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Preface

Charts, Graphics, Short Doctrines

Dictionary of Terms

Addendum

Doctrines Covered

Doctrines Alluded To

Chapters of the Bible Alluded To

Deuteronomy 1

Deuteronomy 4

Job 2

Psalms Appropriately Exegeted with this Chapter

Other Chapters of the Bible Appropriately Exegeted with this Chapter

Many who read and study this chapter are 1^st or 2^nd generation students of R. B. Thieme, Jr., so that much of this vocabulary is second nature. One of Bob’s contributions to theology is a fresh vocabulary along with a number of concepts which are theologically new or reworked, yet still orthodox. Therefore, if you are unfamiliar with his work, the definitions below will help you to fully understand all that is being said. In addition to this, I will use a number of other more traditional technical theological terms which will be used and defined. Also, I have developed a few new terms and concepts as well.

Definition of Terms

Antitype

A type is a person, thing or circumstance which looks forward into the future and finds its fulfillment in an antitype, which may be a person, thing or circumstance. Example: Moses striking the rock and from it flows waters of life is a type; Christ being judged on the cross for our sins and from Him flows living waters is the antitype.

Biblical inspiration

Biblical inspiration may be defined as human authors wrote as moved by the Holy Spirit, so that, without waving their human intelligence, their vocabulary, their personal feelings, their literary style, their personality, their environmental influences or their individuality, they recorded God’s complete and connected message to man with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture, the very words bearing the authority of divine authorship. The is known as the verbal, plenary view of inspiration.

Rebound (Restoration to fellowship with God)

In the New Testament, this is naming your sins to God, so that you are both restored to temporal fellowship with God and are then filled with the Spirit of God. In the Old Testament, naming your sins to God would result in a restoration of fellowship and, in some cases, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit once again (the Holy Spirit was not given to all Old Testament believers).

Type

A type is a preordained representation wherein certain persons, events, and institutions of the O.T. stand for corresponding persons, events, and institutions of the N.T. Types are pictures or object lessons by which God has taught His redemptive plan. They are a shadow of things to come, not the image of those things (Col. 2:17 Heb. 8:5 10:1). The Mosaic system, for example, was a kind of kindergarten in which God's people were trained in divine things and taught to look forward to the realities of things yet to come.

Some of these definitions are taken from

http://gracebiblechurchwichita.org/?page_id=1556

http://www.bibledoctrinechurch.org/?subpages/GLOSSARY.shtml

http://rickhughesministries.org/content/Biblical-Terms.pdf

http://www.gbible.org/index.php?proc=d4d

http://www.wordoftruthministries.org/termsanddefs.htm

http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/topics.html

http://www.theopedia.com/

It is important to understand what has gone before.

The Prequel of The Introduction to Deuteronomy

Y^ehowah God originally brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, where they had been slaves for several centuries. He worked through Moses, who became their spiritual and national leader. The designation people of Israel refers not to Israel the nation—which does not exist yet—but to their patriarch Israel, originally named Jacob, but renamed Israel by God. The people standing before Moses are descended from Israel (Jacob). God brought them out of Egypt with great signs and wonders.

These people, once free of Egypt, first crossed over the Sea of Reeds and went to Mount Sinai, also known as Mount Horeb. There, God gave them the Law. God first spoke to the children of Israel audibly, giving them the Ten Commandments, and they requested that God speak only to Moses, and that Moses would speak to them.

After receiving the Law of God, which was more than simply the Ten Commandments, God led them northward into what would become southern Judah, and told them to take the land that He promised them. First they sent 12 spies into the land, and they confirmed that the land was everything that God said it was—a land flowing with milk and honey. However, they also brought back stories of the fortified cities and the size and power of their adversaries in the land. Ten of the spies actively lobbied the people to not go into the land, and that night after the spies returned, the people cried and accused God of bringing them there to kill them and they did not want to go into this good land. Two spies, Caleb and Joshua, were ready to lead the people into the land to take it. They believed God’s promises and the rest of the people did not.

God was quite disgusted with them; and then, suddenly, after God told them to turn around and go back into the desert, many of them decided that they had changed their minds and they would attack the Amorites in the land. God told Moses to tell them not to do this, because He would not be with their whiney, sorry butts if they tried to attack the Amorites. They still went and attacked and they were soundly defeated, and chased all over, until they finally came back to Kadesh, where all the people had been camped out.

They lived there for awhile. They moved around to different parts of the desert. During this time, God killed off all the older generation—Gen X as I have designated them (the generation of the exodus)—all those who were 20 and older when they left Egypt. They dropped like flies in the desert, dying the sin unto death, yet while God preserved their children and their children’s children.

So now it is 38 or so years after their failure at Kadesh-barnea and God is leading this new generation of Israelites—I will call them the generation of promise—back to take the land. These are the people who were 20 or younger when they left Egypt, who are now between the ages of 40 and 60, and who have their own children now. As adults, all they have known is God taking care of them in the desert-wilderness.

There is also a set of young adults, aged 20–40, who were born in the desert (all those between ages 1 and 40 were born in the desert-wilderness). The young adults will be considered a part of the generation of promise; they will not be distinguished from those between the ages of 40 and 60.

In the final few chapters of Numbers, God brings this new generation up along the east side of the Dead Sea, to Mountains overlooking the Jordan River to the west of them. God will bring them across this river in the book of Joshua to take the land He has promised them.

However, there is a problem, and that is that Moses will not go with them. He will die east of the Dead Sea. God will not allow Moses to lead them into the land. Here’s what happened:

Near the beginning of this trek from Egypt to the land, there was no water, and the people complained, and God provided water for them through Moses. Moses was to strike this huge rock (which represents the judgment of Jesus on the cross) and from that rock would flow a river of living waters (just as Jesus, by His sacrifice, would provide us with the living water of salvation). This water gushed out and gave the people the water they needed; without which, they would have died in that dry, desolate place.

This same no-water test occurred again near the end of this 40 years in the desert. The people were again thirsty—there was no water. This time, God told Moses to speak to the rock. Jesus, their Savior, represented by the rock, would again give them all the water that they needed. Moses was not to strike the rock, because Jesus died for our sins one time—He is never judged again for our sins. That had already been represented when Moses struck the rock previously. Therefore, the proper way to represent this is by speaking to the rock. Moses was upset with the people, and he yelled at them, and he hit that rock hard, twice, with his walking stick. God still provided the people water, but He could not allow Moses to lead them into the Land of Promise, as he had failed to continue the type which God was setting up. Since Jesus was not judged twice for our sins, the rock was only to be struck one time, which occurred during the first no-water test.

For Moses and for many centuries of Jews, this is seen as simply an act of disobedience. However, since Jesus died on the cross, we understand that there was more to the provision of water than just obedience or lack thereof. God wanted the striking of the rock to represent Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and from Him would flow a river of living waters. When one wished to be refreshed by those waters after the crucifixion, he mere speaks to the rock (for the believer, this is rebound; for the unbeliever, this is expressing saving faith in Jesus Christ). God wanted Moses to establish that as a type; Moses did not; and so Moses was not allowed to cross over the Jordan.

So, here Israel stands, east of the Jordan River, about to cross over and take the land. Moses is going to speak a few words to them—which words will fill up the book of Deuteronomy.

This is identical to the prequel in Deut. 1.

We need to know who the people are who populate this chapter.

The Principals of The Introduction to Deuteronomy

Characters

Commentary

Moses

Moses is the leader of the children of Israel, those he led out of Egypt with great signs and wonders done by God—signs and wonders which were seen both by the Egyptians and the Israelites.

Caleb

Caleb is one of the 12 spies who was ready to go into the Land of Promise from the very beginning and take it. Moses will indicate that he will go into the Land of Promise because he fully followed God.

Joshua

Joshua was the other one of the 12 spies who was willing to obey God and go into the land to take it. Joshua would become Israel’s next great leader after Moses.

The children of Israel

This is a general term applied to the people who left with Moses out of Egypt. One could include the children who were born to them when in the desert in this category.

Gen X

There are actually two distinct generations to which Moses will only occasionally refer. Gen X are those who are 20 and older when they begin to consider taking the Land of Promise, which lies before them. These would be those considered adult enough to go to war. God would wipe out this generation of Jews because of their cowardice and unbelief. Gen X is a term I came up with; it is not found in the Bible.

The Generation of Promise

Those who are children when the Israelites come to the southern border of Judah (what would soon become Judah), who were not old enough to fight when God told them to take the land, they are the generation of promise. Them and those born to them in the desert over the next 40 years.

Generation of Promise A

If you wanted to be complete accurate, there are actually two generations which make up the generation of promise: the GOP A and the GOP B. The GOP A are those who were between the ages of 1 and 20 and they came into the land with their parents, following Moses. After 40 years in the desert, they are now between the ages of 40 and 60.

Generation of Promise B

GOP B are those who were born in the desert wilderness to any of the generations named above. They would be between the ages of 1 and 40, and they had never known slavery or Egypt. This does not mean that they do not suffer from the bad influence of their parents. That is, these same people, having never been under slavery, may express a desire to return to their true homeland, which is Egypt (to their way of thinking).

This is identical to the chart found in Deuteronomy 1 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

Scofield was a genius in the realm of summary.

C. I. Scofield Summarizes the Book of Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy consists of the parting counsels of Moses delivered to Israel in view of the impending entrance upon their covenanted possession. It contains a summary of the wilderness wanderings of Israel, which is important as unfolding the moral judgement of God upon those events; repeats the Decalogue to a generation which had grown up in the wilderness; gives needed instruction as the conduct of Israel in the land, and contains the Palestinian Covenant (Deut. 30:1–9). The book breathes the sternness of the Law. Key– words, "Thou shalt"; key–verses; Deut. 11:26–28.

