Deuteronomy - Walter Brueggemann

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DEUTERONOMY



ABINGDON OLD TESTAMENT COMMENTARIES

Pak D. Mler Geeral EdoPi Tlgial Smiay

EDITORIAL BOARD

Theodore HebeMCmik Tlgial Smiay

Caol A Newom

Cadl Sl Tl, Emy Uiiyahee OCono

Clumbia Tlgial Smia

Caoly PrelerUid Tlgial Smiay Twi Cii

ChooLeong SeowPi Tlgial Smiay



ABINGDON OLD TEST AMENT COMMENTARIES

DEUTERONOMY

WALTER BRUEGGEMANN

Abingdon PressNashville



AINGDON OD TESTAMENT COMMENTAESDEUTEONOMY

Copyright © by Abngdon Press

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MANUFARED IN TH NTD AS OF AMRCA



FCiiaa dai Buggma

adJam ugu Buggma





ONTENTS

Fewd 9

eae

ean 5

rdn 7

enay 25

Memory a Coex or Ierpreao ( 29) 25A Urge LadSeurg Deo (44) 50

Rememberng he Deve Coroao (44453) 62The Threa o Amea (6 25) 8 The Wonder and Ror o Be Choe (7 26) 9ah a Aerave o Complaey a Alernave

o Deprvao (8 20) 0Irael Reoued by Prayer ad Geeroy

(9 0 )

maon o a Carg God ( 0 222) 28A Land Wahed Over ( 2) 4The Saue ad he Ordae ( 225) 4

O Rgh Worhp ( 232 [Heb 2 ) 42Beware o Seduo! ( 8 eb 2 9) 49Holy Idey Holy Prae ( 4 2 ) 56The Begg o Soal Leglao ( 42229) 60The Soal Saey Ne ( 5 8 ) 6Gve o Your Be ( 5 92) 70



Take Tme o Be Holy ( 16 117) 172Inued by God ( 16 1 81 822) 1 78

ue Only ue ( 16 181713 ) 179Power Whou Aquvene ( 171420) 183A Pre Whou Propery ( 18 1 8 ) 188A ahful Way o he uure (1 8922) 1 92

Breakng he Vou Cyle ofVolene ( 19113) 1 97

Don' Move he Marker ( 19 14) 202

Due Proe ( 19 1521 ) 204ah War and he Envronmen (20 1 20) 207An Ordered Neghborlne (21 12212) 214A Dgraeful A n Irael (221330

[Heb 22 1329 231) 222Rule of Ae (2318) 227

Pury and ue Inermngled (23925) 230Holy Identy Enaed Conreely (24122) 235Varaon on Covenanal Theme (25 119) 241

A Delaraon Unahamed (26119) 245Beomng he People of Y (27 1 26) 251he " o ea o l (2 ) 4

Pardon Refued (29229) 259On Rehoong (30 120) 266The Omnou uure a a Marx of Call ( 31 1 29) 271Mave ugmen Surprng Hope (31303252) 277A People wh an Aured uure (33129) 24Moe Banned bu Unequaled (34 1 12) 27

ee Bibliography 293

e 303



OREWORD

T bigd Old Tam Cmmai are oered ohe reader hope ha hey wll ad he udy oSrpure ad provoke a deeper uderadg o he Bble

all may ae The ex o he Old Teame ome ou oa me a laguage ad oohoral ad relgou rumae ar dere rom he pree Ye ewh ad Chra

ommue have held o hem a a ared ao ga orah ad le eah ew me. Oly a oe egage hee book deph ad wh all he ral ad elleual aule avalableo u a he oemporary ommue o ah ad oher ereed reader oue o d hem meagul ad ruve

Thee volume are deged ad wre o provde omparal ommeare o he book o he Old Teame or heue o heologal ude ad paor I hoped ha hey maybe o erve alo o upperlevel ollege or uvery ude ado hoe repoble or eahg ogregaoal eg Iaddo o provdg ba ormao ad gh o he OldTeame wrg hee ommeare exemply he ak adproedure o areul erpreao

The wrer o he ommeare h ere ome rom abroad rage o eleaal alao oeoal ae adeduaoal bakgroud. They have experee a eaher ad ome ae a paor ad preaher I mo ae heauhor are pero who have doe ga reearh o hebook ha her agme. They ake ull aou o he mo

mpora urre holarhp ad eodary leraure whle oaempg o ummare ha leraure or o egage ehalaadem debae The udameal oer o eah volume



FRWRD

aaly ad do o he lerary oohoral heoloal ad ehal dmeo o he bblal ex hemelve

The New Reved Sadard Vero o he Bble he prpal

ralao o reeree or he ere hoh ahor may drawpo oher erpreao her do Eah wrer aeve o he oral Hebrew ex prepar he ommeary Bhe ahor do o preppoe ay owlede o he bblallaae o he par o he reader he ome awaree o arammaal yaal or phloloal e eeary or a

adeqae derad o a parlar ex he e explaedmply ad oelyEah volme o o or par A u loo a

he boo a a whole o dey ky u he boo layg ad uu he a a uaal x o heboo (ld boh oal ad horal oex) ad he lgal a al ae o he boo

The mmay proper orae he ex by lerary ad oar a poble dvde he omme o hree parThe lay aaly erve o rode he paae wh parlar aeo o deao o he ere o peeh or leraread he re or ole o he lerary der doHere alo he ahor ae p a yl eare o helphe reader derad he mode o ommao ad mpao ompreheo ad reepo o he ex The lare par ohe omme ally od he xgal aaly whhoder he lead oep o he he laae o expreo ad problemaal word phrae ad dea order o ea he am or e o he lerary a ar a ha a be ov

ered Aeo ve here o parlar horal ad oal ao o he wrer() ad reader() where ha derble adreleva a well a o wder lral (ld relo) oexThe aaly doe o proeed phrae by phrae or vere by vereb deal wh he varo parlar a way ha eep vewhe overall rre ad eral o o he paae ad rela

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mattr th hh th ut dal or to hh t pot. houhot amd prmarly at otmporary u o ath ad l thto hould provd radr a ba or rto o hm.

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Patrk D MllrGal Edi





PREFACE

lam gateul to te uua upet o bgg my mauptto te om o a book T at o aate lude t oall Tempe Aexade tout om t ould eve appe

Tm Smpo a yet aga pepaed de ad doe te aead o te maupt. I am gateu to Caoly Pele adPatk Mlle o te edtoal attetvee to my ok ad oludg t te ee ad to toe o dd te ad ok atAbgdo Pe

I am pleaed to dedate te book to Aa ad Augut o maygo to ak evetually Wat te meag o ? Tee aetae datg tat te tadto o Deuteoomy a ouedo utug te ext geeato to at Wat bette oetota to lk my ommetay to my ext geeato do

gattude ad atpato

Wate Bueggema





ABBZAWCBQ JBLJSOTSup

JTS

OBT OTLSBTV

ZAW

LIST OF BBREVIATIONS

Anchor BbleBehefte zur ZAWCatholic Biblical QuarterlyJournal of Biblical LiteratureJournal for the Study of the Old Testament-

Supplement SeresJournal of Theological Studies

Overtures to Bblcal TheologyOld Testament LibraryStudes n Bblcal TheologyVetus TestamentumZeitschrift fr die alttestamentliche

Wissenscha

1 5





NTRODUCTION

I mpoble o overae he mporae o he book oDeueroomy or he hape ad ubae o Irael' ah he Old Teame The book ha gve la arulao o

he ma heme haraer o udam ad dervavely oChray broade eep, he book a ormulao oovea heology hereby YHWH ad Irael are pledged oexluve loyaly ad dely o eah oher; YWH o aurehe ellbeg o Irael Irael o lve ru ad obedeeo YHWH

The book orgaed o hree grea peehe o Moe(440 44429 292247) ogeher h oludgmaeral oerg he deah o Moe he leaderhp o ohuaad he uure o Irael (24842) Prmary aeo or-mally gve o he log mddle peeh o 44429 ha o-ue he bulk o he book lkely he olde pa o he book admo pervavely voe he ma Deueroom Se he mpor-a ork o erhard vo ad (96626) uual o oeha h eod peeh orgaed aroud eleme haraer o ovea ormulao

Horal prologue oerg YHWH good ao orIrael (5)

The aue ad ordae o YHWH or Irael (225)Muual oah o dely (26 69) adBleg ad ure a ovea ao (2728).

The maeral ha oue h orpu oa oure ha aredvere ad have bee gahered over a log perod o me I he

7





INTRDUCTIN

refletve of the form of the polt trete of the Ayrempre tht perod A elfoou Irelte ommuty myhve bwd ovet form delbertely to offer t ovet

wth YHWH rdl alav to lle wth Ayrrk Crem (1996:20175) h mde powerful e thtthe book of Deuteroomy rdl erto of "the people ofthe ld free grulturl ldower who ert loylty toYHWH ltertve to loylty to Ayr Suh poltlmovemet udh w deep oflt wth the pole of the

royl dyty erulem tht hd ome to rely upo AyrTht royl loyty to Ayr o muh oppoed by the trdtorefeted Deuteroomy emboded by g Ah who purported to hve mde deep ovetl ommtmet to theAyr kg Tglthpeer III (2 g 16:7; ee I 28:15 18)Th ommtmet of Irel to the empre w poltlly bhorreteoomally oty d theologlly repellet to thoe who wererooted the rdl Yahwm oted wth the memory ofMoe. The key referee pot th revolutory theopoltlltertve the "Reform of oh (2 g 222) where theew kg threw off the otrol of the fdg Ayr uthorty the teret of depedet Yhwt Torhformed tte

Thu t woud pper tht the hper of the trdto of

Deuteroomy ued old memore of Moe (or wht purported tobe od memore) order o uthore poltl rete tomper domto. Whle the poltl motve for uh meuver re obvou the theologl lm behd the poltlmeuver re erou d rry wth them mportt ethlrequremet. Thu t prmry tg Deuteroomy

rtulto of "publ theologyThe older eghth to evethetury mterl were tke up d

frmed the frt peeh (1:4:40) d the thrd peeh(29:22:47) to erve the eed of xl mmuy the xthetury after erulem hd bee lot d the opomker theommuty were deported out of the d Sholr le to regrd

hpter 1 d 292 lterry theologl troduto tothe etre orpu of the Deuteroom Htory tht t flform ude the book of ohu udge Smuel d g



NTRDUCTN

Se n ha ubequen oex evden ha he fon ofenerng he land from he "Plan of Moab ( 1 58) underooda he reery o he land afer he deporaon. Aen upo

"your lle one (1:9) and "he nex generaon (29:22) n honex ha referene o he hldren and grandhldren of he generaon of he deporee I h aer generao, unburdened ofhe falure ha led o exle (ee 24:16) , who an onder reenryno he land wh a freh reolve o be he obeden peope ofYHWH

The older maeral wa reued ye agan n he ffth enury byhe Era movemen. Era ad h folower may wel have playeda key role n he formao of he anon. The Era movemenbeame he prmary mpeu for he hapng of emergng udam.Th reue by Era he rbe enabled he older maeral ofDeueronomy o beome enormouly fuenal n he hapeand a of udam a a people of he Torah (ee epeally Neh818 ) .

Through Jia a repreenave of he oder revoluonarymovemen (2 g 222) ad Eza a he deve fore n earlyudam (Neh 8:18), along wh oher unknown radon, heorpu of eueroomy beame a aial bk. A anonaleraure, voe for ongong generaon of ew and Chran

he prmal lam of ovenan fah, and a rada oa eh haenvon a dfferen mode of oal relaonhp n a dn efonou ommuny

Thee referene pon of M Jia and Eza pon o aproe of many radog age who generaed he book I o pobe o prefer oe of hee pon a deve, for he book

an ouome of a proe of fahful nerpreaon done over along perod of me.

Bblal holar ed o denfy he parpan ha formave proe

1 The oder par of he rado pay parular aenon o

Liial pi who are underood a he her o Moeand he degaed keeper and eaher of he Torah There a rong holarly hypohe ha hee Leva eaher are

0



INTRODUCTION

he orce ehnd he ook hs makes parclar sense oneocses pon he ook ackward o he memory o Moses

2 he radonng process n he eghh and seenh cen

res s ale o pp mm wh reerence oAmos saah Mcah Hosea and laer Jeremah s no possle o deermne he prmary nflence s rom eeronomyo he prophes or rom he prophes o eeronomy s scen o say ha he same nerpree marx was mporanor oh enerprses "orah and "prophes Boh lerares

nssed pon sraels answeraly o YHWH who presdesoer he plc processes o hsory A srong case has een made ha bal ad wh

s sapenal ocs s generae or deelopmens neeronomy rom Josah o zra he scres are he selconscos "scroll makers who generae he canonzng processon whch see or example Barch he scre n eremah 6

Whle scholars hae sed grea energy on hese seeral hypoheses concernng Lal pp and bal sorces oreeronomy s lkely ha no sngle hypohess can accon oreeryhng n he ook More lkely he ook o eeronomyemerged rom he es eors o many nerpree enerprses nsrael; represens a hardogh consenss n srael ao he keycams o ahwsc ah n genea hse soes onege n a"YHWH alone perspece on ah and le

he key clam concerns he exclse g and demand oYHWH and he nssence ha hs sngle coenanal loyalyshold e decse n eery aspec o srael's socal relaonshps n

he ody o saes and ordnances (1225 s possle o seehe ongong work o coenanal nerpreaon as he commnyseeks o dscern he mplcaons o Yahweh's exclse soeregny or he seeral dmensons o sraels plc le rgh worshpjs economcs ale plc power ahl condc o war andhe ssanale orderng o amly le

A sdy o he deals o he laws ndcaes enson eween generosy ha s rooed n neghorly muualy and harsh auaam ha appears o e an anxos response o he hrea o



NTRDCTN

social disorder recogizig his perasie esio oe ogh oo claim more ha he eidece permis for a geie ehicalmaliy A he same ime i is correc o isis ha

eeroomy has se i moio a coeaal ehic ha has coied o be a geeraie force i he reolioary ehical coicios of Jdaism ad Chrisiaiy eeroomy has i priew aprofodly eighborly ehic ha dersads he formaio admaieace of a commal ifrasrcre as a primal mode ofobediece o he God of coea

Gie is geeraie ad imagiaie characer eeroomycharacerisically eokes aeio o he caoical locaio adcoex of he book As he book of eeroomy complees he"orah Jdaisms mos sacred scripre (he Peaech isrelaio o Geesis hrogh Nmbers is impora eeroomyis midfl of Geesis hrogh Nmbers b also sads aparfrom hem looks back o he ormaie memory of he Geesisacesors ad he radiios of Moses b he i rs from hemforward eeroomy has impora liks o he "caoicalhisory of Josha Jdges Samel ad Kigs. proides heisio ha gides he preseaio of ha royal hisory of Joshahrogh Kigs ha eds i deporaio (Noh 1991 hseeroomy sads a midpoi bewee he acie memory of

Geesis hrogh Nmbers ad he sorry hisory of Josha hroghKigs eeroomy looks boh bakwad ag ad wad ii ad ierpres a he precise place where agad ii iersec he book makes a case ha he rooage of hepas is he cle o dersadig ad faihflly liig i he crisis

Locaed a ha precise iersecio eeroomy oices a

remarkable dyamic for faihfl imagiaie ierpreaio hebook receied is familiar ame from 78 he Greek erm redered i NRS as "copy is du, a secod ersio (of orahhs du m, "secod law is clear ha eeroomy iso he "origial ersio of orah from Siai b is ad iedso be a deriaie ierpreie radiio ha commes o he Siai

maerials i ways ha keep he rememered radiio perieAs impora as are he maerials ha cosie he uba ofeeroomy i is eqally impora o ake io serios acco



INTRDCTIN

ts p o nterpretaton whereby "Moses n each new generaton restates orah n resh ways

hs talty n the nterprete process s a prmal contrbuton

o euteronomy to udasm and to Chrstanty hat taltymeans that there s no nal settled nterpretaton no "strct con-structon but always another readng o the tradton that mustbe done aresh n udasm ths openness s to be ound n "theoral orah that runs beyond what s wrtten n Chrstanty t sthe "apostolc tradton that becomes the "uller sense o the

text that s always agan to be reapproprated Brown 1995) husthe text tsel wth ts ull canoncal authorty s not the last wordn the nterprete process t s a model word that ntes andauthores "Moses n always a new crcumstance to nterpreta ga

Such an understandng o the dynamc processthat s "not

wth our ancestors but wth us who are all o us here aletoday (5:) or those who are "not here wth us today(29:15)alerts us to the openness o ths nterprete tradtonand warns aganst any settled teralsm n the hands o magna-te athul nterpreters the text always "means agan and"means derently n a sense then euteronomy s a modelcommentary that becomes the warrant or the endless low ocommentares that contnue een to ths present seres each owhch has the tas o reteratng the tradton aresh

Such an enterprse suggests that the text o euteronomy maybe expected to say more than t says and to say derently romwhat t says hs requres that one must allow euteronomy tobe a lterarytheologcal "trope a use o words n other than

ther lteral sense Such an awareness does not ge lcense or thetext to mean just anythng but t means to lsten attentely orwhat may be present n the text beyond what s obous hs maybe partcularly mportant n euteronomy gen the harshnessthat borders on brutaty and the exclusonary sprt o somestatutes he patrarchal castng o amly statutes or the brutalty

o holy war or the death ormua "shall surey de leads one tothnk agan about the ntent o the present canoncal text hesestatutes seem to be a measure o anxety about the mantenance o



INTRDUCTN

the communty, and an attempt to draw boundares o membershp n order to deneate the ntegrty o the communty ( Stuman1 990 Muen 1 993 ) Wthout any attempt to "expan away the

hrshness so ceary present n the text, t may be useu to see thatthe hrshness reects a et anxety or whch the statute becomesa vehce

The tradton o euteronomy has the recurrent probem o agenerous ethc n a communty that must mantan tse n the aceo threatened dsntegraton More smpy, t must strugge wththe dcut ssue o who s n and who s out srae s "n theword ("n Canaan) but not "o the word ("Canaante)Some o ts responses to ths ssue are cumsy and awward, butthe ssue s or that reason no ess mportant and trcy

The theoogca accent pont o ths text, then, s what s caedn Chrstan theoogy "eccesoogy That s, a sense o the communy that must aways be redened n terms o ts orgn, pur

pose, and destny The "and may then be understood as hope orthe promsed webeng that comes to be ced "ngdom oGod In euteronomy Israe s not yet n the and t s on theway there How t arrves there s te overrdng ssue It taesMoses, awys agan Moses, no ess than Moses, to nsst that thscovenant communty, responsve to HWH, understand the terms

upon whch ts uture may be vaby occuped Moses nows thatthe uture s gt, but t s a gt that can be ready oreted Israemust aways agan rechoose that uture n the orm o presenttense obedence t s no wonder that the boo o euteronomyworres about the "chdren, or the uture s aways the tas othe nex generton that, hopeuy, has stened ong enough andwe enough to choose wsey

4



OMMENTARY

EOR AS ONEX FOR NERPREAON

These ntroductory chapters to the boo o euteronomy area mxture o speech by Moses and aai memory hespeech o Moses s the oce o the tradton that summons

srael to enact ts pecular destny as the object o HWHs spe-cal promse, presence, and demand Here as or all o the boo oDeuteronomy, t s mpossble to oestate the mportance oMoses as the deepest human authorty ths tradton can now, asthe authorzng human oce that s taen as HWHs own word

he narrate memory s lad out as a trael report, tracng theway n whch srael moed rom Snathe mountan o commandto the goal o the promsed land, ust beyond the ordan

he selecte, stylzed narrate memory appeals to what may beolder narrate sources n the boo o umbers he tet assumesthe oundatonal reablty o that memory he narrate memory seres as a matrx out o whch Moses may address srael n acompellng and ddactc way From the x mmy theoce nssts that srael must ponder ts past n order that n the

present, t may be more ully, obedently, and responsbly the peo-pe o HWH he ntenton o the retrospect s to mae cogentand papabe sraels dstnct dentty n the present, an denttyrooted n loyalty to HWH

Eegea al

he ntal paragraph o ths ntroducton qucly locatesMoses n a partcular tme and place 5) he tme s speccrst day, eleenth month orteth year rom Sna he reerence



CMMARY

pon s Sna wha couns s how ar remoed rom Sna s hsspeech o Moses he saemen a he same me lnks hese wordso Moses o Sna and dsances hem rom Sna hese are no

Sna words hese are derae he place s equay specc s by he Jordan ha s near he land o promse bu no n heland he me and place locae Moses who domnaes hs open-ng accoun as he wl domnae he enre book o eueronomyHe wl spea and hs words wll be remembered He needs nonroducon or urher auhoraon Hs oce s a decse gen

n Israel I has been so snce Sna In Exodus 201821, Moseswas acceped as he medaor he one who w "reay he wordo YHH o Israel

hs wosep relayed uerance rom YHHoMosesosrael s crucal or he reelaory process o eueronomy and orhe way n whch he Old esamen unersands he g o

YHHs dscosure o orah hs s dne word; bu s humanspeechIsrae receed he dne word drecy ony n Exod 20:117

Such drec address s oo omnous or Israel o bear From hamomen a Sna Israel s prepared or he human speech oMoses he wod o Moses s elabl he command o YHHhs sraagem places srael's hgh condence n hs parcuarhuman uerance bu acnowedges ha s uma he exges no hn and expresses no curosy abou w Moses s commanded by YHWH Eeryhng ha ollows n eueronomyreles upon hs shrewd nerpree "wosep

he work o Moses s o "expound orah he phrase "hsorah suggess ha here s a recognable corpus o eachng

ha s nown o be auhorae n Israel he corpus ha olows here "expounds "hs orah ha s he orah o Snahe erm "expound (b) means o "mae plan make clear(see eu 278; Hab 22) ha s o say so ha can be undersood hle he oher uses o he erm sugges wrng more leg-bly or larger n 5 he word means o explan or expos ha

s o exrapolae meanngs eueronomy s sraels grea book oexegeca exrapolaon; hus s commanded ha orah bemade more explc n erms o parcuar crcumsance he

6



DRNMY

orah o Sna s always n need o such nterpretve extenson nnew crcumstance

68 hen Moses begns hs "clarcaton o orah the rstutterance concerns a departure rom Sna at the command oHWH alludng to the memory o um 10:1113 1:68)HH does not ntend srael to reman orever at Sna and cer-tanly the communty here addressed s ar removed n tme nplace and n crcumstance rom Sna HH wlls or srael a

uture elsewhere n the andThe mmad s n the servce o the pmi o the landalready pronounced n Geness to the ancestors Thus the nalbook o orah complements the rst book o Torah parngGeness and euteronomy as "land documents ocused onsraels promsed nhertance he promse brackets the emphasson Torah ound n Exodus Levtcus and umbers Moses rstutterance quckly accomplshes two matters Frst t asserts thatthe present generaton s yet agan a generaton under promsewhom HH ntends to be recpents o the land Second thepromssory utterance speces the boundares o the land n themost sweepng scope thus echong the promse to Abraham nGen 15:1821 see eut 1:24 osh 1:4) ote well: the rst utter-ance n ths book o commands s a promse or what s not yetgven to srael All o the commands to ollow are n the servce othat promse that s HHs prmal ntent or the present generaton o srael

8 Moses ntal rectal perhaps looks back to Exod 18 13

37 1:918) Here the memory o that admnstratve ntatve spreaced n two ways n verse 10, t s armed that God has mul-tpled srael as promsed ndeed t s the rutulness o srael thatcreates the need or a more complex judcal system he promseo "many hers was made to Abraham Gen 15:6) ts actuala-ton was acknowledged at he begnnng o the Exodus narratve

Exod 1:7) The verbs "multply and "bless recall the creatonaccount Gen 1:28) Gods ntal words o blessng are enacted nsrael who s the carrer o HWHs wll or all creaton The

7



COMMARY

celebrate retrospect o erse 0 s matched by the uture hope oerse 1 Moses expects that n tme to come there wll be eenmore sons and daughters more hers to occupy the huge expanse

o the land o promse now ensoned HWH's generate promse marks ths communty een n the wldernessWhat counts howeer n the context o such ecundty s the

proper management o the communty From the outset sraelneeds a procedure to ensure relable justce Here t s Moses notethro who has desed a judcal system accepted by the com

munty here must be good judges who are mpartal and unntmdated or what they admnster s the justce o God ( 17)he charge to the new judcal appontees s decse or srael (seeExod 18:21 eut 6:1920 2 Chron 9:7) From the outsetMoses understands that the land o promse must be ordered justly A trustworthy judcary s a i qua or a coenantcommunty t s the judges task to ensure that the land gen npmi wll be a land kept n Ta Moses melds together thekey tradtons o srael tradtons o pmi and o dmad

he actual content o ths "justce s to be equtable to "smalland great wth no adantage to the powerul Furthermore thsjustce s to be equtable or coeant members and outsders("resdent alens) that s or all partes to any socal dspute nthe prophetc tradton t s precsely the alure o justce thatcauses the loss o land (Amos 57 0 47 sa 580 2425 er 7:57) he land o promse must be ordered by justce orthe promse wll eaporate Antcpatng eut 17813, erse 17oresees a court o appeal to the central authorty o Moses atopthe pyramd o judcal power (Wldasky 1984146)

Ater the "pause or justce n erses 98 the textreturns to the theme o erses (68) (925) he ntal part othe journey rom Sna s to adesh Barnea a major oass n theard south apparently a place promnent n sraels memory as away staton on ts journey (see um 3:2327 32815)

Accordng to tradton srael was posed to enter the land opromse rom the south he trbes sojourn to the ery edge o theland and are ready to enter n erse 2 Moses authores srael

8



DRONOMY 9

to tae possesson o the land he wordng s worthy o noteradton nows that nally the land s not gi but s ak.he land or srael s ndeed wlled and authored by H but

srael must act he erb "tae possesson sgnes orceul ml-tary actonPerhaps roncally the mandate s ollowed mmedately by a

salaton oracle "o not ear hs orm o armaton s acharacterstc assurance gen to the army that s about to under-tae a rsy enterprse see eut 203 ) here s no doubt n the

utterance o Moses that the enture wll succeed or t s author-ed and oerseen by HWH he antcpaton o conlct howeer s reason enough or ear and anxety he success o thetroops mii cannot be sure apart rom ths uerance Mosesutters an assurance that maes HWH a partner n the enturethus weghng the odds o success healy n aor o srael

Moses s mmedately ready or an assault on the nhabtants othe land he communty o srael howeer s more cautous andwants to reconnoter n order to determne strategy and to assessrss 22) Moses approes the msson here s no hnt herethat such a maneuer s a earul delay nor s t reconed to be anact o athulness t s smply prudence he exploraton party ssent and returned qucly all wthn the scope o erses 2225her report s unreseredly poste he land s good he produce s abulous o wonder or they had wtnessed "the Valleyo Eshcol see um 13:2324)

By erse 25 all seems n readness or entry nto theland n pursut o whch Moses and srael hae come so ar All are

agreed about the desrablty o the land one doubt sraelsenttlement to the land rom HWH Moses' wor n remember-ng howeer s also to recall that the past concernng the land hasbeen problematc hese present erses uncton as a negatecounterpont to the celebrate tone o erses 1925 Verses 227are sober n ther alarm Moses accuses srael wth a threeold

ndctment "ou were unwllng you rebelled you grum-bled hs speech o Moses appeals to the "murmur tradton othe wlderness sojourn promnent beore Exod 15:222 1:13

9





DRONOMY 39

ance, verse 29 s worded as an mperatve srael s a people oath, and so cannot be a peope o ear The mmobng earcomes because they no longer trust HWH as an adequate orce

on ther behal Moses asserts the denng mar o srael that thetrbes had orgotten n ther ear srael s accompaned byHWH, who can meet any threat awatng them n the new landHWH s the ey agent n the landtang maneuver srae scompletely msnormed t magnes that success depends uponts own prowess t s HWH who wll mae the decsve der-

ence, who wll be the leader n the olent dspute over the landThe ground or the assurance concernng the land ahead s thememory o the Exodus, when srael had been hopelessy deeatedby the Egyptan powersexcept HWH was engaged (Exod141314)

What happened then wll happen agan, now Ti wll be "justas (v 30) The "just as ( "accordng to all) s paralel tothe "just as o verse 3 The Exodus, so ar as ths tradton s con-cerned, s not n doubt t becomes the ground or trust n theuture What dd n Egypt, moreoer, s matched by whatHWH has done n the wlderness n the wlderness, when sraelwas n despar,

he u ae u, u a e ae a hl al hewa ha u avele ul u eahe h ae v 31

ndeed, HWH carred a people that could not trael under tsown power H has been and wll be utterly relable There sno reason to bac down at the brn o the land, no ground orearng the gants and the ortresses n the new land HWH smore than a match or any such threat

Ater Moses remembered appeal or trust n HWH, how-ever, sraes squeamsh response s also recalled The vedct overse 32 s terse "ou hae no trust a The term means tohave compete condence n HWH n a stuaton o threat whensrael has, on ts own, ess than adequate resources to cope The

epsode o the Exodus was a tme o trust (see Exod 4303 ) nths analogous crcumstance, howeer, srael showed no con-dence n HWH (see a parallel negaton n sa 79) HWH s

3



COMMNTARY

caracerscay wng and abe srae s caracerscayrgened and reuses o ac on a assurance srae preers ocoun on s own nadequae resources

YHWH, Moses assers, s ndeed au and ruswory buYHWH w no be moced sraes reusa o "rus and obey,so says Moses, eoes YHWH's arsh judgmen Te condon oe new and s compee rus n YHWH us, no rus equas noand one wo doubs YHH w recee e and

Te ony excepons n e presen communy are Caeb and

osua n he memory o srae, Caeb and osua sand rm na agans e communy o doubers um 1:69) Tese oae compee condence a YHWH s reabe and adequae ne ace o een s grea rea Because o er readness o rska or e sae o e promse and because o er compee condence n YHWH, Caeb and oshua are excepons o e deah

erdc ssued upon e enre generaon o srae n erses 350Oson 1985) n e boo o umbers Caeb and Josua symboe e new generaon a s unmared by aessness wo wrecee e and o promse Te conras beween ese wo and ahe oers s he conras beween ai and ai and consequeny, beeen ose wo recee and and ose wo do o

s smpe conras s urher enanced by wo surprses henarrae repors n s concuson 3739) Frs, who woudhae suspeced a Moses woud be dened w e dsbee-ng communy and ncuded n er excuson rom he and?Moses s no carged wh aessness bu s conamnaed by ecommuny o una, and so suers excuson aong w eoers Te ex n erse 3 7 prodes a nce brace w 3:1 8

were he erdc o excuson o Moses rom e and s enacedSecond, "e e ones, wom ose wou a houghwoud be os as spo n deea, urn ou o be e wae o heuure e unerabe ones wo w recee e and e conrasbeween he ardeared doubers and e nnocen cdren scompee Te ones mos a rs w recee he promsed and

Eeryhng, assers Moses, depends upon rus e speec oMoses maes a characerscay sarp conras beween d adw beween ai ad ai beween ad gi





COMMNTARY

ths geographcal represetato adeshBarea s the md-pot betwee b Sa) ad the wil opposte theorda Rer adeshBarea s a major oass • the south

1:46223) The sraeltes had arred at the oass prepared toeter the ad 119) ther athlessess howeer they wererepelled ad deeated hle the arrate o deeat 1:44 stuates srael at "Hormah the poste ad thereore durable reerece pot ths memory s adeshBarea The arrate ochapter 2 taes adeshBarea as ts lauchg pad

6 The arrate s ot terested chroology but a demadg deg reatoshp wth YHH ager theolder dsobedet geerato had bee commaded "bac to thewlderess the drecto o the Red Sea :40; 462:1)"Bac to the wlderess ad "toward the Red Sea are theo

logcal rather the geographcal reerece pots Dsobedecehad eared srael more tme the wlderess proxmty to thelad o promse bespeas atcpated wellbeg ths regresso"toward the Red Sea parallel asho sges regresso toEgypt ad slaery Thus the commad o 140 ad the report o4621 dcate a setece o jeoparded le that happes whesrael reuses to trust ad obey YHH

hat ollows these erses s the secod more successuapproach to the lad o promse hereas the attempt to eter thelad rom the south had bee a umtgated dsaster due tosrael's lac o trust YHH ths accout brgs srael to a sec-od eort at the lad o promse approached rom the east Thearrate reports o a coctree ad successul adace toward

the lad Ater the troductory commet o 42:4, the ar-rate traces a peaceu processo through the terrtores o threerelated commutes the Edomtes 248), the Moabtes2:89), ad the Ammotes 1723 ) Ths patter o peaceulsojour s terrupted by two other commets erses 06

The troductory report o 4624 reterates the commad

o :40, " the drecto o the Red Sea Thus there s arratecotuty Ge that howeer two elemets ths troductoare surprsg Frst YHHs tato to "head orth paralle

3



DRONOMY 39

to the command o 1 7 carres none o the strong rebue o chap-ter 1 he new ntate suggests that YHH "remembers thersn no more (er 3134) n any case ths ntroducton s unbur

dened by any negate memoryCommensurate wth YHHs new poste ntate s the actthat here srael ndcates none o the dstrust that dened the precedng epsode ow srael s abe to undertae the journey nscrupulous obedence to YHHs condtons and apparently ncompete condence n YHH's rule Both partes are here pre

sented postely so that the enture toward the land may nowsucceed YHH s ree o anger srael s ree o doubt hs sndeed a new begnnng!

n the rst maneuer o the new ntate srael passes throughthe terrtory o Edom rom the south n the rane o the Arabahsouth o the Dead Sea ( 48) he land s descrbed as that o

"your ndred hers o Esau he drecte appeals to theGeness account o conlcted relatonshp between the ancestraltwns acob and Esau (Gen 252326) hat Esau s now "arado you echoes the blessng gen to Esau n Gen 27:3940 Esaus destned to be subordnate to acob hs narrate report oDeut 248 s sharply contrasted wth the unrendly encountero um 141421 n whch Edom reused to permt srael to crossts terrtory and srael subsequently "turned away he presentnarrate by contrast presents a bengn pcture n whch srael scareul not to oend and Edom grants passage wthout comment

srael s not to explot ths adantage but to respect the hostcountry scrupulously Perhaps srael n ts power could haeraded and usurped what t needed but that s prohbted by

YHH here are two reasons or the prohbton Frst the landEdom hods was also the gt o YHH as precous and guar-anteed to them as wll be sraes own land hs s an mportantmot to be reterated wth reerence to Moab and Ammon ort arms that there s more than one promsed land that sassured to more than one people t s remarable n ths tradton

so preoccuped wth sraels exceptonal character as the communty o YHH that there are other communtes also on the hor-on o YHH's specc benecence sraelte enttlement ges t



COMMNTARY

no perm o srup he enlemen o anoher people by HWH;or ha reason all prosons or he journey mus be purchasean no seze, n a show o meculous respec or a nred

peopleThe secon reason or he prohbon agans usurpaon s ha s unnecessay srael does no nee o conscae oo an waerrom s "hos communy, "because eeryhng nees s proeby HWH 7) HWH has been aene o srae all heseory years o he wlerness sojourn ndee, no ony aene

and aware o nee, bu unalng n gng blessng The power oHWHs bessng has ha he capacy o ransorm he eadlnesso he wlerness no a legng place Al hs me n hewderness when srael mgh hae expece eep rs, hardshp,an scarcy, "aced nohng see Pss 23:1; 78:19) The armaon o "ace nohng s asonshng, or n he wernessone may expec o lac eeryhng

