give the rain. Prosperity would depend on proper weather conditions the year around (cf. 12 b), especially important being the timely commencement of the rainy season in the fall and the due extension of the latter rains in the spring. The very state of nature would thus constantly serve as a sensitive barometer of Israel's standing before the Lord. Therefore, Israel must be on guard against the spiritual dangers of material abundance (vv. 14 b,15). 16. Take heed to yourselves. For bounty can turn into drought, famine, and death at the mere word of the Lord, the impartial, almighty Judge at whose command even the earth opened its mouth to swallow the Israelites Dathan and Abiram (vv. 15-17; cf. 11:6; 6:11-15; 8:11-20).
Deuteronomy 11:18-25
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
Since the nations, as well as nature, are under the Lord's absolute control, they are another agency in his government of his Israelite vassals. 18. Lay up these ... words in your heart. Cf. Deut 6:6-9. Faithfulness from generation to generation would result in the perpetuation of Israel's possession of the promised land as the days of heaven upon the earth (v. 21); i.e., as long as the heavens continue above the earth, in short, forever (cf. Ps 72:5,7,17; 89:29). By the same token infidelity must lead to termination of tenure. 22,23. If ... then. Success in the stipulated program of conquest (vv. 23-25; cf. Deut 7:1-2,17 ff.; 9:1 ff.) would depend first and last not on military prowess but on religious commitment. Fulfillment of the great commandment would be blessed with inheritance of the land of promise to its utmost boundaries: from the wilderness of the Sinai peninsula on the south to the Lebanon mountains on the north, and from the Euphrates on the east to the Mediterranean on the west (v. 24; cf. 1:7; 15:18).
Deuteronomy 11:26-32
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
26. A blessing and a curse. Here is the sum and conclusion of the whole matter (vv. 26-28). The sovereignty of the Lord, declared in the covenant now renewed unto Israel, could be manifested in either blessing or curse (cf. ch. 28; Deut 30:15-20). Israel must decide which it should be. This twofold prospect and its challenge, which Moses placed before Israel this day in Moab, would be set before them again by Joshua on the other side of the Jordan in Canaan, that the nation might be careful to obey God and live (11:29-32). The transition from the Mosaic to the Joshuan leadership was thus to be marked by a two-stage renewal ritual, which would exhibit the continuity of the more ultimate divine leadership. This arrangement was the equivalent of measures taken in vassal treaties by human suzerains to guarantee the dynastic succession on their thrones. See Deut 27 for the more detailed directions concerning the second stage of the ceremony to be conducted on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal (cf. Josh 8:30-35).
B. Ancillary Commandments. 12:1-26:19.
Having delineated the inner spirit of theocratic life (chs. 5-11). Moses went on to detail the ordinances and institutions of the theocracy's outward form (chs. 12-26). Chapters Deut 12:1-16:17 are primarily concerned with cultic-ceremonial consecration requirements. Governmental and judicial authority is the subject in 6:18-21:23. The sphere of the mutual relationships of the theocratic citizens is covered by the legislation in 22-25. The stipulations conclude with ritual confessions of the Lord's dominion and a final declaration of covenant ratification (ch. 26).
1) Cultic - Ceremonial Consecration. 12:1-16:17.
The central interest of the laws of this section was to guarantee a thorough-going consecration to the Lord. Governing all the demands for tributary service in tithe (v. 14), first fruits (v. 15), and sacrificial offerings (v. 16) was the law of the central altar, with which this section opens (v. 12). Singleness of devotion to the Lord was safeguarded by the imposition of the severest penalties on all who enticed to or became guilty of apostasy (v. 13).
a) Allegiance to God's Altar. 12:1-32.
Deuteronomy 12:1-3
These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.