It is important to note that, while the land of promise was unconditionally given Abraham and to his seed in the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 13:15; Gen. 15:7), it was under the conditional Palestinian Covenant (Deuteronomy 28:1 – 30:9) that Israel entered the land under Joshua. Utterly violating the conditions of that covenant, the nation was first disrupted (1 Kings 12) and then cast out of the land (2 Kings 17:1–18; 2 Kings 24:1 – 25:11). But the same covenant unconditionally promises a national restoration of Israel which is yet to be fulfilled

Deuteronomy is in seven divisions:

1.      Summary of the history of Israel in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 1:1-3:29).

2.      A restatement of the Law, with warnings and exhortations (Deuteronomy 4:1 - 11:32).

3.      Instructions, Warnings, and Predictions (Deuteronomy 12:1 - 27:26).

4.      The great closing prophecies summarizing the history of Israel to the second coming of Christ, and containing the Palestinian Covenant (Deuteronomy 28:1 - 30:20).

5.      Last counsels to Priests, Levites, and to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31).

6.      The Song of Moses and his parting blessings (Deuteronomy 32 - 33).

7.      The Death of Moses (Deuteronomy 34).

The time covered by this retrospect is approximately forty years. The actual time during which this book takes place is a period of about 2 months.

From C. I. Scofield, Scofield Notes from the Scofield King James’ Bible; from e-Sword, Deuteronomy book comments (some slight editing).

Clarke neatly sums up the book of Deuteronomy in a paragraph.

Clarke Summarizes the Book of Deuteronomy

As the Israelites were now about to enter into the promised land, and many of them had not witnessed the different transactions in the wilderness, the former generations having been all destroyed except Joshua and Caleb; to impress their hearts with a deep sense of their obligation to God, and to prepare them for the inheritance which God had prepared for them. Moses here repeats the principal occurrences of the forty years, now almost elapsed; shows them the absolute necessity of fearing, loving, and obeying God; repeats the ten commandments, and particularly explains each, and the ordinances belonging to them, adding others which he had not delivered before; confirms the whole law in a most solemn manner, with exceeding great and precious promises to them that keep it, and a denunciation of the most awful judgments against those who should break it; renews the covenant between God and the people; prophesies of things which should come to pass in the latter days; blesses each of the tribes, prophetically, with the choicest spiritual and temporal blessings; and then, having viewed the whole extent of the land, from the top of Mount Nebo or Pisgah, he yielded up the ghost, and was privately buried by God, leaving Joshua the son of Nun for his successor

The Book of Deuteronomy and the Epistle to the Hebrews contain the best comment on the nature, design, and use of the law; the former may be considered as an evangelical commentary on the four preceding books, in which the spiritual reference and signification of the different parts of the law are given, and given in such a manner as none could give who had not a clear discovery of the glory which was to be revealed. It may be safely asserted that very few parts of the Old Testament Scriptures can be read with greater profit by the genuine Christian than the Book of Deuteronomy.

From Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; from e-Sword, Deuteronomy book comments.

This is a chapter by chapter summary by Adam Clarke.

Clarke’s Chapter by Chapter Summary

Deuteronomy 1

On the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year, after the departure from Egypt, the Israelites being then on the east side of Jordan, in the land of the Moabites, Moses gives them a brief recapitulation of what took place in the wilderness, from their leaving Mount Horeb till they came to Kadesh

Deuteronomy 2

Their travels from Kadesh till they come to the country of the Amorites, with the defeat of Sihon their king

Deuteronomy 3

The war with Og, king of Bashan, with the dividing his land and that of Sihon among the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh

Deuteronomy 4

Moses exhorts them to observe the Divine precepts; threatens those who should violate them; and appoints Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan, to be the cities of refuge on the east side of Jordan

Deuteronomy 5

Repeats the decalogue, and tells the people what effect the publication of it had on their fathers, when God spoke to them from the mount

Deuteronomy 6

Exhorts them to love God with all their heart, and promises them an abundance of good things

Deuteronomy 7

Repeats the command to exterminate the Canaanites, and all vestiges of their idolatry

Deuteronomy 8

Recites the many interpositions of God’s kindness which they had received during their forty years’ travel in the wilderness, and strongly exhorts them to remember those mercies, and not to forfeit a continuance of his favors by ingratitude and disobedience

Deuteronomy 9

Shows them that they were to pass Jordan in a short time, and that God was about to bring them in, not on account of their goodness, but of His mercy

Deuteronomy 10

Gives an account of the second tables of the law, which he made at the command of God; mentions their journey from Beeroth to Jotbath, the choosing of the Levites, and the necessity of having the heart circumcised

Deuteronomy 11

Continues an account of God’s mighty acts in their behalf, and shows the blessings which should come on them who kept his law, and the curse on those who were disobedient. The blessings to be pronounced on Mount Gerizim, and the curses on Mount Ebal

Deuteronomy 12

Commands them to destroy all monuments of idolatry in the land, to offer the different offerings and sacrifices, and to avoid eating of blood

Deuteronomy 13

Ordinances against false prophets, idolatrous cities, etc.

Deuteronomy 14

Forbids their cutting themselves at funerals, recapitulates the law concerning clean and unclean animals, and exhorts them to remember the Levites

Deuteronomy 15

Every seventh year shall be a year of release for the poor of usury; first-born, etc.

Deuteronomy 16

Concerning the annual feasts, passover, pentecost, and tabernacles; the establishment of judges and officers; no groves to be planted near the altar of God

Deuteronomy 17

Idolaters are to be put to death; difficult cases in equity to be referred to the superior judges; of a king and his duties

Deuteronomy 18

All divination is prohibited. The grand promise of an Extraordinary Prophet. How false prophets are to be distinguished

Deuteronomy 19

The laws relative to the cities of refuge, and how the intentional murderer is to be treated

Deuteronomy 20

Laws relative to the carrying on of war; who should be sent back from the army, how they are to treat the Canaanites, and how they are to commence sieges

Deuteronomy 21

How to make expiation for an uncertain murder; marriages with captives; rights of the first-born, etc.

Deuteronomy 22

Things lost or strayed are to be restored to their right owners; men and women must not interchange apparel; improper mixtures to be avoided; of the tokens of virginity; adulterers and adulteresses to be put to death

Deuteronomy 23

Eunuchs, bastards, Moabites, and Ammonites, are not to be permitted to enter into the congregation of the Lord. Harlots not to be tolerated

Deuteronomy 24

Laws relative to divorce; privileges of the newly-married man: concerning pledges, wages, gleanings, etc.

Deuteronomy 25

More than forty stripes shall not be given. If a man die childless, his brother shall take his wife. Of weights, measures, etc.

Deuteronomy 26

Different ceremonies to be used in offering the first-fruits; tithes. Of full self-consecration to God

Deuteronomy 27

The words of the law to be written on stones, and to be set up on Mount Ebal. The tribes which stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the obedient, and those which should stand on Mount Ebal to curse the disobedient. Who they are that are to be cursed

Deuteronomy 28

The blessings of those who are faithful; curses against the disobedient

Deuteronomy 29

A recital of the covenant of God, made not only with them, but for their posterity

Deuteronomy 30

Promises of pardon to the penitent; good and evil, life and death, are set before them

Deuteronomy 31

Moses, being now 120 years old, delivers a copy of the law which he had written into the hands of the priests, to be laid up in the ark, and to be publicly read every seventh year; a charge is given to Joshua

Deuteronomy 32

The prophetical and historical song of Moses: he is commanded to go up to Mount Nebo that he may see the promised land

Deuteronomy 33

The prophetical blessing of the twelve tribes. The indescribable happiness of Israel

Deuteronomy 34

Moses views the promised land from the top of Mount Nebo, dies, and is privately buried by the Lord. The Israelites mourn for him thirty days. Joshua takes command of the people. The character of Moses

From Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; from e-Sword, Deuteronomy chapter comments.

Deuteronomy—the Big Picture by Darby

Chapters

Text/Commentary

Deut. 1–11

The first eleven chapters insist upon obedience, presenting various motives to lead the people to it.

Deut. 12–29

Then come, as far as the end of the twenty-ninth? divers commandments; to which are added, by way of sanction, the consequences of obedience and the curse upon disobedience.

Deut. 30–34

From the thirtieth to the end we have things to come, the blessing of the people, and the death of Moses.

From John Nelson Darby, Synopsis of the Old and New Testaments; from e-Sword, Deuteronomy book comments.

http://www.bible-history.com/ is an outstanding reference site.

Brief Overview of Deuteronomy from Bible-History.com

Bible Survery - Deuteronomy

Hebrew Name - elleh haddebharim "these are the words"

Greek Name - Deuteronomion "The Second Law"

Author - Moses

Date - 1451 BC Approximately

Theme - Reminders of God's Covenant

Types and Shadows - In Deuteronomy Jesus is prophet like unto Moses

From http://www.bible-history.com/studybible/Deuteronomy/ accessed June 19, 2016.

Summary of the Book of Deuteronomy from Bible-History.com

The word "Deuteronomy" comes from the Greek word for "the second law" or "the law copied or repeated." In the book of Deuteronomy Moses is writing a series of speeches to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab on the day before they entered the land of Canaan, the promised land. these messages are intended to speak to every member of the congregation of Israel, not just the religious. The purpose of Moses was to remind them of God's law, and everything that God did for them, and every promise God made to them. Moses explained to them that their new life in the land of Canaan would be blessed or cursed depending on their ability to walk after after God and His law. These words were spoken to them on the 11th month of the final year of Israel's wandering in the wilderness, the 40th year after they left Egypt.

In the first speech (Deuteronomy 1:1-4:43), Moses warns the people of Israel about the sins which had kept their fathers from entering the promised land. He repeatedly encourages them to obey God and reminds them about the events that took place in the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. He carefully explains what happens when there are difficult situations and they choose not to trust the Lord but rather act in obstinance, doubt, fear, and finally disobedience.

The second speech (Deuteronomy 4:44-26:19) goes into the details about the law. It is really the main message here that Moses gives them, the first speech was more of an introduction and preparation for this message. It deals mainly with the legal aspects of the law, moral, civil, and ceremonial. It deals first with the 10 Commandments (Deuteronomy chapters 5-11) and secondly the details behind God's law with the emphasis on following God statutes, religious ordinances, and living with one another as the people of God (Deuteronomy chapters 12-26).