The secon phase o srael's successul sojourn owar he lans hrough Moab, a ngom ha borers Eom 89 13)Ths repor s an abbreae paralel o he narrae concernngEom, wh he same accens srael s no o engage n conlcwh Moab, because he land held by Moab s also a ran romHWH ha srae s no o challenge Agan s arme ha heangranng God has more han one cen The nshp o sraelo Moab s oer han ha wh Edom, or reaches bac no heAbraham narrae Gen 19:3038) The narrae oes no pauseoer he upcous, ncesuous orgn o Moab n ha narrae,bu smpy acnoweges he relaonshp ha curbs he poenalor conc and olence

The hr encouner o hs pose repor concerns he errory o Ammon 1719) There s no araon here rom heMoab narrae agan he errory o a "nsman s o behonore as a g rom HWH, agan wh reerence o he brhnarrae o Gen 19:3038 Thus he hree epsoes, wh sgharaons, porray he guance o HWH ha proecs boh

srael rom hosle acon an he hos errores rom unwarraneassaul n each case he obeen responseness o he new gen-eraon o srael exercses he dscplne and esran requred by

6



DRONOMY 9

YHWH Perhaps YHWHs deerental rotecton o other peopleswas not a welcome restrant upon srael srael nonetheless wasconent enough o ts own land grant rom YHWH that t dd

not need to olate the land grants gen by YHH to othershs threeold adance toward the land o promse s nterrupte by two other mots n the narrate Frst the narrateacknowleges that pror to the allotment o terrtory respectelyto Eom Moab and Ammon the land was already occuped bynhabtants who were tall and omnous ( 1012 2022) Whle

the namng o the threatenng populatons s not ncely orderedaccorng to the three hases o the narrate the report armsthat these omnous precedents concerned all three peoples pror tosraelEm Moab Ammon hese threatenng enemy peoplesgo by many namesEmm Anam Repham Hormamzummm he Am are mentoned n 23 as a precedng

occupant o the land but are not note as "strong and numer-ous) he narrate has no secal nterest n urther delneatngor characterzng these peoples What counts s that they werethere n the lan and now they are gone hey were there n allther power an ntmaton but they were not able to resst anyo the peoples gen enttlement by YHWH

hus een the acnowledgment o the preous threat s turnedto an armaton o the delty o YHWH whose land grants can-not be wthstoo een by powerul eoples Such a sweepngclam s n contrast to 1:2629 where srael shrns rom ts ownenttlement n ear and dsbele t s clear that the deeat o theancent gantle poulatons s an asserton o HWHs deltyand an assurance that n the ace o any threat wth YHWH srael

s sae and wll be ctorous hus the eperence o the otherpeoples s presented as both an aiai o YHWH and anaua to srael

Caphtor also recees land n erse 23 hs notaton s remar-ably lean he statement does not clam any nshp or srael wthCaphtor nor does t credt the lan as a gt o YHWH t may

howeer be mpled rom Amos 97 the only other ctaton oCaphtor n the Old estamentthat Caphtor s reconed to bethe benecary o YHWHs odus actty and perhaps HWHs

37



COMMNTARY

landgrantng authorty Gen the act that no nshp o srael toCaphtor s suggested ths armaton n Amos s strng ndeedor t arms that HWH perorms exodus or a people whoy

unrelated to srae see Brueggemann 998)Thus the deeat o the antecedent populatons s a most postenterrupton to the threeold narrate o journey That postenterrupton s matched n erses 5 by a second negate nterrupton Here the narrate comments on why srae wated atadeshBarnea or thrtyeght years The long tme lapse was

to wat unt al o the old dsobedent generaton had ded see:350) These erses create a hatus beeen the old athess gen-eraton and the new generaton o trust and obedence that wl bemportant n subsequent use o ths materal The gap n generatonsmagned by the narrate permts a new generaton to emerge rom"your tte ones that s unburdened by old alures and ree o od

ears :39) Ths hatus llumnates both H's new readness toproceed n erses 3 and srae's new readness to engage n trustu obedence Ths s ndeed a new begnnng that stands n complete contrast to the recalctrance alure and deeat o chapter

The nsstence o the tradton concernng the relaton o sraelto these three nstates s wel worth notng The nstablty o thetradton permts some ery partcular judgments concernnguture nteractons see 23:37) The relatonshps are complexand admt o no sngle tellng n our tex howeer srael s madeaware that there are others wth land enttlements rom HWHthat must be respected The God who ges land to srael s not tobe camed too closely as "the God o srae but s postelyengaged wth and or other peoples as well

23 Ater the memory o the deeat o the od generatonn ts athlessness :95) and ater the memory o the rencpassage through rendly terrtory by the new generaton a ath-lled moement on the part o sral 2:23), the narrate nowenters a thrd phase namely an aggresse and successu mtary

campagn east o the Jordan 2:23:) The two adersareswho were deeated are Shon the Amorte 2:236 37) and Ogo Bashan 3: )

38





CMMNTARY

HWH has created So the urge to resst hs was ot areely made huma polcy decso by Sho but a act wlled byHWH beore whch Sho could exercse o ree wll he etre

matter s beg staged by HWH perhaps so that HWH may"get glory (see Exod 14:4 17) he report o HWHs act upoSho s a double phrase "hardeed hs sprt "made hs heartdeat ( 30) he purpose s to "had hm oer that s tobrg hm to deeat

addto to assertg HWH's presdg goerace oer the

etre exchage the phrasg s tetoally remscet o theExodus arrate t was HWH who made Pharaoh a hardhearted resster order that the delerace should be glorousor both srael ad HWH (see Exod 10:12) hus Sho s herecast the role o Pharaoh order to suggest that the battle s tobe uderstood as aother Exodus the dramatc rescue oHWHs peope rom the grp o a eemy beore whom sraelcould ot stad aloe

he actual battle report cossts two parts Frst s a bredeclarato ad assurace by HWH that tates the assault( 3 1 ) he phrasg parallels the earler declarato o erse 24HWHs role the atter s to authore ad assure ad toguaratee the outcome hdde ways he secod part s the

actual careully crated battle report ( 3236) he report sramed by o armatos about HWH:

"he RD our God gae hm oer to us ( 33)"he RD our God gae eerythg to us ( 36)

here s o doubt that HWH s the decse aget the outcomeBetwee these two armatos howeer the battle report co

cers oly the courageous acto o srael ( 3336) hereport s domated by the proou "we:

We struc dowwe capturedwe utterly destroyed;we let

we ept ts memory srael celebrates how much was accomplshed by tsow actos



EERONOMY 39

hs characterstc and hghly styled battle report suggeststhree comments Frst the couplng o YHWH ai andIa ai s a characterstc sraelte statement o theoogcal

synergsm n whch the two actons by two agents are connectedand ntertwned heologcally such a clam tes aganst any sm-ple asserton o " Gods mghty deeds and recognes that on theground real people must ght real battles What YHWH seems todo s to authore assure and guarantee

Second t s asserted that srael "utterly destroyed the

Shontes and let no surors ( 34) hs s a smple case o the Hebrew term or the total annhlaton o the enemy asa burnt oerng n deoton to YHWH (see eut 20:1018 ) Sucha usage suggests both that srael was completely athul andsnglemnded n ts obedence to HWH and that the narrateappeas to the most prmte and elemental tradton o the wars

o HWH Howeer the olowng detal seerely quales therequrements o . hat harsh and absoutst theory o waralows or the llng o the enemy but the rescue o rch spolndeed the narrate o Shon would seem to be the best llustraton o the nstructons o eut 20:1014 he narrate o 1 Sam15 howeer suggests that whle the theory o s absoutet admts o more than one readng wth arous degees o realsm n ts enactment (Stern 1991 ) he report o the battle aganstShon ges no hnt o dsapproal or the rescue o booty bysrael n the slaughter o the men Y has receed accordng to the harsh demands o ath a gesture o acnowledgmentthat the ctory belongs ony to HWH

hrd the concludng ormula "o ctadel was too hgh or

us perhaps permts a socologcal obseraton As a moemento people completely dependent upon YHWHs leadershp sraels aways laborng and ghtng aganst great odds aganst ader-sares who are stronger and better equpped there s n ths nar-rate report any authentc ancent memory the rhetorc suggeststhe mood o ulnerable llequpped peasants who had n pract

cal realty no chance o success aganst establshed mltary poweraganst anaante concentratons o socopoltcal powerWhateer may be the hstorcal rootage o ths tetua memory

4



COMMEARY

the theologcal pont s that no human mechansm, no matter howpowerul, can stand aganst the nscrutable but decsve power oHWH The gt and sezure o the land completely dsrupted all

ordnary and commonly reled upon power arrangements Thsturn o aars s o course beyond sraels understandng or srael'sdesgn The sezure o the land s "a new thng wrought byHWH The tradton, n the mouth o Moses, can only attestwhat t has seen and nows

Verse 37 s a curously placed report, lodged between the o

epsodes concernng Shon and Og The verse loos bac to verse19 and conrms that acton Whle the verse seems to be out oplace n ts present locus, t may be an mportant armaton opeaceul amly relatons sandwched between two war reportsot everythng about the land concerns war As HWH wns battles, so also HWH coands peace

sraels conlct wth Og o Bashan s closely paralleled to theShon epsode, though wth some nterestng rhetorcal varatons3 :16 Here there s no ntal oer o negotaton the reportmoves promptly to the battle The rhetorc o battle begns wthan oracle o assurance, echong 1:21, 29 Only ths tme, n contrast to chapter 1 the assurance s accepted by srael As beore,the accomplshment o vctory combnes HW's "handngover the enemy and srael's volent onslaught Agan the llngn s total, wthout survvor vv 3 6 agan the spols obattle are acnowledged The sngle development that has no parallel n the Shon epsode s the descrpton o the conquest otonly were sxty towns taen, but the towns were massvely orted 3:5 The escalated rhetorc concernng ortcatons o

course greatly enhances the vctory o HWH The vctory sagan total, causng a magncaton o HWH's magsteralclam, and vndcatng srael's complete trust n God

The attle report concludes wth a summary statement nverses 81 1 ow the accent s not on the persons o the deeatedngs, but upon ther terrtory The clam s made or all o the tra

dtonal sraelte land east o the ordan, n Glead and BashanThe conquest matches the enttlement that the entre narratvetaes or granted see 1:78) The narrator cannot resst a nal



EERONOMY 39

note concernng Og who has just been routed by the armes oH Og s no mean or tal adesary He belongs to the earler earsome popuaton that had mmobzed sael n 2633

Attestaton o hs dreadlled person and appearance s hs onbed stl so the narator clams retaned as a tophy n the cap-to o the Ammontes a rendly ngroup o srael he bed nneby our cubts ges edence that Og was a gant a omdabeenemy he length o a cubt s not certan but the ntendedrhetorcal eect o the statement s clear) He s howeer a mas-

sey dad gant as anyone who essts srael surely wl behere was then no cause or ear there s now no cause or earhere s no gant so large no oce so powerul that t can standaganst HWH's assuances or that can undermne sraels athhe bed s an p bed t wtnesses to a total deeat that sa tota ctory or "ou sde HWH s athu and can be

trusted n any crcumstance! he and to the east o the ordan to whch srae

clams tte s now mtarly secure 3:1229) t has been won orsrael by a combnaton o HWHs authorzng declaraton andsraels mltary courage he success ndcates n contrast to theathessness o the ode generaton n :2633 that the new gen-eraton has acted n ul obedence to and trust n HWH thecondton o all such success

Wth the successul occupaton Moses eports on two charac-terstc postwar actons Fst the land must be judcously andcareuy parceled out among the ctorous tbes ( 27)Accordng to stylzed sraelte tradton the land to the east o the

ordan was assgned to o and a ha tbesReuben Gad andthe ha trbe o Manasseh hee ae perhaps tadtonal trbalcams reected n ths allotment reterated n oshua 3532t s especaly mpotant that Machr s mentoned ndependenty 15 ) hs menton may suggest that at one tme Machr const-tuted a majo trbal groupng a possblty that n tun ndcates

that the actual st o the trbal conguaton may be a good dealess stable than the slzed lst tsel suggests n any case theacton o alotment has the eect o tracng n consderabe deta

3



COMMEARY

the boundaes and lmtatons of what consttutes saels envsoned nhetance of land

t s moreover noteworthy that t s Moses who allots even as

Joshua conducts the dstbuton of land to the west n Josh1461951 That s the land s dstbuted by human agents notby HWH for the dstrbuton s only a secondary acton aftethe prmay acton of conquest s accompshed by Theachevement of ths dstbuton n ou veses evokes no ycaasserton because the naatve recognzes that the geat efot

acoss the Jodan s stll to come Ths s a halffnshed job wthno mmedate cause for celebatonBecause t has been known snce 137 that even Moses of the

olde geneaton wl not coss the Jodan nto the land of promse verses 1822 mak an mpotant tanston n the narratveThe transton s n two parts Frst the two and a half trbes nowsecure n ther newy occuped land ae tempted to see nto therland wthout assstng the other trbes who stll awated the landThus the text emembers Moses stongly ugng the seed trbesto act n sodaty wth the tbes stl awatng the enttementMoses summons the Easten tbes to acton none shal rest untall est v 2) The tem "est s clearl a specal wod n thetradton that sgnfes full settled secuty n the and as a g

of HWH see Deut 1210 2519 Josh 2144 2 Sam 71) Acommand s fulflled n Josh 2219 when the tbes to the eastetun to the nhertance because now all are "at est (Josh214345)

The second pece of unfnshed busness s that Joshua w succeed Moses as eade of the land occupaton (see Deut 3 1 1 8 , 23;

349) The launchng of the attack on the terrtoy west of theJodan s appaently as dangeous as the aggesson n the eastThe text appoaches the matte caefully and damatcally(vv 2122) Moses chage to Joshua appeas to the ecent defeatof Shon and Og as attestatons that HWH can ndeed defeatany enemy of sael As God has been vctorous n the east so

Joshua may be certan of HWHs vctory n the west n tme tocome On that bass Moses ssues a summons of fath to Joshuav 22) The rhetoc s the same that Moses had ssued to the



EERONOMY 39

recalctrant older generaton n 1:30 that n turn had echoed theolder utterance o Moe n Exod 141314 In contrat to theretance o 1 :32 now ohua and Irael are athul and are pre

pared to moe n condence and trut (ee oh 159 161)The tranton rom the ld gai M wgai ua completed n ere 2329 wth the naldece excluon o Moe rom the uture Thee ere areramed a narrate n ere 23 and 20 Between thee notatonthe text cont n a pettonary prayer o Moe ( 2425) and

an unwelcome repone to that petton on the part o HWH( 262)The prayer on the lp o Moe that he may cro the ordan

to ee the good land and to wtne the contnung "mghty acto HWH The prayer ound ke the prayer o eery older generaton that t be permtted one more eaon o leaderhp and

control The prayer o coure not unaware o HWH erdctn 1:37 that had already precluded Moe entrance nto the landMoe excluded "on your account on the ba o the recalctrance o the older generaton Moe pray to hae the excluonreoked

But the prayer to no aa HWH adamant The excluontand "on your account he narrate manage to ue theexcluon a yet another opportunty to rebuke retance toWH HW harply reue t dcu the matter ntead ograntng the requet o Moe HWH make two alternate proon Frt Moe may ee the land but not enter t (ee 34 1 4) t ha been uggeted that to ee the land an act o enttlementwhereby poeon aerted (aube 1947:2439) Perhap But

the econd proon to reer the entry to ohua who wll needall the encouragement wth whch Moe can endow hm Thenarrator goe to great pan to mark the ordan a the boundaryo old and new not een Moe may olate that demarcaton

The account come to an end wth what may be a geographcalnote about Bethpeor ( 29) Charactertcally howeer the nar

rate much too dene to ettle or a mple geographcal notePeor the lat toppng place beore crong the ordan and lnked to Shttm on the other de o the ordan In the dece

5



OMMEARY

reerence to "Bethpeor Shttm, srael, t s reported num 25:1, "yoed tse to the Baal o Peor and acted athlessly oward HWH one o ths s epressed n erse 29, o

course Gen the coenantal urgency o euteronomy, howeer,t s plausble that ths geographcal note ntends to mar landentry as an eceedngly dangerous and temptng moment whensrael s seduced to athlessness t s no wonder that oshua needsall the assurance o erse 2, not n order to hae mltary success,but n order to reman constant toward HWH and resstant to

the relgous alternates wth whch srael s conronted n theland t s ndeed remarable, n chapter 3, how assduously thenarrator attends to ths transtonal moment upon whch thewhole o the uture o srael appears to rest

heooga ad Eha al

Ths denng memory n the mouth o Moses s cast as a seerei/ or the lstenng communty ndeed the ether/or o obedence or sobedence, le or death, land or landlessness s thedenng choce endlessly and urgently oced by euteronomy(see eut 30:1520) n these ntroductor chapters, the whole osraels uture s oced as a nonnegotable ether/or decson upon

whch eerthng depends How srael decdes determnes theshape o srael's uture hat urgent choce noles a number oacets, some o whch are obous but or that no less mportant

There s a deep contrast between l gai and wgai an the lstenng communty must dece (always

agan) wth whch generaton t wll algn tsel, loong bacward or orward The old generaton s deeply and hopelesslymre n dsobedence and has no uture ndeed that mre s sodeep that Moses, the athul leader o that older generaton, staen own wth t "or our sae ( 1 :37; 3 :26) Moses hmsels not ndcted n the tet, but he must pay or the recalctrance

o hs generaton n contrast s the ne generaton led byoshua, unmared by dsobedence, ully prepared to run all therss o glad obedence, on the bass o HWHs assurances



DEERONOMY :39

he ew geerato ts trust ad obedece wll recee thead he same geerosty to a ulerable commuty s echoedby Paul

C w a, b a a f w w b a aa a w wf aw f b b B wa f w a w wa wak w a g wa w a wl ga a , g g a a C 26-28

2 he potal cotrast betwee the old ad ew s ree-orced by the cotrast o ai ad ail he older ge-eratos lac o ath s explct 132 "you hae o trust the RD your God t s a athlessess that eetuates rst a reusal to go to the lad o promse 1:2633) ad the a

dsastrous deeat a autoomous pursut o the lad 14145) he ew geerato s portrayed as ully trustg ad obedet though that poste erdct s ot explct but ge oly arrate examples he cosequece o such trust s acapacty to moe successuly ad eectely toward the ladad a readess to recee what HWH wll ge "Fath ad"athlessess are alterate decsos about whetherHWH s a adequate resource or cotexts o dager adhreat Eerythg so the tradto ssts depeds upo thatdecso

3 he ocus o the cotrast o ld gai/w gaiad o ai ad uai s the good lad he lad s charac-tered as rch abudat ad prosperous 12425; see um

132324 ) he hyperbolc rhetorc dcates that ths s a gt oHWHs geerosty that surpasses sraels rhetorcal capactydeed t s edet that the lad s "good "ery good therhetorc o srael ths s the "ew creato o Ge 131 wherethe ulless o all Hs abudace comes to ruto sraels to be the sgular recpet o that uspeaable geerosty

that requres sraels prase the lyrca laguage o doxoogyby whch to respod to "ery good4 he proso or judges 1 918 s a crucal sstece





ERONOMY :3:9

necessary, ijui rooted n prate, explotate nterest, andpaai that negects common responsblty

t s possble to tae all o these seeral elements o choce as aarge and commandng ether/or On the ace o t, the ether/or sctey addressed to the a ui Ia n transtonrom Moses to oshua, rom old to new, at the hghly symbolcpont o the ordan Rer Accordng to common crtcal opnon,ths summons to decson s addressed to a xii ui

ai that s, at least n the magnaton o the authors o ths document, about to reenter the land o promse ater hang been dspaced rom that land that s ndeed the sxthcentury contexto address, then the text n ts urgency bds the new generaton othe athul to accept the reshness o ts new begnnng as a gtrom God and not be goerned by or commtted to what s odand aled he new srael ater exle, eoed and magned n thssummons, s to be a communty uiid ju and paab andaboe a, uig all contrasts to the status o the old communty that had ended n dsplacement and death

Such an understandng o the urgency o the text brngs thssummons nto close proxmty to o other textual presentatonsFrst, Ee 1 8 s concerned to lberate the new generaton rom thegult and judgment o the old

It s l th rs wh ss that shall Cast awa rm all th trasgrsss that ha mmtt agast m agt rsls a w hart a a w srt Wh wl hs Isral? Fr I ha lasr th ath a sas

th rGo

r th, a l Ez 184, 3132 J19893560

Second, saah n the exle wtnesses to a "new thng that s nolonger derate rom or n hoc to what s old

D t rmmbr th rmr thgs

r sr th thgs lI am abt t a w thgw t srgs rth t r t? sa 43 18-19

9



COMMEARY

Whe he eueroomc summos s placed alogsde hese sxhceury saemes oe may obsere a coergece of declara-os demads ad expecaos abou a ew begg

ake as a caocal ex hs summos o dsplaced peoplebecomes i a i ad pa a summos o ese rus YHWH ha emacpaes from wha s old ad faled he oceof scrpure ha speaks here s a sse ao ha he commuy of fah should be defed eher by s pas, whch ssrew wh bad choces or by s coex ha breeds desparbu by s deep ad elemeal lkage o a God who ca be rused eery rsky crcumsace o ge ew gs he oce of Mosessouds amog he fahful oer ad oer o asser ha ew chocesare beg offered by YHWH ad ha hose choces wll deerme he shape of he fuure he fahful are o faed by wha soer ad doe Whe he fahful choose afresh ew fuuresbecome possble

here is a ew creati eveythig ld has passed away; see everythig has ecme ew! Al this is fm d ( r 578)

Wha Paul frames wh referece o Chrs Moses has alreadyesoed a ao assurace ad summos o he rsggeerao of Joshua

RGEN EURNG ESON

he rerospece speech of Moses chapers 13 has broughsraelhe ew posMoses geeraoo he brk of he ladad o he mome of lfeordeah decso erses 140, heprese chaper offers as a speech of Moses he fulles perhapsmos maure coea heology of he rado of eueroomyWhle hs chaper s rheorcally a couao of chapers 13,mos scholars belee s a dsc ad laer pece goered byhe urgecy of "so ow ( 1 ) Because s a laer pece he chaper s ake o be addressed o he commuy of exles he sxh

ceury (see especally 2731), ad so s eded as a roduco o he log arrae accou of lad loss he corpus ofoshuags

5



EERONOMY 4-43

Eegea al

8 he rst two erses artculate the thess o the chapterand ndeed the thess o the hstorcal narrate to ollow ater theboo o euteronomy n oshuangs srael may now receererecee) the land promsed to the ancestors n Geness; but tscontnung occupaton o the land s dependent upon ull obedence to the commandments Moses s about to utter hus erse 1dely holds together the gi ad and the dii ad or receng the land hs uxtaposton s den

tonal or all that ollows; the erse brngs together the Genessmemores o promse and the Sna announcement o command-ments hus the land s characterstcally understood n connecton to obedence he remander o the speech n ths chapterpresents both the substance o that requred obedence and theurgency o that obedence

he second erse maes clear and specc the ntenton o erse1 he commandments to be embraced are the ones taught andauthored by Moses t s Mai commandments that matterhe tradton selconscously enuncates a normate "ortho-doxy that excludes arant commandments For all generatonsto come, ncludng that o the sxthcentury exles, the condton

o and entry and retenton s Mosac teachngBy way o llustraton, the speech ctes the remembered story othe "Baal o Peor um 2 1 4 see um 31 16 hat partcular"Baal, o whom we now nothng, was a Moabte alternate toHWH When the people o srael conronted ths relgous alter-nate, some "yoed themseles to Baal and were destroyed byHWH, who wll tolerate no ral n that ancent conrontaton,

srael had come to a moment o great decson t chose badly andreceed death, as srael always recees death when t choosesaganst HWH But not all chose wrongly on that occason Someadhered to HWH and were ept ale

he narrate o Peor as such holds no nterest or euteronomyt s cted only as llustraton o the hgh staes at play n a

decson or obedence or dsobedence he concludng phrase oerse 4, "all ale today, ndcates that the text addresses and sconcerned or the present generaton o sraeltes, those who

5



COMMENARY

hae been n the wderness o exe and are about to reenter theand Le the ancent generaton at Peor, the present generatonaces a dangerous, eordeath decsn about oyaty srae

has a precedent or "choosng e, but s on notce a bout tschoosnghe remander o ths speech o Moses exposts the radca

ether/or just enuncated Verses 58 oer a remarabe argumentabout the dstncte dentty and ocaton o srae n the wordo the natons t s not enough that srae shoud be obedent, as

aready enjoned n erses 12 ( 5 Moses s here dong "pubctheoogy, aware that srae's radca and ntentona choce oobedence taes pace n broad dayght beore the eyes o a thewatchng natons What s proposed s the orderng o a "contrastsocety, qute une the other natons, a contrast that s ed outn ways that are nmca to the watchng natons t s as thoughMoses ntends that srae shoud be "bragged upon by the othernatons who w be daed by what they see ed out n sraesexstence

wo tmes the speech uses the phrase "wse and dscernnghs s remarabe rhetorc to nd n euteronomy, or t s notanguage assocated wth the Sna coenant t s rather the phrasng o pragmatc, prudenta ethcs, the ethcs o those who are

wse n the use o power amar usage o the phrase s n thenomnaton o oseph to protect the mpera nterests o Pharaoh(Gen 41 :33, 39; see 1 gs 3 12) oseph s ceebrated not or bengpous or orthodox, but or beng eecte n the ways o theword For ths text t s mportant that the ceebraton o srae snot or some narrow, ghettoed regous passon, but or eec

teness by the norms o the natons n erses 3240, the speecho Moses stuates srae not ony n va Siai but ason the context o ai l When t s obedent, srae wbe eecte, prosperous, and successu Moses maes the camthat obedence "reay wors n the word he natons w beabe to see ts decse derence

ter ths pragmatc cam, the speech speces n two waysthrough rhetorca questonswhat t s that maes srae dangn the eyes o the natons Frst, srae dstnctey has "a God so



EERONOMY 43

near hs s the people among whom HH s eectely pres-ent to protect and bless he seeral tradtons o the Oldestament wor n a arety o ways to spea o HHs pres

ence n and wth and or sraelname glory tent tabernacletemplebt all are agreed that HH s dentey and decsely wi Ial; the natons moreoer can see as mch

he second "dalng characterstc o srael s that t has"stattes so jst laws commandments and procedres thatassme a commnty o neghborly economc and poltcal prac

tces he watchng natons can see that the socally powerless nsraelwdow orphans alensare treated accordng to socalpolces and practces that crb oppresson and explotaton t smpossble to oerstate the mportance o these o mars thenearness o God and st socal practce he contrast betweensrael and the natons s not merely relgos bt concerns eco-

nomc and poltcal matters Bt srael as contrast socety s notatly concerned or socal polcy or t s the God present to sraelwho matters decsely All throgh the boo o eteronomy thetradton s at pans to hold together l p and ialpai or ether alone s nadeqate and wll not grasp theattenton o the natons

he concldng erse o ths nt maes the clam that "all thsorah wth ts promse o HHs presence and ts garanteeo neghborly jstce s what maes srael nle all other peopleshe phrasng reers to the ormaton and dentcaton o a xedorah sggestng a late orm o eteronomc theology wth tsscrollconscosness (see 2 gs 228) hat there s a nown dentable Mosac scroll mars srael n a peclar way Moreoer

becase the natons see and are daled the orahdentty osrael s a draw or the other natons as well hs pecareteronomc celebraton o the orah may le behnd theprophetc son o the natons attracted to the place o sraelsscroll n the son o sa 23 Mc 4:2 (Sweeney 1996:65)

4931 Ater these more general statements the speech oMoses now draws the lstenng commny closer to the ntenseondng eent o Sna ( 924) he great threat to srael s

53





EERONOMY 443

oercome the rsy strangeness that s nherent n coenantalrelatonshp

There are many canddates or sch domestcaton hman le

ness anmal leness brd leness creepng thng leness shleness; none o these "logos wll do one n prncple wll dobecase HH s ui any other not to be categored orschematzed nto what s nown and controllable HH sncomparable; to deal wth HH at all srael mst accept thersy genness o strangeness and reedom that yeld nothng at

Sna bt a oce o command and promseThe proond contrast between va bi and i srther explcated n erses 1920 hle the oce at Sna wlltolerate no dols here t s allowed that dols are "allotted byHH to the natons bt prohbted to srael he allowance smade n order to assert the peclar dentty o srael rooted n the

peclar reaton Israel has to HH n trn rooted n delerance rom the hardshps o Egypt n these erses dols are not nprncple condemned bt are smply nmcal to srael's dentty asHHs specal nhertance The erses closely parallel the poetry o 3289 wheren all other gods are entrsted by "the mosthgh God wth other peoples bt srael s HH's own heo terms "allot and "nhertance are sed agan so that 41920 and 3289 orm somethng o an enelope concernng srael'speclar dentty speced n the commands that these two tesestatements bracet

The nterlde o erses 2122 etrns to the recognton thatMoses cannot enter the land o promse "becase o yo (see137; 326) he ncton o the statement s to contrast Moses

along wth all the dsobedent generaton wth the new generatonthat now can decde to recee the land obedently presmablyaer exle hs the sharp contrast " bt yo pertans notonly to Moses bt to all the aled generaton that he leads andrepresents

The general contrast o va bi and ibi

ia that constttes the great decson srael aces s nowgen hstorcal speccty ( 232) The njncton o erse 23agan contrasts coenant and dol Verse 24 when lned to ese

55



COMMEARY

31, concens the chaacte o H who s "deoung ejeaous God 24) and then "mecu God 31) The esesocus on the atenate ways n whch HWH may be ncned

towad sae ncnatons that match saes oensty towadHWH and that ae connected wth concete moments nsaes e

The jau Gd s a God who w toeate no dsobedenceand who w seeey unsh dsobedent sae ( 2426) Theseeses ae a quck etosecte uon the e o sae n the and

that oduced the unshment o and oss and deotaton Theoutcome o HWHs jeaousy s "scatteng exe) whee saew be ecuted nto ase wosh an unbeaabe ate o a communty beongng to HWH The "thee o ese 28 may be anydeotaton but suey etans seccay to the deotaton toBabyon n the sxth centuy Thus the dsobedence o sae eads

to and oss n a hash manne that abasey subets saes tuechaacte The sme cacuus o dsobedence/dsacement byaea to the eaous God consttutes the sne o euteonomctheoogy

n eses 2931, the antcatoy seech o Moses abutychanges decton "om thee that s om Babyon Theseech changes because the atude and actce o sae wchange n exe The communty that had acted couty nowseeks HWH u HWH and a H sae esoesto be a uy obedent esonse eoe The good news s thatHW w be ound and s aaabe to sae t mght hae beenconcuded n ese 26 that the eaton o sae to HW hadeached the ont o no etun and was temnated But no

HWH w be ound ndeed HWH s iu w not abad not d not g Whe the cacuus o eses 2426 scommony taken to be the coe o euteonomc theoogy hee ts nssted that HWH s ndeed a God o mecy whose aenteness to sae and ncnaton towad sae ende though andbeyond the aenaton o exe n the end euteonomy ocams

a God o mecyThese eses sketch an oeew o ath mdst the dee dsuton o saes deotaton:

6



EERONOMY 4-43

crcumaceIrael prpeityYW repe

it eiecrrpieauy

-

u eereturmercy

The speech in these verses is a p on dibdi/dpai/jalu and a pp uig/ai/ Thespeaker is stuated just at the pivot point between "there(Babylon) and "from there The text addresses srael, who s sit-uated (at the Jordan) between remembered disobedience andanticipated mercy, and now must decde There is more than one

way in which srael can receive HH, jealous or mercful Thetheological affrmation is that w YHH i responds to wIal i HH will be jalu iul in response to sraelas up pa t is evident that this unit of text isdesigned with "mercy as the last word Mercy and jealousy areboth possble responses on the part of How it will be

with HH depends entirely upon srael's readiness to accept itsidentty as HH's "very own possession (v 20) Accepting thisvocation in obedience, srael in exile receives remarkable assur-ance from the God of all mercy: not abandoned, not destroyed,not forgotten!

The primary summons to oedience, grounded in asweeping theologcal claim, is reiterated once more in verses 3240 onl now the theological gounding s more expansive aslarge as creation Israel is asked a series of three questons thatrequire a negatve answer and that invite srael to be amazed at itsown peculiar status n all of creation (vv 3234):

Has anything (like ExodusSinai) ever happened elsewhere?N!Has any other people experienced anything like Sinai? N!Has any God made such a people in such a way? N!

