Deuteronomy
Historical Setting
Three powerful speeches by Moses 40 years after the Lord had delivered Israel from Egypt are preserved in the book of Deuteronomy. The people had spent 40 years in the wilderness of the Sinai peninsula, including a year at Mount Sinai, where God made a covenant with his people. Moses’ exposition of the Sinai covenant occurred in the plains of Moab, which is just north-northeast of the northern tip of the Dead Sea and on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Moses viewed the future extent of Israel’s promised inheritance from Mount Nebo.
At this time Egypt was weakening but still ruled the ancient Near East. The pharaohs stopped major expeditions into the land of Canaan, which now allowed Israel a providential opportunity to gain a foothold in the land. The larger historical-cultural context for Israel’s experiences with Egypt was the New Kingdom period (c. 1550–1069 BC, Dynasties Eighteen through Twenty). For more specific discussion of the date of the exodus, see the article “
Literary Setting
Deuteronomy shares many affinities with literature from the ancient Near East. The most evident is its relationship to the various law collections that have been recovered. These collections have come from as early as 2000 BC and before, e.g., the Sumerian Laws of Ur-Nammu (2064–2046 BC), the Laws of Lipit-Ishtar (1875–1864 BC), the Old Babylonian Laws of Eshnunna (c. 1850 BC), and the Code of Hammurapi (1792–1750 BC). The OT contains both similarities and differences with these collections in subcategories of types of laws, e.g., case law, apodictic law, laws involving curses, motive clauses, etc. Whether showing similarities or differences, comparison can give us a good idea of how society was ordered in the ancient world.
Deuteronomy also displays a form and structure that reflects a close affinity with suzerain-vassal treaties in the ancient world. Such parallels offer evidence that God’s communication with Israel did not take place in a vacuum. He used familiar literary forms to communicate what ends up being a remarkably unique relationship with his people. The curses and blessings of Deuteronomy reflect similarities to ancient Near Eastern traditions of such literature reaching back as far as the third millennium BC. The book of Deuteronomy celebrates covenant renewal. If Israel were to claim and retain the land promised to them, they would have to maintain this covenant. But more important, they will need to keep the law and be faithful to the covenant so that God’s presence will continue to be evident among them. ◆
Key Concepts
• One God, one people, one sanctuary and one law.
• God’s law impacts every area of life, and all law is rooted in the Ten Commandments.
• Obedience is only the beginning of what is expected of God’s people—he wants his people to be in relationship with him.
• God’s people are to love him.