The third speech (Deuteronomy 27:1-31:30) is primarily a message about the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. Moses mainly directs his message to the elders, the priests, the Levites, and all the leaders who are responsible to carry out the ceremonies. The place chosen for the ceremonies was a spot in the center of the land of Israel where the first altar to God have been erected. Once they had crossed over the Jordan River they were commanded to set up great stones on Mount Ebal, with the law of God inscribed and to build a great altar. The 12 tribes of Israel were to be divided between the two hills. Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin were to gather themselves on Mt. Gerizim to recite the blessings which God promised them if they would obey him. Across on Mt. Ebal, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali were to speak the curses which God had promised them if they were to disobey him.

Moses finished his discourses and encourage the people to follow Joshua, their new leader, to cross the Jordan and to take the land which had been promised to their father Abraham. Moses wrote down the law in a book, gave it to the priests, who were to keep it as a perpetual reminder for the people of Israel (Deuteronomy 31:9-13). They were to read it every seventh year when the people assembled for the feast of Tabernacles.

God told Moses and Joshua to come before Him at the tabernacle and He told them of the future infidelity of the children of Israel and instructed Moses to leave the people a song as a witness against them which they were to learn. This song of Moses is recorded in Deuteronomy 32 and it speaks about the blessings which God has bestowed on his people and the corrupt ways in which they responded to those blessings. Deuteronomy 33 speaks about Moses' blessing on the people and Deuteronomy 34 records briefly the account of the death of Moses, the great leader of Israel.

From http://www.bible-history.com/studybible/Deuteronomy/ accessed June 19, 2016.

The Title Deuteronomy (Several Commentators)

McGee: The Greek word deutero means "two" or "second," and nomion is "law." So the title Deuteronomy means "the second law." We are not to infer that this is merely a repetition of the Law as it was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is more than a recapitulation. It is another illustration of the law of recurrence, as we have already seen in Scripture. The Spirit of God has a way of saying something in an outline form, then coming back and putting an emphasis upon a particular portion of it.

F. B. Hole: The title of this book, which translated into English, is "Second-Law," indicates its character; for in it Moses recapitulates and enforces the whole law system to which Israel was committed.

Gill explains the various titles, the first sentence being one of the longest run-on sentences in commentary history: This book is sometimes called "Elleh hadebarim", from the words with which it begins; and sometimes by the Jews "Mishneh Torah", the repetition of the law; and so in the Syriac version, with which agrees the Arabic title of it; and when the Greeks, and we after them, call it "Deuteronomy", it is not to be understood of a second, a new, or another law, but of the law formerly delivered, but now repeated, and also more largely explained; to which are likewise added several particular laws, instructions, and directions; all which were necessary, on account of the people of Israel, who were now a new generation, that either were not born, or not at an age to hear and understand the law when given on Mount Sinai; the men that heard it there being all dead, excepting a very few; and these people were also now about to enter into the land of Canaan, which they were to enjoy as long as they kept the law of God, and no longer, and therefore it was proper they should be reminded of it; and besides, Moses was now about to leave them, and having an hearty desire after their welfare, spends the little time he had to be with them, by inculcating into them and impressing on them the laws of God, and in opening and explaining them to them, and enforcing them on them, which were to be the rule of their obedience, and on which their civil happiness depended. And sometimes the Jews call this book "the book of reproofs", because there are in it several sharp reproofs of the people of Israel for their rebellion and disobedience; and so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem begin it by calling it the words of reproof which Moses spake.

The Jews appear to have a different title for this book. The second word of Deut. 1:1 is d^ebârîym (דְּבָרִים) [pronounced daw^b-vawr-EEM], and with the definite article it means, the words. Many Jewish Bibles call the book of Deuteronomy by the name, Devarim (see the ORT—the Kaplan translation—or the Orthodox Jewish Bible).

Let’s take this in more detailed points as to why it is most logical for Moses to be the author:

Moses is the Author of Deuteronomy

1.      The book of Deuteronomy continually claims to be the words of Moses (Deut. 1:1 4:44 29:1). Continually, the use of the 1^st person singular is tied to Moses and continually, we are told that Moses spoke these words to Israel (Deut. 1:16, 18 3:21 4:5, 14 5:31 29:5). No other book in Scripture so clearly identifies its author as does this book. To assert otherwise is to completely negate the divine inspiration of God’s Word. That is, God’s Word cannot contain a flaw (other than material which has been added or changed in Scripture); if this were not the words of Moses, then it would be clear that this cannot be God’s Word.

2.      Moses speaks in the 1^st person on many occasions throughout the book of Deuteronomy, something which he did not do in the previous 3 books.

3.      There is a distinct paternal vein running throughout the book of Moses, which belies Mosaic authorship. Moses has led these young people, many of them since birth and the balance since their teens and younger. Their parents have died out. There are no elders to consult, they have no parents or grandparents to go to. Therefore, we see continued heartfelt warnings of Moses as one would prepare one’s own child upon separation.

4.      Joshua, the successor to Moses, also testifies that this is the writing of Moses, in Joshua 1:7 and throughout the last couple of chapters of Deuteronomy, assuming that Joshua pieced those chapters together (Deut. 31:30 32:44 33:1).

5.      Other writers of Old Testament Scripture also attributed the authorship of Deuteronomy to Moses (Judges 3:4 2Kings 14:6 Ezra 3:2 Neh. 1:7 Psalm 103:7 Dan. 9:11 Mal. 4:4). To deny that these are the words of Moses is to deny that the rest of the Old Testament is God’s Word. Furthermore, we have many references to Deuteronomy or to the laws found therein in books which were written after the actual date of Deuteronomy, but prior to the date that Deuteronomy was supposedly forged (Joshua 6:17–18 7:25 8:27, 29–30, 32, 34–35 10:40 11:12, 15 Judges 1:17 17:13) Hosea 4:4 5:10 8:13 9:3 Amos 2:6–8). See either the exegesis of these passages or the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; ©1976; Vol. 2, pp. 116–117 for the exact ties to Deuteronomy (we will quote many of them later on in this study). Now how exactly to you make references to a book which has not been yet written or how do you follow the laws and precepts of a book which has not yet been written?

6.      There are many places in the book of Deuteronomy where a more archaic language is found than in the other books. The Pulpit Commentary tells us The antiquity of this book is vouched for by the archaisms with which it abounds. The use of הוּא in both genders, which occurs one hundred and ninety-five times in the Pentateuch, is found thirty-six times in Deuteronomy; while of the eleven places in which הִיא is written not one is in this book. The Pulpit Commentary gives another page of examples like this, where a more ancient form of a word is found in Deuteronomy (along with the other books of the Law), but rarely found elsewhere.

7.      Other examples of antiquity from the Pulpit Commentary:

         a.      Deuteronomy 7:1, etc. Intercourse with the nations of Canaan is here strenuously forbidden to the Israelites. This was fitting before they took possession of that land; at a later period such a prohibition would have been superfluous, if not ridiculous.

         b.      Deuteronomy 25:9. Reference is here made to the taking off of the shoe as a symbol of the transference of an inheritance, in a way which shows, as already observed, that the usage was then common. In the time of the judges this was regarded as a usage of "the former time" (Ruth 4:7). The time of Deuteronomy, therefore, must have preceded that of the judges.

         c.      Deuteronomy 25:17, etc. The Israelites are commanded to remember what Amalek did to them by the way, as they came out of Egypt, etc. Such an injunction it would have been absurd to publish in writing at a much later period in the history of Israel, long after the Amalekites had ceased to exist as a nation. So also of the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 20:16-18).

         d.      The Pulpit Commentary gives another full page of similar examples, which logically places Deuteronomy where we expect to find it in time.

8.      As has been mentioned, the most quoted book in the New Testament is Deuteronomy, with such phrases as Moses truly said (Acts 3:22), Moses said (Rom. 10:19), and it stands written in the Law of Moses (1Cor. 9:9). To deny the authorship of Moses is to deny the divine nature of New Testament Scripture.

9.      Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Creator of the Universe, also quoted from the book of Deuteronomy more often than any other Old Testament book and attributed authorship to Moses when He said Moses permitted (Matt. 19:8), Moses said (Mark 7:10) and Moses wrote (Luke 20:28). To deny that Moses wrote Deuteronomy is tantamount to denying that Jesus Christ is God, our Savior. Most of you have been sheltered and don’t realize that this sort of teaching exists—that Deuteronomy was not written by Moses. In fact, there are many seminaries which teach this blasphemy. The reason we are spending time with it is that the inspiration of God’s Word, the divine nature of Jesus Christ and our salvation all hang upon the authorship of Moses of this book. Remove Moses as the author and this calls into question the most basic issue of our Christian life—our salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Now perhaps you see why this is an important issue.

10.    We would naturally expect this book to be filled with issues and experiences personally important to Moses. He refers to Egypt as a house of slaves (Deut. 5:6b); the burden of being the leader and judge of this people (Deut. 1:9–18); the viciousness of the attack of Amalek is recalled (Deut. 25:17); the murmurings of the people against him (Deut. 9:22–24); the construction material of the ark of the covenant (Deut. 10:3); and, of course, there is the mention of those close to him: Joshua (Deut. 3:21, 28 31:3, 7, 14, 23), Aaron (Deut. 9:20 10:6) and Miriam (Deut. 24:9). As has been mentioned the bulk of the first four chapters are historical and throughout the rest of the book, there are personal references and remembrances. No later prophet comes anywhere close to mentioning this much about Moses in his own work; and no later prophet reflects upon this history with the close, personal involvement that we see in Deuteronomy.