N such event! N such people! N such God! None, not n all ofcreation These verses may be productively lnked to verses 58

where the same mode of question with an implied negative answeris also used with the same expansive horzon No other natonwith a God so near, no other nation with a Torah so just The text

5



OMMENARY

eut 43234 scans all o creaton ro one end to the other orall tes snce the creaton o huanknd There are no paralelcases anywhere ever Ony srael has such a chance and a choce

The rhetorc oves sharply ro the unversal to the concreten verse 35 to srael only to srae srael s to "know(acknowledge) what t has been shown hat t has seen n tsown le s that there s no other God The reason there are no par-allel racles and no paralle peoples s that there s no other godcapable o such wonders no god so poweru and wllng

whch act leads to the concluson "there s no other n thsstateent reterated n verse 39 the tradton o euteronoyreaches one o the ost coplete stateents o "onothes nall o the Old Testaent a stateent reached n exle as sraelrelected upon ts own exstence as a gt o YHHs powerulcotent srael s to know (acknowledge) to trust to decde

to accept ts pecularty Ths "onothes s a practcal eccesal statement that has to do wth the character o YHHs peo-ple even as t has to do wth YHHs own le

The concreteness o "to you n verse 35 s atched by the con-cludng paralle orulaton n verse 39 Between the two bds orheologca araon verses 33 oer a recal o what hasbeen dstnctvely gven by YHH n the le o srael

He caused srael to hearhe showed hs great rehe loved your ancestorshe brought you out to brng you n gvng land

The rectal s the conventonal nang o the racles that consttute sraels denttygvng eory Ths s what srael has wt-nessed n response to the "showng srae s to acknowledgeboth YHHs ncoparablty and dstnctveness and sraelsdervatve ncoparablty and dstnctveness (Ths sae paral-lels s stated n the prayer o avd perhaps also a

euteronoc voce 2 Sa 72223)nally the text ends n verse 40 wth a reteraton o the basc

thess o verse 1 and depends upon obedence The county

58



EERONOMY 4-43

aresse kows aout "there (= exile, 2) a ow is aoutto moe "from there ( out of exile a ack to the la 29)srae stas efore a great ecisio to accept its ocatio as a

people of Torah oeiece or ot The "ackowlegmet towhich srael is summoe ( 35 39) is a quite practical oe thatcocers the aily cocrete eactmet of a ifferet life i thela The la is gieregie y the Go of mercy Theurgecy of the summos rests the awareess that a wrogchoice a a rejectio of estiy as the people of Torah will cause

the Go of mercy to reappear i the life of srael as a eourigfire

4443 This is a curious aeum to the log speech t isot at all eiet why this referece to cities of refuge shouloccur here The erses may suggest quite cocretely how sraelmay eact its ocatio as a "cotrast society hereas aggressioa iolece are characteristically ucure i other societies,srael as a commuity of coeatal oeiece has a stake ithe protectio of the eighorhoo from such iolece Thus thepurpose of the cities of refuge is that people facig certaicircumstaces may "lie ( 32) Obdi o YHWH is characteristicay eacte as igb Cities of refuge were

o out a "ecoomc icoeiece i a acquisitie societysrael howeer is ulike ay other commuity it is committe toicoeieces that foster life

hologal ad Ehal al

euteroomy oices a theology of the la of promise itreflects upo the geerosity of Y's gift of the la, the crisisof la oss, a the woer of la restoratio t speaks urget-ly aout the costly attetieess require for la retetio aiterpretie situatio at the egiig of the etyfrst ceturythat is postagraria oe may take la as a metaphor for a areafor a iale commual existece that protects a ehaces a

share humaity (To take la as metaphor is ot at all to losethe specificty that elogs to la as a cocrete hstorical place-met, ut it is to osere that cocrete historical placemet may

59



COMMENTARY

tae varou form n a potagraran ocety) The free gft of ando Deuteronomy aert hed ony n Torahbaed obedencethat to tae the form of an economy of proporton a potc of

dcpne and compaon and a fath that cede authortybeyond efaggrandzement the mpe and nonnegotabe nage of ad and bdi

that conttute the cam of th text Deuteronomy how-ever doe not artcuate unvera prncpe; t addree aconcrete cr of a communty that tand precey at the moment

beeen and o and and retoraton n order to hear th textaddreed to tef each ucceve communty mut tuate tefn that pecuar and pecfc cr moment of decon mang

The addre am at evong (or reevong) a dtnct commu-nty that undertand t fe a a contrat ocety that to ordert pubc practce dfferenty qute une the naton around t

Land o had occurred becaue rae had ought to be e thenaton n t communty practce (ee 1 Sam :5, 20) Now rae ummoned bac to t true fe n the word That requre areturn

to wth a of the Torah dcpne and practceentaed n uch a return Thu the text ha a prmary ecceaaccent amed at ummonng the communty to a dferent ene oftef n the word The text ceary beeve that uch an aternatve pubc way n the word not ony urgent but ao practca

The eccea concern to refahon a contrat ocety orented to the reaty of the God uttered by Moe That HH hadone th unparaeed wonder n the word and that HH the ony God mean that rae ha no aternatve choce for feIn comng to term wth t dentty rae mut come to term

wth the reaty of HH who nown n and through theevent of Exodu and Sna God however ha more than one wayto reate to rae n t ufferng and docaton rae hanown H a a devourng fre Now rae tand at amoment of redecdng when t may come to term wth HHwho a God of mercy How HH ha be preent n the fe of

Irae depend upon rae' decon about how to ve n theword

Deuteronomy charactertcay focued upon the fe of



EERONOMY 3

srael n verses 5 Moses' speech is aware of the other nationsEven though they have been "allotted other objects of worship(v 9) Moses knows that the other nations are watching srael

and are noticin (v 6 hey are attentive enouh to notice the dfference ebodied in srael and are able to recognize on ther ownworldly ters that srael is "wise and discerning n the purviewof nonsraelites the appeal of srael's alternative way in the worlddoes not depend upon the orah of Sinai but can be judged by thenors of the world Of course this text akes no address to other

nations and has no direct ipetus to invite the nto sraels wayof life hat alternative way of life however is discernible (andtherefore available) to the other nations

he decisive choice offered srael s "covenant or "idols hsay at first lance see an odd and incoensurate pairingUpon refection however these alternative choices prove to bepoignant in a odern (postodern?) iagepropelled socetyKarl Marx had already seen in the odern world the power of"coodity to becoe a fetsh that coands inordnate loyalty and that s assigned inordinate authority Snce Marx withthe eergence of electronic edia there can be no doubt of thepower of iage to create a "virtual reality that is variouslyreote fro lived reality t is not a reat leap fro Moses dols

that are "visual fors through Marxan "coodity fetishisto the power of "logo and "con in fil propaganda andadvertising that redefne huan exstence

he point is well ade by two crtical coentators on theeerging "new reality of the icon acques Ellul asserts

mages ae idispesable he si he ehgialsie I we emaed a he sage ebal dialge ieiabwe wld be led ial eei mages exde iismhe habi lig his mageieed wld eads me gie pdaleial hgh ad iiism I s s mh easie gie p adle mse be aed ag b he al eewed wae images mages ae esseial i am aid seeg he da

da eai I e he gie s ad me alwgme lie i a s imageeed aas he wd wdl iease m axe ad ea I wld make me me



COMMENARY

cnscus f my emtness my mtence and te nsgnfcance fmy stuatn Wt mages wee eeytng uneasant seased and my dab exstence decated by te cam andsake

Abe a must nt becme awae f eaty s mages ceatea substtute eaty Atfca mages assng temsees ftut bteate and ease te eaty f my fe and my scetyEu 9858 08)

Nei Posman has offered a parae somewha more accessibe

criique of he word of image

Tee s n me dstubng cnsequence f te eectnc andgac eutn tan ts tat te wd as gen t us tugteesn seems natua nt bzae F te ss f te sense f testange s a sgn f adustment and te extent t wc we aeadjusted s a measue f te extent t wc we ae canged

stman 987980)T be unawae tat a tecngy cmes equed wt a

gam f sca cange t mantan tat tecngy s neuta tmake te assumtn tat tecngy s aways a fend t cutues at ts ate u studty an and sme Wtut a teWtut emcs Wtut guea esstance ee s degy

ue f nt seene ee s degy wtut wds and a te mewefu f te absence stman 987980 5758 )

s no a big move fom he warning of Moses o he presenimagedominaed conex. A ha ancien boundary Mosesundersood ha he ehica sakes in a decision for orah werevery high hey coninue o be very high Choosing covenan wih

a is prerequisies perpexiy and exposiion was no easy henNor is i now

EEERNG HE ES ONFRONAON4:44-5:33

srae has hus been summoned a he boundary o urgen decision making (::43). The nex secion of e ines ou he



EERONOMY 44533

substanc of th dcson for obdnc that sral s to mak tconssts of an ntroducton (:9) an assrton of th contmporary prtnnc of th covnant (5: 15) a rtraton of th foun-

datona commands of Sna (5621) and th lgtmaton ofMoss as th sngl approvd mdator and ntrprtr of Torah(52233) Ths unt may b rgardd as th foundaton from whchth nstructonal program of Dutronomy unfolds t srvs asntroducton and rfrnc pont for th appals of chaptrs 61 1 .

Eegeal al

Th ntroducton to th addrss of Moss n :9s a formal paralll to 1 : 1 5 and 292 th ponts at whch th thrlarg "addrsss of Moss ar ntroducd Thus th vrss ntro-duc th scond of th thr spchs of Moss that mak up thbook of Dutronomy Moss scond spch that xtnds

through 29: 1 (H b 2:69) accounts for th major matral of thbook of Dutronomy and consttuts ts ssntal tachng Thfrst and thrd spchs hav bn subsquntly addd Th locaton of th addrss s n agrmnt wth that of 1:15 so that thtradton s consstnt n addrssng sral "at th boundary ofdcson makng Th partcular phrasng "ths s th Torah sug-

gsts that th tradton now has n mnd an dntfabl corpus ofcommands Th noton of a wi Torah may by ths tm bwll advand

n addton to th mnton of th Jordan as th boundary t skly that th dtald gographcal data of ths vrss arntndd to cal unobtrusv attnton to a numbr of thologcalralts that ar radly sgnald by gographcal rfrnc

1 Th mnton of Bp (v 6 s :3) alluds to thpvotal narratv of Num 2515 Th mnton functons as armndr of th urgncy of obdnc and th grav rsks thataccompany waywardnss from YH

2 Th rfrnc to th lad Si ad Og (vv 6 7)

rcalls th mghty vctors of YHH and attsts that ths landn whch sral stands bfor th Jordan s alrady saf landscurd by YHHs fathful powr (1:162:11)

3



COMMEARY

3 The traci of the boudaries a a (vv 9) ma more eerall refer to the promise of lad to theacestors, thus suesti that this powerful promise of

YHH is ideed i effect The fial metio of Piga ma be a remider that i thetraditio of eutroom (see 327) Mosesad with him theetire faithless eeratiocaot eter the ew lad (see327)

f these refereces are more tha eoraphical the the aertthe istei commuit to the deepl rouded hopes ad theomious daers that surroud them as the face a comi timeof decisio

The speech beis with a summos to embrace i thismomet of heari the commadmets ive as the coveat was

made at Siai (5 1 5) The first word Moses speaks to srael at theorda is "liste The reatioship YHH ow offers srael isoe of address ad obediece The oe who speaks throuh thewords of Moses is the oe who commads srael who listes iscast i a role of siular uqualified obediece The "statutes adordiaces that costitute "ths Torah () iclude ot ol

the te commads of 5:622 but also the exteded expositio ofchapters 1225The brief, uret appeal that itroduces the Te Commad

mets weaves toether two sorts of affirmatios The words ofMoses allude to what has ala app at Siai (vv 2 ):

Te d made a enan w s a eb Te ske wt y fae t fae at e mnan t f e fe

The statemets at the same time bri the later, cotemporar listei commuit ito the orbit of Siai The time ad spacebeee i at Siai ad a at Siai are deftlovercome The promises are direct "with us with ou

These verses however are qualified b the statemets of verses3 ad 5 First verse 3 shows the traditio deai sefcosciousl with the probem of treati a aciet remembered evet with



EERONOMY :533

al the cotemporary immediacy it requires t would be easyeough to coclude that the preset (sevethcetury?) belatedgeeratio o srae is ot uder the compulsios o the meetig at

Siai Moses however shows that this reservatio has o merit act says he the coveat is ad w, ot ad t is made iturgically cotemporary so that every coveat ratii-catio is as serious lade ad dagerous as i it were the irstSuch a eclipsig o time ad space is oly possible i liturgicatime whereby oe ca ask "ere you there? The aswer char

acteristicaly is that later geeratios o worshipers were ideed"there So i Christia liturgy the cogregatio is edessly abeto "be preset at Christmas at Good riday at Easter Ad certaily every ew geeratio o the Jewish aith remembers ad is"there at the Exodus i the celebratio o Passover The wordspile up i verse 3 to establish cotemporary periece "with uswe these here today all o us alive Ti is the geeratio ocoveat the oes boud i coveat situated i a distictiveidetity precluded rom the optioal worlds o idols committedto this sigular alldemadig loyalty

Secod verse 5 (i a aticipatio o vv 2233) qualiies theacetoace caim ust reported This qualiicatio perhaps servestwo purposes t may o the oe had ited to ehace theauthority ad oice o Moses a ehacemet crucial to the tra-ditio o euteroomy ad pursued later i this chapter t mayo the other had hit at lack o aith o the part o srael Thusat the very outset srael has bee timid ad ot able to eter ullyto the risk that ie with YHH etais Be that as it may thepoit is a mior oe or the traditio moves directy to the great

commads o Siai

6 Moses address ow arrives at the most elemeta se-aoucemet o YHH words irst uttered at Siai Theeuteroomic text i the mouth o Moses is ot itsel the primalutterace but is a reteratio o Exod 20:117 that primary

cotext the te utteraces o YHH have bee ramed by theo-phay (Exod 9:1625) ad mediatio (Exod 20:121) They arebracketed to show how pecuiar ad authoritative they are At

5



COMMEARY

Sna hs s al ha YHH sad o srael Now n hs reeraona he Jordan hese same words o YHH connue o carry dsncve orce and auhory

he en Commandmens reaed n eueronomy as a seedcorpus have receved a successon o exposons none greaerhan hose o Luher and Calvn (See also Chlds 195 633;194 35469; Harreson 190; Phps 190; Brueggemann1994 3953) They begn wh he selannouncemen oHH hs s he God who enaced he Exodus and who con

nues o enac exoduses (v 6) The Exodus has been he groundo YHHs clam upon srael n 4:20; now s he ground ors command o srae n he Exodus HH has dsplacedPharaoh as sraels rghul lord and maser As Pharaoh coud(legmaey?) command srae (Exod 51011 1) so nowHH can legimaely command srael (see Lev 25:42) heGod who has iberaed issues commands ha nend o creae acommuny ha wll pracce an emancpaory ehc

he commands o verses 1 1 arculae he righul clamHH has upon srael and he ways n whch s charac-er curbs amiariy wh or presumpion upon YHH Nowheres he word Hoy used o YHH n hese hree commands bui s a qualy ha sands behnd hem (Anderson 1999:373)HH s beyond srael n majesy power auhory and domnon ndeed YHH s ousde any o he convenonal caegoreso regious alaon srae s commanded o dea wh YHHdereny n order o relec he decsive derence n YHHscharacer sraels pon o access o s God s hrough he den-ng even o he Exodus (v 6) n ha even YHH has been dec-

sively dsclosed o srael discosed as massvey poweru asdeeply engaged or he slaves as prooundly nvoved n socoeconomc maers as compleely unwlng o share power whPharaoh rom he clams o ha denng even srae learns ohe new regme o hs Exodus God Thus n he Exodus YHHwl ge glory over Pharaoh and wl no share wh Pharaoh

(Exod 14:4 1) Unlke Pharaoh or any oher woudbe soveregnYH s rreversbly on he sde o emancpaon A covenanalhisory governed by and relecve o YHHs rule wl be a hs





COMMEARY

A ne mment I may decae cncenng a natn a kngdm,tat I w uck u and beak dwn and desty t, but f tatnatn cncenng wc ae sken tuns fm ts e I wcange my mnd abut te dsaste tat I ntended t bng n tAnd at ante mment I may decae cncenng a natn akngdm tat I w bud and ant t, but f t des e n my sgtnt stenng t my ce ten I w cange my mnd abut tegd tat ad ntended t d t t Je 870)

t is prcisly this divin rdom that maks possib HH's

intativ o orgvnss n th sxth cntury (Jr 3134; Ezk13132; sa 40:2) Evry ort to curb HH's capacty ornwnss is an attmpt to mak HH somthing s t isprohibitd!

Unik othr gods availabl, this s not a god who lnds Godsnam to any arthly "caus (v 1 1 ) Contrary to convntional

intrprtation, th third prohibtion is not primariy about cursingor bad languag Rathr it rsists idologcal mploymnt oHH's powr, authority, or rputation or any o a varity ocausspoltica, conomic, moral, cclsial Th avoidanc oth "msus o HH's nam suggsts that HH is not "usul, has no utiltarian valu, is aways an "nd and nvr a"mans This God wil b worshipd only or th sak oHH's own i, purpos, and way in th world h wrong uso H's nam sks to draw HH's powr into mor rvolous mods o li whr human bings rtain contro Thusinstad o honorng HH, HH is put to us, so that thright rlationship o God and th human partnr is nvrtd

t is in th commandmnt on sabbath that Dutronomy

dparts most noticably rom Exod 20; or that rason th sabbath commandmnt in Dut 5 is th most dcsiv rcton oDutronomic conviction ndd, Patrick Mllr has shown thatths commandmnt stands at th cntr o th Dcaogu n Dut5 and provds a clu or th cntral vsion o th Dutronomiclaw (Milr 195) Addrssd to a nw community at th bound-

ary acing iordath dcson, Dutronomy s concrnd thatsral should rchoos its own distinctiv idntty as th poplo HH hl hat pcuiar idntity in part dpnds upon

8



EERONOMY 444

iig dffrtl t alo rqur vbl pai ad cocrtiipli that ca b rgularl udrtak ad publcl bth oug of th commut ad b oralt ( 4:5) Th

utroomc tradto th xth ctur acctd abbath a avbl cocrt atttato of dffrc.Th mot mportat fatur of th commadmt wh co

tratd wth th parall Exod 20:1 that th groudg ofth abbath o logr crato but th Exodu O thda ral rtr th macpator world of th Exodu arra

tv th o charactrtcall habtd b YHWH (v 6)Th commadmt vr 16 vt rflcto upo thfult rcht oto of "faml valu t ufortuat that rct tm "faml valu hav b rducd to th tht kdof moralm that pa o attto to th ral u of powr adpowrl Th commadmt do ot m to b cocrdwth th d for oug dpdt chldr to dfr to thr part for that a capabl ralt a log a th chldr aroug Rathr th commadmt addr chldr who havcom to maturt ad powr o that th ar o logr dpdt upo thr part ad ar a poto to glct ormatrat thm That th commadmt appartl addrcotxt whch th covtoal rlatohp of partal dom

ac ad ovrght of chdr ha b ullfd or rvrd adchldr ar tmptd to "blttl or dma thr part

Ol th commad o abbath (vv 1215) ad part (v 6)ar tatd potvl ad ot a a prohbto Th ma uggtthat th two commad ma hav a pcular lkag to achothr f that o th prhap th ffth commadmt rflct

part who hav b agg lot thr productv capact adthrfor thr ocal utlt h part (or othr) bcomoldr ad ar o logr "uful t ar for chldr ad thlargr oct to drgard thr d ad thr dgt f th crcumtac th commad that th part hav lot ocaproductvt ad o ar mad vulrab th t com co

to th abbath commad that affrm that lf do ot cot productvt Sabbath th clbrato of lf bod ad outd productvt

9







COMMENARY

and bd Moe to medate YHH' command to them (vv 2327) Mot notaby rae prome to hear and do (v 27), theame word of prome gven revere order n the oath of Exod

24:7 (ee Exod 24:3)4 YH accept Moe medatng fncton and ndertake to gve Moe commandment tatte and ordnancefor the and that are we beyond the ten word aready gven(vv 231)

At the end of the chapter remembrance ceae and the textmove to drect contemporary addre Moe exhort the generaton at the Jordan wth a trong mperatve; Torah obervance the condton for poeng the and (vv 3233) Thee atter twovere correpond to the mperatve of 5:13 at the begnnng ofthe nt Together they bracket the reteraton of the ecaogeOf peca notce n th remembrance the wtf comment ofYH to Moe n vere 29, a wtfne refected n thecovenanta ndctment of P 1:13 (Heb v 14), "0 that my peope woud ten to me t a thogh YH knowknowaready at Snathat rae w not keep t vow and w notobey orah Thu even the boyant mperatve of chapter 5 recognze that dcon of covenant pobte take pace mdt

t contnua voaton The tradton know of the fractre thatmark the exchange at the rver

hologal ad Ehal ali

t houd become evdent n thee refecton that the TenCommandment are not mpy ten re reated to pecfc att

tude and acton hey are that Taken a together however theyare a ketch of an aternatve way o envonng and vng n theword One addreed n the econd peron ngar mperatve nthee command by th addre retated n a covenant horzon that n a d that change everythng rom theperpectve of the word the retrant of connectedne (to God

and to neghbor) are not obvo They reqre ntentonaty nthe orderng of an aternatve commnty that day ve dferenty n the word The commandment rge a fe beyond oca



EERONOMY 4445

utlty and productvty The sabbath coandent serves as thefoundaton for assertng that the vaue of the neghbor s iiinot uiiaia

The sbbth s o be n occson of disncve memo of heExodus. Ths eory of eancpaton guards aganst the anesa of the world of producton that seeks to talk Israel out of tsdentty by vetong ts past

The sbbth s courgeou public act of identi On thsday Israeltes act dfferently they can be seen actng dfferentlyand they can see each other actng dfferently The dfference thatdsrupts the daly routnes of lfe s edately econoc but ts at the sae te profoundy theologcal for the "rest that senjoned s a rest that slaves never enjoy a rest now avalabebecause HH was then and s aways engaged n breakng

the coercons of slavery The sabbath s an act of free en andwoen whose freedo s ensured by HH Jacob Neusner hassuggested that sabbath s aong the acts of "enchantentwhereby Israel engages n the agnatve act of beng ntentonally Jewsh thus draatcaly dstngushng tsef fro all othercountes (Neusner 99 599)

The sbbh s n act of resistance The key characterstc ofthe day s not worshp but rest t s work stoppage An n thatwork stoppage Israel attests that t does not beong to and s notdefned by the producton pressures and schedules and quotas ofthe world As long ago as Egypt and as recenty as Babyonsraeltes were pressured nto the producton necesstes of theepre ork stoppage s not ony a great act of trust n Hbut t s a darng act of refusal Isae refuses because to be efneby producton (and consupton) entals the loss of the very freedo gven n the Exodus Thus Israe ust dare to be dfferent nthe real world even at soe cost and rsk for the epre nevertakes such refusal easly

The sbbth s n occson for alteative communi Thss partcularly evdent n the fnal phrase of verse your servant



COMMEARY

shall est "as you the odiay busiess of ay commuity,thee ae impotat social distictios elated to powe ad pivilege Some est whie othes wok he commad iteds hat o

this day of wok stoppage all such distictios ae momeailbut egulaly disupted hee is fo the day commuitaiaismwheeby slaves ad mastes have commo idetity ad commopossibility he sabbath is the povisioal ovecomig of socialdistictios whe slaves paticipate with mases i a wold guaateed by the Geat Emacipato, without ay covetioal

demads of pefomace As commuitaia geeosiy exteds ithe commuiy fom the poweful to the poweless, so i alsoexteds fom the iside to the ouside he ijucio of 1:16had aleady isisted that "alies be icluded i coveaal jus-tice the esidet alie is ivited to the wok stoppage as well Oeday out of the week alies have o eed o justify hei pesecei he commuity by poductivity

The sabbah is an inchoae eaest of environmental saniA society hat does ot pactice sabbath ievitably explois aduses up "aual esouces o the uexamied assumptio ofusupatous geed that moe esouces ca always be foud hefact that the wok stoppage petais ot oly to all membes ofthe huma commuity (mastes ad slaves, isides ad outsides)but also to ohuma ceatues (dokeys ad livestock) idicaesa ecogitio that the emacipatoy impulse of exteds toall of the commuy, a ecogitio that will evetuate i he estof the lad i Jubilee (See Exod 1 026 o the iclusio of he o-huma i emacipatio)

The sabbah is inescapably an act of hope t is a foetaste ofthe eogaiatio of the poliical ecoomy so that poductio iskept subodiaed to huma wellbeig, i cotast to the paciceof maket ideology o state socialism tha pesos exist oly fothe sake of the ecoomy (see Mak 2:272) his act of hope is

ideed a visioay oe i which the commuity is ivited to deamof a ultimate alteative (see Heb 491 1 ) Bu beyod such visioig, the extesio of est fom poductio may pemi slaves,



DEERONOMY 4445

aliens and all sorts of disadvantaged underlings to arrive at adifferent sense of self that may in turn produce restlessness resis-tance and finally revolutionary refusal Ersine Clare has con-

sdered the way in which the Christian tradition of baptism hasthe power to create free men and women of slaves even thoughthose who baptized hoped in part for something other (Clare979) The liberating power in Christian baptism stems in largepart from the Exodus tradition Thus the command to "rest setsin motion a rich interpretive traectory and a visionary alternative

of social relationships that may generate concrete revolutionarychange hile such futures no doubt run beyond the awarenessesof this text they surely do not run beyond the memory of Exodusand the daring interpretive transformation of the commandmentaccompished by euteronomy

The commandment to honor ones aging parents is closely re-lated to the sabbath t too insists that human worth cannot beassessed in terms of economic productivity Parents who may bebelittled because they are no longer productive are indeed specialcandidates for sabbath endlessly at rest sabbathenacting mem-bers of the community As the sabbath command sweepingly cel-ebrates li bd produivi, the command that follows maybe a subordinate derivative concern that provides a case study inwor stoppage and in the ways in which society is to treat duv f that is so then the command is not ustabout "family values but it is an imperative about social rela-tionships not grounded in utility

euteronomy and the entire covenantal tradition thus envisiona total renovation of social relationships that are intrinsicaly valu-

able and that are to be safeguarded by the community withoutrespect to utility t is commonly noticed that this command has nocounterpart about how parents are to treat children (on which seeespecialy Eph 6:4) f however the command is a general state-ment about social relationships beyond productivity then timplies a vision of an alternative comunity in which children are

also honored before they have reached any capacity for "produc-tivity That same vision of the future is articulated n Mal 4:56the final verses of the Christian ordering of the Old Testament:

5



COMMENTRY

w send e e a efe e gea and eeda f e mes e w tur the hearts of parets eden and the hearts of chidre e aes s a wn me and ske e and w a se (emass added)

Elijah i a harbinger of the omig world of God rule A Elijahintervened deiively on behalf of the poor and diadvantaged inhi lifetime o the propheti tradition antiipate that Elijah willreturn with more deiive intervention in time to ome And whenElijah ome he will aue a great "turning a great healing and

reoniliation of all that ha been alienated The orale eem toaume a deep alienation of parent and hildren perhap analienation that i inevitable and ineapable where power and utility are at work (ndeed the alienation refleted here may alo berefleted in the ommandment and in hapter 6 between parentwho remember and hildren who forget) n the oming age it

need not be o and it will not be oThe viion of Elijah oming moreover i utilized in the angel

i orale of Luke onerning the oming of John:

e s ad we a e w g ee m ne eas aes e de ad e dsede ewsdm f e ges make ead a ee eaed ed" (ke 117

The angel quote from the orale of alahi but then extendthe parenthildren image into a larger tranformation of the"diobedient to the "righteou. The purpoe i to "make readya people prepared for the Lord to reate oial relationhip

hopitable to and habitable by YHH t may be that the dangerou oial renovation about whih ary ing in Luke 1:553 and the radial oial tranformation that Jeu ubequentlyenat in the Gopel of Luke derive from thi viionary ommandment t i important not to loe the partiularity of theommandment that onern real people in real oial relation

hip but at the ame time to ee that the ommandment initiatea viionary trajetory of oial relationhip of fidelity andrepet not haped by the preure and value of the "produ



DEERONOMY 4445

tie word Perhaps such reconciled reationships are exactly theoutcome of a sabbath ision of a community that refuses andbreaks with the icious cycles of a productionoriented society

(awn 199)The sabbath rest and the honoring of parents commandmentsurge a life beyond social utility and productieness t is possibleto suggest that an uaid i pduivi has itscounterpart in uaid vil ad xpliai in whichthere is no fabric of respect or restraint Thus the entire series of

commandments from sabbath rest through the prohibition offalse witness proposes a radically different perspectie in whichthe neighborhood and not the unbridled self is the unit of socialmeaning The adjudication of indiidual and community entitle-ments is of course continuously problematic here there is a heaytilt toward a neighborly ethic in which members of the commu-nity must yield to claims that lie beyond the sef

ai uili ( 1216) and ai vil adxpliai ( 1720) conerge in the final prohibition againstcoeting ( 2 1 )

The reiteration of the Sinai commands at the Jordan meansthat this (and each) generation in srael is being summonedyetagainto redecide about the kinds of connectedness that makehuman life iabe t is often noticed that these prohibitions contain no threats or sanctions (though 16 is a notabe exception)t is clear that the unstated threat of disobedienceas unthink-abe as is disobedience in this addressis death These com-mands constitute "a way of life (see eut 30 15 Matt 7 1 31) The death that disobedience produces euteronomy knows well

does not come by the engeful interention of HH t comesrather by the slow collapse of common iability until these pro-hibited practices destroy the fabric of community and make lifeunliabe

These commandments are a demanding condition of a iablecommunity life Moses knows that "there is no free lunch A gen-

uinely human life is expensie At the turn of the century in theUnited States it takes lile imagination to see the connectionbetween the selfsering extraagance of the consumer economy



COMMENTRY

in an unfettered market econom and the rapid erosion of pubicinstitutions to see that a mode of ife committed soe to unrestrained productivi and acquisitiveness is indeed a recipe for

death he recover of an ethica vision at the Jordan was urgentin this tradition; so a recover of vision in our environment ofanticovenant is urgent Such a recover wi not happen b themere assertion of od codes t wi on happen b carefurethinking the costs and requirements of a sustainabe commu-nit hen such a reconsideration is serious undertaken it wi

eventua come to the reiteration of Moses for Moses has utteredin srae the simpest most urgent conditions for ife No amountof ceverness technoog or arrogance can fina circumventthese terms of webeing

t is of course a truism that Jesus did not aboish the commandments but came to "compete them hus in the Sermon onthe Mount the "new teaching of Jesus affirms the od com-mandments and characteristica makes them more radica (Matt5:74) Jesus aims to generate a "contrast societ thatembraces the commands in their greatest radicait t becomescear in Jesus' exposition of the commandments that the cannotbe understood as simpe moraisms or as a series of virtues to beembraced but are rather a practica revisioning of how ife ma

be ived in a word where YHH governs (see Mark 0:722)Obedience to the requirements of the ho God entais a divest-

ment of the treasures of sef for the neighbor rue of God Sucha narrative exposition as Mark offers shows that the demand ofMoses at the Jordan is urgent and cost

he most important interpretive issue in this chapter is the

recognition that the "statutes and ordinances announced inchapters 225 are quite distinct from the ecaogue (vv , 333) hese statutes and ordinances have not been heard b sraeat Sinai but are given on to Moses he wi be announced forthe irst time in eut 225 for the first time even though Moseshas ong since received them at Sinai

wo additiona interpretive issues surfaced in eut 4:445:33First the entire narrative account is designed to accent andceebrate diiiv aui M (Brueggemann

8



DEERONOMY 445

997:577) He s the oe who was "stadg betwee sraelad H eve for the Te Commadmets He s the soleauthorzed terpreter before whom srael has o alteratve t s

ot a great leap to see that the gure of Moses becomes the referece pot that eads to caocal authorSecod t s mportat to reflect o the relato betwee the te

words ad the statutes ad ordaces The latter are cearly secodary but they are also qute dspesable The TeCommandmets are p giab for srael Of

course! But they are d giad, that s dsputatouslyterpreted to determe occaso after occaso that the command means ths rather tha that (Brueggema 99 Chds974437) The ecalogue tsef s ope to specfc terpretatothat t receves the ogog wor o the Mosac offce As Moseshas substatated the giabii of the te utteraces("do ot add or subtract) so Moses presdes over ther giabii euteroomy s the prmal exhbt that srael s a commutyof ogog terpretato so that srael s always recosdergthe precse clam of Torah commads deed the boo ofeuteroomy evdeces terpretve reedom ad magato ofa dyamc sort because Torah s a ogog lvely egagemetbeee Hs wll ad cocrete crcumstace where srael

must always aga embrace ts detty ad vocato as HHspeople

The geuty of the euteroomc tradto ts capacty tol the Dagu to subsequet dervatve "au ad dia through the perso of Moses s a mportat terpretveprncple (Levso 997) The coecto beee the two

arms at the same tme (a) that the prmary authorty o theecalogue s udoubted ad (b) that subsequet terpretato ofa more specfc d that s germae to cocrete crcumstace s aurget ad aways ufshed tas Ths meas that as absolute asthe ecalogue s more must always be sad th Judasm adChrstaty t s clear that the expostory tas s always to be co

tnued rabbnc terpretato ad contung ecclesalrefecto Ay "strct constructosm that sees to stop ogo-g terpretato s sprt ad n substace ae to the very



COMMENTRY

process undertaken in the traditon of euteronomy The commands of are not understood as fat, sefevdent "prncpes, but are serious and normatve gudes whereby srae and the

church seek faithfu obedience when "new occasons teach newdutesThis dynamc princple, moreover, while thoroughy bbca, s

not conined to the Bble and its nternal nterpretve practce ts fair to say that ths same sense of ongong nterpretaton hasbecome a staple of estern democratic jurisprudence Thus

Samue evne shows the way n whch the US Supreme Courtfnds n consttutonal law: "the identifcation of unenumeratedprnciples through reference to textualy enumerated prncples(evne 1 99:512) As a case in pont, evine cites the governngopinon of Justce owel in a 1977 rule, M v Ci EaCvad The court ruled aganst an ordnance concerninghousing arrangements of a woman and her two grandchdren onthe bass of the ourteenth Amendment owell wrote for thecourt

The fu scope of et guaanteed the ue ocess Cause cannot e found n o mted the pecse tems of the specfc guaantees esewhee povded n the Consttuton Thus et" s

not a sees of soated ponts pcked out n tems of the takng ofpopet the feedom of speech pess and egon. t s aatona contnuum whch oad speakng ncudes a feedomfom a sustanta ata mposton and puposeess estants(evne 998 515)

Thus the enumerated provisons of the ourteenth Amendment

lead to unenumerated guarantees n euteronomy, the statutesand ordnances of Moses, to be artcuated n chapters 1225, arenot enumerated n the ecalogue of Snai, but are found there byongong nterpretation

The reader of euteronomy may apprecate and pay attentonto this remarkable freedom and dynamc that permts the God of

Sinai to sustain a remarkable vision of lfe in the world pertnentto many dfferent circumstances and condtions At the same tme,we may recognze that this subte and bold theory of nterpreta

8



DEERONOMY -5

tion is precisely the foundation of jurisprudence that keeps lawpertinent to lived reality in contemporary society Such a dynamicprocess, already signaled in the remarkabe words of verse 3 pre

cludes any strict constructionism and legitimates the crucial,bold, ongoing work of making law n commenting on verse 1 7Philip Berrigan offers an example of interpretation that goes welbeyond strict constructionism in the midst of his protestsagainst nucear weapons and their immense potentia for killinghe has said:

yng d w gn f d bgns w mmadm T sa n k" yg n Csa f sbasd s fndan agas kng ng s gng a n w s kng n a Tas fs s wadg ms w s smm f s T bmn s s kng n a and n s fm kg

n an (Da 1995333)

Sharing the same conviction, his brother anie has written:

I wd k say as smy as I kw w Csasa I'm nd a fm w a bn mak n a wd a ag x a mds ad

ss da s an g mw ss d a b sd sda nss gndd by x wa f anks f nx aax f d wa w ma f Csany x a w a sadadb ad ssny ad a fm a awd k a awd b m kg a awd mm m f sn bf sgs" (Da 19954344)

E REA OF AMSI 6: 125

After the reiteration of the ecalogue (5:621) and the confir

mation of Moses as the soe legitimate interpreter of theecalogue (5:2233) chapter 6 begins a series of homieticalappeals that prepare for the annunciation of statutes and

8



COMMENTRY

ordinances in chapters 225 Chapters 6 are the richestinstructional homiletical and heoogical materials in the bookof euteronomy for they articulate the historical memories

and motivations that frame and give context to the commandments to followChapter 6 includes a pivota covenant command to srael (vv

9) a warning aganst forgetful dsobedence (vv 09) and amodel for instructon of the young (vv 202)

Eegeal al

6 The pivota covenant command of verses 9 may bedivided into two rhetorica eements an introduction (vv 3) andthe actua imperative (vv 9 ) The introduction n verses 3 contains the characteristic rhetoric of euteronomy as ipaiv andqu. erse equates "the commandment wth the