Verse 1-3. In the land (v. 1; cf. Deut 6:1). In the prophetic perspective of the following stipulations Israel is viewed as already in possession of her inheritance. Utterly destroy ... And ... overthrow (vv. 2,3). This section connects with the preceding by resuming that part of the mandate of conquest which required the obliteration of Canaanite cultic centers and installations (cf. 7:5,25; 23:24; 34:13). The execution of the program of conquest as a whole would bring the tribes into control of idolatrous shrines throughout the land (cf. Isa 1:29; 57:5; 65:7; Jer 2:20; 3:6; 17:2; Ezek 6:13; 18:6 ff.; Hos 4:13; 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 16:4; 17:10); and these would present a temptation to religious syncretism (Deut 12:29-30). The Israelites would be in danger of adopting abominations like the fiery votive offering of children (v. 31; cf. 18:10; Lev 18:21; 2 Kings 16:3; 17:17; 21:6; 23:10; Jer 7:31; 19:5; 32:35). In addition to the punitive purpose of the destruction of Canaanite cultic sites there was, therefore, the preventive design of protecting Israel against ensnarement in the Canaanite cultic rites. The fact that the law of the central sanctuary (Deut 12:4 ff.) is thus introduced (vv. 2,3) and concluded (cf. vv. 29-31) by such references to the Canaanite cultus shows that one purpose of the centralization of Israelite worship, too, was to avoid the contamination of the pure worship of the Lord by idolatrous practices.
The centralization requirement must also be understood in terms of Deuteronomy's nature as a suzerainty treaty. Such treaties prohibited the vassal's engaging in any independent diplomacy with a foreign power other than the covenant suzerain. In particular, the vassal must not pay tribute to any other lord. Similarly, all the requirements and prohibitions of Deut 12 were calculated to secure for the Lord all Israel's tributary sacrifice and offering. Israel must not pay any sacrificial tribute to other gods, for such an impossible attempt to serve two masters would be rebellion against the great commandment of God's covenant.
In the promised land the law of the central altar would involve both the centralization of the special sacrificial festivals (vv. 4-14) and the decentralization of the common family feasts (vv. 15-28).
Deuteronomy 12:4-14
Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.
In contrast to the multiplicity of altars among the Canaanites (v. 4), who sacrificed wherever they pleased (cf. v. 13), Israel was to have one central altar, and that at the place which the Lord your God shall choose (v. 5). This oneness of the sanctuary corresponded to the oneness of the divine lordship over Israel (cf. Deut 6:4-5).
Modern higher criticism has erroneously held that the concept of the central altar taught in Deuteronomy (or according to some, only in Deut 12:1-7, which is then regarded as a later interpolation) stands in contradiction to other Biblical legislation (see esp., in the Book of the Covenant, 20:24). The Deuteronomic requirement has therefore been judged to be a later modification of earlier, supposedly more lax practice. The book as a whole has been dated in the seventh century B.C. and identified as the law book found in Josiah's day. A more recent approach of critics is to resolve the supposed conflict of codes not by placing them in a chronological sequence across the centuries, but by assigning to each a different geographic-cultic source. Deuteronomy is thought to represent the northern, Levitical outlook, the central sanctuary in view being Shechem. Some critics have even allowed that the centralization law in Deuteronomy might represent a return to an earlier, premonarchical ideal of the amphictyony.
Actually, so far as normative religious practice was concerned, there was nothing essentially new about this law even in Moses' day. In patriachal times, when a succession of altars was built in the course of the patriarchs' journeyings, there was apparently but one central family altar at any given time. Similarly, in the Sinaitic legislation (Ex 20:24), Israel's place of sacrifice is identified with the central place where God recorded his name (i.e., revealed his glorious nature) by special supernatural theophany, the place of God's visible symbolic dwelling in the midst of his people. The Tabernacle had successively different locations during Israel's wilderness journeyings, but it remained a single sanctuary.
What is new in the Deuteronomic formulation is only the prospect of a stationary location for the sanctuary. Deuteronomy envisages a permanent habitation of God in Israel. 10. When he giveth you rest. Even this new circumstance must await the attainment of peace and rest (cf. Heb 4:1 ff.), a condition which fully arrived at the OT typical level only in the days of David and Solomon (2 Sam 7:1; 1 Kings 5:4). Only then did God choose out of all the tribes the city of Jerusalem as the site for his house (1 Kings 8:16,44,48; 11:13,32,36; 14:21; 2 Kings 21:7; 23:27), though at the first he had recorded his name temporarily at Shiloh (Jer 7:12; Judg 21:19). Furthermore, the Mosaic law of the central altar, while regulating the prescribed and ordinary sacrificial service of Israel (Deut 12:6-7,11 ff.) as it was to be performed periodically at the three principal festivals, also recognized the possibility of revela