11.    An example which should be dealt with separately is in Exodus, Moses prays on behalf of the people of Israel when they sinned with the golden calf—however, nothing is said of Aaron. However, in Deut. 9:20, Moses mentions that he prayed on behalf of Aaron as well. This is the sort of additional information we would expect from Moses, but not from a writer from a millennium later. ZPEB: Could all these personal Mosaic features have been introduced by some reformer, priest, prophet, or Levite, in order to invest his collection of laws with a Mosaic dress? Is it probable that such an author would have succeeded in establishing a correspondence so natural, so close in manifold and minute particulars, and so profound? Or is it more reasonable to think that this result proceeds from a true historical connection between the book of the law and the man whose name it has always borne? On every hand if Deuteronomy is acknowledged to be a great book which exerted great influence, should it not also have a great author? Who can fill that place so worthily as the old and tried leader who brought the Israelites out of Egypt, shared their experiences and laid the foundations of their faith?

12.    Other than one remark that Moses was the meekest man on the earth, nowhere throughout the entire Pentateuch do we find a single verse praising Moses until Deut. 34:10 in his eulogy.

13.    Another remarkable proof of Mosaic authorship is the sudden intrusion of history when dealing with the Law, e.g., the hiring of Balaam to curse Israel (Deut. 23:4) and the evil attack of the Amalekites (Deut. 25:17). We would expect to find these things mentioned in the historical section; however, they are so fresh on the mind of Moses that they come out in the area dealing with Law.

14.    There are geographical and historical information which suggests the writer was a person who observed these things firsthand. Manley wrote: The account of the journeyings in chapters i-iii is altogether realistic and quite unlike an introduction prefixed to a collection of old laws; it bears every sign of originality. The views described and the features of the omissions are also significant: there is not hint of Jerusalem, nor of Ramah, dear to Samuel’s heart, not even of Shiloh, where the Tabernacle came to rest. Everything points to its historical character and early date. The detailed geographical observations would be superfluous in a document designed to sell some set of religious doctrines which weren’t going over very well.

15.    Throughout Deuteronomy, there are fervent commands to destroy the Canaanites (Deut. 7:16, 22) and to completely blot out Amalek (Deut. 25:17–19), commands which would have been archaic if written in the time of Josiah.

16.    There are also historical significance to the early portion of Deuteronomy which would have been meaningless had they been written hundreds of years later. Moses mentions the areas where the kings of Bashan dwelt in Deut. 1:4; kings who disappeared from history. Moses comments about the Emmin, a people who also disappeared after his time (Deut. 2:10–11; see Gen. 14:5). Moses gives a brief history of the Horites in Deut. 2:12, a point of interest to his listeners, but entirely irrelevant to an audience a millennium later. And Moses mentions the Zamzummin, a Canaanite race, which was known to his audience, but unknown to history (Deut. 2:20–21). How many writers of forgery would have thought to have included this minutiae?

17.    In Deuteronomy, we have an area called the hill country of the Amorites (Deut. 1:7, 19, 20, 44) which, soon thereafter becomes the hill country of Judah (Joshua 11:16, 21). A later author may not have thought to make such a descriptive change.

18.    Had Deuteronomy been written as a forgery sometime prior to the reign of Josiah, then we would expect to see something about the divided kingdom or Assyrian oppression. However, the names of Judah and Ephraim only occur once each in the blessing of Moses (Deut. 33) and the Assyrians are not mentioned (however, Assyria is mentioned twice in the book of Genesis). The threat of exile should involve Assyria or Babylonia, and not Egypt (Deut. 28:68). It is almost impossible for someone to forge a document which supposedly existed a millennium previous without in some way betraying his present period of time.

19.    Had some prophet written Deuteronomy as a forgery a millennium later, he would have been required to study intensely the previous three books of Moses to retrieve all of the details found in Deuteronomy. That being done, that prophet could have easily cited the pertinent passages from the previous books to centralize the worship in Jerusalem (the men had already been instructed to gather three times a year in a place which God would appoint) (Ex. 23:17 34:23 this is by implication of Lev. 16); to extol the support and authority of the sons of Aaron and the Levites (Num. 3:9–10 4:1–49 8:18–26 81:–18); and to call for the destruction of idolatry (Ex. 34:14–17 Lev. 19:1–8 Num. 25:1–18 31:1–16). For what reason would such a clever forger be needed, if support for these things already exists in established Scripture?

20.    What is clear is that in Deuteronomy, there were more references to a place of centralized worship (Deut. 12:5, 11–13) than in the previous books. Since they were about to enter into the land immediately after the completion of the book of Deuteronomy and since the laws previously given applied to both their worship in the desert and in the land, it would only stand to reason that centralized worship would be implied in Exodus, Numbers and Leviticus (recall, they built one tabernacle only) and emphasized in Deuteronomy. The problem with these silly non-Mosaic authorship theories is that their originators never studied the previous books of the Bible very carefully. If Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers are carefully studied, then the precept that Deuteronomy was necessary to centralize worship, to strengthen the priesthood and to stamp out idolatry becomes a flawed foundation on which to build a flawed theory of authorship.

21.    How exactly does someone around 600 b.c. sell the idea of a new book of Scripture, and then insert this book naturally between Numbers and Joshua? That would be like people a few hundred years ago devising a cleverly written book (the Book of Mormon) and then selling it as Scripture. Sure, there would be a cult following, but Israel overall would not buy into something like this. Not only would this be like selling something like the Book of Mormon to Christians today, but also convincing them that it was originally written during the time of Jesus, and we just found it, hurray! Such an idea suggests that the ancient Jews were a bunch of dolts who could be sold any crazy idea.

22.    Let me remind you that there have been dozens of false gospels and false epistles and revelations to be written hundreds of years after the first century. None of these has ever been accepted as legitimate.

23.    At the time of the writing of Deuteronomy, the authority to uphold the Law was placed in the hands of priests (Deut. 17:9), judges (Deut. 16:18) and the elders of Israel (Deut. 21:21). Had this been written during the time of the divided kingdom, the emphasis of enforcement of the Law would have been upon the king of Israel; however, the concept of kingship is discussed once and that in a way to limit and guide one who would later become king (Deut. 17:14–20).

24.    During the time of Moses, there were covenants which followed a certain form called suzerainty-vassal treaties (which we have covered before). There was a particular form for these covenants to be written in and it has been shown by several authors that the book of Deuteronomy follows that form, e.g., G.E. Mendenhall, Law and Covenant in Israel and in the Ancient Near East; Pittsburgh: Biblical Colloquium, 1955 and Meredith Kilne, Treat of the Great King, Eerdmans, 1963.

25.    Among those who accept Deuteronomy as Scripture—Christians, Jews and Muslims—all have historically accepted this book from its inception as the writing of Moses. Doubting the time and authorship of this book is a relatively new thing.

26.    Moses had spent forty years out in the wilderness with the Israelites while God destroyed generation X and one thing that he would logically like to leave with this next generation is the fact that they will go into the land and they will conquer it. Thirty-five times in the book of Deuteronomy, we find Moses using the phrase “go in and possess”; thirty-four times he says “the land which Y^ehowah your God is giving you.” It is logical that Moses would continually use these phrases; it is less logical for a writer of several centuries later to do so.

The Pulpit Commentary continues with pages and pages of additional arguments as well as counter-arguments for those who claim this book was not written by Moses. I think that I have beat this horse until it is dead already. If you have any doubts whatsoever, or have heard additional arguments made against a Mosaic authorship (such as the rock set up by Joshua violates part of Deuteronomy), consult StudyLight.Org for more information on this subject.

Bear in mind that Satan is looking to chip away at anything in the book of Truth; so, convincing thousands if not tens of thousands of people that this book is not written by Moses and that it came out of a completely different era powerfully destroys the veracity of Scripture. Logically if a book of Scripture is not written by the person it is said to be written by, then that pretty much dumps the concept of the inspired Word of God.

Bear also in mind that the justification for the books of the Law being written much later (that there was no writing from this time period) has been shown to be wholly and totally false. Let me give you an analogous situation: if a modern man were found to have the exact same bone structure as a homo sapiens, a Neanderthal or a hominid, that would completely crush evolutionary theory. However, guaranteed, people would fight twice as hard to have it considered a legitimate science nevertheless.

Specific Objections to the authorship of Moses, apart from the JEPD theory:

Objections to Mosaic Authorship

1.      Some references appear to come from a period of time subsequent to the time of Moses. Deut. 2:10–12 for instance has information which may not have been known by Moses. However, most scholars see these verses as being parenthetical, added after Israel entered into the land (and very likely by Joshua who would know this information). These short, parenthetical additions are given as explanatory clauses or to update the names of certain cities or groups of peoples.

2.      The book of Deuteronomy differs in style, content and vocabulary from the previous three books of the Pentateuch. Most of the quotations in the previous few books were direct quotations from God. God would have a different vocabulary and style than Moses. Furthermore, some of the writing in the previous books was written narrative, therefore naturally differing in style from the oratory message. As a teacher, I have read many student reports and only one written report comes to mind as a report which sounded as though it were spoken. I recall even making a comment to that effect on the student’s paper, noting that it was a very pleasant, readable style. The subject matter of the previous books was very different. Moses dealt with the building of the tabernacle, the numbering of the tribes, the positioning of the troops, the dietary laws, the leprotic laws, etc. etc. Different subject matter requires a different vocabulary. I have personally written hundreds of mathematical worksheets and the vocabulary found in those worksheets are different than the vocabulary found in this book. What would be unreasonable would be to expect that the style found in the previous three books and this book would be similar. This would be like the fact that the Book of Mormon, although written in the 1800's, was written in an old English style, much like the KJV of the Bible. Now that is silly. A book written in America over two centuries after the KJV, which was produced in England, should not be in the same style.