"statutes and ordinances to foow t does so by the absence ofa connecting conjunction before "statutes as reflected in theNRS so that "statutes and ordinances stand in apposition to"the commandment and are offered as an equivaent The forceof this grammar s to enhance the authorty of what is to folowdaring to suggest that the statues and ordinances are in this

utterance on a par with the commands of chapter 5 The obedience required in verse has as is outcome in verse 2 "so that thechildren may earn to fear and obey That s obedience is the wayto teach obedience The imperative of verse 3 that anticipates themore famous parae in verse yields a second consequence ("sothat) of durabiity in the and This speech intends to ensurecovenantal obedience across the generations as the nonnegotiabecondition of keeping the and The tradition knows that f thespecifications of covenanta command are not obeyed the andwill revert to its antcovenanta condition of exploitation andsrael as a socia experiment in the word wi evaporate beforethe forces of greed and anxiety The quaty of fe in the and scompletey connected to and dependent upon the qualty of

sraes covenant with YHHThe pivotal covenantal command of ths chapterindeed of

the entire tradition of euteronomyis the utterance of Moses in

8



DEERONOMY 6-25

verses 45 to be implemeted accordig to verses 67 t is impossibe to overstate the importace of this particular summos owhich see the expositios of Patrick Miller (194) ad S ea

Mcride (1973) hese two verses are recited daily by faithfuews thus termed by some "the ewish creed ad are reckoedi the teachig of Jesus to be "the first commadmet (Mark2:2930) he address is to "srael the oe coveated peopleof YHH he verses ot oly assume the existece of such acommuity of faith but covee a assembly that i this address

is always beig formed reidetified ad recostituted as thesrael of God for srael becomes srael through hearig heimperative "hear is fudameta to a coveatal uderstadigof this people of God listeig srael is summoed commaded ad assured by the Oe with authority who takes a ii-tiative ad imposes upo srael a will purpose ad idetity other

tha ay it might have take for itself he imperative brigssrael ito a defiig relatioship whereby this people ow livescompletely i the sphere of YHH's will ad purpose

As the substace of this address srael hears that YH is fullythe God of srael YHH the oe who makes ad keeps promises the oe who has delivered from slavery is the referece poitthat characterizes the life of srael he precise traslatio of theead setece is disputed (Mcride 1973:2992) he key phrasemay be redered as "YHH i oe i order to stress the uio YHH who caot be divided or parceled out or it may betraslated "YHH aoe i order to accet YHH's demdfor xuiv, upiig a from srael Mcride iscorrect that the latter traslatio "Y aloe is existetial-

y more poigat i its direct requiremet for a full ureservedcommitmet to YHH Mcride moreover has usefully showthat the factorig out of "heart mid soul as distictive spheresof commitmet or psychologica elemets is ot very helpful evethough it may permit a ice homiletical outlie Rather the effectof the tria is cumulative "to accet the superlative degree of

total commitmet to YHH (Mcride 1973304)his "superlative degree of tota commitmet is expressed

through the word " love a peculiar cotributio of euteroomy



COMMERY

o he characerizaion o he HHsrael relaionship n ligo "se his hear aq in 7:7, i is clear ha he erm has aec-ive dimensions Noneheless, here "love reers o he kind o

pracica ideliy ha a lesser pary in a ormal relaionship musenac oward a greaer pary in order o demonsrae and impe-men vows o oyaly already made (Moran 1 963) One mus noromanicize he eueronomic use o he erm "love, as houghi were primarily a "eeling or even an apiude I concerns,raher, pracical acs o obedience in every sphere o daiy lie, acs

ha Moses will soon line ou hen he erms "hear, ove, onyare aken all ogeher, i is appropriae o see ha his posiiveimperaive is commensurae wih he uncompromising prohibiions o he irs o commandmens in 5610 Nohing less iscommanded han ha srael wil be oaly, exclusively, wihoureservaion devoed o he purposes o HH in he world

The claim o oal loyay is one mark ha makes he God osrael incomparabe, ha makes srael problemaic in a word hawans o "go along and ge along, and ha makes he book oeueronomy pivoa or he mos serious claims o bibica aihThe cosiness o he demand o excusive oyay is perhaps mossavagey exempliied in he Old Tesamen in he heological rev-oluion osered by Eliah and Elisha in he ninh cenury ha religious revouion can be seen as a harbinger o he eueronomicvision o aih n Elijahs grea "cones a M Carmel, heprophe pus he quesion beore his communiy

ow ong wi o go iming wit two diffeent oinions? f te is od, foow im ut if aa ten foow im" ( gs

18 1 )

In he end, he communiy assens o Elijah's vigorous demand:

Te indeed is od te indeed is od" ( 1 gs 1 839

The radiion has in view an inergeneraional communiy ohose who ive ou a radical vision o covenan The command ohear is o be kep "in your hear, ha is, a he cener o ones

84



EUTERONOMY 6-5

sense of self And if kept so focaly then it will be effectively transmitted to the children euteronomy always has its eyes on thechidren on the coming generation (see v 2) or that reason the

command is followed in verses 69 by a seres of imperativesrecite bind fix write (see Prov 62022) The core claim ofHH is to be everywhere available to srael audible and visible Moses proposes saturation education so that a child's imaginative horzon s completely pervaded by signs and reminders ofths mperatve n the Jewish tradition this imperative has issuedin signs on the body and at the door n the Christian traditionsuch saturation narrative has conventionally taken many formsnotaby mottoes that are stitched and hung on the wall n theeary practices of education in colonia America the McGufeyreader n al of its teaching and exercises voced a certain advoca-cy that was, in tone and intent close to the religious exclusivismand disciplne of euteronomy

The instructon of verse 7 has a close parallel in Judg 510 inwhich the community is enjoined to celebrate the deliverances oHH:

T f w d w dku w a

ad u w wak waThe verbs ride sit walk paraleled in our verse by at homeaway le downrise up mean everywhere all the time

6 The imperative to radical exclusive obedience (vv19 eads to a weighty warning about disobedience (vv 1019)

The address of Moses takes place at the Jordan srael i s stil in thewderness where lfesupport systems are tenuous But Moseslooks across the Jordan as do his listeners There he sees a futurecontext for srael that is ripe for disobedience for the good landof promise is in every way a contrast to the present wilderness (vv1012) The coming land the one promised since Genesis has on

offer everything a displaced people might want for webeing andsecurty cities houses cisterns vineyards groves all the signs ofbessedness and measures of prosperity The cities are great and

85



COMMARY

goo, he houses are fu, everyhing is in aunance A heseprops for weeing, moreover, are pure gif srae i nohing oachieve hem, i no ui, i no fi, i no hew, i no

pan veryhing is given, everyhing is he gift of H whogives in aunance A he prosperiy an fruifuness of he newagricuura economy wi cause esperae, anhungry srae ogorge isef wihou resrain

is ony in verse 12 ha one arrives a he main ver of he senence veryhing efore has een a empora, epenen cause

Bu now he imperaive ake care Pay aenion Moses knowsha aiai prouces aia, an amnesia is he grea hrea oa communiy whose efining reaionship is groune in a concree, nameae memory Saiaion anishes he pas an oier-aes he fuure veryhing is reuce o an eness presen ense,raher ike he asence of cocks in he casinos of Las egas No

one any onger knows wha ime i is, an no one can any ongerreca a ime oher han his ime ha appears, wih gorging, o ewihou eginning an wihou en n a sae of saiaion, Mosesanicipaes, srae wi us for he git u e uninerese in hegiver srae wi e empe o forge he xous as he efiningiscosure of his Go wi forge he savery an he wonousac of eiverance from savery HH wi no onger e rememere or known as he Go of ransformaion he isincivenessof HH wi evaporae ino a reigious pehora of he gos ofsaiity an equiirium

he speech of Moses senses he grave risk o srae n verses13-15, Moses pus he eep ecision of he Joran again eforehis new generaion, he i/ aou which eueronomy cares

he mos One opion efore he isening community is As he peope of HH, srae is o fear, serve, an swear yHH n Herew, he norma wor orer of he senence isinvere so ha he emphasis fas upon HH: YHWH you wifear i you wi serve, i a you wi swear y

he aernaive is he oher gos hey are unname, ecause

Moses has no ineres in hem an wi no give hem he crei ofname an ienity here are scores of hem, an hey are inisinguishae from each oher Uli YHWH hese oher gos

8



DETERONOMY -

have never made or kept a promie Uli YHWH they haveever emancipated lave Uli YHWH they have never iuedany ucompromiing command To follow uch god to walk

after them in liturgical expreon i to walk away from YHHand to depart from what mut have been YHH' fetive proce-ion that gave public upport to YHH and public exhibit ofrael loyalty

The other god are real optio and rael i alway temptedby them Except ay Moe thoe god are not really an option

for rael The reaon i that YHH i jealou and will not countenance rael' departure from excluive covenant fidelity Thurael ha a choice but it i not a chooable choice Before raelchooe rael ha already choen and YHH will permit noreeging The threat to rael i like a Catch22 o that othergod that eem chooable are a mirage that can produce onlydeath

The warning of Moe would eem to reach it climactic pointwith vere 15 After that however the peech move to cite hitorical precedent by appeal to the arrative of Exod 17:1-7 Theterm tet i the root for the place ame Maah o that thenarrative turn on the teting of YHH n that ancient memory rael had diputed with YHH over a need for water n theend the protet of rael reulted in water produced by the wondrou ato of Moe he arratve doe ot detfy what t ithat contitute tetng The arrative may ugget that ntheir anxiety over thrt rael had refued to ubmit itelf toYHH care had panicked and forced YHH to act It i evident that the teting in Exod 7:1-7 i not commenurate with

the evioned cr of our text The text of Exod 17 i a deperate repoe to x d the preent warning i arepone in pl pla hat i hared in the twocae i that rael doe not ubmit willingly or wholly to YHHbeing oe time diputatiou the other time eeking alternativeto YHH

The brief citation of vere 16 however barely interrupt themore expected rhetoric of vere 719 rael i ummoned backto obedience The alternative to the threat of amneia i the inten

8



COMMENTR

tional emrace of YHH and YHHs commandments thus anacknowledgment of the giver as well as the gift an oedientacknowledgment of the giver that defeats amnesia The outcome

of such renewed oedience governed y "so that (in parallel tov 2) is that the land may e kept and srael may dwell in well-eing The warning issued y Moses is a recognition that the veryprosperity promised and given y YHH is an occasion foramnesia; that amnesia moreover produces alienation fromYHH and consequently forfeiture of YHHs good gifts

6 The text returns to a focus on the children (vv 2024see vv 2, 79). Already in verse 2 it was affirmed that the oedi-ence of the parents is done so that the children will fear andoey YHH That is lived faith itself is a form of nurture perhaps the most telling form of nurture Or said with verse 20 livedfaith is a way of evoking questions on the part of children inorder that instruction may e given to children at the point oftheir asking The tradition has no dout that lived faith will evokesuch wonder in an oservant child The evoked question how-ever is for the sake of the answer The answer given here asoserved long ago erard von Rad s a stylized recital of thestandard most elementa narrative memory of srael (vv 21-24)(von Rad 196638) The recital includes three rememered ele-ments of the past plus a contemporary appeal The rememeredevents are:

1 T Exdu (vv 21-23a). The most prominent featurehere is the capacity in recita to situate the present generation in

the ancient event: W were slaves 2. T gi ad (v 23b) This motif is rooted in the

enesis promises and is a central concern of euteronomy3. T ua ad (v 24) Though the event

of Sinai is not specified the verse clearly alludes to that moun-tain of commandment

Aong with the fundamental attestation of YHHs committedpower in the Exodus event the recital to the children joins together

88



DETERONOMY 5

th two primal cocrs of utroomy th gift of la ad thcoditio of a h fial phrasig of vrs 24 "top us aliv as is ow th cas chos 53 ad forms a ilu

i with that statmt that prcdd th prstatio of thcalogu h poit is to isist that th commadmt prtaisto th prst gratio ad to th gratio of th childrwho ma iquiry

h word ordr of fial appal is ivrtd i th NRS Hbrw th stc bgis "Rightousss will b to us

h statmt assums that th lad ca oly b hld by thoswho qualify as practitiors of YHHs orah ad so th childr must lar from arly o that th walth ad abudac ofth lad is ot a fat irrvrsib giv but dpds upo atttvss to orah

heooga ad Eha a

th latr miistry of Jsus much iformd by th traditiosof utroomy th costly summos to disciplship is of th samdmadig absolut quality though th practic of Jsus is with-out th savag implicatio of th arlir prophtic rvoutio(Mar 834-35; 1021 2830 h sam commad to "ovJsus ssus th sam ucompromisig dmad of obdic(s Joh 211519 Ev th fial arrativ xchag with Ptr th ourth Gospl ds wth th sam trs rqurmt "fol-low m (Joh 21 19 )

Rflctio upo Moss dmad vits th followig thoughts

1 t is a dfiig charactristic ad pculiar claim of bibical

faithrootd th "uiquss of YHthat idividuallivs ad th commo lif of th commuity ar halthy whthy ar about o loyalty hus Sr Kirgaard i hisucompromsig dmad ca afirm that "Purity of Hart isto wil o thig his cor traditio of biblical faith will havo patic with th otio of a "Prota prsoality that is

couragd i a fragmtd pluralistic socity bcaus itblivs that such icssat adaptability is i fact ficlssthat caot rsult i prsoal or commual wlbig (s

8



COMMEARY

fton 13) . That s, snguar response to the jeaous God sno spy an archac wtness to a cosc crankness, but t s audgment about what s possbe n human fe and on what

bass2 The deand of snguar oyaty to the adefnng, agovernng God s an expectaon never fuy aaned The urgctradton of he church knows that such "perfec obedence snever aaned, even hough connues to be the prma mper-ave of he fe of fath t s possbe hat such an awareness of

"fang short ght ead o despar and sefhared In heChrstan conex, the fu turgca tradton hat enons suchsnguar oyay, however, s marked at he sae e by hereadness of hs God to forgve and nve agan o oyay, asn Deut 6 the eaous God becomes the ercfu God Thosewho do no atan (on whch see Ph 3:12) are nvted aways

agan o the oyous task of snguar oyaty: "But grow n graceand knowedge of our ord and Savor Jesus Chrs 2 Pet3 18 )

3 he t s sefevdent that none attans such snguar oy-ay, there s n the very rheorc of such oyaty a seductve nv-taton o magne that one may "arve A mspeceved senseof sef at he east may produce sefrgheousness (on whch seethe exape of uke 18 112) Such sefconfdence may beony ofensve and no desrucve But such a sense of sef or ofcomunty ay ead o a ore vruent danger, naey, anassau on a "esser fath he there s a reference pon forsuch sefconfdence n the voen aspects of Eshas prophetcrevouon (see 1 Kgs 2042), he hstory of the Chrsan church

s strewn wh exampes of those who occupy and onopozesnguar oyaty n ways tha have produced judgment and vo-ence upon ohers, for exampe, the Crusades, he Inquston,wchhunts, and a varey of excouncaons hat s forgotten n such destructve presumpton s hat even n suchwoudbe aanens, t s s HWH who speaks and srae

who s addressed srae s aways recever and never naor,aways subordnate and never n charge, aways responsve,never pary



DEERONOMY -25

Thus the coad o excusive oyaty coesurate withHH's siuarity is rauht with teptatios to both despairad pride Either o these, however, distorts what is iteded by

the God who coads a siuar ie o ad obedieceThe wari issued i this text does ot see reote ro thecircustace o the aithu i a society as auet ad secure asi the Uited States Ours is a ecooy o abudace that ivesby a ideooy o satiatio The seeiy iitess capacity o thecosuer ecooysupported (as write this) by a aret tha

eeps rowi, ept i pace by a iitary estabishet withouparae i the history o the wordeads to a coo, thouht-ess assuptio that it has aways bee his way ad wi awaysbe this way"word wihout ed such a ecooic exravaace, it is eary ipossibe to reeber aythi iportat, oreeber the id o discipie that was required or the oud

i o the deocracy, to reeber the circustaces out o whichEuropea ad Asia iirats cae at reat ris, the sueriArica captives edured, ad the edess process o courae adcopassio that ies beyod the prese "peace ad prosperiy

O course oe today woud "test the God o the doiattheooica traditio deed oe woud ever bother o do so The"testioy that is uwittiy practiced is rather the broadreadiess to try aterative ways i the word that icude othio coveata accoutabiity or the discipies o coveataeihboriess The reat questio i this pethora o cosuerisoptios is whether such a iduet way i the word ca be sustaied without roudi i the hoy dead o coveatieut 6 is quic to aswer, "No, it caot be sustaied But the,

a part o the probe is that saiated aesia is sow eve tootice the wari Characteristicay, the oes addressed iaesia are sow to discer that i is they who are bei addressedat a

This chapter has at its beii (vv 1) ad at its ed (vv 2025) appeas to the chidre to reeber These wo appeas o

eory rae a wari ot to oret (vv 101) . The issue oreeberi/oretti pertais both to the concreteness of command ad to the narrative lore that eerizes the coads That

9



COMMENTRY

s he ex geerao mus be fuy embedded he "fewordof covea ha embeddedess moreover akes pace oy bycosa eoa verba reerao ( 79 2025) pus he

pares' vgorous obedece (vv 2) he eachg couy s a feordeah srugge for he hear commme ad ag-ao of he youger geerao Mchae Fshbae pays pacuar aeo o he proous he queso of verse 20 ad heaswer of verses 225 (Fshbae 19797983. he chd asksabou wha he Lord yu God has commaded yu Fshbae

sees hese as dsacg usages suggesg ha he chd s aeaed from he pares' cam he pare respose seeks oovercome he dsace by usg he cusve proou "us

Deut 620-25 discses a tensin beeen generatins memries sets f exeriences and cmmitments t questins te abiityf te faters t transmit teir as and fait t teir sns see

tese as aien and d nt fee te same resnsibiity cncerningtem Tat te faters ud ant a cntinuity trug teirsns f teir secia reatinsi it d is understandabe utat as subjective and immediate t tem is seen as bective andmediate t teir sns Te teacing f te faters inDeuternmy 62025 is an attemt t invve teir sns in tecvenant cmmunity f te future and undubtedy refects te

scigica reaity f te settement in Canaan Te aemt byfaters t transfrm teir uninvved sns frm temraries"t temraries ie, true-ife sarers is an issue f suremeand recurrent significance in te ibe Fisbane 197981-82)

hus s he youger geerao he oe compeey bessed he ad ha mus "ake care ha you do o forge (v 2)

he parcuar referece o Fshbae dcaes he ways whch he axees of Deu 6 are pere o he coemporaycommuy of fah here s o doub ha he Eghemeexpcy eded o defea he radoa memory of he churcho cosderabe effec ha ogsadg dager oreover smore recey esfed wh he hos of posoder cuura

reaes ad forces ha work agas ergeeraoa ebrace ofa remembered pas ha may eerge a preseese obgo Is cera ha may of he youg he commuy of fah are

2



DEERONOMY 7

temporaries who scarcely hae the categories aailable throughwhich to become temporaries Both the lied practices and theintentional erbalizations of the parental generation are thin and

in general lack conictionThis text asserts that the community is at risk when the youngergeneration is alienated The text does not howeer settle fordespair but proposes the intentional reassertion of the memoryas a source for a radically different future Israel has alwaysknown that the claiming of the next generation is no automaticprocess but requires great intentionality Assmann has suggestedthat a culture that is inaentie to its memories trades its tradition and culture to remember something else (Assmann 992:68) n euteronomy the "something else was "Canaanite religionin its many forms n estern culture at the beginning of thetwentyfirst century the likelihood is that the "something else isan ideology of consumerism rooted in anxiety and expressed as

greed susceptible to brutality t is no wonder that the teachingtradition of euteronomy exhibited a deep sense of urgency in tsstrategy of saturation as it struggled for the glad assent of its ownyoung

HE ONDER AND GOR OF EG HOSEN 7:126hapter 7 a continuing address of Moses, ferently asserts the

distinctieness of srael that is to be affirmed and appreciated inthe context of the other nations Gien the accent on the childrenin chapter 6 the anxiety of this chapter is that the next generationwill fail to recognize and cherish sraels distinctieness that isrooted in YHH's loe and embraced n sraels obedience Theintention of the chapter is to take deliberate steps so tha the coming generation will choose coenant with YHH The chapterpiots on the affirmation of erses 65. That affirmation isbracketed n erses 5 and erses 626 with a harsh negation ofother natons other cultures and other religious options that con

stitute a threat to sraels distinctieness All three sections of thechapter are concerned for the single issue of sraels distinctieness but take it up in ariously negatie and positie tones

93



COMMENTR

Eegea al

7 Th articulation o srals distinctivnss bgins with thlimination o sductiv altrnativs (vv 15) Th land o promis is a land illd with sductions that is th rligious altrnativso thos who now occupy th land whos rligious symbolismthough nonYahwistic and als has bn adquat or thmndd in 4:19 all kinds o rligious symbolizations ar" allottdto th nations that ar not prmittd to sral And now sralcoms actoac with thos symbolizations that will sduc and

distort its pculiar idntity as th popl o YHHBy any critical udgmnt this statmnt poss complx prob

lms Th txt is commony datd not arlir than th ighth orsvnth cntury But th svn popls namd in vrs 1 hav longsinc disappard and so constitut no thrat or sral Thus thlist o svn nations is an archaic slogan that rprsnts in con

txt any alin cultur with its rligious tmptations or sraThos atrnativ rligions alrady rcognizd in chaptr 4 willad sral into ain orms o imagination that will in turn rodth covnant hn th covnant with YHH is rodd or compromisd th vry survival o th community is placd in opardy

Th rcommndd stratgy or daling with an imagsaturatd

cutur is statd in two vry dirnt ways irst "you must uttrly dstroy herem v 2) Th trm statd with an mphatic vrbal orm is a tchnica trm drivd rom an ancint practic owholsal oblitration o an nmy as an act o thological obdinc Th brutalizing ton o th rhtoric surly is notcommnsurat with th lt thrat that an alin cultur mayconstitut or a rligiously slconscious community Th commandd dstruction o vrs 1 morovr concrns not thdstruction o imags but th dstruction o popls By anystrtch th modrn radr is sur to ind this languag dplyonsiv and problmatic

Th most rcnt carul assssmnt o th notion o herem is byPhilip Strn 1991) Strn proposs that:

1 Th xtrm orc o th inunction to dstroy is a ngativcounteart to the first commandmen "Only YHH That is

4



DEERONOMY 1

because YH is a jealous God and will tolerate no rival,every such practice and every such practitoner is subject todestructon as an act of obedience to the coand of YHH

2 The threat of the other religous optons is perceived notsiply as political and cultural, but as mythic. That is, alterna-tive religious practice has the potential to bring deep disorderinto the counity The eliinaton of such a religious optiontherefore s to overcoe the danger of chaos and so to assurethe good order of society intended by YH as creator

Because the seven nations are long gone, the rhetorc nthis text is now to be understood symbolically and not liteallysrael has long since given up its readiness to undertake suchbarbaric actions

hether Sterns third judgent, soething of hstorical specu

lation, is correct or not, the first two points ake sound theolog-ical sense The rhetoric refects activity "brought about by theost eleental circustance of a peoples struggle for life andland (Stern 99217)

The second proposed strategy is not the destruction of thepeoples but the destruction of their systes of religous sybol-ization (v 5). hile the rhetoric is as violent, it is now actoncoitted against religious objects and not against personsNonetheless the force of the entire paragraph s brutaizing, nthe recognition that the "children, the ones who ust "take carethat you do not forget (612) will proptly find their faithpaced in deep jeopardy t sees clear that the tradition does nothave excessive confidence in the appeal of its own clais to its

children

71 The violent action urged and legitiated in verses 15 isplaced alongside the positive affiration of verses 6-15 Thethesis sentence of verse 6 contains two airations that are dec-sive for the theology of euteronoy irst, srael is a people

"holy to YHH The ter "holy here eans separated for andbelonging to The language reenforces the notion of contanation through contact with other religous sybols that would

5



COMMERY�

compomse saes sngua adheence to HH Thus "honess s he posve countepont o heem he ate undetakenn ode o assue the fome The em "hoy, moeove, s a ea

tona em sae has no ntnsc egous specaness, but s hoyo (eseved fo) H and mus be snguay devoted o HHThs affmaon s enfoced by he second phase, "chosen o be hs peope hs teasued possesson The anguage paaesha of 4:20; asses ha whe HH s ue of a natons andhas many peopes ove whom to pesde, sae s Hs n-

mae pesona popey upon whch HH especay doessae enoys a speca status wth H, he ue of a theeath, and mus ake cae to mantan ha eaonshp Thus vese6 suggess a pesona motvaton of exceptonalsm ha boheques and usfes the hashness of veses -5

77 n wha foows, he text efects upon the bases ou ofwhch HH chooses sae (vv 7 sae mgh have houghha was especay chosen because sae s age and mpessvebut ha s not so sae s "fewes, and so no cam n ha egadcan be made (See he paae staement n 96a) No the easonfo he speca satus of sae s no o be found n sae, bu nH HH "set hs heat (aq) on sae The vebbespeaks a song emoona atachment that uns beyond any easonabe, expcabe ac HH made a eap of ove n commttngo sae HH's nscutabe ac s (a) ooted n HH's ownovewngness o ene nto a susaned and abdng covenantcommmen, and (b) based on the ancen oath o the famy ofAbaham n the book of Geness Thus H's eament of sae

s ooed n commmens tha setch back behnd he pesengeneaon and ndeed back behnd the ente scenao of Moseshe commments o sae that have been opeatve snce he meof Abaham and Saah Tha ancen oah of fdey s emembeedas he eemena movaon fo he Exodus and fo the comng gftof and sae s ooted n commtments that HH emembes

and honos, even when sae tsef s gven to amnesa HHdoes no foge!The affmaon of HHs fee act of love s n eueonomy

9



DEEROOMY -2

characteristically matched by the urging o obedience here statedi verse 1 1 The osided relatioship of love ad required obedience may be logically problematic to Christias but it is ot a

difficulty for euteroomic theology for this osided reality hasits rootage i Hs ow ife laguage that closely parallelsthe pivota text of Exod 34:67 Moses affirms (a) HH is theGod who is faithful keeps coveat ad steadfast love to faithfulcovea parters ad (b) HH is the God who puishes thedisobediet promptly ad harshly (see Brueggema 99725

24) hile the rootage of HHs free act of commitmet to sraeli Geesis promises is crucial i uderstadig sraels peculiarstatus srael i its cotemporary settig shoud ot cout excessively o such a iitiatory act the preset momet accordigo euteroomy the coveat is a bilateral oe betwee parters

who are boud together i mutual obigatios that carry deepsactios There will be o problem for the obediet "therefore (v 11 ) . The disobediet however caot cout o acestralove but must reck with their ow destructio. The relatioship is grouded i free grace but it operates accordig tosymmetrica expectatios i which there is o easy assured forgiveess

7 This bilateral symmetrical relatioship is exploredpositively i verses 1215 The paragraph is govered by "ifqv. This coditio of obediece is a echo of the Mosaic "if ofExod 195 the premise of the Siai coveat Everythig depedsupo obediece The text ejois obediece ad the promise that

follows assumes obediece respose to full glad obedieceH wi keep the coveat fidelity promised to the acestors light of verse 8, the acestors here may be the Geesis commuity but they might also refer to the geeratio of Siai Eitherway HH will love bess ad multiply that is guaratee compete wellbeig As it characteristically is the promise here is

quite material ad reflects the hopedfor prosperity of a agrariacommuity Aimals ad fields will produce i abudace thebest hope of a farmig commuity



COMMERY

he unstated affirmation is that srae does not need to seekagricutura webeing from the gods of the and for HH iscompetey capabe of being a "fertiity god (Harreson 1969)

Because of HHs fu fideity toward this peope "hoy toHH srae wi experience none of the setbacks of troubedagricuturesteriity barrenness disease A the anguage herehas to do with materia success prosperity abundance fertiityhe ancestors of Genesis were endessy vexed about the birth ofan heir Now fruitfuness wi function on every front srae

becomes the carrier of the best promises of the creator GodAccording to 43-34 there has never been anything ike sraebefore in a creation ndeed this is the new creation a thegoodness of creation is now given as intended and srae is itsrecipient nsofar as this text appeas to creation themes to antici-pate "new creation the hope for the new and is that it wi

indeed be "he Kingdom of God a ream fuy embodying therue of HHhe premise of such a fu working creation is covenanta obe-

dience t is important that the positive "if of obedience is notmatched here by a negative "if not he threat is hed inabeyance even if signaed in verse 10 because the text here makesan unquaified affirmation of HHs goodness to srae

766 he chapter is competed in verses 166 by a harshdismissa of other peopes a dismissa that matches the openingines of verses 15. srae is commanded to "have no pity (v 16) ,"have no dread (v 1) "bot out (v 4). hese peopes andtheir reigious symboizations deepy threaten srae because they

wi tak srae out o the obedience that is the prerequisite to itsprosperity in the and of promise (v 17).

srae may be intimidated by peopes more numerous than it is(v 17; see v 7) he antidote to such intimidation is the memoryof the Exodus (vv 18-19) HH continues to be capabe ofother Exodusike acts he great empire of Egypt was no match

for HH hese esser peopes in the and are no serious cha-enge to H erse 20 suggests that if HHs devices withEgypt are not suficient in the present circumstance of threat

8



DEERONOMY 1-

YHH has other strategies availabe as well though the exactmeaning of verse 20 is not clear

The summons to "no dread in verse 21 is a characteristic invi

tation to trust YHH in times of risk for YHH is perfectladequate and willing to defend srael (see 1:29) All that srequired for wellbeing is confidence in YHH But of course thatis what srael characteristicall finds too demanding

After the sweeping assurances of verses 18-24, Moses issues afinal warning about images (vv 25-26), thus returning to the

accent of verse 5 The images of the other peoples are a hugethreat to srael erse 25 suggests that what ma be coveted is thepower of the icon power that permits social control throughappeal to an available divine power alternativel it ma be simpl the "gold and silver that evoke the lust of srael without reference to the religious potenc of the image Perhaps a distinction

cannot be made beeen the two for bothprecious metal andreligious icondrive srael awa from the simplicities of theYahwistic covenant (See the narrative of disaster in Josh 7 especiall 721 " Coveting is wanting something that lies outside therange of permissible covenantal attractions) The final verses ofeut 7 emplo some of the most abrasive language in the entiretradition

"abhoent thing = abominaton"utterl detestan emphatic verbal form"abhorthe same term as "abhorrent thing here also anemphatic form"destructionfinall again herem.

This cluster of terms states in the strongest language imaginablethat srael is to sta clear of that which will destro srael sraelas a theologicalsocial experiment in the world can be eliminatedfrom the world This need not signif that ever living sraelitewould be killed but ma perhaps mean living as a covenanta

communit with an intentional social ethic rooted in holiness mabecome impossible if there are not those who can withstand thepressures and seductions of the surrounding societ



COMMETRY

heologa ad Eha a

This chapter contains one of the most magnificent affirmationsof HH's intense and intimate covenanta love for srael, rootingthat relationship in nothing other than HHs readiness tocommit to srael (vv. 65) That airmation however, is bracetedb theological mandates that are sre to evoe deep awwardnessfor an sensitive theological exposition (vv 5 626)

ith verses 6 at its center this chapter envisions srael to bea radicall distinctive commnit that is totall and singlarl

committed to Torah obedience, withot an cltral accommodation The text nows how rgent and how deepl problematicsch a mandate is for a commnit that mst live in the realworld that is pervaded with compelling alternative was of faithThe distinctiveness of this commnit moreover, is not in theestablishment of doctrine bt in actal concrete practice in the

worldSch a mandate for the commnit of faith calls to mind all"commnities nder disciplineamong Jews the Orthodoxamong Christians sch "sects as the Amish or the "eaceChrches Those who choose, against sch "sectarian selfconsciosness to "lve faih in the world are inclined to view

sch selfconscios commnities as od, embarrassing and perhaps pathetic f however one thins of "contrast commnitiesas those nder a different obedience that concerns ever aspect oflife then it is impossible to dismiss sch disciplines withot beingaware of how compromised other forms of faith ma become(illimon and Haerwas 989) n an case eteronom offersone articlation of the rgenc of distinctiveness that is rooted in

HH's generosit and that lives b demanding obedience Thetext invites reconsideration of the disciplines that belong to a commnit of serios covenant

The rhetoric in verses 5 626 (and most especiall v 26)sggests the massive if elemental anxiet evoed when a commnit worries abot the loss of its children to the faith. t ma be

that ever generation worries abot sch a loss when the childrenare drawn in new directions and old forms of faith no longer seemcredible to them t is perhaps the experience of ever immigrant



DEERONOMY -26

ommnity when the seond and thrd generatons grow awayrom old patterns and habits o aith There are many who disernthat established ltre in the est and with it its hrh ltre

ae a time o sharp transition and disontinity a proset thatmakes hrh ommnites andidates or deep anxiety Thishapte may provide a way to think abot sh anxiety, or in ortime as in that time what may be aoot is not simply rejetion oertain "orms o aith bt a nlliiation o the most basiassmptions o aith abot lie in the world

Anxiety ases hman ommnities, inding religios om-mnities to do strange, brtalizing things Anxiety harateris-tialy makes a ommnity deensive toward any otsider andredtionist toward any "other who is nlike "s (oglas970) The pratie o herem may be nderstood mythially(with Stern) as the prgation o the threat o haos, and the

implementation o the irst ommandment in all its ierenessthen explained historially as an anahronism Given all o thatherem or any lesser orm o sh exlsionary brtality towardthe "other is a reipe or and jstiiation o violene that isnearly beyond tterane and all in the name o the holy God This text and the others that entertain a memory o herem inviteritial reletion pon the ways in whih absolute faith claimsbring with them inipient violence (Shwartz 997) Howeverthe hetoi may be explained it is loaded with exteme visionso eroty all stiied as a response to the love o GodAbsolte ertitde reqires the eliminaton o the "other whosevery existene is aways an awkward note o protest againstabsolteness

The isse is problemati whenever aith is prated in a om-mnity that is not ompletely homogeneos The ontemporaryeality o religios "plralism tells against any eroios abso-ltism The eteronomi strand o the Old Testament is o littlehelp in that regard t does represent a warning against aith ommnties that onstantly aommodate ltra laims and have

little sense o any peliar identity or ethi hether this traditionwith its harshness is a resore or a temptation may well dependon whethe the interpreting ommnity aes primarily a risis o

1



COMMENTRY

exceive excluivee or a crss of exceive accmmdatiBoh quesons mus reman n he purvew of a serous commu-nty of fah, bu eueronomc faces ony one of hese crses

Fnay s worhwhle reurnng o he ways n whch "alenmages ve he radon of eueronomy Every Reform movemen from Gdeon (Judg 6282) and osah 2 Kgs 22) ohe seenhcenury Reformaon and Cromwels revouonarymovemen has fel compeled o desroy regous symbols haderac from fah and ha legme unaccepabe forms of

power The desrucon, moreover, s accomplshed wh a voenceegmaed by heoogcal passonThs e has a pecular pon of conac wh he curren "com-

muncaons revouon sweepng he esern word, wh par-cuar reference o chldrens access o he nerne There s nodoub ha he nerne, wh s accompanyng deoogy of unre-

sraned freedom, now gves chldren eposure n he mos graph-c possbe ways o degradng mages concernng se, voence, andevery oher form of dsored and cheapened human neraconThese cons, moreover, are eceedngy we fnanced n a drecchaenge o radona and ongsandng noons of wha consues vable human communy he shrll atacks currenly bengmade upon "he meda and "Holood evdence he profoundaney ha s wdely fe n our culure, mached by a deep senseof hepessness

One does no need o be a rghwng fanac or an eremsrean upon a manra lke "famly values n order o see ha henew conography s a susaned hrea o he values of humannessha are rooed n he convenonal neghborly vrues of honesy,

dgny, respec, jusce, and compasson Ths conography, moreover, s avaabe o chdren who lack any susaned pon of ref-erence or crcal capacy o sor ou wha s o be aken serous-y and wha s o be dsmssed as dsorng absurdy The alenqualy of he mages now avalable everywhere evokes anous,nearly hysercal rheorc and a knd of secaran propensy o

creae "safe placesChrsan schools for eampen whchhe young can be nurured accordng o a symbol sysem ha wnesses o human quales of anoher knd

1



DEERONOMY 8

Tere is a remarkable parallel betwee our curret crss adtis ancent text Te curret crsis may elp modern readers tounderstand te felt urgecy i te text t takes o great imagina

tion to conjure a paret i tat acient commuity usig theextreme rejectionst retoric of verses 56 n order to waraganst "bringig into te ouse suc ae symbols t s otclear tat current zealots ave uderstood deologcay wat s atstake concerning te cotemporary programmatic destruction ofa umae social fabric, but te fet treat s sufficet to see te

pont n additon to a ba o suc icos, euteronomy sposorsnurturng cildren by saturating tem wt arrative tat tels apowerful alternative to te arratve mplied i te seductive cos669, 0-4) Suc a communty under treat ever kowsweter its eforts with te cdre wil succeed euteroomyit surely s ot for wat of tryig

AH AS LERNAE O OLACENCY ASERNAE O EAON 8:120

Tis capter, a contnuig speec of Moses, as mportataffnites wt capter 6 or tat reason, one may assume ere, as

i capter 6 tat te text s anxious about te ext generatio ofcldre (see 6, 79, 0-4), wo may i teir new security forget te defiig narrative of rescue ad te God wo domiatestat defing arratve Te preset capter begis with a restatemet of te core assumptio of euteronomy (v 1) t ten juxtaposes o crcumstances of fat tat costtute te central drama

of te capter (vv -5 610) Te long concludig paragrap ofte capter moves from te sceario of verses 610 to issue a sterwarnng about te consequeces of forgetting (vv 11-0) Tuste capter s domiated by the theat of fogetting ad teugency of emembeing.

