This is the first chapter of a commentary on Deuteronomy. Here the author provides an exegesis of Deuteronomy 1:1 - Deuteronomy 2:7. The author also discusses the book of Deuteronomy as an Ancient Near-Eastern vassal treaty, the structure of law in Deuteronomy, and the concept of law in the Ancient Near East.
Deuteronomy 6-Deuteronomy 8 occupy an important place within the book of Deuteronomy and in the Jewish and Christian tradition. This essay seeks to understand the context of these chapters. It first surveys its history of interpretation and offers an evaluation. The thesis and proposal of the article is that the Decalogue (Deuteronomy 5:6-21) and the covenant ratification ceremony at Sinai (Exodus 24) offer a plausible context.
This article considers how to translate Deuteronomy 6:4.
The Old Testament views leadership in general as a privilege granted to an individual in order to serve the interests of those who are led. This view of leadership is reflected in particular in Deuteronomy's version of the Decalogue. This article offers a comparison of Deuteronomy 5's versions of the Decalogue with Exodus 20.
The Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is a call for exclusive covenant commitment to Yahweh. The importance of the Shema can be seen in its reflection in the Gospels. Block discusses the problem of the Shema and the significant factors in its interpretation. He concludes that the Shema should be interpreted as a monotheistic confession.
In this article, Block reflects on how in particular the book of Deuteronomy came to be viewed as the book of Moses. The article begins by describing the problem and its significance. It surveys the solutions that have been proposed. The main section of the paper considers the evidence for the genesis of the book and its relevance for the interpretation of Scripture.
This article shows by way of chiasms that Deuteronomy 8 has at its heart a description of the good land that the Lord is giving to Israel.
What is the significance and intention of the call in Deuteronomy 12:5? How should readers understand this command and its application in the historical books of the Old Testament? This article argues that the Old Testament record is sufficiently clear and consistent, and that the traditional view adopted by Thompson, Craigie, Kitchen, and others has support from the ancient Near East.
Did the New Testament permit divorce in Matthew 19 and elsewhere? This article argues that an improved syntactic analysis of the Old Testament text shows Moses to have in fact issued a specific directive on divorce; however, that directive in Deuteronomy 24 was open to the kind of misunderstanding that Jesus needed to correct.
The apostle Paul refers to Deuteronomy 25:4 in 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18. He makes the point that a minister of the gospel should be allowed to live from his work. This essay focuses on the meaning of Deuteronomy 25:4 in its literary context to establish if Paul is reading this verse as the author of Deuteronomy intended it.
Deuteronomy 27 is usually regarded as an awkward chapter, both internally as well as in its relationship to the chapters preceding and following it. It is the purpose of this article to discuss the theology of this chapter. The relationship of Yahweh and Israel to each other is discussed, with focus on Israel under curse and under grace. Rather than offering two equally possible options, blessing and curse, the ceremony on Mount Ebal is biased towards curse. No blessings are mentioned.