3.      Critics charge that the discovery of this book by Josiah was a fraudulent occurrence and that he used this forgery (written by himself or by trusted men of no character) to (a) destroy idolatrous worship, (b) to give greater power and authority to the priesthood and (c) to centralize the worship of Y^ehowah in Jerusalem. (a) First off, objections to idolatry occur throughout the previous four books and the book of Joshua. Josiah (or some priest from his era) do not need to use some forgery in order to support the destruction of idolatrous worship. (b) The priesthood is given very little mention in the book of Deuteronomy; their powers and authority are nowhere specifically increased. (c) Finally, as has been pointed out, the name Jerusalem, does not occur in the book of Deuteronomy. In a book so filled with prophecy, it would be natural in the hands of a forger to name Jerusalem by name as a prophecy. If this is what a forger wanted people to believe, then why is there not a single “prophecy” inserted in Deuteronomy about Jerusalem?

4.      It is said that certain laws found in Deuteronomy differ from those in the previous three books. The easy, general explanation is that some of what is found in the previous three books deal with a nation on the move in the desert and wilderness. A simple example of this is the troop movement and organization surrounding the ark. This is specific to those circumstances at that time. A major change which was about to take place was that Israel would soon settle into her own land and there were be some minor differences due to that.

5.      The phrase beyond the Jordan is used to describe the land east of the Jordan, which is where Moses and company were encamped. This would appear to be a phrase used by those living on the western side of the Jordan. However, this was a specific term which means the other-side land and was applied to the portion east of the Jordan, despite the location of the writer or speaker. Today, we still call the land Trans-Jordan, whether we live in the United States, in Israel or in Trans-Jordan.

6.      Occasionally, we find the phrase until this day. This can refer to (a) the period of time of Moses, looking back over the past forty years; (b) the perspective of Joshua, who amended the book of Deuteronomy in perhaps a half dozen places. In no case are we ever looking backwards several hundred years.

7.      Some critics claim that, because Deuteronomy contains an account of the death of Moses, this has to be a bogus book. When we get to the final chapters of Moses, we will find that most of them were pieced together and edited by Joshua, adding in the blessing and the song of Moses. Therefore, to find an account of the death of Moses is perfectly natural and more indicative of an eyewitness account (like Joshua) rather than a writer from a time period several hundred years later.

For most of you, it is sufficient to say that Moses wrote the book of Deuteronomy because this is God’s Word and that is what God’s Word says. So the past couple of pages may have seemed as though I was beating a dead horse. However, since this theory persists and continually finds its way into Christian literature and Christian seminaries, it is important that it be dealt with carefully. Whereas, the bulk of the quotations found in the previous three books are direct quotes from God which Moses conveyed to the people, Moses spoke to the people in this book in his own words, as moved by the Holy Spirit. Now, don’t get me wrong—he didn’t just start speaking and all of these things came out. We have a written document which recorded what he said, and since voice to print had not been perfected on their computers as of yet, this would indicate the Moses first wrote these dissertations out and then presented them. If you didn’t catch that, let me explain: with their writing materials and their speed of writing, even without vowels, it would have been quite difficult to keep up with Moses and take word-by-word dictation. Since we have this information recorded for us in written form, that would logically indicate that Moses wrote it down first and then read from his notes.

When Critics Ask covers this same topic:

Biblical Criticism and the Authorship of Deuteronomy

How could Moses have written this when biblical criticism claims it was written many centuries later?

PROBLEM: According to this verse, “these are the words which Moses spoke.” However, many biblical critics claim that Deuteronomy was written in the third century B .C. , many centuries after Moses’ time.

SOLUTION: There are many arguments that support the claim that Moses wrote the Book of Deuteronomy.

1.      There is the repeated claim of the book that “these are the words of Moses (1:1 ; 4:44 ; 29:1). To deny this is to claim the book is a total fraud.

2.      Joshua, Moses’ immediate successor, attributed the Book of Deuteronomy to Moses, exhorting the people of Israel to “observe to do … all the law which Moses … commanded” (Joshua 1:7).

3.      The remainder of the OT attributes Deuteronomy to Moses (cf. Judges 3:4 1 Kings 2:3 2 Kings 14:6 Ezra 3:2 Neh. 1:7 Psalm 103:7 Dan. 9:11 Mal. 4:4).

4.      Deuteronomy is the book of the Law most quoted in the NT, often with words like “Moses truly said” (Acts 3:22), “Moses says” (Rom. 10:19), or “it is written in the law of Moses” (1Cor. 9:9).

5.      Our Lord quoted the Book of Deuteronomy (6:13 , 16) as the authoritative Word of God when He resisted the devil (Matt. 4:7 , 10), and He also directly attributed it to the hand of Moses, saying, “Moses said” (Mark 7:10) or “Moses wrote” (Luke 20:28).

6.      The geographical and historical details of the book display a firsthand acquaintance such as Moses would have had.

7.      Scholarly studies of the form and content of Near Eastern covenants indicate that Deuteronomy is from the period of Moses (see Meredith Kline, Treaty of the Great King, Eerdmans, 1963).

In addition to all of this, the apparent references within the book to a later period are easily explained (see comments on Deut. 2:10–12). Of course, the last chapter of Deuteronomy, being about Moses’ death (chap. 34) was probably written by his successor Joshua, in accordance with the custom of the day.

This was taken from Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe, When Critics Ask; Victor Books; taken from e-Sword, Deut. 1:1.

Coffman: No other Biblical book is so specifically assigned to its author as is this one.

Coffman on the False Allegations of Critics

"These are the words which Moses spake ..." (Deut. 1:1a) These are the most important words in the Book of Deuteronomy, and until these words are properly understood, there is no such thing as understanding the whole book. The words as they stand in the sacred text are either true, or they are untrue, and we wish to register at the outset here our conviction that the words are true. Deuteronomy is the Sacred Scripture to which Jesus Christ himself made appeal when assailed by Satan himself in the wilderness of our Lord's temptation, and the proposition that the eternal Son of God in his contest with the prince of evil would have relied upon a human book full of lies is itself a preposterous falsehood!

No educated Christian can be unaware of the allegations of unbelieving enemies of the Bible to the effect that neither the Mosaic authorship of Deuteronomy, nor the 15^th century date of its production can be allowed. The arrogant claim of such Biblical critics is that devout priests during the reign of Manasseh wrote Deuteronomy, hid it in the temple, and then had it "discovered" in the days of Josiah! That little fairy tale is not half as credible as those written by Hans Christian Andersen! Now, it is not so much the impossibility of swallowing such a Gargantuan lie that we wish to emphasize just here. It is the somewhat subtle insinuation that those "wonderful, devout priests" did this monstrous forgery "in the service of God," that what they did was acceptable as morally justified by their entire generation, despite the obvious fact of its being deceitful, fraudulent, immoral, untruthful, and as crooked as anything hell ever desired! Now it is precisely this postulation of the Biblical enemies that we wish to explore a little further.

Note that they approve of the fraud, duplicity, and dishonesty of the alleged priesthood that concocted Deuteronomy "in the name of Moses." The critics do not often state this approval, but it invariably appears in the "motives" assigned for the fraud and deception. Thus, it is alleged that this colossal act of fraud and deception was for "the purpose of rooting out the idolatry that had become rampant in the long reign of Manasseh!" Indeed, how noble, and commendable such a worthy purpose appears! We have a specific example of this "approval" by Edgar Goodspeed, one of the 20^th-century modernists. He denied the Matthew authorship of that Gospel, saying, "It was written by a Jewish Christian of insight and devotion!" (at a time long after Matthew lived).[1] The prominent point in all this is that the unbelieving enemies of the Bible approve the fraudulent and crooked devices alleged to have been practiced on the sacred text of the Bible. From this, we are required to be doubly suspicious of all their arguments. How many forgeries, deceptions, and false statements are to be expected in the writings of men who have such a loose conception of morality that they can refer to the crooked deceiver who palmed off his "Book of Matthew" as that of an apostle, as "a Christian of insight and devotion"? Therefore, we believe that such allegations against the Bible tell us far more about those who make the allegations than they tell us about the Bible. Certainly, the light shed on the Bible by those who deny the truth of it is nil.

From http://www.studylight.org/com/bcc/view.cgi?bk=4&ch=1 accessed November 3, 2013.

George L. Robinson on Why Moses is Clearly the Author of Deuteronomy

1.      The whole nature of the book, including its contents, declarations, and historical references are appropriate to the times of Moses, and to those of Moses only.

2.      The Word of God emphatically declares that Moses is the author.

3.      There is nothing unreasonable about Moses' having put his five books in writing. Hammurabi wrote such a book centuries before Moses, and Moses had the necessary training and education to have written it.

4.      The military exhortations and the whole atmosphere of the book are appropriate to a nation standing upon the threshold of a war of conquest.

5.      There is a paternal vein running through the whole book that defies all identification with any age or any leader except that of Moses.

From http://www.studylight.org/com/bcc/view.cgi?bk=4&ch=1 accessed November 3, 2013.

We can learn a lot about the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures from the book of Deuteronomy.

The Inspiration of the Scriptures and the Book of Deuteronomy

1.      The definition if the inspiration of Scriptures: Human authors wrote as moved by the Holy Spirit, so that, without waving their human intelligence, their vocabulary, their personal feelings, their literary style, their personality, their environmental influences or their individuality, they recorded God’s complete and connected message to man with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture, the very words bearing the authority of divine authorship.¹ The is known as the verbal, plenary view of inspiration.

2.      In passages like Matt. 22, Jesus Christ quotes from various portions of the law as authoritative, without once making a qualifying remark, whether the text came from Exodus (Matt. 22:32), Leviticus (Matt. 22:39) or Deuteronomy (Matt. 22:37).

3.      If Jesus quotes liberally from any of the books of Moses (and any of the other books of the Old Testament), without ever qualifying His statements in any way, this makes these books authoritative; that is, they have the power and authority of God behind them.

4.      Throughout the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, Moses was very careful to distinguish from simple narrative and the words of God. However, once he gets to the book of Deuteronomy, he begins speaking, at the direction of God (Deut. 1:3), but without stopping to saying, “Now, this is what God told me to say to you.” All of what he says is given as authoritative. The few times he quotes God, it is from a previous passage, or something that the people were already familiar with.