Eegea a

8-6 Te capter opes, yet agai, wit a bd for obediece tote entre commad of Moses, that is te wole corpus of statutes





DEERONOMY 8-2

scenaio of the good land (vv 60). n the first scenario srael isaddressed by an initia "remember an imperative that is important to the community threatened by amnesia Thus even the

imperative asserts that there was a time other than this time Thecommunity moreover wil learn something important about thistime by remembering anothe time

The "other time so crucial for the present generation seemsremote But it is not That timenarrated in Exod 6 Num036; Deut 3is immediately germane to the present The

"sojourn tradition is all about the difficult learning that Israel istotally dependent upon YH The testing of srael too fortyyears The process was ofold irst srael was humbled andtested srael was reduced to extreme vulnerability and totaldependence by being placed in a circumstance where none of itsown resources was adequate t had not been able to carry with itenough bread for the journey The humbling is to permit srae torecognize that it was not selfsufficient could not manage its ownway and therefore could not pretend that it was in charge of itsown life The wilderness memory is one of vulnerable dependencethe shattering of al ilusions of adequacy The series of verbs thataccomplished this awareness"humble test nowculminatesin verse 3 with "caused you to be hungry

The second step was that in the wilderness of hunger "mannais gven when sael no longer had any bread of its own The memory appeals to the narrative of Exod 6:45 n contrast to the"bread of affliction supplied by Pharoah the gift of manna wasbread they had never seen coud not explain and were to neverpossess. The creator God is fully and readily capable of trans-

forming wilderness into a place of wondrous suiciency Aftersael earned of its on deadful inadeuacy it promptly learnedof YHWH's geneous adeuacy. This is the creator God who canturn chaos into creation and inadequacy into superabundance.The generous capacity of Y is more than commensuratewith the needful vulnerability of srael The interface of geneosi

ty and vulneability as a mar of this relationship is a durabelearning from widerness.The learning extracted in this speech of Moses from that

5



COMMENTR

ancint rama o vulnraility an gnrosity is that rais not suicint or li ut li is in th wor rom YHH'sown mouth (v 3) . That contrast o bread an wrd is opn to a

varity o raings incluing a warning against matrialism thatwill not yil li without th wor o th gospl. howvr wprmit th gospl narrativ to illuminat our txt (s Matt 4:4;Luk 4:4 ), thn prhaps th contrast is not matriaspiritualRathr ra may unrstoo as autonomous ra thprouc o on's own li whry on scurs on's own xistnc

(on which s Luk 12:1819 By contrast vry wor thatcoms rom th mouth o th Lor may rr to th deree o thsovrign who wills an clars that ra shall givn utgivn rom Go's own storhous o oo That is what procsrom YHH's own mouth is a wor o cr that proucsra as git Thus th contrast is twn two kins o raselfgenerated bread that proucs autonomy an giftbread thatinvits gratitu an rlianc upon YHH

hat sral larn in this momnt o r ra is that YHHis rlial an gnrous sral will car or an sa in vrycircumstanc. Th aquacy o YHH vinc in th ra isrnorc y vrs 4 orty yars o trkking is a long tim nthat tim on may rightly xpct cloths to com tattr ant to com sor But it i not happn caus th wilrnssis not what it sm to t sm to a rsourclss antili plac. t was howvr a plac o saty an wllingcaus it was a plac ovr which YHH prsis. Moss spchnow maks an appal on th asis o th astonishing mmory ognrous sustnanc (vv 56) Th rlationship twn Trah

giver an peple f bediene is not an avrsarial rlationship inwhich sral is corc into oinc t is rathr a rlationshiptwn a aring parent an a grateful hild (s Exo 4:22; Hos1 1 : 1 Th trm isciplin (ysar os not spak harshnssut rathr attntiv nurtur an guianc in orr to protct thchil rom injury. Th imagry o parntchil sks to put th

Mosaic summons to oinc on a irnt asis Thr is anainity twn th two partis in which trustul gratitu isappropriat an natural.



DEERONOM 81

The imagery is paralleled in s 03:3-4, though in dierentwords:

a ae a man den e a man e w ea m e knw w we wee made

e ememe a we ae du

The parent knows o the vlnerability o the child and o thechilds lmited resources The parent moreover wills good and

gives good gits to the child (see Matt 7:9-) or that reason theimperatives to "keep walk and ear in verse 6 are an appeal ora response in kind obedience to Torah which is glad gratitude tothe parent whose knowledge and goodwill are demonstrated bythe git o bread The wilderness that cold have been a prooundtrauma or srael is here presented as a place o deep caring and

wellbeingThe speech o Moses now moves to a second qute dierentscenario o srael in a place with Y (vv 7-0) sraels dierent response to Y is anticipated as the new generationwaits at the bondary o the ordan to enter the land The characterization o the land in these verses sounds lke the hyperbolic

imagination o those long wthot land who anticipae in the mostoverstated ways the idyllic quality o the new situation (t s thesame hypebolic imagination in hristian tradition that imagines"the next world n the most wondros way) Ater all as the tradition tells s srael has been waitng or ths moment o landoccupation at least since the Exods or even snce Abraham andSarah

The characterization o the landdierent rom that o 6:0- bt with the same rhetorical ntentis ramed in verses 7 and0 with the phrase "good land on which see Exod 3:8 Beeenthese two markers the term "land is sed ive times This landoers everything o abundance and prosper not avalable inthe wilderness about wich sch a disadvantaged community

might dream Ater the arid territory where srael depended uponwater rom rock (Exod 7:-7) this will be a land o abundantwater (see v 7 s 04:0-2) The rhetoric o waterstreams



COMMENTRY

sprigs, deepsspeaks a adace of water, water ever-where, ample, overwhelmig! A reslt of sch water is lxriatgrowth, vegetatio, ad crops i sperabdace (v 8) Ad

ow, agai, bread (v 9)! his is ot read for which srael mstwait po a miracle his is read that is at had ad i had, areglar sppl he srael crosses the Jorda, Josha will imme-diatel oserve that i the lad srael eed ot wait for maa(Josh 512)

he readthe otcome of wheat that is o time, the reslt of

ample waterwill be more tha eogh srael will e sated adwithot axiet aot food his referece to read spports thesuggestio that the isse i verse 3 is ot bread verss word, btit is a differet kid of read, a bread ot possessed b srael tgive b Y he promise is aot read here will e somch read that srael i the lad of adace will "ot lack

he term is the same as the famliar phrase of Ps23: 1

Ygives ampl ad srael has o met desire Beod the prodceof the lad, moreover, srael also kows abot "mieral rightshere will be eogh iro ad copper for wealth ad stabilitsrael will have the resorces to e a formidale power acked ba growth ecoom!

his aticipated lad is the flfillmet of a dream for sraelMore tha that, it is the fritio of the lric of creatio all will"be fritfl ad srael will e the glad recipiet ad eeficiarof the abdace willed from the egiig (Ge 122) he cl-miatio of the aticipatio is that srael will eat a cotrast to thehuger of verse 3: o more hger! srael will e ll satateddeed eatig ad satiatio are ot all he third ver of verse 10

i s that srael will bless YHWH srael will kow ad ackowledgethat it is the creator God who has give all this, who has keptpromises, who mst e praised ad magified he expectatio ofMoses is that the aticipated place of welleig will evoke israel garded, restraied gladess i which it holds othigback, bt cedes itself willigl to the faithfl God ot of whose

decree has come the adat lifeMoses has sketched o cotrastig scees, oe of remembered

wldeess scact the other of aticipated abundant land that is

18



DEERONOMY 8-

anticipated Te o scenes are so diferent And yet in te imagination of Moses and in te purview of Y widerness andgood and are exacty te same Bot are presided over by te fait

fu God bot are arenas were life is amply guaranteed bot arewonders designed to evoke trust in and gratitude to YH Tepoint of it al is tat in bot circumstances in every circumstanceY gives wat is needed and srael responds in glad obedience

Everyting is te same in te o circumstances except tatMoses and te tradition are too discerning to be sanguine about

te parallel Te anxiety beind tis speec of Moses is tat tetwo circumstances and te two great acts of generosity by YHHwi not produce te same glad response of obedient gratitudeTe tradition knows better tan tat Gifts given to te vulnerabe do indeed evoke gratitude Te crisis reflected in te textandin sraes ived reality in te andis tat gifts given in abundance

to the satiated do not finaly eventuate in trusting gratitude but incompacent sefcongratulations A gift kept ong enoug begins toseem like a possession A gift kept long enoug becomes separated in te memory of te recipient from te giver so tat tegiver is forgotten

8-0 Tus read covenantally wilderness and good land areparael and sould evoke te same glad obedience n reaity owever compacency conures a derent future fro a evoked byunerabiity. Terefore tis speec tat begins by anticipatingobedience (vv 56), ends wit a ars warning against disobedience (vv -20) Te cautionary take care of verse is tesame term as in verse , diligenty observe Complacency breeds

amnesia (v ) Amnesia in turn leads to autonomy and te negation of obedience Te retoric of verse 2 begins as in verse 0"eat and are sated But strikingy te tird term bless YHas dropped out Reference to te giver of te git as beenscuttled Te retorical pattern of verses 23 ecoes 6 0

full stomacs fine ousesutiplied flocks and erds multiplied silver and goldmutipied mutiplied multiplied



COMMERY

Now intead of "le YHH a the third term of repone iti "exalt yourelf (. 1). Selfcongratulation i more likely whenthere i aundance and the nae of the gier i no longer current.

There i high irony in the dire expectation of thi warningfrom Moe. t i the ery gift of YHH that will caue the for-getting of YHH. The YHH who will e forgotten i theYHH that the tradition endlely rememer and teache. TheYHH rememered in a reference ack to the cenario of ere25, i the God of Exodu emancipation the God of wilderne

protection and guidance The God to e rememeredand nowforgotteni the one who protected rael from the threat ofnake and corpion (ee P 91:1113) , who gae water from therock (Exod 17:17), and who gae trange read in the wilderne(Exod 1:15) . Again one find the term from ere 2, "humleand tet ut to the end to do "good ( 1) The peech reiter-

ate the narratie memory of ulnerality and dependence fromere 2-.n the ery reiteration of that memory howeer the peaker

know that the memory i in jeopardy. Gift without gierecome property and occaion for elfenhancement. Thu it ianticipated that the ery rael who ha een incapale o doinganything to utain itelf will oon imagine that it own powerand not the limitle power of YHHha gien thi circumtance of atiation.

The expected illuion grounded in amneia lead finally to amot eere warning Following after other god intead ofYHHthe god of production and conumption the god ofilluion who come without Torah imperatiewill lead to death

rael ha efore it the eidence of the failed people that it di-placed diplaced at YHH ehet (ee 9:5) And now rael orecently celerated a YHH pecial people 7:10) i to eclaified not a pecial ut like all the other failed and detroyed.And all ecaue rael did not sten did not acknowledge it con-tingent tatu; y refuing to liten rael imagined it wa not

addreed ut wa autonomou. Autonomy produce deathecaue the elfufficient think they lie without limit withoutaccountaility That illuion in the long run i not utainale

1 1



DEERONOMY 8-2

heologal ad Ehal al

The argumet of thi peech i imple: oediece make pulic

fe poile; autoomy lead to rui Thi mple traghtforwardiitece i hrewdly articulated y a reetry ito aciet memory that permit a juxtapoitio of the ad ow Such a juxtapoitio that champio the truth of what was agait the illuio ofwhat is i cogruet with eery paretal geeratio that worrieaout the childre

1 mmigrat commuitie who hae through great hardhip come to the Uited State are aguihed whe a atergeeratio o oger rememer the hardhip ad the rik ofemigratio ad oly ee what i preet ow miu the rikof the pat that hae made the preet circumtace poile

2 Paret of the "depreio era whoe lielihood ad a-

ig were o hardwo hae axiety aout childre who haeo memory of "hard time ut who lie carelely o creditwithout imagig that there are lmit ad cot

3 Paret i mority commuitie who ca rememer thedager of the cil right moemet ad the high cot paid fora modicum of equality grow axiou whe the youg do ot

rememer ad lie i a affluet idifferece ucoceredaout the eed or etitlemet of thoe left ehd. the culture of the Uited tate there i the ra idif

ferece of the affluet youg who wim i a ottomle oceaof good etertaimet ad idulgece all with ameia

deed oe could imagie Moe with hi ucompromiigtake heed peakig to ay of thee elfcogratulatory ituatio. The traditio kow that i the lad of afluece oe fial-ly deped upo git a much a did the mother ad father ia earlier eiromet of ulerality

t i importat to otice i paig that thi "creatio theologyarticulated i Torah categorie i ot imply the trget harpig

of a aciet theological tradtio. Rather the "widom of thitradito ha elatedly ee reiterated i the cotemporary eirometal moemet ad i the mot dicerig adocate of wie

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land management and land uage endell Berry 981 993) for exampe ha hown repeatedly that land that cared for andmanaged coenantally nexhaute n t producte capacty

Conerely land that ued explotately (that doedenty)a though t mpy a uale commodty from whch to extractgan eentually exhauted and ncapale of producttyExpoted land ecome and under cure aah 5:80 a lyrcal expreon of land handled acqutely (doedently) thateentualy wll e cured All of th mplct n the ntal mper

ate of ere of the preent chapter The and a gft ofY prome ut a prome from Gene that ecurely defned y Torah Of coure one mght concude aout thchapter or aout any cautonary leon from t that t only theoce of cranky parental dpleaure that functon a a klljoy ofpreent efaffrmaton and exuerance Of coure one coud!

Except that rae ed lfe that culmnated n the landlo of 587 C tand a a ndcaton for the Moac cenaro of"perhng

Except that n the twenteth century the autonomou elcongratulatory regme of aparthed n South Afrca and the SoetUnon aruptly and almot nexplcaly perhed Thee dramatcact of perhng ear wtnefor thoe who read dcernngythrough Torahthat there are not enough tan or dog or computer to fend off the nexorale patent not away le clamof Torah

Except that n etern culture n general and the UntedState n partcular there growng edence that the autonomyeconomcaly termed "prataton wth the forfeture of what "puc leadng to olence and the thnnng of the qualty ofhuman fe Readng through th Torah utterance one can eehow complacency reed amnea and amnea ponor elf

uffcency whe humanty perhe n an luon The text mayge one paue een n uch a elated context a our For Moeand the Deuteronomt the reaty gen n the text more than





COMMERY

pot to the preet geerato eg addreed That retropecte appear to e framed y mperate 9:1 ad 10:11 thateo een ("hear) eny ("get up go) to the lad of prom-

e. The racketg mperate of oedet etry a a preetappeal cotrat completely wth the retropecte of recalctratoedece. The retropecte moreoer haped to cotrathe fale f Isael the pat ad the dece wk f Mses gg a future wth YHH to th people that eered o futureat all.

The tal mperate of 91 appeal to the cetral theologcal clam of Deuteroomy. To " hear mea to umt theetre lfe of rael to YHH glad depedece ad wllg oedece t oly glad depedece ad wllg oedece that co-ttute the eceary codto for lad etry. Thu the mperate

epeak trut cofdece ad oedet attetee to YHHa the ole codto for ucce the lad wthout ay refereceto wealth power or arm (ee Joh 19).

The retropecte to upport the mperate eg mmedately ere 2. A t poder th ew lad etry rael ted torecall the acet "gat Aakm who had appeaed to e formdale ut fact had ee readly defeated y YH (ee1:10 21). th preetato the peech of Moe treat theAakm a a curret prolem ad doe ot ackowledge that th a referece to the pat. t clear oethele that appeal madeto a older tradto o whch ee alo 21021. YHH already kow rael a oe capale agat ay aderary. 4:24 YH portrayed a a "deourg fre who wll detroy

recalctrat rael. Here howeer YHH a "deourg frewll tur detructee toward the "trog ad tall people eeme of rael who ow occupy the lad (. 3) . rael eed doothg to ecure the lad except lte YHH wll do all ele.The la wll e the completely free gft of YHH to rael

That of coure rae a crucal queto rael cocerg the

motato for YH' rky geeroty to rael. The quetompled ere 4 "why? a parallel to 77 oth cae raelought to expla t pecal tatu ad crcumtace term of

14



DEERONOMY

ome rtue or clam of t own n 77 the propoed explanaton that rael "more numerou ut t an explanaton quc-ly rejected. Here the propoed explanaton that rael "rgh-

teou alo an explanaton promptly rejected n ere 45 thenarrate not really ntereted n rael profeed rghteouneand doe not refute the clam only ntng that YHH ha othermotaton. The reaon for rael recepton of the land thatthe occupyng people hae een "wced t a though raelrecee the land y default a the people not declared to e

"wcked a are all the otherTh explanaton for the elmnaton and expulon of otherpeople from the land remarale for t ugget that n a nonnegotale waya way not nown to themthe other naton arealo accountae to YHH and hae faled to e repone toYHH Th pecular condemnaton not purued ut t rae

mportant ue aout YHH relatonhp wth other naton(ee alo potely 2:1-23) and eentually rae ue of "natural law that the wll of God nown n creaton outde raelTorah (Barton 1979) n thee partcular ere the explanatontreat rael a YHH afterthought (an mportant afterthoughtto e ure) related to the Gene prome of the land

The tatement of ere 45 tae no troule to deny raerghteoune ut only declare t to e rreleant to the caeThat of coue leae open the thught that rael may deed erghteou een f here uch rghteoune doe not count for anythng That nterpretaton o ere 45 qucly etoed n ere6-13 ere framed n ere and 13 y the aerton that rael a "tuorn people. The phrae mean "tffneced that

not ealy led not readly ume not oedent The phrae"tuorn people thu the antthe of "rghteou The latterterm a maor accent of rael coenantal theology a jurdcaterm meanng "nnocent a "wced to e undertood a"gulty The ground for the erdct of "gulty and not "nnocent concern a led practced communal fe that or not

congruent wth YHH own character wll and purpoe. hlerael magned "nnocence urey rreleant to the quetonat hand n ere 45 n ere 6 t declared to e an lluon



COMMNTARY

hu rael good fortune in receiing the land ecaue the othernation are "guilty doe not utantiate rael claim of inno-cence he text doe not purue the relatie graity of the

"wickedne of the other and the "tuornne of rael forit i an iue that doe not relate to the major point hereBefore the point of accent in thi peech howeer ere 14

are offered in eidence that rael ha een reelliou againtYHH ince it ery inception he entire hitory of raelalready eginning at Sinai ha een a refual of glad dependence

and willing oedience (he tone of thee ere i not unlike P10 that cat the entire tradition of rael a a tradition of reellion againt YHH)

he tuornne of rael ha predictaly and legitimatelyeoked the wrath of YHH he um of thi argument i gien inere 7, "from the day you cae out of the land of Egypt until you

came to thi place (ee Jer 3:25) he wilderne i firt named aan arena for reellioune ( 7) t i howeer Sinai that receietop illing a a place of dioedience with particular reference tothe narratie of Exod 32 he eent of Exod 32 i defining forrael he narratie moreoer i deeply ironic for Sinai a hplae f venan ecome he plae f rebelln ere 813retell the tory line of Exod 32 in careful detail t i Moeaence while he i on the mountain plu YHH lack of animage that eoke the crii of the golden caf he felt need raelha for an image i in harp contrat to the iagele character ofYHH a affirmed in the econd commandment (5810; ee41520) hi defining mark of YHH i diregarded at Sinai, inthe aence of Moe y the leaderhip of Aaron who generate

an "image (here are all ort of intereting religiou quetionrelated to thi rememered narratie eg the particular ignifi-cance of the calf and the pecial role of Aaron in repreenting atrand of prietly hitory None of that howeer i germane to thepreent text and the pont eing made aout rael tuorn-ne ) rael refued to accept YHH on YHH own term and

ditorted YHH to make YHH more compatile to it ownneed t i the ditortion of YHH that i at iue in Aaron actBeyond that ditortion moreoer i the mitaken notion that

1



DEERONOMY 1111

rael hold iitiatie oer YHH ad ca hae YHH o itow term

The repoe of YHH to rael elemeta dioediece i

imple ad for rael deatatig Thi people deiged for apeculiar life with YHH ha o offeded YHH that YHH iready to "lot out rae to termiate the old experimet thatwa rael 14). Thi imple logical ed to a failed coeatalexperimet eem the mot plauile outcome of rael tuore ad o the traditio wat u to uppoe There i how

eer a igle mitigatig factor that tur out to e deciie thataert the termiatio of raelThat mitigatig factor i Moe the oe authoried to e a

mediator 5:2233) who ow mak the cotiuatio of raelpoile A Moe tell it i thi peech ee YHH recogiethat Moe i a check o God dipoal of rael Thu i ere 14

alludig to Exod 32:10 YHH ak Moe to "eae up relaxi order that YHH may e free to act i the igorouly egatieway toward rae that i YHH determied itetio t i athough YHH i ot free to detroy rael a log a Moe i igilaty preet That i Moe preece i a deciie check upoYHH predipoitio t i Moe who ae rael from thelegitimate wrath of YH

9:14-24: hu he rebei f srae ad he rah f HWHare recofigured y the deciie ad courageou re f Mses ere 1421 the peech of Moe focue o the role of Moe athe oe who make the future of rael poile. Agai there i adetailed retelig of Exod 32 hie Moe ha checked YHH

wrath i ere 14 y ere 1 Moe ha ow ee the "corruptio that YH had already ee Now Moe hare YHHdimay oer the dioediece of rae The role of Moe fromthi poit o doe othig at all to ofte the rah codematioof rael f aythig that codematio i iteified y the dramatic act of mahig the talet of Torah therey witeig that

the coeat of Siai i termiated ad rae life with YHH ioer

The report o the actio of Moe cotiue i ere 18 Moe -



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i not finihed when he ha expreed hi wrath commenuratewith the wrath of YHH and when he ha mahed the taet ina geture of termination. hi urely i the marel of thi narra

tie: Moe fasts and Moe prays (ee Mark 9:29) He poitionhimelf a mediator etween thi people that deere terminationand thi God ent on termination Moe doe not know the outcome of hi interceion; he i "afraid of what YHH may doto rae afraid een a he pray he interceory prayer of Moei no peaant pychological tranaction no oft meditation on

poie future for rael. t i rather a lifeordeath engagementwith YHH to ee whether YHH can e turned whether theGod of wrath who i "deouring fire can e turned to mercy andforgiene (ee 4:2931 ) Moe put himelf at rik and i aleto report to rae in it jeopardy "ut YHH itened to me.

Jut a "righteoune and "wickedne are juridical term o

thi "interceion of Moe i a juridica act Moe file a petition with the judge to ee if he can proide the judge reaon forruling on ehalf of rael in face of oerwheming eidence t iYHH readine to liten to Moe that make a future forrae poile. he oliteration of the calf ( . 21 ) and the detructio o the talet 7) together indicate that nothng old will erought to the new reole for coenant hi moement of prayerand anwer i a null point in the relationhip of YHH andrael. f there i to e anything etween thee two partie it willperforce e gien now all new without appeal to the fale aurance of the old calf without appeal to the old ofer of coenanttaletall new

he theme of rcalcitranc and intrcssion are woen togeth

er in ere 2229 in a way that expoit the crii of Exod 32 nere 2224 the peech of Moe return to the general thei ofere 7: "You prooked the RD your God to wrath in thewiderne Four cae of proocation are cited

1 Taberah n Num 1 1 :13 rael complained againt YHH

an act that greatly irritated YHH for the complaint i herereckoned a an act of faithlene n repone YHH fireurned out part of the camp he place name Tabrah i deried

8



DEERONOMY 1111

from the Hebrew term burn (bar The brief epiode uggetextreme recalcitrance and alienation

Mssh Thi narratie epiode in Exod 1717 (ee aloNum 20113) already cited in 1 again ugget that complaint againt YHH are reckoned to be act of unfaithbepeaking rael unwillingne to trut The outcome of thicomplaint howeer i pectaculary diferent from that of Num1 1 1 3 n the account in Number the complaint eoked detruc

ton from YHH whie at Maah the complaint eoked mirac-ulou water by the action of Moe

Kibrothhttvh. Thi place name deried from the narratie of Num 1 1 3135 i Grae of Craing The narratie concern YHH gift of quail and rael' eager collection of the

quail The narratie i laconic and explain nothing; it eem tougget that rael oereager deire for meat eoked the deadlywrath of YH o that the grae of the dead are caued bycraing The craing in turn ugget that rael in it eferingretlene wa unwilling to rely upon the gift of YH thatmade uch craing both unneceary and inappropriate

deshBe Deuteronomy 1:1932 ha aready treedthat rael at the oai wa feaful and lacking in trut in YHand thereby refued YHH authoriation to take the land.

The four reference together are a highly electie reading fromthe widerne memory of rael Baed upon thee citation thepreent text draw the concluion You hae not truted you hae

not iteed The firt of thee term echoe the judgment of 132and the econd pick up the central imperatie of Deuteronomy ain 4 n um rael ha refued the life that YHH would gieit n the logic of thi tradition rael merit rejection and detruction The entire memory of rael a gien here lead inexorablyto thi concluon

9:25-29: Thi inecapable concluion i oerridden only by thecountertheme of Moe interention (9:2529) Moe elf



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chaactezaton appeal to the nteceoy tadton of Exod321113 and Num 141319. t th paye n Exod 32 thattemme YHH' eolve to temnate ael The paye a gven

u n Deuteonomy 9 a clea caefully tuctued theologcaltatement n fou pat

1 ee 2 the petton n whch Moe vgooulyaddee YH n an mpeatve and eek to evee thedvne eolve.

2 ee 27 wllngly acknowledge that ael a "tuonpeople. Thu Moe admt that YH wath fully meted and doe not dpute the legtmacy of YHH' eolve todetoy. That acknowlegment howeve to eve the pet-tonay appel to the pome to the anceto Moe ntendthat the pome hould ovede the tuonne an ovede

that ael' only chance.3 Moe ofe to YHH a motvaton n addton to theancent pome (v. 28) He appeal to YHH' concen foYHH' own eputaton an appeal that make poweful enen a "hame ocety. YHH doe not want to e hame nthe eye of the watchng naton (o whch ee alo Ee 32233) n the eale text of Exod 3212 the peumed Egyptancontual of YHH' popoe judgment agant ael thatYHH ha an evl ntent n the ft place that YHH not faithful Th petton howeve offe a dffeent vedct ythe watchng naton moe n lne wth Num 141 "not alethat YHH not pwerful Ethe vedct not faithful onot pwerful woul e an uneaale canal to YHH Hee

the appeal concen the powe of YHH.4 Fnally afte an appeal to a pulc extenal motvaton

Moe appeal to a moe ntmate matte that ntenal to thecovenantal elatonhp of YHH wth ael and ha nothngto do wth the watchng naton Thu ael YHH pecalinheritance mot teaued mot ntmate peonal poeon

not to e lghtly cat o The hetoc omewhat dfeentut the ene of the agument ecall the poweful ve of 7:7and 1015 "et h heat YHH ha an emotonal attach

1



DEERONOMY

ment to Irael lke a peaant may hae to a partcular pot oland (ee 1 Kg 21 on Naoth nhertance) The nhertancecannot e oughed o lghty or t lo peronaly dmn

he the owner t a though HH n a t o rage hadorgoen own deep peronal commtment o whchMoe mut now ue a remnder

The nterceory actty o Moe an act o darng alreadyedent n Exod 32 and Num 14 H an aolute ruler

then t llehooe any memer o the dne court to ntereneto talk the aolute ruler out o an ntended act o rage Suchan nterenton mght extend the rage to the nterener Moenterene nonethele He et h own appeal to H n ere1421 2529 agant the undputed data o ere 13 2224Accordng to that data H reole to termnate rael

legtmate t y gong ehnd uch public data to the internallie o covenant and to the mot intimate aections o HHthat Moe make appeal

0- There no dout that chapter 10 contnue th narrate It worth notcng that at the end o chapter 9 the outcome o Moe nterenton tll undcloed It not yet clear HH legtmate wrath can e cured whether the data oproocaton and reellon on the part o rael can e oercomeIt th dangerou moment o not knowng to whch th rhetorc want to rng the ltenng communty n th moment nowat the Jordan rael ha no clam upon HH and no rght toexpect anythng rom HH The ack o trut and oedence on

the part o rael ha placed rael n a tuaton o acute ulneralty eore t God All that tell agant th rk the authorty, courage and ntence o Moe

There a paue eeen chapter 9 and 10 a paue o that thereader may notce that the two narrate are arranged n pontand counterpont Chapter 9 al rk threat and danger n

10111 howeer, that pat wth only an alluon to t n ere10. Now all new t edent n 1015 that Moe petton toH n 9:2529 ha een anwered armately There





DEERONOMY 1

on your heart Moreover the announcement of the newcovenant culmnate wth YHH' readne to forget and forgve The movement from chapter 9 to chapter 10 evdence

YH dong jut that n the enactment of new covenant nchapter 10 YHH gve no hnt of rememerng anythngfrom chapter 9 ut ready to move on Thu t could e thatthe fure etween thee two chapter cloely paralleled tothe announcement of Jer 31:3134) The new offer of YHHto the generaton addreed at the Jordanpreumaly exle

the ame offer a at Sna t the amene of Torah that permtted Moe to declare:

w ur anesrs dd e make s venan, bu wus w ae a f us ere ave da (53)

n 10:9 the preentaton of Moe aga appeal to the

wlderne tradton wth reference to Num 33:3139 Theequence of the textBeerothBenejaaanMoerahGudgodahJotathahparallel the tnerary n Numer wth a varaton nthe equence and wth Gudgodah n the Deuteronomc text reconed a an equvalent for Horhaggdgad n the Numer text Thevaraton are not mportant for our purpoe t plaule that

th materal reported n order to acnowledge the tranmonof the prethood from Aaron to Eleaar perhap to create anopenng for the recognton of the houe of Lev n vere 8 onwhch ee Exod 32:2529) n any cae n th porton of theojourn tradton there none of the recalctrance or araoneen n 9:13. Th ojourn of a people n the new covenant ofwllng oedence Moreover n Num 33:505 the tradtonrng Moe and rael to the Plan of Moa exactly the purported ettng of Deuteronomy Thu the ctaton of th tradtonfrom Numer help to tuate the nterpretve wor ofDeuteronomy n what may pa for an older tradton

The culmnaton of th note on ojourn n vere 89 legtmate the tre of Lev a "et apart for mntry Th mall

notce exceedngly mportant for Deuteronomy On the onehand t loo ac to the culmnaton of the narratve of the golden calf where the Levte are een to e the fathful adherent to



COMMENTY

Moe (agant the vagare o aron) Thu the re reerene toAaron Eleaar and Lev may relet an old and deep tenon onernng dfferent pretly ommunte On the other hand ho

arhp n general regard the tre o Lev a the ueor oMoe the proper Torah teaher onernng the tradton oovenant and perhap the ontnung ommunty that generatedthe tradton o Deuteronomy (ee 3381) The note that Levha no "allotment n the land may e an attetaton that thepretly houe o Lev wthout veted nteret honet and trut

worthy n ontrat to other pretly order that are "on themake Gerhard von Rad ha gone o ar a to ugget that thephrae "YHH my porton the qunteental am o thehoue o Lev that ha no porton o land ut ha "the etter parto ntmay wth YHH (von Rad 19 243) n any ae t kely that the entre unt o vere 9 wth t re tnerary

and a report on Aaron Eleaar and Lev not a mere htoralnote ut take an mportant nterpretve lam aout the ongong authorty o Moe through the Levte a tradton n ontnung tenon wth rva nterpretve lam

The onludng note o vere 1011 kllully draw together(a) the na experene o Moe eetve ntereon () thereteraton o the land prome o Gene and () the goal o theland under Moa leaderhp The tone o thee vere uggetthat all n readne The realtrane o rael and the wrath oYHH have een put ehnd through the good work o MoeThe onvergene o all o thee tradton however only reate aontext or the deve utterane o Moe onernng the utmate dpoton o YHH toward rael an atonhng utter

ane only now ounded "The D wa unwllng to detroyyou (v 10) Th the ground o rael uture and the hope orae a t arrve at the land The verdt tere and deveHad t een eaorated on Moe mght have lamed to haveonverted YHH to the aue o rael Had Moe ommentedon the verdt he mght have ad that YHH anger even wth

drawn wa legtmate But none o that tated The text reportonly what needed to e ad that YHH would not detroy. Onth tark truth hang rae utre



DEERONOMY 9:1111

heologial ad Ehial ali

Th text yeld a poweful nvtaton and wanng to aelFve accent may e uggeted:

1 The tuctue of the text telf evdence a damatc modelfo lcal fath:

broken covenant

964

nterceon9151 5-9

new covenant011

The peech of Moe engage n a emncence The memoypovde a model fo peent and futue fath and place Moeat the pvot pont etween what old and faled and what new and hopeflled

Th tuctue cloely paallel the movement of Exod 3234that tace ael lfe wth Y though okenne

Moac medaton and enewed covenant:3 kn 33 mdiain 34 nwnss

2. Th explcaton n Deuteonomy howeve not focuedupon that ancent memoy ut upon the defnng c of 58B and the depotaton Thu the paallel mght e tated a

followkn vnanT ng faidis f Isa(94)

InssinT aivi f nmiss vis (915

1 108-10)

w vnanT ff fmmingasd n Ysgnsi

(1010)By uch paallelm the peent geneaton eplcate the oldmemoy n t own tme and ccumtance eplcate bokenne negotition and newne n the eplcaton eveythngtun upon medaton and Y "unwllngne to detoyunwllngne to pemt the depotaton to e the temnaton of

aelTh patten of okennemedatonnew covenant ooted

n Moac memoy and eplcated n the exle ecome a

5



COMMENTRY

defining paradigm through which rael dicern all of it lifeand it world a a drama of rokenne and forgiene totally dependent upon YHH "unwillingne (Brueggemann

199, 5524) t i clear in any reading that raelincludingthe generation at the Jordanha no claim upon the future treceied an unmerited future only y the readine of YHto make new coenant with the people of the failed coenantUnder thi large ruric the following point emerge

3 Irael ha a chance for the future only a it rememer it

ha no chance for the future while it engage in amneia Therememering for which rael ha reponiility i twoided n: 1015 8:1 1, rael i enjoined to rememer YHWH oodne nd enero t i to recall that all of it life of aundanceand welleing i a gift from YHH n chapter 9, howeerrael i to rememer it own reclctrnt utonomy. That

memory i framed y reference to the wilderne ( 2224)that name the occaion of dioedience At it center moreoer i the Sinai dioedience in the "image rael cat foritelf ( 813) Thi memory i o oerwhelming that itrequire the general erdict "You reelled neither trutinghim nor oeying him ( 23) t i telling that the wilderne icited for oth accent n 8:4, the wilderne i a place of proidential care and protection in chapter 10 it i a place of dioedience

Thi twoided accent concerning YH fidelity andrael infidelity i made to aert to rael that it future icompletely in YHH generou hand he twoided accent inicely explicated in the two long palm 105 and 10 The firt

of the o i a recital of YHH oerwhelming wonder thatgie life The econd i a utained acknowledgment that raelha characteritically refued YHH generoity and ha eenincapale of gratitude The concluion of the two palm (P105:4345 10:4) expre the twin repone of faith that umup coenantal faith

4 t i impoile to oertate the importance of Moe inthi preentation of rael life and faith t i Moe who makepoile a future for rael where none wa on ofer e hae

16







DElERONOMY 11-

linked to ere 10 1 1 i a ummon to e fully the Torah peopleof YHH upported y a erie of motivation

Eegea aThe unit egin with a rhetorical quetion The quetion ha the

ame cadence a the more familiar one in Mic :8 except that theaddre here i not "Adam a in Micah ut pecifically "raelThe quetion concern YHH intention for rael ere 1213gie anwer to the quetion in characteritic Deuteronomic rheto-

ric far YHH walk in YH' way (command) lovYHH rv YHH fully Thee four er together with omeother ariation refer to a complete commitment to YHH with-out reere a readine to e fully identified with and y YHHand to enact that identity y an intentional and ditinctie way inthe world That i YHH require of rael all of it life nothing

more nothing leThe rhetoric of thi unit conit in a erie of imperatie up-ported y a correponding erie of quite expanie motiationthat are deigned to gie rael reaon and impetu for glad oe-dience The firt cluter of imperatie in ere 1213 i up-ported y the motiational tatement of ere 1415 Thee latter

two ere eaily and without awkwardne articulate one of themot remarkale claim in coenantal theology ere 14 make acomic cam for YHH that i alanced n ere 15 wth theparticularity of rael The God with whom rael ha to do i thecreator of heaen and earth; eerything eerywhere all peopleare uject to YHH' goernance

That claim howeer in no way detract from the pecificraelite affirmation of ere 15. The goerning er "et hiheart i reiterated from 77 t indicate that YHH ha had apecial emotional paion for rael out of which YHH hamade peculiar commitment to rael that YHH ha made to noother people Thi affirmation of "election in no way diminihethe aertion of ere 14 The concrete commitment to rael

rather i offered a a reaon for which rael hould aent to therequirement of ere 1 213

The next imperatie in thi paage i "circumcie with it

1



COMMENT

egaie couerpar "do o e uor 16 ) he poiieimperaie appeal o wha mu hae ee he logadigpracice of circumciio a a way o igify memerhip i he

coea wih YHH ee Ge 17 :1014 2326; Joh 519 ) hi ex a i Le 26:41; Deu 30:6; Jer 4:4; ad Eek 449 heriual pracice of circumciio i raformed io a meaphor foriee loyaly o YHH may e ha he cuig away of heforeki ere o make he oga more eiie ad repoiehu o "circumcie he hear may e o make he hear "he

orga of commime more eiie ad repoie oYHH he poi i ha rael i o diciplie ielf o a moreieioal oediece; h requieme i udercored y heegaie imperaie agai "uore a alluio o 9:613 27 uore rael i o a all eiie o herequireme of YHH hu while he meaphor are mixed

he wo image of "crcumcie he hea ad "ffcked formexreme oppoe coceig rael dipoiio owardYHH

hi imperaie i reiforced y he lyrical moiaio of ere1718 iroduced y he characeric "for = "ecaue) hereao rael hould e eioally epoie o YHH iecaue of who YHH i he ea eio of ere 1718 correpod o he eio i ere 1415 A YHH i creaor ofheae ad earh i ere 14 o YHH i ere 17a preide oeall he god all lord all power of eery kid i likely ha helaguage of "lord of lord eiio a "diie coucil of allgod who are here preeed i a iio of commo worhip adcommo oediece o he high God who exercie domiio oe

hem he rheoric cocer a a hroeroom filled wih allmaer of exoic ad formidale powe ee 1 g 2219; a 6:18 ) u all gladly umiie o YHH

ha ame High God i ee i ere 17b18 howeer o e aGod cocreely ad effeciely ioled i he afar of he earha adocae ad proecor of he ulerale; hi laer pecificiy

correpod o he "elecio claim of ere 15 A YHH "ehi hear o rael o YHH care aou he pecfciie of uice ad he icm of ijuce hi i a God who cao e



DEERONOMY 1-

brbed by the wealthy and powerful but who aend to the needand whe of orphan and tranger who care about the concrete mplementaton of jutce that ha to do wth the elementa

requrement of food and clothng The commtment of YH tojutce n ere 1718 commenurate to the dne commtment to Irael n ere 15 for Irael the prmary recpent ofYHH tranformate jutce that thu become a taple ofcoenantal ethc The ummon to ente ntentonal obedence n ere 1 grounded n the dalng armaton that the

Hgh God of heaen completely engaged n the lowy earthlywork of jutce (ee P 14:59 for a paralel clam) Irael permtted no ecapt relgon but drawn nto the exgence ofearthly jutce where YHH own oeregnty ha been motfully engaged

he thrd mperate n ere 19 pck up the term "oe from

ere 15. hat wa YHH ntatory commtment to Irael now to become rael derate commtment to the trangerrael attachment to YHH to be enacted a an attachmentto the ulnerable n ocety (ee 1 John 4:1920) Coenant wthYHH alway puhe one outde afe relgon to the work ofhuman communty (ee a 58:9). In 1:1, the traton hadalready nted that the "redent alen (the ame Hebrew termger) hould be treated lke the Iraelte Irael not permtted tobecome a homogeneou ethnc communty turned n on telfbut manated a a part of t mot elemental reponblty toreach beyond telf to thoe who do not qute beong who areunlke rael but who are commtted to lfe n a communty ofobedence

he motaton for th ethcal requrement n ere 19 aganntroduced by "for ("becaue ) that Irael own pont of or-gn wa a needy ulnerable outder n Egypt e are accutomed to thnk of Iraelte a lae t mportant howeer toremember that ther tatu a lae wa an economc deelop-ment from the ulnerable tatu a alen and outder becaue

unprotected ojourner are almot certan to become economclae The ummon here to protect tranger economcalyprecely o that they do not end up a lae a dd Irael. Irael

3



COMMERY

own Exodu memory i that YHWHthe one who executejutice for the uneraecame among them in Egypt and gaethem a new ife that they could not ecure for themee. rael

ditinctie coenantal work, in repone, i the economic practiceof hopitality and jutice that will preent other unerae outider from iding into the wretchedne of aery throughindetedne.

The fina command of ere 20 i a cuter of imperatie thatecho ere 1 213. Again, a in ere 1213, there are four er,

here a ight ariation from the preceding "fear, ere, cleae to,wear y The um of the four er i the ame a the four erin ere 1213, namey, total, unreered commitment to YHWHin oedience. The rhetoric i here intenified y the inerion ofnorma word order o that in each cae the oject of the ercome firt

Y yu dmt m,n s name

The e ummon rael, ut the hetoc ept focued upon

YHWThe final et of imperatie i upported y a ather generaldoxology in ere 2122 that function a a final motiation. Thereaon for accepting thee imperatie a definitiona for the lifeof Irael i that YHH i "your praie, that i, the one in whomyou may properly oat (ee Jer 92324 [He. . 2223])YHWH i the one whom rael rag aout ndeed, rae hanothing ee to gloat aout, nothing ele intereting to tak aoutor to ing aout Thu YHWH and YHWH deed are the oerwhelming reality of rael ife; thi i the One whom rael wilgady fear, ere, cleae to, and wear y. n thi yrical concuion, rae can think of no miracle of YHWH a oerwhelmingand conincing a what it ha een in it own life ( 22). rae

wa a noody, an unnoticed little tria community at the rinkof extinction (ee Gen 4827, and in Chritian extrapoation1 Pet 2910) The community i o mall that it memer can all

1



DEERONOMY 11

be named Tha lle ommny beame a rea naon myand poplo a he lllmen o he prome o Gene ahe ar n heaven (ee Gen 155) Irae le provde all he

daa needed o banae he mperave only rael lremember on le and rele on he One ho ranormed le, he one ho ll be obeyed

Th remarkabe ex a reora hole

For mmary mperave (vv 1213)

A movaon om and onree (vv 1415)A parlar mandae (v. 1)A movaon om and onree (vv 1718)A parar mandae (v. 1)A parlar movaon (v. 19)For mmary mperave (v. 20)A movaon rooed n Irael on le (vv 2122)

The rhyhm o iperative and otivation bd or a preenene embrae o deny onren h he o no o vere12. The poer o e movaon keep he mperave romben oerve mpoon The movaon nend o dazzeIrael o ha Irael ll ladly and eaerly nderake he obed

ene ha belon properly o le and deny HH

heologal ad Ehal al

The paern o iperative and otivation may n Chranexrapolaon be an mporan reore or e reormaon o hehr. I eem ar o ay ha he hrh n he S (and perhap more enerally n he e) a eome o domeaed omh par o he Ameran yem (or onerpar) a dnvene nearly oreed. he lo o dnveneome he alre o enery and manaon or monal oedene The reovery o elono ommnal deny o beond no prmarly n he mperave b n he ollae o mra

le ha one he le o he ommny o a ha habeome all oo oen eher aded n amlary or dmed anredble n a ehnoloa oey The ore elea radon o

1



COMMENRY

he New Teamen an nene ha he hrh, ke Irae model and forebear, a f of HH nexplabe ove andrae. The ale of he book of A an aon of he way n

whh h lle ommny beame a rea aemby. I , moreover, no reh o ee ha preely prae of a mona eho exee e, provde food and lohn, love heranerha ha been he oaon for rowh o be anmero a he ar (Sark 199) Tha , he mssonlmpt and he wond of gowth are neparable, a ar

laed here by Moe.hen h appeal for monal elfonone n reponeo H mrale e n reaon o 9: 110 1 1 , ear hah ommny of faled ovenanfaled hroh mr anddobedene (9:23 ) now he very ommny "nwln o deroy (10:10) The dmen of 9:23 and hearane of 10:10 oeher make he mperave of De 1012

22 an nvaon o embrae aan deny a H pealpeope. By h an eleal reovery, he ommny offerednewne ha anno be a aal hobby The ere of mperavemake nmakably ear ha he new hane for Irae an nvaon ha mean bne Sh a reovery of deny enal herean of efawarene and anaon n h repoory of

mrae whereby an nnoed lle ommny ha been madeformdable n he world, aken p no he prpoe of he reaorof heaven and earh who prede over al a God of od. Iraelnow n a poon o be lnked o h aweome Aeny o whomhere , for Irael, no rea alernave.

A LD WTCHED R 11 :132

Th haper onlde he exended homlea nrodono he "ae and ordnane ha wa ben n haper Theheme of h haper are by now moly famlar, b hey areven parar nane n he arlaon of h haper The pr-

mary fo of h haper ha eem o be ompred of hor,dn rheoral n (vv 1, 812 131, 1821 222, 229) th lnd ha rael abo o ener. Fo on he land,

14



DETERONOMY 11-

owever permi a variey o parilar aen mo epeiallya e wonder o e ood land i inimaely linked o HHand ereore e rioro ondiion o ora obediene a

ome wi e land.Eegea alss

7 e ir vere annone e iniene o e apernamely obediene a e prie o e new land e aen on obediene i nderored by e orold ideniiaion o HH

ommand are deree ordinane and ommand. Anyone or o o ee erm old ave been iien o ideniy eollowin orp b oeer e or erm indiae bo ereny and e ompreenivene o wa Irael will now ear.e verb keep owever i preeded by e main lae oall love e RD yor God In 7:8 and 015 i a been

aered a HH a loved Irael; now Irael i enjoined orepond in kind o HH iniiaive. I i now onvenional ollowin illiam Moran (Moran 1963 ) o noie a e ermlove likely mean o wear and ena obedien loyaly in a ormal way. a i i i a erm reerrin o ormal oa made andkep. a meanin o e erm need no owever prelde an

aeive dimenion a i preen in e ormal relaionip wiHH ere ommended o Irael. An aeive inlinaionoward HH on Irael par i ommenrae wih own readine o e i ear on Irael 7:7; 015). Bo eormal and aeive ape o e imperaive mmon Irael oommi ompleely o i relaionip e araerii manever o Deeronomy made in i vere i o onne e expanive erm love o e onreene o praial obediene in daiylie

Vere 27 onie a moivaional lae o ppor e doble imperaive o vere 1. e radiion o Deeronomy i inien a only an aive memory an ain e imperaive overe . e normaive memory iven ere one more ime on

ern e xod (vv 24) a e primary exemplar o HHrea power and HH deep ommimen o Irael. B reerene o e xod i no memory o a pa even. I direly

15



COMMENRY

onern he preen eneraon yo . or eye haveeen Th eneraon dede or he God o he xod

The onldn eleen o h eory a ovaon a re

erene o he wlderne (vv 56) n 25 he wlderne a plaeo enane. In 56 by onra he wlderne a plae orebellon and oneqenly a vene o wholeale volen deah.The reerene o he on o lab ro N 6 a repor on arebello hallene o he leaderhp and ahory o Moe habrn deah o he rebel (N 6333). The pon o ha nar

rave ha Moa ahory abole and dare no be hallened. The eory dened o ve ravy o he peraveo vere . Th he eory onern n he wonder o hexod and n he rk o wlderne all onvern n he nere o preen ene adherene o he reqreen o HH aven by

118-1 I vere 7 voe he deand o HH onneedo he land (he k) hen vere 2 one he arroo aravene The oand ll oe r (v. ) b ollowed by a doble o ha mn n vere . Obedene nrenal n ern he land. Then enre haraerzaon ohe land n vere 2 a orwardlookn ovaon or heperave o vere The ovaon on o hree eleen

. A haraer derpon o he rh abndane o heland ha low wh lk and honey (ee xod 3:) The radon know ha he land wll ake propery a erany.

2. A onra wh he land o yp. The radon alo knowha he land o yp a hn land ha depend opleely

pon he Nle or valy. The laveeory oreover able o reall ha onnen he waer o he Nle wh he ardland hard work. The ae o rraon by oo preablyreer o rraon pp ha depended pon he endleexpendre o lave enery o operae ppn by ooho h lave power he waer o he Nle had no hane

o ake he ard land erle Abndane n yp ook enehan enery Th yp beoe a eaphor or rvvalha endlely exhan and ro a lave perpeve le



DEERONOMY 111-

By onras hs and o promse eems wh waer and here-ore wh e Ths and reeves he waer needed or abundane no by save power bu by he enerous uaranees o he

reaor God; e n hs and s a no he resu o endesssave abor (see 60; 70)3 The wonders o he and are onsued by he norma

workns o reaonreuar reabe enerous The radonknows however ha suh uaraneed evn produve-ness s no he operaon o auonomous naure I s raher

he ouome o a enerous aenve deree o he reaor whouaranees he s o e approprae o every season (Gen22; s 4556) Ths haraerzaon o he and urns onhe ne phrase o verse 2 he eyes o he RD your God areaways on The eye o HH onsues HHs proeve enerave aon ha s he ommmen o he whoe

se o HH o wn e and ood In Deu 320 Israe ssad o be he appe o HHs eye he one on whomHH does. n Ks 2 moreover he eyes o HH areaenvey on he empe n Jerusaem day and nh HHsvery ook an evoke weben. (See ob 7720 on he nea-ve power o HHs eye)

Thus ar he haper has ssued wo massve mperaves (vv ) suppored by a movaon o memory (vv anda movaon o anpaon (vv. 2) Now n verses 37 herheor reurns o he so ha o verses The ree o henew and so wondrousy haraerzed n verses 2 s no anauoma ven. I s nesapaby a onsequene o obedene

Ths s made unmsakaby ear hrouh he hen sruure overses 37 a rademark rheora eaure o he Deueronomradon The nkae o land and obedience ha auses he oodand o be y ha s ondona s ned ou eary n hedoube hen o hs passae

Frs omes he posve hen (vv 35) The o obe

dene s saed n amar adenes bespeakn oa ommmen:wo sandard verbs ( ove serve ) pus he ormua rom 64. Thehen he onsequene o obedene s abundan ran n every



COMMERY

eaon ha will cae he land o prodce everyhin neededeveryhin of which i i capable The abndance i made explicihroh hree phrae Fir rain wine oil i a common riad

o ina a rich prodcive economy (Ho 2: 22) Second anararian economy depend on he pare land for cae (ee 0:10 104:14) Third he rheoric of aiaion i reieraed from6:1 1 of hi oeher yield a and ha he L yor Godlook afer (v 12) The promied land i in every way a conrao he weariome lave land of yp in which no if are iven

Then foow he neaive ifhen ha i cear even hohhe if i ony implici (vv 1617) The neaive implied if ofvere 16 concern he nlificaion of he hema of 6:4 he compromie of covenanal ideniy by embracin oher od who eembeer a ivin rain while makin eer demand

The neaive hen of ch infideliy i ha here wil come a

droh HWH he benevoen creaor and aranor of rainwil wihhold rain and Irae will ceae o be economicay viablein he ad I i no a iven of nare ha rain come brain i in he if of he creaor (ee ob :20) Indeed in herea cre recia of Lev 26:120 and De 2:224 rain iiven or wihheld by a bei covenan repone romIrael (ee Amo 4:7; 107:5) Shor of Torah obediencehe pple land of promie can be redced o a deer wore hanyp becae hi and ha no Nile

Becae of he rency of obedience vere 121 rern o heedcaional accen of 6:4 The oal i o intenalize paionaecovenana convicion amon he yon b ch inernaizaionhi eachin radiion know depend pon extenalization o

ha he paionae convicion of covenan i papaby avaiable ohe chidren (Berer and Lckmann 167) Th he mandae oprodce in emblem converaion doorpo and ae haare marked in an exerna proce aim a inernaizaion

122-2 The ifhen of vere 117 i reeraed in poiive

form in vere 2225 wiho a neaive conerpar The if ofobedience i iven in he verb love wak cleave all o pporhe main verb rely keep wih an infiniive aboe The po

18



DEERONOMY

ve hen expanve (vv 2325) The hen oered n heanuae o onque rae eully dpae he oderpopuaon o he and ll ompeey nmdae eneme and

l lam he and o he broade manabe border or hemo par Deueronomy envon a raher mode everbeelemen n he land B here he radon appeal o he vono Greaer rael ha more ready onneed o heAbraham prome (Gen 512) or o he empre o Soomon( 1 K 3:21 )

Th ombnaon o demand and prome umnae n vere262 h a ummon o deon ndeed he poerul appeal ohaper 51 and he enre book o Deeronomy eek o brnrae o a verd a deon o be he Torah people o HH

heologal ad Ehal al

The lne o armen here and hrouhou hee rea haper5 1 no du o oo Bu he nene even hyperborheor o peruavene ue ha he ether/or o ovenana no o obvoy ompen a he radon el n Theexremy o appea urey ndae ha many n rae ere noreadly peruaded by he demand o ovenan and ound oheropon or ah redbe. The radon o Deueronomy a eono mare aemen o advoay or ho ah o beunderood and praed ha doe no purpor o ree hoa a bu mean o ummon a aer rae o a more radanlemnded prae Veed no a reporae bu a advoayDeueronomy ue ha he mo erou ovenan ah raeould mane revolved around exclusve loyalty to YHWH and

dervavely attentveness to the neghbor Thee ommmen(love God ove nehbor) bepeak a eran paern o oa relaonhp ha urb auonomy and aquvene Th hoe orelou ommmen and aeon ha mmedae dervavemporane or oa prae

There no eay or obvou exrapoaon o ha unompro

mn uren deon rom ha anen ommuny a heordan o our me and plae Neverhee ake no rea manaon o ee ha he ame ether/or beore he ahu



COMMEARY

ommniy Te exponenial grow o enology ino e eeroni age reae a oialpoliiaeonomi environmen inwi ge weal proeed by eqally ge miiary inve

men invie e og a a norprie norea fre onone own erm mig be poibeI ake no peial diernmen o ee a aonomo

aqiiive power wi a a i onerpar privaizaion ande o of a pbi orizon reaen e abri of e argerman ommniy I i poible o deide o "go for broke in

eiieny no maer e o o e neigborood Or i ipoible o rb and redire elfo in e inere oovenanal iniion poliie and praie. Tere areineapabe onemporary ign a e negle of e maninrarre bring ge o a e ommniy of e manypay wile e gain o e ew go neked For oe ommied o e ovenanal opion a reader of Deeronomy arelikely o be i i reaonable o ink a nfeered efering mean oon or ae oreire o a viabe manne inbraliy anxiey loneline and depair

One an indeed aor o e onviion a dobedencelead o e deise of eaion. Conider e ae o agribinewi i ge ombine o money and power wi prefereniareamen by e goernmen land nloved b reaed ony ommerialy will finally ree o prode (ee Ia 510) Unrbedgreed may ooner or laer deroy e rain ore of SoAmeria and ereby aler in igniian way e limai ondiion o e wole pane Te nege o e rban infrarrein e anxio eape o e brb prode zone o ig rime

povery and oial nre a an arely be onained by moreprion Tere i growing awarene a e derion of eear i aomplied lowly by e inp o emial in e inere o beer living and e periodi devaaion wrogrog war a leae e environmen nabe for generaion To be re ere i no exa oneoone orreaion

beween e mmon of Deeronomy and e deiion araeriialy made in a enologial oiey B e Bible doe noworry abo exa orrelaion in any ae I work raer by



DEERONOMY 15

hn by rae and by mpreon ha he hn rae andmpreon o Deeronomy mh be ayn o a ehnoloalelpreoped oey ha elpromoon ha no rbed by

he dread o he holy and eleny ha no mpned ponby he preene o he nehbor one a pah o deronThe deron n he book o Deeronomy only oaonallypreened a a dre nervenon o HH. I more oen a oneqene ha ome who an expreed Aen (a n Ho 413).

The onern or eahn he ah and markn vbly (vv.1 21 ) o prode a Torah ommny ha mmne o heedon o oher oer o ery o ha hey hold no allreor he yon. Tha ndeed he edaonal brden o every elono ommny o paonae onvon. I work o hold yon and o proe he yon rom edon ha wll dor ahl hab. In an earler day he edon n eernlre ha were pereved by he relo ommny nlded

obao and move. Now mo vbly he edon ha maer nlde dr and alohol. B nderneah h evden ehe ndamenal empaon he deoloy o aonomy enaedhroh moneyexpower he ea rad o elpoeon

E AUES AND E RDANCES ( 1225 h he onlon o he powerl perave rheor o

haper 51 1 mmonn Irael o obedene he peeh oMoe h o arlae he "ae and ordnane o whhIrael m adhere n he land. In 52233 ble hermenealmanever aah h beqen layer o ommand o heDealoe and nve wh all o he ahory o he Moaedaor. h maeral ha olow dvere and vareaed andprobably ha a omplex hory o orn developmen and ranmon. In he nal orm o he ex oered depe evden dvery a a nle ned eahn all o whh bear hereny o Moa mperave Irael m heed all o

The prpoe o he orp ha ollow o brn every apeo he pbl le o Irael nder he ae o he God o Sna.Beae ha God n every way nomparable Irael appropr

1



COMMENTR

ae repoe o al oedee o ea a dere oalprae ha ommerae ad ore he haraerad ll o YHH a arlaed y Moe Irael pelar p

l oedee a prae o YHH ho made vle adpalpale he pl pole ad daly ao o IraelThere a lo holarly deae oer he hape ad

arraeme o h exeded orp o ae ad ordae O he oe had may holar eleve ha he olleo almo ompleely radom; parlar ommadme

m e ake eah o o erm O he oher had hereare holarly propoal already Jo Calv e ha orp eoally arraed orrepodee o he TeCommadme o 562 o ha eqee eah par o eorp orrelae h ad more or le expo a ommad oSa (Kama 77 Olo 46225).

The orrelao o ommadme ae ad ordaeao e preed oo ar A e very lea ay ae h eed orrelao may ave a mpora her vale orderme o a a e ay parlar Moa mperave

On Rght Worshp { [b }

The al mperave o e orp o ae ad ordae a ee o rael r orp o YHH a he rvee Irael loyaly oard YHH o e eaedSaly he orp o mperave op o e h empha o orhp The Moa rado derad ha rymolzaor pl maao de or everyh ele he le o he ahl ommy Te o o Irael'

orhp ll deerme e qaly o le ll e mporaa he oe o haper o reoe h hred appreaoo orhp ha ha a deep rp po maao

Caper 2 ha a rodo (v ) ad ramed y aa lkely a olo vere 2 ad o h a eod olo vere 32 (He 3) Beee rodo ad ol

o are or (vv 27 2 3 2027) eah o ake p aoher ape o e mporae o e pl perormae o Irael dvded oyay o YHH

4



DEfERONOMY 1-

Eegea al

7 In vere 27 Moe arlae ree aen a wllrer n expoon o r pbl perormane

Irae m re e worp prae o e lre wl ndaready n e and o prome (vv. 24) Tee aernave praeare a edve rea o Irae. I ey are embraed a all eywl ak Irae o o H and o o a ovenanal von ooal reay Indeed e daner o rea a reane reqrederon o anovenanal mae w e verb or "demol-

n e aboe nnve and empa onron Tewordn o neave mperave ree a l o deped lobealar plar ared poe doln order o be ompre-enve. I key a e radon a no nere n e par-ar o "paan obe and perap no pe knowedeo em eer. Tey are reaed en masse al o em oeer a

a rea o Irael. Te l o deped obe maed by a ereo verb o voene a reora raey o nderore ereny o reane o e rea and empaon

Te pove onerpar o neave a Irae alenae n own dnve ra perormane (vv. 36). Tpeaker preer enmeraed l o a e aaloe o ar-

e n vere 6 orrepond o e neave l o vere 3 andnlde n e reperore o Irae every nkable aral aa poran abo e aer and wa wll be mporan ne nenonal perormane o ee are a ey area to HWH very one o em n perormane w demon-rae e sovereignty o HH over e land and e ndvdedfidelity o Irae a dey a re any oer perormane oa

Te radal deon made neavey n vere 3 and po-vely n vere 56 culminates in joy a e almark o a om-mny adly aed n HH enero are (v. 7). T oymoreover worldly and maeral. I a eval n wIrae exb and enoy e blen o e reaor God R

worp a oyo ean no only a al enamen o eoodne o reaon. I ao an a o ope a oreae o eommon abndane wen ere wl be more an eno or al.

4



COMMERY

In Christian exrapolation, this act of joyous eating m the

Eucharist is an earnest of "the Heavenly Banquet.

12812 The ex remember ha he addre a he ordan,wh he and n prope (vv. 12 The ame aen are ondhere a n vere 27, rh worhp wh manod oern oH and oy nmed Th n o ex ond hree dnve noe.

1 The ex make a derenaon beeen now a he

ordan and me o ome n he and. The me o ome n heand w be a me o "re, ha , ery, peae, and aeyree o every hrea (ee oh 21445 The omn land, heprma expeaon o Deeronomy, ve he radon a hreadno he re ha open he way or ehaooa hope Theweordered, ae, ood land where H wl done

wha he Bble ome o mean by "he kndom o God.2 A oen noed, Deeronom radon n ha nworhp, H no ompleely ommed o ben preeno Irae, b H name ven n he plae o worhp.Sh a heooal raaem wan o ard aan an exeve perepon ha God ven over o God peope. Thepreene o he name an aeron ha HH ll overeny reman beyond he onrol and admnraon oIrae (ee 1 K 270.

The menon o he Leve haraer nDeeronomy (ee 10 Ther parar aknowledmenhere a reonon ha Iraele oy n worhp never aparrom he and demand o he Torah, or he Leve are

above al Torah eaher and nerpreer (ee 1 1 ThIrael pb worhp dnve on al onn ompeeaey ("re), who aonomy, wh ranendene preerved, and wh Torah enve kep honed Nobody oldone h an Iraee pb perormane wh he oher lra opon ha Irae m re.

12131 "The pae or he pb perormane o HH a very deren or o plae (vv. 11 The aen on plae

144



DEERONOMY 1-

means ha Moses envsons a ree zone or sraele praccehereby he dsncveness o srael may be lly on dsplay ho any clral accommodaon

The radon o Deeronomy s learmn v 5) sraelcan kll ea and enjoy ha yo desre or more lerally sles desre Tha perm envsons no only abndance andprospery b also selndlence The blessns o he creaorGod ve mch and srael s o enjoy mch s especallyponan o ake hs perm o les desre n enson h

rh n yor on eyes ha s prohbed n verse The derence s ha s dened n he conex o HHs blessn soha les desre s shaped n ahsc ashon Tha perm orles desre moreover s carelly relaed o he clams oHH n o ays Frs he blood o he mea ms be poredo and no eaen a ac acknoledmen ha srael presdes

over s on le only penlmaely or he o le s nallyheld by HH and s no ven over o srael. Second he heo everyhn (noce aan he comprehensve ls) s an acknoledmen o Hs onershp o all or he he s as ren padby he enan o he landoner

Gven ha crcal acknoledmen n verses 67 he ledesre n verse 5 s o be enjoyed n an nclsve commnal celebraon conn he Leves amon hose enveloped n he joyo ean The he reserved as an acknoledmen o HHssovereny over he land s also ven over o sraele joy Thsoner s no reedy or parsmonos and ans nohn orsel Ths srael may enjoy he 0 percen o prodce a home andhe 0 percen a he place srael may enjoy 00 percen o he

prodce o HHs blessn n HHs land The pblc perormance o he 0 percen elsehere a he place on HHsspeced r hoever s an nmsakable acknoledmen hasraels abndan le s no selmade or selscen

22028 s lkely ha he saemen o he reqremens o

orshp n verses 3 envson a small araran commnyVerses 202 seem o ses an mpoan adjsmen n reqremens he land s enlared so ha some sraeles lve ar rom

5







COMMENTRY

e rd aernave o HH m make e appea o aT rad o autonomy heteronomy and theonomy oT araon n reor very deren rom e nene

paon o Deeronomy

T wds aumy" my" ad my" asw qus f nomos aw f f dff waysumy asss a ma as a f uvsa as s su ad masu f uu ad ga s s w awmy asss a ma g ua a adg u

vsa as mus sud a aw sag ad su m Tmy asss a su aw s a sam m ms aw f ma msf d dv gudw s ma's w gud aw f f asds maaug s a sam m s w ( 195163)

By aonomy T reer o e on a one may be eener o one own e. T orrepond n De 12 o a a "r n one own eye (v. 8) Tere no dob a endene a e empaon n onemporary Cran worp n e Uned Sae weren worp reded o erape eep and eenanemen haraeray oered nemove romanm wo any noon o ovenana reqremen or ror S a romanerape doron o worp powery arave preey beae an be made o appearn erm o ovenana armaon b w e abene o any"Hoy Oer n e ranaon

By "eeronomy T reer o e power o deooy wereby ome eer oyay ope ener ae and arme n

nra aon a e r o a e every oey a own deooa empaon o "oer od ear a n eworp o e r n e domnan Uned Sae re eprma edve deooy a o marke apam mxed wa eebraon o naona mary power A o a o ore oed n e anae o pey and ar oodw on e

enera ampon a deooy a re and nonneoabearaon o e ope

"Teonomy oer a arp onra o e autonomy o era

8



DEERONOMY 1118

peu ereazaon ad e heteronomy o marke deoloyll ormuae "eonomy a "e God beyond God oelude al aeore o domeaon and manaemen le e

radon o eueronomy a onoune enpropeny and pararal prm o perepon enae nome ape o eeronomy a be e nkn oeueronomy onern a God o a no orm and o l nobe redued o any domeaed paern I o a Godnreeon o oer od and n urbn o one o derea

Irae brn oern and repond n oyou nuve ean.e avae reor o eueronomy aan bo auonomy andeeroomy ndeed an nene upon God o beyondal od

Beware of Seductons! ( [Heb ]

A e orda Moe reuay lay don or Irae an urenoy oneoabe ether/o Irael mu ooe HH or notIrae mu ooe o be e people o H or not And n eeoe Irael l ooe o lve ell n e land o prome ornot e mple ompreeve eer/or a pervade e ea- o eueroomy n aper arkly aed n ree par-

alel enaroe aper on o ree epode vere 5 vere 611and vere 2 1 . a epode ollo a repeaed paern n oureeme

. A eduve vao o a alernave;

2. An nene upo HH;3 e ar dpoal o e eduer; and4 A oludn ormua oern e ouome o re-

ae o e eduon

Eegeal al

e r epode oer a oudbe relou auory holam o ave ae o reou vo or knoede (vv 15).e labe "prope and "dreamer are o ued any

149



COMMERY

peciion ut efe to thoe who aet pecia eiiou authoity.The invitation to "foow afte othe od i of coue a id foeiiou oyaty ut may concetey efe to paticipation in a

ituica poceion. ae i iven a ummay pohiition aainteduction that ead away fom YHWHn vee 34 the adica covenanta atenative of YHWH i

tated moe fuy than anywhee ee in Deuteonomy. Fit invee 3 the chance to "ove with heat and ou eiteate withtwo eement the famiia tiad fom :4 n vee 4 the text

ound the eie of impeative that we have aeady een in101213 Ony hee the eie conit in ix paae ve: foow fea keep oey eve hod fat; thi i the mot compete itof uch ve anhee. The noma wod ode i inveted othat in each cae the accent fa on the oject of the ve that iYHWH n utance nothin new i aeted y the hetoic in

vee 34 t intenity howeve i notewothy fo the peakewant to ovewhem the atenative offe of a od "you have notknown

The educe of ae mut e eiminated a an intoeae chaene to the identity of the community. The tem endeed "teaoncomine poitica etaya a vioation of a puic commitmentwith deception. n chaacteitic fahion the peake in 13:5 manae in the ame entence to condemn the pepetato who widive ae away fom YHWH and to witne one moe time tothe God of the Exodu whom ae know and i to oey thuvoicin the powefu eher/or of covenant.