5.      In Deuteronomy, Moses is clearly the human author (Deut. 1:1, 5).

6.      Moses was raised to become pharaoh over Egypt; therefore, his knowledge of geography, politics and law all play a part in the sorts of decisions, rulings and actions which he takes. So in writing these words, he does not wave his background or his training.

7.      And given the way the Jesus quotes Moses, from all of his books, with the precision that He does, the words of Moses bear the authority of divine authorship.

¹ Quoted and paraphrased from R. B. Thieme, Jr., Canonicity; ©1973 by R. B. Thieme, Jr.; p. 5, who in turn took this from Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology; Abridged Edition; Victor Books, ©1984, Vol. Two, p. 71.

The Pulpit Commentary on the Contents of Deuteronomy

The book consists chiefly of three lengthened addresses, delivered by Moses to the people on the eastern side of the Jordan, after they had obtained possession by conquest of the region stretching northwards from the borders of Moab towards those of Aram. After a brief notice of the circumstances of time and place when the addresses were uttered, (Deut. 1:1–5) the first address begins.

Moses first of all recalls to the recollection of the people certain important particulars in their past history, with the view apparently of preparing them for the admonitions and injunctions he is about to lay upon them. (Deu 1:6–3:29) This recapitulation is followed by a series of earnest exhortations to obedience to the Divine ordinances, and warnings against idolatry and the forsaking of Jehovah, the God of their lathers, and the only true God. (Deut. 4:1–40) To this address is appended a short historical notice of the appointment of three cities of refuge on the east side of the Jordan (vers. 41–43).

The second address, which is also introduced by a brief notice of the circumstances under which it was delivered, (Deut. 4:44–49) extends over twenty–one chapters (Deuteronomy 5–26). In it Moses goes over the leading ethical precepts of the Law which he, as the servant of God, had already declared to the people. He begins by reminding them how God had made a covenant with them in Horeb, and then, having repeated the "ten words" of the covenant the ten commandments which Jehovah spake to the assembled multitude and having uttered a general exhortation to obedience, (Deut. 5:1–33) he proceeds to admonish the people to love Jehovah the one God, to be obedient to his Law, to teach it diligently to their children, and to avoid all intercourse with the idolatrous nations of Canaan, on the possession of which they were about to enter. This admonition is enforced by threatening of judgments on idolaters; victory over the Canaanites is promised; the gradual but utter extinction of these idolatrous peoples is foretold; and a command is given to destroy all objects of idolatrous worship to be found in the land. (Deut. 6:1–25; Deut. 7:1–26) A cursory review of God"s dealings with Israel in guiding them through the wilderness is then taken, as furnishing ground for enforcing obedience to the Law; the danger of self–confidence and forgetfulness of God is pointed out; cautions are given against self–righteousness and spiritual pride; and, to enforce these, the people are reminded of their sins and rebelliousness in the wilderness, of Moses" intercession for them, and of God"s grace and goodness, especially as shown in his restoring the two tables after they had been broken, and writing on them anew the law of the ten commandments. (Deut. 8:1–10:5)

At this point a short notice of the journeyings of the Israelites in the region of Mount Her is introduced, with notices of the death of Aaron, of the continuance of the priesthood in his family, and of the separation of the tribe of Levi to the service of the sanctuary. (Deut. 10:6–11) The address is then resumed, and the people are exhorted to fear, obey, and love the Lord; and this is enforced by reference to God"s claims upon them, the blessings that would ensue if they yielded to these claims, and, on the other hand, the curse that disobedience would bring upon them. In connection with this the command is given that, when they should be come into the Promised Land, the blessing should be put upon Mount Gerizim and the curse upon Mount Ebal, the situation of which is indicated. (Deut. 10:12–22 11:1–32)

After this Moses enters on a more minute detail of the laws which the people were to observe when settled in Canaan. Directions are given as to the destruction of all monuments of idolatry, and they are enjoined to preserve the worship of Jehovah and to present the appointed offerings to him in the place which he should choose, where also the sacrificial meal was to be eaten. (Deut. 12:1–28) All intercourse with idolaters and all curious inquiries concerning their rites are to be avoided; all who would seduce to idolatry are to be put to death, even though they pretended to be prophets and to speak under Divine sanction; even the nearest relations who act this part are not to be spared; and an idolatrous cities are to be destroyed. (Deut. 12:29–32 13:1–18) The people are cautioned against joining in or imitating the mourning customs of the heathen, and against eating the flesh of unclean animals or of animals that had died of themselves; they are directed as to the laying aside of tithes for sacrificial meals and for the poor; they are enjoined to observe the seventh year of release for poor debtors and of emancipation for the bondman; they are commanded to dedicate to the Lord the first–born of sheep and oxen; and they are instructed to observe the three great feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. (Deut. 14:1–16:17) From these religious regulations Moses passes on to others more of a civil and social character, giving directions as to the appointment of judges and magistrates, the trial of idolaters and criminals of various classes, the choice and duties of a king, and the rights of priests and Levites; the promise of a Great Prophet like unto Moses, whom they are to hear and obey, is given; and the proper test by which any one pretending to be a prophet is to be tried, is prescribed. (Deut. 16:18–18:22) Following these come some regulations as to the appointment of cities of refuge for the manslayer, the maintenance of landmarks and boundaries, the number of witnesses required to establish a charge against any one, the punishment of false witnesses, the conduct of war, exemption from service in war, the treatment of enemies, the besieging of towns, the expiation of murder where the murderer is unknown, the treatment of women taken in war, the just exercise of paternal authority, and the burial of malefactors who had been executed. (Deut. 19:1–21:23) The address is concluded by a series of miscellaneous injunctions relating to rights of property, the relation of the sexes, regard for animal and human life, the avoidance of what would confound distinctions made by God in the natural world, the preservation of the sanctity of the marriage bond, and the observation of integrity and purity in all the relations of life, domestic and social After appointing the eucharistic services on the presentation of the firstfruits and tenths of the products of the field, the address is wound up with a solemn admonition to attend to and observe what the Lord had commanded. (Deut. 22:1–26:19)

In his third address, after directing that the Law should be inscribed on two stone pillars to be set up on Mount Ebal, when the people should have obtained possession of Canaan, Moses proceeds to charge them to proclaim in the most solemn manner, after offering burnt offerings and sacrifices, the blessing and the curse by which the Law was sanctioned, the former on Mount Gerizim, the latter on Mount Ebal. (Deut. 27:1–26) He then more fully sets forth the blessings that should come upon the people if they hearkened to the voice of the Lord, and the curses that would befall them if they neglected his word or refused to obey it. (Deut. 28:1–68) Moses then recapitulates what the Lord had done for Israel, and, after again referring to the blessings and curses of the Law, adjures the people to accept the covenant which God was graciously pleased to make with them, to adhere to it constantly, and so, having blessing and curse, life and death, set before them, to choose the former for themselves and their posterity. (Deut. 29:1–29 30:1–20)

These three addresses of Moses to the people are followed by an account of the closing scenes and acts of his life. A few words of encouragement addressed to the people introduce the appointment of Joshua to be his successor as the leader of Israel; the Law written out by Moses is handed over to the custody of–the priests, with a command that it shall be renal every seventh year to the people at the Feast of Tabernacles; Joshua is summoned with Moses into the presence of Jehovah, and receives from him his commission and authority; and Moses is commanded to write a song, and teach it to the people. (Deut. 31:1–22) The active life of Moses was now drawing to its close. He puts the last hand on the writing of the Law; composes the song which God had commanded him to write; utters a few words of encouragement to Joshua; delivers the book of the Law to the priests that bore the ark of the covenant, with the injunction to them to put it in the side of the ark; and summons the elders of the tribes and their officers to hear from his lips, ere he left them, his solemn charge, and listen to the words of the song he had composed (vers. 23–29). Then follows the song itself; after which comes a short exhortation to the people by Moses, followed by the Divine intimation of the approaching decease of their great leader and lawgiver. (Deut. 32:1–52) Next is inserted the blessing which Moses pronounced upon Israel in its separate tribes; (Deut. 33:1–29) and to this is appended an account of the death and burial of Moses, with his eulogium. (Deut. 34:1–12) With this the book terminates.

From The Pulpit Commentary; 1880-1919; by Joseph S. Exell, Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones, courtesy of e-sword, Deuteronomy book comments.

What is Found in the Book of Deuteronomy

Content

Description

The Law

Moses will reiterate specific portions of the Mosaic Law.

Court Cases

Moses has had his training in the law of many nations when he was being prepared to rule over Egypt. He has a great background in this field and was more than qualified to sit upon the court of any nation.

He spends a great deal of his time judging the people of Israel, using his knowledge of the Law and of traditions and coming to a reasonable ruling.

Traditions

One must be careful in this category. Moses was not teaching traditions as law. He was taking cultural norms and standards for his time, and using the Law to make rulings, within these cultural norms (as long as these norms were not in opposition to the Law of God).

Advice

Moses, in this final month, is speaking to young men and women who have grown up in the desert. They do not know how to farm, how to provide for themselves, or even how to make their own clothes. God has taken care of these things for them. Furthermore, most people learn such skills from their parents. Well, the parents, Gen X, are all dead, having died the sin unto death in the desert. So Moses has to give some basic advice to these young adults (they are between the ages of 20 and 40) who have survived their parents, but are about to enter into a land where they have no skills whatsoever.

It is important to note that, Moses’ advice is not on the same level as the laws coming from God. The Scripture is inspired, but that does not mean that, if you mixed cotton and wool threads that God would that others hunt you down and kill you. Murder someone, and that is entirely different.

Some of these are repeated from previous books.

Types and Antitypes in Deuteronomy

Type

Antitype

Moses:

Most of the writing about Moses takes place in Deuteronomy, over a relative short period of time (1 week to 1 month).

He prepares a new generation to go into the Land of Promise.

He died still physically strong and vigorous; but his work was finished.

Jesus:

Most of what is written about Jesus occurs in His final week.