The concudin fomua "pue the evi i a hah fomua ofexcommunication (v. 5) Thi community committed to adica

oedience cannot have in it midt advocate of an atenativeThu the maintenance of inua oyaty to YHWH depend uponand jutifie hah teatment of uch eductive advocate.

6- The econd cenaio i deveoped in quite paaefahion thouh with inteetin hetoica vaiation (vv. 6) .

Hee the pepetato i not a pofeiona eiionit a in the fitcae ut omeone coe to an aeite a meme of the houehod The hetoic i at pain to indicate that the educe may e

15



DEERONOMY 3-8

amon one' mo reared ompanon Th he eder aybe no only yor e b "he e o yor boom may beno only one o yor rend b yor rend ho "lke yor

on le ven h red reared people may be a hreabeae hey may "ene n ere The verb he ame ed 2 Sam 24:1, and h reerene o he ndo doron oJezebel n 1 K 2125 The ex an rael o mane a ereadvoay done n prvae hh perhap on he ae o onvnn beae o nmae ore

The hrea

o doron o ahm hoever he ame n heeond ae a n he r even he ork o an "nderNo maer ho perave or nmae he alernave ll"oher od Here he verb "erve and no "ollo a vere 2, b he verb "erve an alo reer eher o lr avy or more broadbaed loyaly The ae he ameabadon

men o nlar obedene o HHFor ha reaon he pnhmen he ame hoh he rheor o volene even more exaeraed here han n he r ae(vv 10). The neave o vere aed n ve ere verb apaern hardly dernble n nlh ranlaon

do no yeld;do no len;do o py;do no have ompaon;do no held

The repeon and neny o he andae are omerae

h he l o poenal anddae vere 6 Tha he harhne o pnhmen orrelae h he one h hom one mo nmaely onneed One may epeally an o "havepy on he e o one boom or "have ompaon on arend ho lke yor o le

B no The heoloal hrea o he edon overrde all

normal oal and amlal nlnaon The ex rhle Theone ho " erely ened m lead he pbl exeon ake he nave and hro he r one only hen o be





DEEROOMY 1-18

nsbsaniaed harge The zealos pary of ahwiss a workhere is no o a on rmor b ms make a arefl jdiial deerminaion of he fas of he ase If he harges are no proved he

ase of orse dissolves.B if provedand now he ex appeals o he mos exremerheori he kind no seen sine 7:2526

Indictmnt: I is an "abhorren hing an abominaion annbearable obseniy o HH.

Sntnc: "Uerly desroy (heremThe ommniy ms ake exreme measres in order o eliminaesh irreveren nrespefl advoay ha is a hrea o he enireommniy of HH

The presenaion of indimen and senene is simple and

sraighforward. B bease he "abominaion is sh a hreaand "er desrion is so rgen he sae is a pains abois implemenaion (vv. 1 617) The enire own ha has been ledasray shall be brned in a dramai pbli a and lef as a rinand as a warning All he onens of he iy moreover shall bedesroyed. veryhing in sh an aberran own ha followedafer oher gods is onaminaed every sheep and ow every dogand a every plae and po every oy and ool everyhing Theex alls o mind he osly misallaion of Sal in his srgglewih he Amalekies a rese of booy seemed permissible b isondemned by Samel in a devasaing way (1 Sam 15) This expermis no sh misallaion.

The onlsion of he brning killing and annihilaion is a

onsiderable varian from he onlding saemens of verses 5and 1 1 ha were negaive (vv 1 71 ) This onlding saemenis inroded by "so ha (maan and aniipaes HHsglad response o he harsh prgaion. The pbli a of annihilaion will give evidene o HH and o any who observe ha hisahwisi ommniy is serios and ndeerred in is singlar loy

aly o HH. Noie ha proper obediene is o adhere o whaons in he "sigh of he (more lierally in "HH'seyes; see 1225) Tha is Israel ms eshew aonomy.

5







COMMENTRY

The chaper oce pon he dilemma o exclive loyaly adiemma known in reiio commniie o hih dscplne in parydeology and exclussm in every sectaran minde ha mu end

o "he oher in order o mainain a ene o commniy in obe-dience The dilemma i ha in he pracice o ch viiance and di-cipine, he commniy enae in brualizin acion ha ive helie o i own be ene o iel In any even hee hree caeexhibi a communiy ha believe ha he mainenance o loyaly o i worh he eor and ha ch oyay i deeply nder

hrea Chrch reader o hi ex mih conclde ha a are mea-ure o accommodaion i preerabl o even a mal amoun o bruaizin viiance Deeronomy o core i nperuaded by ch admen nperaded b no ecriical abou i own urin

Holy Identty Holy Practces {

Deueronomy i enaed in a deep dipe over he ideniy ohe communiy o Irael ha i derived rom i reiio loyayand ha i exhibied in i "pblic perormance The preenchaper i a erie o prohbtons and permts pncaed by prmal theologcal affrmatons

Egal alThe mo poinan elemen o hi ex he way in which he

mo weepin and inenional heooica claim or Irael arereadiy and wihou awkwardne conneced o qie peciic di-cipline o commniy ideniy The chaper inclde hree pro-rammaic aemen ha are characeriic o Deueronomy

Fir in vere 1: "o are children o he L your God Theaemen i ere and wiho elaboraion The word order more-over, i invered o accen he a o Irael a on and dauh-er The e o amilial imaery bepeak an inimae ene obeonin wih and beonin or HH and ha a ron deriv-aive deveopmen in he radiion (ee Ho 11:1; Ia 1:2; 63:16;

64:; er 3 :120; Ma 215; Ga 4:47) The a a "chidrenimpie or Irael a ene o beonin ha incde boh rioroexpecaion or Irae condc and re proecion

1



DEERONOMY 141-21

The eond aemen o heooal deny n vere 2. Theerm "holy n reerene o Irael ae o no nrn qaly oIrael b o an exlve relaonhp o HH o hh Irael

m aend a all o. The eond more neren erm "reared poeon reer o ha par o larer eonom holdnha are epeally przed. Ued h reerene o HH he ermaknolede ha HH overn many people B o all heavalable people o hom HH mh be epeally aahedIrael he one on hh HH ha eled aeon nmay

and peal prvlee. The erm a mo mporan one or Irael'ene o pealne (ee xod 15; De 76; 261; P 1354;Mal 3 17) .

The hrd aemen n vere 21 reerae he lam o he eond aemen n vere 2. All hree aemen arlae Iraelpeal a n relaonhp o HH a a ha beokenpeal blen and proeon b ha alo mple peareponbly. All hree aemen are nqaled ndave.Irael a a "oprn "holy people "reared poeon no an oome o obedene b a preme or obedenea preme eablhed by HH' nexplable nave o herelaonhp on hh ee 767

Thee hree aemen andh a ere o qe pe prohbon hh aken pon by pon are dl and elve

o m no laerae yorelve (v 1)o m no have yor oreok or he dead (v 1).o m no ea any abhorren hn (abomnaon) (v 3)o m no ea anyhn ha de o el (v. 21)

o m no bol a kd n moher' mlk (v 21).

Thee qe pe prohbon makn a ere o ve are venerely exep or he lon expoon o he hrd one The exexplae neher he nane o hee prae nor hy heyare lnked o he rea heoloal lam ha are voed n her

md. Sholarhp moreover ha been noeably nel nnerpren hee prohbon. The be eon have beenha (a) hee plaon onern hyene (b) hey are oner

5



COMMENTRY

Canaanie no o be done beae Canaanie do hem () heyare a deenive repone o a iaion o ommnal hrea or(d) hey are diipline o be enaed or he ake o ideniy

wiho any banive iniiane b perormed only or hediipline o he a I i plaible ha eah o hee holarlypropoal ha an elemen o rh in i.

Mary Dola ha iniiaed a new raeory o biblial inerpreaion ha ha ine hen been mh adoped and mhreined She ini (a) ha hee prohibiion are no nonenial

b do have ideniiable iniiane and (b) ha he prohibiionanno be nderood one a a ime b m be inerpreed a aninenional prorammai niy

ny ntepetatn w fa w takes te dnts f te dTestament n peemea fasn Te ny sund appa s t fget ygene aestets mas and nstntve epusn even t

fget te Canaantes and te Zastan mag and stat wt tetext ne ea f tese nuntns s pefaed y a mmand te y s tat must e expaned y tat mmand Tee muste ntaness eween ness and aenatn w w makevea sense f a te patua esttns (ugas 197066)

Dola e ha he prohibiion are rle or eparain

lean and nlean ared and proane in order no o mix or one wha i properly diin or mixin and onin in evenhe mo elemenal maer o invie derive hao:

e an nude tat ness s exempfed y mpetenessness eques tat ndvduas sa nfm t te ass tw tey eng nd ness eques tat dffeent asses ftngs sa nt e nfused ness means keepng dstnt ateges f eatn (ugas 197053)

The prohibiion whih eem odd or diael in a aredeined o preerve order ha i oninally nder hrea andhereby o enhane he wellbein and proper order o reaion

and o loriy he reaor. The "holy people o Irael i o ond i daily lie a a way o mainainin he ood order o reaion willed by he reaor The violaion o hee prohibiion

58



DEERONOMY 1411

amon o mxn and hereby polln he ood order henern he zone o deah

he boldne and mporane o h ex on n he on

den onneon o theologial affiration and pe daily diipline he holne o Irael a enero o H however exempled n Irael wlnne o lve n a parlarway ardn le rom nleanne and pollon ha wlhreaen no only own exene b wll endaner he oherenabr o he enre reaon.

In Chran exrapolaon rom h deny o God holy people he delaraon o "ean and nlean een o be problem-a. Je own eahn on he maer o delemen n Mark7123 reonze he problema ha ha aed Chran ovew he maer n a way deren rom radonal Jdam. hrqe o he onvenonal rle o delemen moreover re-enored by he narrave o eer dream n A 0:06 haled beqenly o he deve deon o he "JeralemConl n A 5 h Chran nerpreaon n eneral (andhe Reormed radon n parlar) rae dl qeonabo hee or o dplne I o be noed noneheleha he New eamen onne o appeal o "dplne opry n he Chran le.

B one an alo ee ha he early hrh employed he lanaeo holne n a deren way erhap he la ae he reaappeal o al n Rom 1212 o be re al aenda or wha "holy and aepable oe n a very deren dreon rom he olddplne o holne b he hare he vew o he older radonha he hrh a a God holy peope m e n vble

onree dnon. he eary hrh appeal o mlar lanaen arlaon o he mporane o bapm (ph 42224).

Dl a h ex may poe qeon abo he vbledpne ha are neeary o manan and exhb he dnvene o he ommny o ah n work o manann heood order o reaon Chran are endlely vlan aan

"lealm and "work rheone Sh a oneded v-lane however ha rely led o "onormy o h world n henere o no ben exevely odd and pnloly deren.

15



COMMENTRY

A a oneqene oe Chriian oniie are perhap noo aenive o he prohibiion o aien ybo in he very hear ohe omniy. For exape one ay ak hod a Chriian o

niy ho a Coke ahine in i id here i no dob haa Coke ahine in addiion o ppyin ar waer beokenan enire word o eindene a arke eonoy and a obapaion or deveopen ha ehew oa re. O ore ino haraeriiay innoen Chriian oniie he oo ohe Coke ahine i no read o erioy or i i aer a ipy

a Coke mahine One an iaine an aren in he ire oDeeronoy onernin vere 2 ha i i aer a ipy aboied kid. I ay we be ha he "Y aone poiion oDeeronoy i overy rioro and exeivey viian he exnonehee eave open he ie o daiy viibe diipine andprohibiion ha bepeak a peiar deiny. I i a very od ie in

he oniy b or bein od i no e ren and iediaeThe Bennn of Soa Lesaton {

he ae on he ihe onern he pbi anaeen and diribion o nd nder a ovenana ipe. hi ae iarraned in hree diin oand he bai aw o ihe (vv 22

23) a proviion or hoe a a diane ro he pae (vv. 2427)and he hird year ihe (vv. 22). he ihe i o be nderood aa ax paid o an overord in aknoweden ha he owner o heand ha a de ai on i prode (ee 27). h enan arer o hi day reary owe he andowner a erain perenaeo he rop a perenae oen arer han he radiiona 0 per

en. hen he ihe i nderood a a ax hen he qeion i owho i i owed i ikey ha h a ax wa paid o iperiaoverord. (See Sa 57.) In he horizon o Deeronoyhowever neiher he kin nor any aien iperia power od aia ihe beae none o he i he rih owner o he and

Eegeal al

14 he priary ae onernin he ihe i qie ipe and dire (vv. 2223 ) In an ararian eonoy here wi be a





COERY

provon connue everal elemen from he precedn acon:he a acknowedmen ncuon of he Leve and cumna-on n oy Bu here are ao o new feaure here Fr h

he no brouh o he place of YH bu kep wh-n your own Tha a profound ecularzaon of he praccen whch he owner YHWH doe no even n on he vbleeure of preenaon a he ancuary bu wan he 10 percene ade n he couny for ue Thu he relou re ranpoed no an ac ha concern he local economy a 10 per-

cen nfuon of exra ood no he communy Second h hewhn your own o be depoyed for hoe dadvanaedwho have no and from whch o brn her own he The andedbrn an ofern ha for he joy and wellben of he andeThe ex name he hree radona landle vunerabe roup:reden aen orphan and wdow hoe who depend upon heeneroy of he communy for her urvva The rad ofYHIraeland recharacerzed beyond he convenonalrequremen of axaon for an owner

Theologal ad Ehal alss

h remarkabe covenanal provon enuncae he dnc-vene of YHWH and he conequen dncvene of Iraelhe he an exraordnary characerzaon of economc realyaern ha he land produce and all wealh umaeybeon o YHWH who caue he land o be fruful The requreen of uch a publc acknowledmen of YHWH' ownerhp n fac a chaene o al ancen and modern heore of he economy ha auhorze auonomou wealh and ha mane ha he

producon and enjoymen of wealh can be he umae oal ofone fe

In h recharacerzaon of he economy are he eed of acovenana noon of ewardhp Uer of he land are onlymanaer who are provonay enrued wh he land by owner

Th recharacerzaon of he economy ell decvey abouhe boomle eneroy of YHWH YHWH no a needy Godwho ree upon he f and ofern of Irael for YHW ha

16



DEERONOMY 151-18

no need that Irael can or mut atify (ee 50 13 ) YHmoreover i not a God whoe cravin need to be atiated or whoin competition with other od collect to ee who can have the

mot Rather YHWH i contituted in a plenitude of ift YHWHcharacteritically ive and need not receive n economy that irooted in the enerou character of YHWH i an economy inwhich there i more than enouh o that a YHWHrooted econ-omy ive the ie to all economic theory that i baed in carcity(Brueemann 1) . The tithe dramatize an economy of urplu

(ee Mark 64144 6).The eneroity of YHWH i matched by Irael ratitude thatreut in it own derivative eneroity The peculiar turn of thetithe in vere 2 demontrate the way that an offerin to God icharacteritically tranpoed into an offer for the neihborCremann oberve

e m a is e ennn f ea sa esan epesens th firt kow tax for a ocial program. hse wwere andess and say weak reeved a sue suppr w wasuaraneed y aw and pu a rng auura prdue(6 ff ). (Crsemann 99618 )

The tithe i a tranaction in eneroity and ratitude t can bereduced to parimoniou calculation (a in Matt 232324) ButDeuteronomy intend otherwe rael ladly contribute a tax toenhance the economy of the community

T Sia Sa N (5 )

Thi tatute i perhap the mot radical ummon to obediencein Deuteronomy Some cholar believe thi text to be the centerof the corpu of command in Deuteronomy (Hamilton 12;Weinfeld 1515274). The chapter i a inle coherent appealbut it may be treated in the followin ction (a) the bac com-mand tated terely and without explanation or elaboration (v 1 )

(b) an explanation of it implementation (vv 26 ) (c) a peruaiveappeal for enactment that uet reitance to the radicalimof the initial proviion (vv 711) (d) a proviion for the

1



COMMERY

emancipaion or reenion of a lave (vv 1217) and (e a finalappeal for obedience (v 1)

Eegeal al5 The backround of hi proviion i he way in which

deb wa manaed in ha ancien economy a way no very dif-feren from conemporary pracice Thoe who accrued deb hado work i off a bond ervan; conequenly he lenh of bondervice correlaed wih he ize of he deb Thoe who owed more

had o work loner o pay off he deb The loic of uch an unexcepional economic pracice i ha hoe wih limile deb muwork hem off o perpeuiy The eachin break he endle paern of deb and work by he abrup limiaion on bond ervice oeven year no maer how rea he deb (v i no clear whyhe evenh year i idenified a he year of deb cancellaion

excep ha perhap i reflec he rhyhm of even in abbahand ubilee The imporan poin i ha i pu a firm limiaionon setude linked o debt Such a proviion i radical for i ha-er he convenional pracice of loan credi inere, mor-ae and deb manaemen by which any convenional markeconom funcion

52-6 The commandmen in all of i iniial blunnerequire and receive elaboraion boh explanaion and peruaion (vv 26). The explanain of vere 23 make explici hahi reulaion i in he inere of enhancin he Iraelie commu-niy The ubec of hi reulaion are named neihbor a)and broher or ier �), boh erm referrin o fellow member of he covenaned communiy who paricipae in he ocio-economic experimen ha i Irael Credior have a relaionhipo debor in hi communiy ha rancend hared economicrealiy mon member of hi communiy economic realiie areno definiional; raher wha i definiional i a common memoryof he Exodu a common blein in he land and a common alle

iance o he God of Exodu and landfer hi explanaion he ex bein o offer moivaion

whereby Iraelie mih be peruaded o enac a proviion ha i

4



DEERONOMY 15118

aain heir horerm economic inere he uren one of heperuaive effor ue ha he lenin commun readil reconzed ha he njuncon o "releae = cancel deb erioul

undermined convenional economc ranacon and aumpion he peruaion offered here are of wo knd Fir heprovion ha praccal valuei wll reall work: "here wll beno poor amon ou (v 4) he "war on pover wll be uc-ceful he econd moivaon ha he releae o be under-aken in a land where YWH blee ha i n a land overflow-

in wih YHWH' abundance (on whch ee 6:0 70).YHWH abundance he round from whch Irael can afford obe enerou o he neihbor arimoniou calculaon owardnehbor are nappropriae in a land of uch properi he bdof he ex i ha Irael hould conduc finance accordn ohe real of conex he overrdn real ha YHWH

abundance make rnen economc preure on need nehbornapproprae

57- he baic command of vere 1 i lean o i nowadded a more exended moivaonal appeal While he "ear ofreleae i clearl n vew in vere noceable ha h pararaph bein n vere 7 no wih reference o he aue bu wihreference o "anone n need erhap i aumed ha "anonen ee ue o be eb a heefoe a pope ubjec ofhe ear of releae hu he openn phrae n h uni "anonen need n fac doe a quck "cla anal of Iraele oceaddree he landed and afrm he oldari of he landed wihhe landle and vulnerable he aue n ha he landedhave n her economc horizon precel he real he need andhe enilemen( of he landle

he ciin of "anone in need evoke from Moe a paion-ae appeal ha nclude boh warnn and aurance he appealn vere 7 warn aan bein "hardheared and "ihfiedh happ ranlaon refer o "hand and hear hened n

reflexve fear reiance reenmen and ndifference he kind ofrepone ha he need end o evoke in he anxiou comforablehe rheorc enve o a bodl emoional repone of fear ou

65



COMMENARY

of which economic defensiveness may arise. Such emotional, bod-ily fear if unchecked leads to antineighborly conduct and policy.

The warning that supports the appeal is that the needy neigh

bor may petition to YHWH against the unresponsive member ofthe covenant community (v 9) The term "cry is a judicial onehere. It means to file a legal complaint with YHWH BecauseYHWH is so committed to neighborly justice in the covenantcommunity, the uncared for and needy may mobilize Yagainst the unresponsive neighbor who has resources (see Exod

22:2124; Ps 10:816) . The assumption of these texts is that socialtransactions in Israel are never between two parties, but alwaystake place in the presence of YHWH, the third party who willpowerfully sustain the entitlements of the poor against the rich.

The warning is matched by an assurance (vv 10 1 1 ) Attentiveness to the poor through debt cancellation will evoke

more blessing from YHWH Generosity to the neighbor will resultin greater generosity from YHWH. Generosity evokes generosity.While the main points are clear, they are somewhat differently

articulated in verses 1217. It is instructive that the term"Hebrew is used or the slave and not the characteristic"sraele of euteronomy. he term "ebrew is commonlyunderstood not as an ethnic term, but as a sociological term refer-ring to the socially vulnerable and marginalized. The Hebrew manor Hebrew woman who might be treated with contempt is a mem-ber of the community of covenant (t� = brother/sister) and therefore has entitlements that must be honored. It may be that therhetoric of this verse deliberately creates the oxymoron, "Hebrewslave, because "Hebrews in Israel are emancipated persons and

not subject to slavery.The provision of verse 12 that parallels verse 1 is followed in

verses 1314 by a passionate appeal. The bond sevant is now"free. The act of emancipation from debt is not enough, for anIsraelite creditor owes an Israelite debtor more than debt cancel-lation. Debt cancellation by itself would send the poor person

back on the street without any resources Economic realism woulddictate that such a person has no chance of economic survival orsuccess if he or she begins "emptyhanded, that is without

166



DEERONOMY 15-18

reource he act of debt cancellaton followed by an peratve to ve the poor peron enouh wherewthal fro one' ownwealth n order to ve econoc vablty to the poor (v 14

Fro the blen of flock feld and vneyard they have recevedfro YHWH the wealthy are to ve enouh to help the poor totart over

he peratve cannot be taken h redtrbuton ofwealth n an act of reparaton a tranfer of wealth fro thoewho have aaed t to thoe who have none he tradton

know unabuouly that a peron wthout econoc reource not a full functonn eber of the county and wll notenjoy the dnty and ecurty to whch uch a copanon enttled he teachn wlln to overrde all conventonal coonene econoc n the nteret of creatn and utann avable ocal fabrc n whch all eber have the ean to par-

tcpate eectvely he econoy ut yeld to the vablty of thecountyhe upree appeal for coplance wth th reulaton appar-

ently coenurate wth erou retance to t n the coun-ty of ltener the eory of the Exodu (v 15) Deuteronoy6:12 and 8:1120 have already ueted the threat of anea nIrael n t property nea pert the credtor to aneMy power and the ht of y own hand have otten e thwealth (817 nea nvte the aumpton that the cuentdraatc dtncton between have and have not between credtor and debtor ha alway been th way wth no need to akean adjutent or conceon

o the contrary the eory of Exodu ake clear that the

enttleent of credtor recent that what credtor have ftand not poeon that credtor and debtor have ore n co-on than what ay dtnuh the Fnally Exodu eoryrecall that a cry to YHWH (a n v on whch ee Exod 2:2325) evoke dvne acton that caue redre It th pecfceory that create a context and preure for vble ubtan

tve propt durable redre of ocal nequty Credtor arecalled not to act lke haraoh but to replcate the acton ofYHWH who overcae debtlavery n Eypt

16





DEERONOMY 151-18

tiny rooted in the purpoe o Y and conirmed y a memory o Y emancipatory commitment and action

hi viion o a neihory economy moreover undertand

that det manaement i the deinin mark o neihorlineWhat a ocety doe aout det how creditor manae det andhow detor are repected or reduced to lonterm depair andeventualy voence are the mot likely indicator aout whetherthere wl e a hared common "peace and properity orwhether there wi e "properity only or the creditor ur

rounded y a retlene amon detor that keep the entirecomunity n turmoil under threat and lackin in "peaceIt i clear moreover that the economic viion o a neihory

ociety ured here i a contradiction o the more conventional econoic aumption and practice that recur n every ociety It waa contradiction to the economic practice o the tate economy o

Eypt a rememered y Irael in which detave evidentlywere o deepy indeted to the tate that they were hopelely andperpetuay in ondae (on which ee Gen 471326

No e o thi proviion i a contradiction o the preent deooy o the "ree market with it penchant or "privatizationhe ideoloy o privatization i in act an economic claim that pri-vate property i poile and leitimate without any oliationto the neihorhood or to the maintenance o the ocial aricarl olanyi ha traced the way n whch the Wetern economywa dramaticaly and intentionally torn away rom the larer a-ric o ociety and iven a kind o pretend autonomy (olanyi1957

Finaly a comment i appropriate to the interplay o vere 4 and

vere 11 It commonpace to notice that in Mark 147 Jeuquote vere 1 1 : "here will alway e poor amon you By itelthat tatement ha een miread to utain indifference toward thepoor ecaue nothin can e done aout poverty anywayNothn could e more remote rom thi text however than pave indiference toward the poor Rather vere 1 1 init that the

practice o det canceation i urent preciey ecaue there arepoor peope he recurrin preence o detor requre Irae toe wilin to cancel det t the ame time vere 4 oer an

9



COMMARY

auance: Thee wll be no one n need That povey canndeed be ovecome thouh debt canceaton Th an affmaton that the pactce ealy wl wok and ealy can make a

dffeenceThu vee 4 and 1 1 ae not a often ueted n contadcton to each othe Vee 4 ofe n ssunc of te eatpotental of t pactce that counte depa ove povety Vee11 ue gt mptv that counte the decepton thatefue to notce poo people Both toethe make ndebtedne a

pma aenda fo Iael' ocal von and a pvota tet cae foobedence to a adca covenantal atenatve What Moe doe nth aeton to nt that Iael' fath and futue tun onadden the detuctve foce of povety by focun upon theenttement of the poo who ae ndeed the nehbo of cedto

Gv of You st ( 9-

The povon fo acfce of a ftn that the ft malelamb o caf beon unde the enea ubc of ht wohpof YHWH and ha commonalte wth the povon of 14:2229 Thu 14:2229 and 15:1923 fom an ncuo aound 15:11 8, o that the yea of eleae tuated textualy n the context

of the publc pefomance of act of wohp Wohp addeedto YHWH aue that the yea of eleae an nteney theoocal act a well a an economc pactce Th tpulaton n opat the ofe of a ftln to YHWH (vv 1920 and the dpoal of a defectve anmal that unutable fo acfce toYHWH (vv 2123

Exegetical Analysis

The acfce of the ft anmal commonplace enou a anacknowedment that the anma (and al futfune) a ftfom YHWH to be etuned to YHWH n attude and acknowedment of oveeny (ee 12:6, 17; 14:23 Thu the povon

kely outne enouh Hee we may notce fve featue that aechaactetcally covenantal and efect an odd Iaete pecepton of a common pactce:



DEERONOMY 15:1-

1 The amal to be brouht to YH' pecal place apublc performace that exhbt alleace to YH owhch ee chapter 12

2 The aual route of uch a acrfce mea that YHW recozed a the creator God who prede over the arcultural proce of reproducto throuh the reular chae ofeao

3 ee 14:2229 the acrfce brouht to YHWH atYHWH place ot eeded by YHWH but for the joyou

coumpto of the worhp commuty4 That the amal ot to be worked expreed theame Hebrew term that yeld the word lave Look backto the abbath commad of 5:1215 ad proxmty to 15:118 the tradto udertad that a offer to YHWbelo to the phere of freedom that allow o bodae(work) Thu a uworked amal bepeak abbath releaead Exodu yet aa

5 Not tated but perhap mpled the coecto madeelewhere betwee th offer ad the Exodus (Exod 13:1216) That coecto ot reterated 15:1923 But becaueDeuteroomy thorouhly Exoduoreted the pot lke-ly the ame The lkae of Exodu to the arcultural cycle

make clear eouh the pecular detty of t God who both creator ad redeemer

Vere 2123 appear to be a qualfcato that ha a protectvepurpoe amely to avod approprate acrfce frtborlamb or calf of coure may be le tha perfect Such a amal

coruet wth the character of YHWH who ha ve eerouly to Irael ad who caot receve back from Irael a offer uworthy of that eeroty (ee Lev 22:2025)

Theological and Ehical Analysis

The offer of a frtl ad the ba o defectve amal toeth

er cottute a affrmato that YH mut have the bet Iraelha receved YHWH ot a God to be addreed by way of let-over YHW come frt



COMMERY

he coempoay be of h ahe oue aue becomeappae whe oe eflec o he eemly edle co of ec-ulazao o a clea ad pmal commme o he coveaal

eale of YHWH Code he commo madae ofDeueoomy coce "all you hea all you md ad allyou ubace (a 65: he clam of YHWH mu come fBu a membe of he commuy of fah a vaey of waybecome auoomou o heeoomou uch a clam ed o loe foce

1 Iead of "all you hea a emooally daaxey dve ocey he clam of fah eceve he lefove ofcommme fo oe may ave a YHWH emooally edwh oh le o ve

·

2 Iead of "all you md fah cealy a vcm of"dumb dow o ha he clam of fah elao o he

had ue of lfe he wold do o eceve he be ccalhouh Le fah become a mdle elfpeoccupedeepe lke b a defecve amal fo acfce

3 Iead of "all you ubace a elfdule ovepe ovemoaed ocey veme coveaal coce oo co of lefove amly o copoae o publc

come o deployed o ha coveaal clam eceve a eeou hae f of he op

pe emooal lfe a lfe of ellecual laze ad dffeece ad a pamoou elfpeoccuped ecoomc lfe aeo ulke b defecve amal o YHWH place heydemea YHWH ad compome YHWH vo of wha cou

hoe who lve h way mae lfe o he ow em yeld oh aeful fo oh eeou abou oh heoue acfce of ublemhed fl a eula eue ofdcple ha eve o keep Iael poe ah

Take Time Be

Deueoomy 121327 142228 ad 15:1923 povde olaed madae fo me of wohp bu hee efeece amouo o oveall pae of uch pacce he pee vee offe a



DEERONOMY 6-

moe o le complete litical calenda he eveal fetivalmentioned hee did not appea in Iael fit of all in an odelychematized way, bt aoe ad hoc ot of a vaiety of hitoical

memoie and aicltal fetival Moeove the litical calenda of Iael wa not table and contant bt wa haped andehaped ove time by a vaiety of lived cicmtance and inte-petive need

Deteonomy 16:117 foce pon a elaized patten thatenact what eem to be the pimay covenantallitical inteet ofDeteonomy he nit divide into fo ection, vee 18 912and 131 concenin the thee eat fetival and a concldinmmay tatement a an impeative in vee 1617 he fetivalpemably aleady well etablihed and well accepted in Iaelae to be fetal exhibit fo the accent of covenantal theoloy

Exegeia ayi

6 While the aove emeed a a definin fetival indaim the efeence to it in the Old etament ae pae (eeExod 1213; 2 23:2123) hee text toethe make a link-ae to the Exodus and to wohip in Jeruslem. Deteonomy16:17 i itated in the midt of thee two accent on Exod andealem It bein with the affimation that the fetival i "tofor in NRSV] YHWH yo God (v 1 ) hi i matched at theconclion with a olemn aembly to yo God (v )h the fetival i kept foced pon the exclive YHWH aen-da that pevade the tadition of Deteonomy hi inlafoc on YHWH i einfoced in vee 2 7 with an accent onthe plce on which ee chapte 12 ttention to the place i taken

in Deteonomy a an aance of foc pon YHW heaccent on YHWH and pon place povide o envelope fo thecoe tatement of vee 3 concenin the actal ite:

Y (v ) ae (v 2)

a

ae 5-7)

a

v. 8)

In the cente of thee tatement pimay attention i ponnleavened bead (m��t that i the main caie of the



COMMEARY

feiva (vv 34) The uneavened bead wel decbed in Exod1213 i bead ha wa eaen "n hae whou waiin loneouh fo he yea o ie in hae i ode o ecape by nh

befoe he foce of haaoh The pupoe of he beadaenwu g a, a g o eplcae he ominoumome of ecape fom Eyp and he loou emancipao haeued on ha ih ha i ke no ohe nh A much a imanable in Iael he pupoe of he feival o epicae heexpeiece ad he emoional ieniy of he oinal Exodu

emancpaioThe pimay pupoe of he feval may well be pedaoical

ha o nculcae he youn io he defnn memoy of hecommuiy Such a pupoe i likey boh becaue of he explicipedaoca nee of Exod 122627; 138 1415 on which eeDeu 62025 ad becaue of he deep concen fo he chden we

have ee in chape 68 The feva i o aue ha hee iconiuy no he nex eneaion of he Exodu memoy and heExodu vo ha ive foce and auhoy o he aue andodnace ha inend a efconcou ehic of coveanal neih-boe

The a phain of vee 8 iuae he feiva n he hyhm

of he abbah The culmnaon of hi feival i a day of wokoppae The phain i enfoced n he Samaian ex adi-on ha ay "no wok o bondae I i plaube ha he exha epecaly on i hoizon he "yea of eleae in 15118 foaove ndeed a "feval of eleae

6 The "feiva of week he ecod ea feiva nh "lucal caenda (vv 912) I name "week deivefom he numbe "even o ha he feval caeda i a com-pex hyhm of even efecive of he abbaical pincpe; pehap behd ha i he hyhm of he aiculual eao I Exod2316 he ame celebaio i emed a "have feiva o ha

hee no doub ha i eaed o he have of cop whichin an aiculua ociey he makeobeak occaon when heene icome of he yea i poduced

14







DEfERONOMY -7

publc eactmet ad what t mot requre how upbe ee to be eaed i Yahwitic activity be ee by theyou of the commuity be ee by oIraelte ehbor

erhap mot crucally it a public act of repoible male adultwho are uahamed ad uembarraed by a act of rattudeThey vibly aouce their memberhip thi arratve ofeeroty ad rattude ad vibly declare a reecto adreucato of other form of life ad other loyaltie ad ourceof wellbe The fetival i a declarato of a decio about lfe-

addeath bleiadcureTheological and Ethical alysis

Thee fetval Irael repreet a pure act a pure a a com-mual act ca be of a alteratve commuty The alteratveembraced ad exhbted the fetval alteratve to pharaoc

brick quota alteratve to Caaaite educto alterative to thedeathly choice ad ambuou realitie of daly life Here Iraeleter a zoe where the durable emacipatory power of the Exoduad the aweome eeroty of the earth are ve full play I thefetval Irael come to a freh realizato that it freedom i ott ow work but i a ladly ive by YHWH I parallel fah-

io Irael come to a lad ackowledmet of the eerou productivity of the earth o that rai wie oil herd ad flock areive by Y i abudace wthout ay productve eieeriby Irael Fetval the capacity to eter a way of life whch allother claim preure ad realitie ca be upeded

It i precely the lad upeio of all ele i fetival tme thatpermt the iular overeity ad uparalleled eeroity ofYHWH to eerate a Irael ot heretofore ow a Iraelrateful elfaured ready for the ror of coveato t wayrejoici

I our tme ad place it a wodermet if fetval ca haveuch power ad attractvee ive pervave complacecy elfdulece ad idvdual autoomy The deoloy of compla

cecy elfidulece ad idvdual autoomy to be ure ha treular iceat fetval i Hollood port ad o televiioThe coet quetio rowi out of Deuteroomy whether the