Jesus, when rejected by His people, prepares a new people for His promise.

He was crucified when very young and then died because His work was finished.

Moses as the mediator:

God tells Moses he is ready to start from scratch with the Israelites, raising up a people from Moses’ seed. Moses stands in the gap—he stands as a mediator between God and man, asking for mercy for the people of God. The people deserved punishment from God, and yet God gives them grace because of Moses.

Jesus as the Mediator:

We stand condemned before God. We do not deserve pardon because we all have a sin nature; we have all committed personal sins and we are under Adam’s original sin. Jesus stands in the gap—He is the mediator between God and man. We deserve punishment, and yet God gives us grace because of Jesus.

Moses, who represents the Law, will not take the children of Israel into the land. Joshua, whose name is the Hebrew equivalent of Jesus, will take the people into the land.

The Law of Moses cannot save, because we are weak in the flesh. Only Jesus can save us.

We should expect to find Jesus revealed in nearly every book of the Bible.

I have listed verses which stand out for me; here is how others feel about this topic:

Other Quotes from All Great Quotes

Deuteronomy 4:26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day.

Deuteronomy 5:15 Remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord your God brought you out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:15 For the Lord your God is a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams. You will not listen [to them].

Deuteronomy 13:6 If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend, which is as your own soul, entice you secretly. You will not consent.

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that both you and your seed may live.

Deuteronomy 32:10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

Deuteronomy 32:20 For they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 34:6 No man knows of his [Moses's] sepulchre unto this day.

Taken from All Great Quotes, accessed October 21, 2013 and edited.

Apparently, this is the result of some sort of vote.

The Top Verses of Deuteronomy from Top Verses

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 18:10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 6:6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.

Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 13:1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder,... (NIV)

Deuteronomy 18:9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 4:5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your own people. You must listen to him. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 10:20 Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that people do not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 4:2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 24:1 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house (NIV)

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 22:5 A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 28:1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their people, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. (NIV)

From TopVerses.com, accessed October 21, 2013.

The words of Deuteronomy are reflected or quoted in many subsequent books of the Bible. Following is a representative sampling:

References to Deuteronomy

The book of Joshua, where Caleb's words to Joshua are a direct reference to Deuteronomy 1:36:

So on that day Moses swore to me, "The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly" (Joshua 14:9).

In 2Kings, King Amaziah of Judah is commended for his obedience to the words of Moses that are quoted from Deuteronomy 24:16: Yet he did not put the sons of the assassins to death, in accordance with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses where the Lord commanded: "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sins" (2 Kings 14:6).

In the Prophets. Throughout the proclamations of the Old Testament prophets, the benefits for obedience that they promise and the punishments for disobedience about which they warn are the blessings and curses declared in the book of Deuteronomy (Kalland, 1992).

In the Gospels, Jesus is credited with ten specific quotes from Deuteronomy, including his famous three responses to the devil during his temptation in the wilderness:

Jesus answered, "It is written, `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes form the mouth of God.' " (Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3).

Jesus answered him, "It is also written: `Do not put the Lord your God to the test' " (Matthew 4:7 and Luke 4:12, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16).

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written, `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only' " (Matthew 4:10 and Luke 4:8, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13).

According to Kalland (1992), the New International Version of the Bible cites 34 direct quotes from Deuteronomy in its New Testament footnotes, in addition to the numerous partial quotes and allusions from Deuteronomy that occur in the text itself. Thompson (1974) states that Deuteronomy is quoted over 80 times in the New Testament, with references occurring in all but six of the New Testament books.

Without a doubt, the book of Deuteronomy had a profound impact on God's people through the ages, and continues to do so right down to the present day!

From BibleandTeaching.com, accessed October 21, 2013.

So that there is no misunderstanding, there was institutional provision for the poor under the Law of Moses. That is, the government was charged with spending 3⅓% of the public money on the poor—often called the widows and orphans. To contrast, our total federal programs “for the poor” are around $1 trillion/year, which is around 8–9% of the gross national product. In addition to this, billions are spent by state and local governments as well, along with private charities. This is far in excess of what the Bible requires, and is done today primarily for the purpose of buying votes.

The responsibility of private farm owners was to leave parts of fields uncut so that the poor could come in and harvest themselves. In other words, they worked for their food.

Deuteronomy and the Poor

Deuteronomy 10:18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 14:28-29 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. A tithe is 10%; bringing a tithe every 3^rd year, is equivalent to 3⅓% each year.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. Notice that this is the reaction of the private person, not the government.

Deuteronomy 15:11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

Passages collected from Compassion.com, accessed October 21, 2013.

This is first put forth in Job 2 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

These are the codes which we actually have records of, which suggests that there were many legal codes from this era.

Ancient Law Codes

Codes

Date

Information

The Code of Urukagina

2,380–2,360 b.c.

Urukagina was a ruler of the city-state Lagash in Mesopotamia circa 2380–2360 b.c.

The Code of Ur-Nammu

circa

2100–2050 b.c.

This is the oldest known tablet which contains a law code that survives today. It was written in the Sumerian language.

The Laws of Eshnunna

1930 b.c.

These laws are inscribed on two cuneiform tablets discovered in Baghdad, Iraq. This law code is named after a city, rather than after a person. This apparently governed an area north of Ur. These laws are written in the Akkadian language.

The Codex of Lipit-Ishtar

1934–1924 b.c.

Lipit-Ishtar was the fifth ruler of the first dynasty of Isin. He is partially known for the legal code written in his name. This is apparently written in Sumerian, and the laws were a legal code, defining specific penalties for specific crimes and acts of wrongdoing.

The Code of Hammurabi

circa 1780 b.c.

The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian law code written by the sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi

This suggests that during this time period, there was a profound concern with law, morality and legal consequences. This is the time period during which both Job and Abraham lived.

These references are taken out of Wikipedia, accessed November 16, 2011, and linked below:

The Code of Urukagina

The Code of Ur-Nammu

The Laws of Eshnunna

The Codex of Lipit-Ishtar

The Code of Hammurabi

Often when I begin a book or a chapter, I have a number of questions in the back of my head (or, I write them down in hidden document summary, to answer when the answers become clear). Meyer asks some fairly reasonable questions here. Some of them are quite basic and are even answered in this introduction to Deuteronomy.

F. B. Meyer’s Review Questions on Deuteronomy

Outline

(a) What was Moses' purpose in reviewing Israel's history?

(b) Why did he repeat the Ten Commandments and other laws?

(c) Why did he make this new generation renew the Covenant their fathers had made?

(d) Describe the final events in Moses' career.

Introduction

(e) What does the title Deuteronomy mean?

(f) What may the book be said to contain?

Deuteronomy 1-34

Each question applies to the paragraph of corresponding number in the Comments.

1. What may be gained by reviewing God's dealings with His people?

2. What made Kadesh-barnea a momentous and memorable place?

3. Why was Israel not to fight with the inhabitants of Seir or Moab?

4. How was Sihon punished for refusing passage through his land?

5. How did the land east of Jordan come into the possession of Israel?

6. When Moses was not permitted to lead his people across the Jordan, what did he seek to do?

7. In what sense is Jehovah "a jealous God?"

8. What had Jehovah done to impress upon Israel that He was the only true God?

9. Why was it necessary to repeat the Decalogue?

10. Why did the people feel the need of a mediator with God?

11. What were the Israelites to write upon their hearts as well as upon their doors?

12. How were they to be kept from mixing with other nations?

13. How were they to dispossess their enemies?

14. What would happen to them if they forgot God?

15. Of what failure on their part did Moses remind them?

16. Where and how had Moses intervened to save them from destruction?

17. What did the Lord require of them-and still requires of us?

18. What was promised concerning the land which Israel was about to enter?

19. What were they offered if the Commandments were kept?

20. How were they to avoid being led into idolatry?

21. What promise of a prophet to come was made to Israel?

22. What lesson was annually taught by the offering of first-fruits?

23. Where and how was the Law to be plainly written in the new land?

24. What were some of the blessings which were promised to the obedient?

25. What would be some of the terrible consequences of disobedience?

26. How were these penalties for disobedience later realized?

27. What had Jehovah done for His people which called for their loyalty in return?

28. What would be the certain result if they served false gods?

29. What is promised to those who return from wandering?

30. What great choice did Moses put before the people?

31. How did Moses now prepare for his own departure?

32. What parting charge did he give to Joshua? and to the Levites?

33. What does Moses' song declare about God's goodness to Israel?

34. What does it declare about Israel's perverseness?

35. How did Moses see the land he was not permitted to enter?

36. What special blessings were promised to the tribes descended from Joseph?

37. What was the eternal God to be to all His people?

38. How did the great Lawgiver's career fittingly close?

I have found it to be critical and to ask questions which I don’t think are often asked about each chapter and book as I begin to study them.

Most of these passages are quoted from the MKJV.

The Isaiah/Deuteronomy Parallels

Isaiah

Deuteronomy

Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for Jehovah has spoken, I have nursed and brought up sons, and they have rebelled against Me.

Deut. 32:1 Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Isa 1:10 Hear the Word of Jehovah, rulers of Sodom; give ear to the Law of our God, people of Gomorrah.

Deut. 32:32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are grapes of gall. Their clusters are bitter.

Isa 1:17 Learn to do good; seek judgment, reprove the oppressor. Judge the orphan, plead for the widow.

Deut. 24:17 You shall not pervert the rightful judgment of the stranger nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's clothing to pledge.

Isa 1:6 From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it; only a wound and a stripe and a fresh blow; they have not been closed, nor bound up, nor soothed with oil.

Deut. 28:27 Jehovah will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with the hemorrhoids, and with the scab, and with the itch, of which you cannot be healed.

Isa 27:11 When its branches are dried up, they shall be broken off; the women come and set them on fire; for it is a people of no understanding. Therefore His Maker will not have mercy on them, and He who formed them will not favor them.

Deut. 32:28 For they are a nation without wisdom, neither is there any understanding in them.

Isa 41:8 But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, My friend;

Isa 62:12 And they will call them, The Holy People, The Redeemed of Jehovah; and you will be called, Sought Out, a city not forsaken.

Deut. 1:8 Behold, I have set before you the land; go in and possess the land which Jehovah has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their seed after them.

Deut. 7:6 For you are a holy people to Jehovah your God. Jehovah your God has chosen you to be a special people to Himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

Isa 41:10 Do not fear; for I am with you; be not dismayed; for I am your God. I will make you strong; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.

Deut. 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage. Do not fear nor be afraid of them. For Jehovah your God is He who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.

Isa 42:1–2 Behold My Servant, whom I uphold; My Elect, in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit on Him; He shall bring out judgment to the nations. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

Deut. 4:35–36 It was shown to you so that you might know that Jehovah is God, and no one else beside Him. He made you hear His voice out of Heaven so that He might teach you. And He showed you His great fire upon earth. And you heard His words out of the midst of the fire.

Isa 17:10 Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not been mindful of the Rock of your strength, therefore you shall plant pleasant plants and shall sow it a fresh shoot.

Deut. 32:15 But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked. You grew fat, thick, and satisfied. Then he forsook God who made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

Isa 46:8 Remember this, and be a man; return it on your heart, O sinners.

Deut. 32:7 Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you.

Isa 54:6 For Jehovah has called you as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when you were rejected, says your God.

Deut. 24:1 When a man has taken a wife and married her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes, because he has found some uncleanness in her, then let him write her a bill of divorce and put it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

Isa 58:14 then you shall delight yourself in Jehovah; and I will cause you to ride on the high places of the earth, and feed yourself with the inheritance of Jacob your father. For the mouth of Jehovah has spoken.

Deut. 26:1 And it shall be, when you come into the land which Jehovah your God gives you for an inheritance, and possess it, and live in it,

Deut. 33:4 Moses commanded us a law, the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.

Isa 59:10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes. We stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in deserted places like dead men.

Deut. 28:29 And you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall always be pressed down and spoiled forever, and no man shall save you.

Isa 65:21–22 And they will build houses and live in them; and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build, and another live in them; they will not plant, and another eat. For like the days of a tree are the days of My people, and My elect will long enjoy the work of their hands.

Deut. 6:10–11 And it shall be when Jehovah your God has brought you into the land which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you great and good cities which you did not build, and houses full of every good thing which you did not fill, and wells which are dug, but which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you shall eat and be full,

Isa 62:8 Jehovah has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength, Surely I will no more give your grain to be food for your enemies; and the sons of strangers will not drink your wine for which you have labored.

Deut. 28:31 Your ox shall be slain before your eyes, and you shall not eat of it. Your ass shall be violently taken away from before your face, and shall not be restored to you, your sheep given to your enemies, and you shall have none to rescue them.

The Pulpit Commentary; 1880-1919; by Joseph S. Exell, Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones, courtesy of e-sword, Deuteronomy book comments (edited and several verses changed).

The Pulpit Commentary revealed another set of parallel passages with Deuteronomy.

Parallels Between Hosea and Deuteronomy

Hosea

Deuteronomy

Hos. 4:14, "They sacrifice with the kedeshoth" (women consecrated to prostitution in the service of a heathen deity)

Deut. 23:17–18, "There will be no kedeshah consecrated harlot of the daughters of Israel... you will not bring the hire of a kedeshah... into the house of the Lord."

 Only in these passages and in Gen. 38:21–22, is this word.";

Hos. 5:10, "The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bounds (massigei gebul)

Deut. 19:14, "You will not remove your neighbor"s landmark (lo tassig gebul) Deut. 27:17, "Cursed be he that removes his neighbor"s landmark (massig gebul)

Hos. 5:14, "I will take away, and none shall rescue (eyn matzil)

Deut. 32:39, "And there is none that rescueth out of my hand (eyn m"yadi matzil) (Cf. also Hos. 2:10 Heb 12)

Hos. 6:1, "Come, and let us return unto the Lord; for he has torn, (Hos. 5:14) and he will heal us; he has smitten, and he will bind us up."

Deut. 32:39, "I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal.

Hos. 8:13, "They shall return (yashubhu) to Egypt."

Deut. 28:68, "The Lord will bring you (heshibhka) into Egypt again.

Hos. 12:13, "By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved."

Deut. 18:18, "A Prophet... like unto you." Only here is Moses described as a prophet.

Hos. 13:6, "According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore have they forgotten me."

Deut. 8:14, "Then your heare be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God," etc.

Hos. 13:9, "This (shihethka) has corrupted destroyed you, O Israel, that you are against me who am in your help.

Deut. 32:5, "A perverse nation has become corrupt towards him (shihes lo) Deut. 33:26, "Who rides upon the heaven in your help.

These parallels, found here as well as with 1Kings, reveal that the book of Deuteronomy was settled divine Law insofar as the people of Israel were concerned. One example given is 1Kings 18:40 where there is the order given by Elijah as to the treatment of the priests of Baal, the prophet follows the Divine injunction as given in Deut. 13:15–16, and 17:5; without which it is inconceivable that he should have ventured to enjoin on the king such extreme measures. Elijah could not just simply call for the seizing of the prophets of Baal without some back up from the Scriptures of God.

From The Pulpit Commentary; 1880-1919; by Joseph S. Exell, Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones, courtesy of e-sword, Deuteronomy book comments.

Other Miscellaneous Old Testament Parallels

Scripture

Deuteronomy

1Sam. 8:1, 3 And it happened when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel. And his sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after ill gain and took bribes and perverted judgment.

Deu 16:18–19 You shall appoint judges and officers for yourself in all your gates which Jehovah your God gives you, tribe by tribe. And they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert judgment; you shall not respect persons, nor take a gift. For a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.

2Sa 7:6 For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the sons of Israel out of Egypt until this day, but have walked in a tent, even in a tabernacle.

Deu 23:14 For Jehovah your God walks in the middle of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you. Therefore your camp shall be holy, so that He may see no unclean thing in you and turn away from you. Only in these 2 passages plus Lev. 26:12 does God walk among His people (until the incarnation of Jesus, of course).

2Sa 7:23 And what one nation in the earth is like Your people, like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to Himself, and to make Him a name, and to do for You great things and terrible, for Your land, before Your people, whom You redeemed to You from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?

Deu 7:8 But because Jehovah loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn to your fathers, Jehovah has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of slaves, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Deu 15:15 And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah your God redeemed you. Therefore I command you this thing today.

1Sa 2:2 There is none holy as Jehovah, for there is none beside You. Neither is there any rock like our God.

Deu 32:4 He is the Rock; His work is perfect. For all His ways are just, a God of faithfulness, and without evil; just and upright is He.

Deu 32:31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. See also Deut. 32:15, 18)

1Sa 2:29 Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering, which I have commanded in My house? Do you honor your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?

Deu 32:15 But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked. You grew fat, thick, and satisfied. Then he forsook God who made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. This verb only occurs in these two passages.

1Sa 15:2 So says Jehovah of Hosts, I will visit Amalek with what he did to Israel, how he set against him in the way when he came up from Egypt.

Deu 25:17–18 Remember what Amalek did to you by the way, when you came forth out of Egypt, how he met you by the way and struck those of you who were behind, all the feeble behind you, when you were faint and weary. And he did not fear God.

1Sa 28:3 And Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away the mediums and the spirit-knowers out of the land.

Deu 18:10–11 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, an observer of clouds, or a fortune-teller, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or one who calls to the dead.

More parallels are found at StudyLight.org.

Deuteronomy is the most quoted Old Testament of them all. Below are quotations from the book of Deuteronomy, which are either quoted in the New Testament or have parallel passages in the New Testament. Is it any wonder that infidels look to impugn this book before all others? Most of the translations below come from the MKJV or the ESV; capitalized.

Deuteronomy in the New Testament

Deuteronomy

New Testament Citation

Deut. 1:16–17 And I commanded your judges at that time saying, Hear the causes between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the stranger with him. You shall not respect persons in judgment. You shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's. And the cause that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.

Deut. 16:19 You shall not pervert judgment; you shall not respect persons, nor take a gift. For a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.

John 7:24 Do not judge according to sight, but judge righteous judgment.

James 2:1 My brothers, do not have the faith of our Lord Christ, the Lord of glory, with respecter of persons.

Deut. 4:2 You shall not add to the Word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, so that you may keep the commands of Jehovah your God which I command you.

Deut. 12:32 All the things I command you, be careful to do it. You shall not add to it, nor take away from it.

Matt. 5:18 For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled.

Gal 3:15 Brothers, I speak according to man, a covenant having been ratified, even among mankind, no one sets aside or adds to it.

Rev. 22:18–19 For I testify together to everyone who hears the Words of the prophecy of this Book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add on him the plagues that have been written in this Book. And if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which have been written in this Book.

Deut. 4:7 For who is a great nation whose God is coming near to them, as Jehovah our God is, in all our calling on Him?

James 4:8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, double-minded ones.

Deut. 4:29–31 But if you shall seek Jehovah your God from there, you shall find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in trouble and when all these things have found you in the latter days, then you shall return to Jehovah your God and shall be obedient to His voice. For Jehovah your God is a merciful God; He will not forsake you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

Deut. 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage. Do not fear nor be afraid of them. For Jehovah your God is He who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, He said to them, "Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make an end on the house of Israel and on the house of Judah; a new covenant shall be,

Deut. 5:5 (I stood between Jehovah and you at that time, to show you the Word of Jehovah, for you were afraid because of the fire, and did not go up into the mountain,) saying,...

Gal. 3:19 Why then the Law? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed should come to those to whom it had been promised, being ordained through angels in the Mediator's hand.

Deut. 6:13 It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.' " See also Matt. 4:10

Deut. 6:14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—...

1John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Deut 6:16 "You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.

Luke 4:12 And Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.' " See also Matt. 4:7 1Cor. 10:9 Heb. 3:8–9.