77



COMMERY

von of covenantal nehorlne rooted n YHW' enerouoverenty can have fetva that are credle and compelnamdt other fetval that are etter fuded he lturcal calen

dar of the church revove around t three reat fetval ofChrtma Eater and entecot odern the fetval ofancent Irael may lead to reflecton on how thee Chrta fet-val are moment outde tme for

the totally other God who come n fleh (Chrtma)

the totaly other Crucified raed to new power (Eater) the totally other Wind deyn control (entecot)

Grattude a condto domnat culture want reted But t that very rattude that ecome the precondton to ad accepont for entry nto fetval Grattude the entry pot to the fe

tval wheren the new communty of God ecome realty Smallwonder that t mportant to "how up "Show up clearly what aul ha n md

Cean u e d eas s a u ma e a new a as urea are uneavened r ur pasa am Crs as een safed eefe e us eeae e fesva n w e d

east e eas f mae and ev u w e uneavened eadf sne and u ( C 578

nstituted y God (

Wth th text the corpu of tatute and ordnance turn fromcultc order to cvl order n the covcton that cvc a well a

cultc order can e orazed ad practced n covenantal wayhu the eneral theme of th ody of text the covenantaldeployment of pulc power Dean McBrde ha oerved that alon ao a Joephu the ook of Deuteronomy wa characterzeda a "polty a erou theory of power (McBrde 1987) hatuae pertan to the entre ook of Deuteronomy a McBrde

conder t ut the noton of polty pertan more drectly to ourecton of text that dentfe four "offce or fucton of powerand leaderhp Wth more prece reference to thee partcular

18



DEERONOMY 87

txt Nobt Lohfink ha conidd thi txt to b a modl foth ditbuton of public pow in a way that avoid any abolutim a ditibution that i ntial in a covnantal communiy

{Lohfink 1982:7) h offc that a h authoizd focovnantal ladhip includ jud {16:1817:13) kin {17:1420) pit {18:18) and popht {18:922) Whil th dploy-mnt of ach of th offic in paticula i impotant th lapattn of ovnc h indicatd i vn mo cucial fo ouundtandin of a covnantal viion of public pow

ONLY (1 6181713

68822 h v povid a mo o l inchoatktch of what a judicial ytm miht look ik in a communityof covnant It bin with a fundamntal tatmnt of covnan-tal jutic and th xpctation of ponibl tutwothy jud

and official who will uaant a pactic of jutic bfittinIal viion of ociy (16:1820) hi i followd by a paticu-la ca appantly pntd in od to tablih ul fo validttimony {1727) Finally thi ktch povid fo a cntalizdauthoity to adjudicat difficult ca {17:813) It i not at allcla why 16:21 and 17:1 a placd h a thy a h fit ofth txt 1 6:2 1 cho th polmic aaint alin liiou iconin 12:24 and th cond 17:1 itat 1:2123 thouh withth htoc calatd by th tm abhont on which 7:226 It i poibl that th two minly iolatd v a amind that ponibl civic pow i oundd in an uncompomiin tholocal viion Covnantal ocial pow divfom and i uaantd by th inula wohip of a covnant-

makin covnantkpin God

xegea ayi

6822 h lmntal viion of cout jutic in 16:1820paalll th poviion in 1 :918 that in tun may b infomd byExod 181327 It i impotant that of all of th authoization

fo publc ladhip a commitmnt to jutic and a liabladminitation of jutic a lmntal to covnantal ociy anda litd fit amon th oic odd by Mo wo matt

79



COMMEARY

are of partcular nteret n th provon Frt, vere 19 t threedefnn quate of jude b wa of prohbton:

Do not dtort jutce;Do not how partalt;Do not accept brbe

The concern that jutce mut be enunel dtereted and notnuenced b the pecal preure that the rch and powerfu are

abe to exerce, for t the rch and powerful who charactert-cal are abe to offer brbe and purchae partalt Th reulaton, moreove echoe the older text of Exod 23:6 that expctlmenton the poor, who mut be protected b the court, becauethe poor are lke to have no other ocal uarantee or advocate

Irae undertand that n the tur the poor and dettute ma

cr out to Y n praer (ee Exod 22:2126 In cvc ocet, the court the anaoue to Y the poor ma cr outto Y, o the poor ma cr out to jude who enact Y'w for jutce n actual cae (ee uke 18:18 It the convc-ton of Deuteronom that the dadvantaed have an nalenableenttlement n the covenant communt t the bune of thecourt to protect that enttlement

The noton of dtortn jutce b faln to protect the ent-tement of the vulnerable at the heart of the anuh voced bthe prophet hran parale to 16:1817:13 occur n prophet-c ndctment of the economc tem (mo 5:7; 6:12; Ia 5:2223 The prophetc tradton, perhap nformed b the tradton ofDeuteronom, know that a dtorted judcal tem make a

nehborl deploment of power mpobleVere 20 un a dfferent term for jutce (�edeq make the

practce of utce the condton for occupn the and Wthoutjutce, Irael oe t enttlement to the land, a convcton thatwa een to come to fruton n the reat deportaton of the xthcentur

77 The econd ecton of th aw work out procedure forreable tetmon (17:27 The cae cted oddl enouh, not a

8



EERONOMY 118

maer of economic uce a 16:19 mh lead u o expec bua cae of heoloical compromie in ervin oher od Bohhe aron and he evere punihmen in hi cae have mo in

common wih 13:611 i evden in boh cae ha a heocraic vion of ocial power here make no clear dincon beweenreliiou violaion of loyaly o YHWH and oher civcaffron aain neihbor hu he cae ced here hardly f hepurview of 16 : 1 820

In any even i i provided a in 13:14 ha communal dic

pline i no o be baed on rumor or hearay carefu udicalnveiaion i required o deermine he fac of he cae heprimay cae law in h inance oranized around f (v 2and hen (v 5)f uly hen execuon Vere 6 eablhe animporan poin of procedure ha may be he new elemen haadvance beyond he maerial in chaper 13 n 13:910 i

provided ha he one who make accuaon he one who muiniiae he execuion uppored by he paricpaion of he enrecommuniy Bu here he wine of he accuer mu be upporedby oher eimony he rule of procedure are no doub reflecedin he Gopel requiremen of wo winee (Ma 18:16 and inhe inviaion o ca he fr one (John 8:7 he book ofDeueronomy i commied o a rule of law even if i a evererule of law he concludin formula of puraion echoin 135ndcae he purpoe of uch udcal aciviy i he proecon ofhe communiy from dorion

178-13 he hird ecion of h auhorizaon of a cour yem provide for a cenralized cour he pararaph divde ino

wo par concernin auhorizaon (vv 89 and complance (vv1013 he auhorizaion o provde for a cour ha wll relevelocal villae cour of cae of exceive dificuly he example ofdifficul cae in vere 8 i raher openended and no limed ohomicde and aaul Wha coun he mo here ha he hardcae will be heard a he place (ee 12:11 where YHWH

nenely preen and where YHWH public offical are moinformed abou Yahwiic uice More pecifically alon wihude and offical now he eviical prie are involved in



COMMNRY

adudicaion which mean for hi radiion a move oward acraauhoriy and direc appeal o he covenana wil of he covenanenviionin God

The amoun of pace and rheorica enery in hi proviionha are ued o ini upon compiance i urpriin (vv 1013)Compiance o law i a makeorbreak iue in he couniyand no deparure from exac compiance wil be oeraed Theevere make cear ha in he rulin of he cenraize cour upervied by Leviical prie he radiion of Deueronomy ha

reached he boom line of covenanal order cou ha cannoenforce i deciion i no cour a al houh appareny enforcemen here depend upon peruaion and inimidaion The punihmen of hoe who do no comply i pedaoical, o dicouraein he mo dramaic and deciive way reiance or indiferenceo he cour from oher in ime o come

Teological and Etical nalysis

Thi proviion a he one o folow in 1711822, makeclear ha bibical faih care abou public power I pecificallyinend ha public power hal be in he inere of uice Thi ian imporan accen paicularly in an environmen of bohchurch and ociey wherein faih i characeriicaly reduced operona privaized maer of a romanic herapeuic kind TheBible i abou he reorderin and reconiuion of public lifeunder he viion of he rue of God and under he hope of he comin kindom of God I ini ha pubic power i an arena inwhich he deepe claim of faih are operaive

Tha convicion abou uice enviion a communiy of cear

aw and order ha will no oerae deviaion Thi i epecially eviden in he evere ancion of vere 5 7 1013 houhperhap he more ellin ancion i he awarene ha he andcan be forfeied Havin reconized he everiy of hi uice ii equally clear ha he uice here enviioned i uice rooed inhe viion of YHH who i known in Irael o be he eneraive

power of emancipaion The aw and order aumed here i noconvenional poiive law ha defend he au quo or a bandyem of ancion Thi i raher juice ha i eiimaed by

18



DEERONOMY 114-0

the God of widow orpha ad oourer who authorize aear of releae rooted i the Exodu he uret Deuterooiccoitet to law ad order ha a theoloical dieio

iiti that it i the God of coveat (ee v 2 the God of ocialolidarit who evoke judicial practice t the ae tie the referece i vere 19 idicate that thi jutice ha a iportat ecooic dieio; the Deuterooic theor of utice cotai theeed of ditributive utice which i our oder tie take thefor of reparatio for the diadvataed

Fiall it i to be oted that thi jutice adit of o trict co-tructioi It i the work of the cetral court to iterpret(yr (v 11) that i to covert ocial viio to particular caehe practice of jutice i ot a erie of xed code ad autoatic actio It i rather a practice of coveatal iterpretatiothat erve the larer viio of ociet hi text iht be a ivi-tatio to the church to take up afreh the deep coitet offaith to affirative ocial jutice Beod that there i o doubtthat the oral paio to be foud i the judicial traditio of theUited State i deepl rooted i thi otio of jutice he texta ideed ivite a recover of a cetral coitet ofDeuteroo that cotiue to be idipeable for cotepo-rar practice of jutice

A ( 17:14-20)

roviio for a ecod public official cocer the ki Withthe poible exceptio of Exod 2:28 (Heb v 27 thi i the olMoaic tatute o kihip i the orah Such a lack of coeti rearkable i liht of the doiat preece of the oarch

i the life of aciet Irael he ititutio of the oarch iIrael wa a ource of uch dipute i that aciet couitbecaue (a) there were odel of exploitative kihip prior toad all aroud Irael (b) there were itera teio i Iraelotivated b copeti political ad ecooic iteret eitherfor villae autoo or for cetralized power that aured both

ilitar treth ad ecooic cocetratio ad (c) thee iteral teio were readil ive theoloical articulatio o thathua oarch i varioul iterpreted a the will of Y

18



COMMENTRY

or a new ocal crcmtance n Irael or a dobedence aantthe overenty o YH who Irael tre and only kn It mportant to reconze that the tatte o 171420 doe not ext

n an nterpretve vacm or a a tatement o the obvo choceo Irael It rather one advocacy amon many advocace on adeeply dpted e on whch ee epecally 1 Sam 81018

The textual nt dvde nto three bre tatement concernnMoac athorzaton o an Iraelte kn (vv 14�15) a prohbton aant royal polce o acqtvene (vv 1617) and an

ntence that knhp n Irael be Torahbaed (vv 1820)Eegeal a

75 The qeton o royal power only are when Irael n the land The overrdn e n Deteronomy how tomanae the land covenantally o that t can be retaned accordn

to the prome o YHWH Moe antcpate Irael n the land wllwant to be lke all the naton (ee 1 Sam 85 20) wth centralzed economc power and tron mltary potental The toneet a relctance n the tradton that conrent wth therelctance o Samel and the ambty o YHWH n 1 Sam 8Moe hand orced by the realty o crcmtance h work to provde a monarchy that wll mantan the dtnctvene oIrael a YHW choen people that a monarchy "ike all thenaton or a people that to be unike all the naton The rtprovon or ch a trcky matter that the approved kn mtbe an Iraelte and not a orener (v 15) Whle ch a provonmay make an ethnc apeal t more lkely reqre a canddate orknhp who nclcated nto and commtted to a covenantal

von o commnty one who remember and doe not oretwho wll not mane the mportance o h own mht and powe(on whch ee 817)

767 The potve reqrement o a covenantal horzon orovernance tronly renorced by the three neaton

D mulply he The reerence to the development o atron mltary orce or hore are a ymbol and meaure o ch

8



DEERONOMY 114-

powr Mo arady know that a tron miitary powr i much iky to b covnantay art and rponib h xpicitdanr of uch an invtmnt i "a rturn to Eypt h phra i

richy ambivant akn thooicay and in iht of th Exoduaccnt in utronomy th injunction warn aaint th undoin ofth Exodu and th rduction of Ira onc aain to avry o thatth kin in Ira with an inatiab miitary budt tax hi ownpop into conomic dpndnc akn hitoricay thi provi-ion may rfct Soomon' "hor tradin whrby Ira wa

drawn into commrcia practic a an "arm dar a practicury inimica to a covnanta viion of raity (1 K 9:2629)Eithr way "hor inifi th undoin of covnanta Ira

Do not mulply wves hi i iky not a commnt onmonoamy or adutry Mor iky it i a batd rfction on th

intricat poitica nork of Soomon who cmntd poiticaaianc throuh marria o that hi marria wr poiticaarranmnt a for xamp hi marria to th dauhtr ofharaoh (1 K 3:1; 7:8; 9:16) Dutronomic thooyrfctd in 1 K 1 1 :1 8 dcar that it wa prciy thforin wiv vn hundrd of thm pu thr hundrdconcubin who "turnd away hi hart (v 3 ) h danr ofaccumuatin roya wiv i that thy with th aianc and poitica commimn hy inify bcom an imptu and occaionfo compromi of Yahwim h phra "hi hart wi turnaway i on common to thi tatut and to 1 K 11

Do not mulply slver and gold (v 17) Sivr and od in ar

quantiti ina a tat that i committd to opunc and f-arandizmnt an achivmnt poib ony by th tranfrof tax mony in xpoitativ way hr i no doubt yt aainthat Soomon i indd th mod hr for hi Jruam tabihmnt bcam a howca for "conpicuou conumption(Brumann 1 998) h diput aftr hi dath in 1 K 1 1

morovr mak car that Soomon' conomic poici dpn-dnt upon havy taxation wr intoraby xpoitativSoomon rim had bcom compty frvin prdictaby

85



COMMERY

o he neec of he kind of neihboy concen ha ie a hehea of he covenan Thu, quie expiciy, hee vee of pohibiion eem o ake Soomon a he wo cae cenaio fo

wha happen when concenaed powe diead he covenana foundaion and commimen of i powe

780 Moe offe an aenaive o efevin powe andopuence ( 1820) The aenaive o aeive acquiiivenei ha he kin, he one aned eucany by Moe, houd

pend pimay eney on he udy of he Toah, inuced anduoed by he Levie, he poponen of Moaic Toah The poviion i ha he kin ha have a copy of hi Toah The emcopy, in Geek deutes mean a econd veion I i fom hivee ha he book of Deueonomy ake i popua name a aecond veion of he Toah of Sinai Thu he book ofDeueonomy i no he documen of Sinai, bu i i a econd,deivaive, moe expanive viion fom he God of Sinai TheDeueonomic adiion ue ha wha wi poec kinhipfom avaice and efdeucivene i peciey he Toah ofDeueonomy Deueonomy make he iniuion of monachyubodinae o he Toah dependen upon and eponive o heeuaion of Moe By makin i ubodinae Moe eek o

aue ha monachy in Iael i neve auonomou, away penuimae and ubec o Toah

Thi aue i he heoeica bai fo he naaive of 1 and 2in, a udy of how he evea kin in Iae do o do noadhee o covenan, wih he cumuaive judmen made in henaaive ha i i he diead of Toah by he kin ha ead

o and o and depoaion Thu he fina vee of he aw ofkinhip i a eimoif fo he oya hioy The duabiiy ofmonachy depend upon peoccupaion wih Toah Tha duabiiy i iven up in Judah by defau, o ha in he end he dynayend in a deep paho (Je 2230)

Teologcal and Etcal alyss

Thi aue i no o be undeood a he naive ueion haeadin a co wi chane pubic mae I i ahe ha ead

8



DEERONOMY 114-

in thi croll i emblematic of an alternative n of ocialpower that make lonterm table prodctive overnance poi-ble he text i an invitation for a commnity of faith to rethink

pblic power and the relationhip o the overned to the over-nor Deteronomy init that the powerfl (in tate and inchrch) are bject to a will and prpoe other than their own thatconcern the jt deployment of economic reorce and poltcapower amon the overned hree facet of thi e mert rtheraention

Firt it i clear in the Chrtian traditon that Je the crci-fied i exceedinly vlnerable and elfle in h exercie odominion In Matt 6:2533 aer hi either/or teachin of vere24 Je enjoin hi diciple aaint anxiety Even in the circleof the mot extravaance it i anxiety for more more powermore wealth more ecrity more pleare more beaty more

inflence that propel arroant power It i not an accident thatin vere 29 Solomon cited by Je a the qinteentially anx-io one who in all hi power and wealth trned ot to be ec-ond rate (ee alo Mark 10:4244 on power)

Second thi proviion i a tron word to the commnity ofaith In the United State there i no dobt that free market de-oloie of elfadvancement deeply beet the chrch hoe whoare mmoned to leaderhip in the Chrch do not worry abothore and wve a mch a abot lver and old thoh per-hap the widepread candal of exality amon clery bepeak aneed for accmlation of more than wealth It i evident more-over that in a ociety of afflence local conreaton are orelytempted to extravaance n bildn and proram in the expen-

ditre of orah fnd that mht be otherwie deployedhird it i however pblc leaderhip and not chrch leader

hip that miht be mot in the prview of thi tatte When ov-ernment increanly become the monopoly of the wealthy andConre a clb of millonare pported by corporate man-aement that care only abot profit then a orahbaed ocal

viion that invet in nehborly entitlement dificlt to keep infoc In the Unted State moreover the cynicim o elfervnpower may be a deathly even if not in ch dramatic way a

8





DEERONOMY 181-8

entitlement and by implication every Iraelite a a member of atribe ha a ecure inherited place in the people of God That iwhat it mean to be an Iraelite

Except for the tribe of evi the evitical prietthey areomitted from the land proce and o are excluded from theeconomicpoliticalleal dynamic of Irael The text i initenton thi point compenation for that odd and cotly tatuthee vere make o proviion Firt YHWH i the inheritanceof the tribe of evi not YHWH' ood or propertie but

YHWH own elf Thu the phrain of vere 2 uet a pecu-liar intimacy with YHWH that i rearded a a reat i perhapreater than a parcel of land Gerhard von Rad ( 1966:24366) hanoticed the phrae YHWH i my portion and propoe thatthe peculiar phrae i an affirmation of the pecial piritualevitical leacy ( 16:56 73:26)

Von Rad conclude that Yahweh i the iver of life thatYahweh ave from death that Yahweh i evi portion: all thiand much more wa made explicit in the cultu from the earliettime (von Rad 1966:265) t it bet uch a proviion i a pref-erence for u wth YHWH rather than a dy Isel

But econd the immediate problem let by uch an affirmationi that one cannot turn YHWH to food The tribe that have landwll produce ther own lvelhood (ee Joh 512) evi mayhave YWH but that i no viible mean of upport Forthat reaon the tatement of intimate communion with YHWH invere 2 i matched in vere 1 by a tatement of reater materialrealim The offerin to which YH i entitled are in fact a

mean of maintenance for thee priet Thu the theoloical rhet-oric of offerin to YHWH i undertood pramatically a liveli-hood for the priethood

Vere 35 are an explication of the portion that thepriet are to receive The term due in vere 3 i a renderin ofp that i "ust due to which the priet are properly enti-

tled The pecificitie of offerin in vere 34 includin firt-fruit may uet that the priet had enerou proviionthouh it i not poible to determine why in vere 3 certain part

18





DEUTERONOMY 1818

liar idntity and it dmandin covnantal thic Th pritmbody th practic of imainativ ymbolization out of thnormativ tradition that prvnt ocial if from bin fat

tnd into commoditization It blon to prithood to handlth cor ymbol o faith in imainativ and artitic way Thnurtur and practic of uch an authorizin prnc in thcommunity i dply important

2 That th prithood li outid th conomic proc ofland ult in a lif of frdom and dpndnc Th prit

njoy frdom from normal ocial ntitlmnt a frdom thatha th propct of cratin nuin diintrt Thi i no mallmattr in a cularizd ocity in which th pritly offic iincrainly vulnrabl to th tandard and viion of a profand conomy lon with diintrt th vitical pritwho hav no aurd tak in th conomy ar cat in a poi

tion of dpndnc upon YH and upon othr Iralit whobrin orin Thi dpndncy i prhap to b clbratdfor it ofr a modl of livin by th nroity of othr andfinally livin by rac

3 t th am tim th txt art that th ant of uchimainativ ymbolization ar ntitld to communal maint

nanc a propr and litimat dploymnt of YH' ownofrin Th two poition tothr a diintrtd pac-mn u o h lack o nomal nilmn and th litimacof maintnanc ut a way of ituatin prithood and itymbolic imaination in a ocity not vry rponiv to uchymbolization

4. Thouh th txt concrn prithood it i worthwhi topondr th phra "YH i my portion mor nrallyTh vitical prit ar mandatd to an xtrm form of thcovnantal livin that in fact concrn all mmbr of th community Th accptanc of YH a "portion to th xcluionof all othr "portion i a rmarkabl chck upon th aractionof commoditization Extrm conumrimth mad puruit of

a portioni both th cau and th conqunc of a lack ofintimacy with YH who i a tru portion for tho incovnant YH a portion in contrat to all othr portion

9



COMMARY

ue a radcal eher/or for he pre who are o udeIrae n own necapable eher/or, a choce fuy beeenpoon a communon and poron a commo

A F AY F 189-22

Te fourh ofce n he ancpaed covenan communy ocome a prophe The ex place he prophe aonde ude,pre, and kn, uen ha he prophec funcon a cruca o a vabe covenanal ocey a are he oher offce ha are

more common ene for ordnary ocey In he udy of heprophe of ancen Irae, more eneray correc o ay hahey are preoccuped wh he preen and no wh he onermfuure I ony he mo popular underandn of prophecyha rea hem a predcor Here, however, he prophe condered precey a one who w ancpae he fuure

The auhorzaon of he prophe ke Moe nroducedwh a neave decaraon aan he poble ubuon ofdvnaon for prophecy ( 914) In he pararaph on heprophe a uch ( 122) he maeral dvded no an auhorzaon of he prophe ( 118) and an evauaon of andrepone o uch prophe (vv 192)

Exegeial Analyi

84 I clear ha known abou he fuure an mporan maer for a vabe ocey, for ha o do wh pannn awel a hopn In h ex, known he fuure w be even moremporan n he new land, for he ue are when you comeno he and Perhap he maer reec he anxey of an arar-an economy ha alway a he mercy of he eemen Theconro of he fuure a hhy coneed maer, for whoever canconro e fuure wl have rea power n he preen

The ex deneae way o conro he fuure ha are noadmbe n Irae, for whch he ron pejorave abomnaon(abhorren) ued (vv 9 12) Thee prohbed aernave

pracce are everywhere avalable, and perhap were aracve oIrael The ex ofer an nvenory of even dfferen form ofdvnaon Whe cholar have ued rea enery n ryn o

12





COMMENARY

covenanal responsibiliy for a parnership albei an asymmericaparnership wih Israe Thus hese abominaions" are based onassumpions ha cu he covenanal nerve of Yahwism and pro-

duce a sociey of apahy and manipuaion in which humanchoice human freedom and human responsibiiy are renderednu and void These pracices are o be shunned in order o aendboh o he sharpness of divine imperaive and o he freedom ofchoice belonging o Israel

The posiive alernaive o hese rejeced pracices is given in he

succinc saemen of verse 13. This verse is convenionaly andmisleadingly ransaed You shall be perfec" The NRSV, o heconrary has i exacly righ You shal be compleely loyal" TheHebrew erm tmim means inegraed whoe undivided as oneuni" Israel's commimen o YH shal be oal and wihoureservaion The pracices of verses 912 14 woud indicae a

divided loyay an aemp o secure one's life on oher ermswihou ful rus in YHWHThe same erm is likely refleced in Jesus' eaching i Ma 5:48

which NSV renders Be perfect, herefore as your heavenyFaher is perfect. Tha ranslaion is unforunae because he ermperfec" may sugges a kind of moral perfecion ha is remoefrom he ex and he poin of discipeship ha Jesus enoins Inboh Deu 18:13 and Ma 5:48, he summons is of anoher kindnamey unreserved loyalty o one who genuinely gives ife andsummons responding obedience Israel is called o be fuy dependen upon YH wihou seeking o manage is own fuure

18:15-22: The opening declaraion of verse 15 provides ha s

new officer" in Israel he prophe wil be like me" ha is ikeMoses I is assumed ha he funcion of Moses as he mediaor ofhe covenan will coninue o be crucial for Israel aer he hisorica" Moses is gone The primary requiremen for he prophe ikehe king in 1 7: 15 is ha he or she mus be a member of Israe horoughly siuaed in he radiions and claims of he Yahwisic

covenan The ext seems o assume a single prophe i ime ocome hough i is possible in he perspecive of Deueronomy hahe verse envisions a succession of prophes each of whom reenacs

194 •



DEERONOMY 18-

the role of Moe (See 2 K 1713) he concluon of th leadvere heed (shema he text ue th cucal mperatve touet that the prophet hall be one who ue covenant eque

ment tatute and odnance hat the prophet the onewho wll aue that Irael reman completely loyal tocovenant

In vee 1618 the text reect on the authorzaton of theprophet whoe letmaton a eplcaton of the authozaton ofMoe he tadton emembe the feaful need of Iael at Sna

to have a medato and YHWH aeement to accept Moe athe nle letmate medator of dvne evelaton (Exod 201821; Deut 52233) hat how Moe became pvotal to thecovenant Now n omethn lke apotolc ucceon Moewll n turn rae up a pophet to contnue h nular functonto medate covenant moe peccally to ummon Iael to obe

dence ( vv 1 718) In vere 19 a n vee 15 the key wod aan shema Irael to obey what the prophet ay a f t werethe word of Moe the authorzed peake of YHWH

he tadton then refect upon the complexty of epone tothe prophet (vv 1920):

1 he real prophet mut be fully obeyed (v 1 9) 2 fale pophet may are but uch a one hall de that

be executed (v 20 ee 1315 hat fale pophet may etherummon to other od o may falely repreent YHWHethe way dtotn YHWH' tue chaacte and wll he par-tcular wodn of vere 20 appeal to the noton of the pophetben n the dvne councl to eceve the dvne word a -

naled n the formula hu ay the Lord he fale pophet one who ha not been ven uch a wod but pretend he or heha and o peak h/her own word (ee Jer 232122; 2728)

3 he matter of otn out true prophet and fale pophet dffcult but uent (vv 2122) he cteon offeed hee fothe true pophet unlke that of 1315 curou In 1315

the crteron that tue prophetc ummon to followYHWH (134) that to adhere to covenant Hee the c-teon whethe the prophet peak truly about the future thu

15



COMMERY

tranformn th propht from on who command orah toth on who antcpat YHH futur h affrmaton aboutprophtc uttranc concrnn YHH futur that th

propht know what YHH wll do bcau th propht habn n th prnc of th dvn councl whr th futur habn dtrmnd or altrnatvy th propht know th futurbcau th propht ntmatly awar of YHH ntntonEthr way th prophtc fur th carrr of YHH wland purpo n a mot drct and unmdatd way

heologcal ad Ehca Aalyss

h authorzaton of th propht a rmarkabl rcontonthat a voc from outd normal channl and protocol of ov-rnanc dfntona for ral It lf and wllbn dpndupon a voc "from th outd a voc that ound th pcular

cadnc of Yahwtc "mtahtory (Koch 19827076 hr an mportant tnon n th work of th propht who(a announc covnant command and ummon to obdncand rpntanc n th prnt tn and (b antcpat th futurthat YHH wll nact rhap th tnon a dclaraton thatprnt obdnc and antcpaton of th futur acton of

YHH ar connctd to ach othr and th propht prd prcly ovr that conncton By holdn present covenantal obedience n conncton wth the future of HWH th propht makclar that Iral nvr fatd but alway tuatd n th fr-dom and rponblty of covnantal ntracton

h noton of prophtc frdom for th futur an mportantu n thcal rflcton for t art at th am tm that th

communty of fath (and by xtrapoaton th larr octy n-thr autonomous to do what t want nor fated wthout frdomh prnc of th propht mak clar that th communty not autonomou bcau th thcal mpratv of orah kpntn upon accountablty h doloy of autonomy(xprd jut now a fr markt clam and th practc of pr-

vatzaton tnd to art that tho wth powr and walth andknowld ndvdua corporaton or naton tat ar frd todo whatvr thy want



DEERONOMY 11-

he preece of the prophet aert that the commuity of faith(ad by extrapolatio the arer commuiy) i ot fated to acloed future i which it ha o optio It i poible to imaie

fatede becaue of eder race cla or the vaarie of oefamily of orii Of coure ocial practice ad ocial tratificatioare powerful i the eactmet of a ichoate atural law thatkeep people i their place

he twi temptatio of autonomy and fatedne hare icommo the premie that there i o God with the auhority to

commad ad to traform I the face of o uch powerfulaumptio powerful i cotemporary ociey a i that acietworld the prophet like Moe bear wite that huma life iuder the aei of a coveatal overei fter the verdict of thejudge after the rule of the king ad after the acrifice aditructio o the priet Irae with the prophet come to the

verb lite I litei come huma repoibiity for a jutpreet I litei come huma poibility for the future heprophet permit Irael to hear ad to do

Breaking the Viciou Cycle of Violence (9-

hi uit of text bei a erie of text i eemily radom

arraemet he preet text i cocered with the daer ofhomicide ad a eui cycle of homicide he proviio forcitie et apart a place of actuary i a remarkable feature ofa coveata viio of ociety he proviio for uch citie i aattempt to curb the violece of murder withi the fabric of thecommuity thu a parallel to the way i which 15118 eek o

curb ad frame debt withi uch a ramework More importat ithe idea of curbi the viciou cyce o violece i the commuity hi proviio i yet aother itace i which the boldviio of ociey i Deuteroomy i ive cocrete implemetatio throuh pecial ititutioal arraemet

Ea ass

he iitial proviio i ive i vere 13 he deiaio ofcitie of refue i to be eacted o that uch place for aylum are



COMMEARY

eadily acceible he mudee may be puued and need o beable o each poecion pomply wo ohe mae ae o benoiced in hee vee Fi he ipuaion peain o he inhe

iance iven by Y he ofe of aylum i appopiae onyo hi and becaue i i conuou wih he chaace of Ywho i he uimae efue of Iael Second he iniial noion ofaylum i an ofe fo any homicide ha i a mudeeWhie diincion ove uil and innocence wil be addeed ub-equenly he idea a he oue i an uncondiiona wecome o

any come wihou any iniial queionin Such an openne mayindicae how cucial aylum i in un uein how inene wahe dane of bood feud and eaiaion

he aue now poceed o expoe difeen cae of homicide he fi cae concen an accidena deah (v 47) heaue pecifie ha hee mu have been no bad blood

beee he o paie befoe he inciden of deah In an aaian ibal ociey famiie have vey on memoie of ievanceha ae no eadiy ovelooked Fo ha eaon any deah wheehee i aeady bad blood mu be upeced of bein ineionalhe mo ineein phae hee concen he avene of boodelewhee endeed edeeme of lod hi phain efe oe nex of kin of he lain peon who mu in he inee offamily hono and olidaiy kill he mudee in evene fo aain kinman o woman I i eviden ha in he hea of familyhono he edeeme doe no op o ak if he iniia deah iaccidenal and indeed doe no cae fo bood equie bloodhu he poviion fo ayum i an anidoe o blood feud haae ende in hei eibuion an endene ha in un end

ely deabiize any aemp a odeed ovenance (2 Sam22328) he ho blood of evene i expeced o op a he edeof he deinaed ciy of aylum he pupoe of uch an iniuion i no o cub he flng of veneance bu o imi he t ofevene in ode o make a abe ocia fabic poible

Vee 810 would eem o be a paenheica commen fo

hey come beeen he commen on an nnont kile (v 47)and a glty mudee ( vv 1 113) hi poviion fo exenion ofhe iniuion of ciie of efue doe wo hin Fi i appeal

18



DEERONOMY 11-13

back o vee 3 and econize ha uch ancuaie mu be ea-ily available a a cloe ane Thu he moe eioy o he needfo oe uch efue (ee 44143) Second i paaaph

ound e iniuional pacice heoloically The iniuionalpoecion of innocen life i an ac of obedience o Y wihe caaceiic em of Deueonomy ove and eve

Te impoan poin i no poecion of e innocen bu po-ecion of e and Blooduil i undeood a an almo ub-anive papable dane a a eidue of won kilin ha will

conaminae e land and make i unlivable The aylum i o pe-cude moe bloodui and o o keep he land livable One needno howeve ave uc a ubanive noion of blooduil in odeo ee a an unchecked cycle of hae and violence will make heule of law impoibe and evenually make he land unlivable

vee 4 concen an innocen kile o now vee 1 1 13ake up e oppoie he uiy mudee One i juded uily ifee a been malice afoehouh a peexiin condiion ofae In a cae e ede wo manae he poce of adjudicaion and ayum willinly le he kille be killed by blood eveneTa i e adudicain powe of he elde equied by e po-viion fo ciie of efue have only a judicial no an execuivefuncion When e condiion of uil i aified he elde ceae

o funcion and he old pocee of famiy veneance ae pe-mied o opeae

Te focu of he enie paaap i on he manaemen ofbooduil a mae much moe eiou han e emoive eneieof family veneance Te killin of an innocen ceae blooduiThe execuion of he uily end he powe of blooduil by

anwein i and heefoe he adjudicaoy funcion i of cucialimpoance in deeminin innocence o uil The pupoe of hepocedue i o poec e land ha can be placed in jeopady bye mimanaemen of blooduil

Theologcal ad Ehcal Aaly

I will be een ha he law ielf ha a vey naow aenda I ino of on punihmen and in i own conex viooulyaffim capial punihen albei he ouh pocedue of a ibal

1



COMMEARY

ocey Noce tha n conra o 13:9 he comuni doe no oin the execuon whch i left o he pae o he dpue Theae make an inervenion o he work of blood feud bu

i a carefu dcplned circumcribed eenon Four e oferapoaion from h inuional propoal may be ueed

1 The ue of veneance i a hue maer n any oceybecaue veneance run looe make lfe unlivabe Thereforeevery ocey ha nend o be abee aone covenanalmu face he probem of veneance and mu deve mecha

nm for lmaion The heooica effor of he OdTeamen an inience fnaly ha veneance beon oGod and human peron and even he human communiy areno free o enac wha belon o God (ee Deu 3235 4143; 41) (Brueemann 1982 6780) The remarkable ehicarefecion of au in Rom 12 dea wh a conciiaory aerna-

ve o veneance Suan Jacoby ha raced he way n whchfaied nuon of juce and veneance have inved freeance viane veneance when here no more wdey haredconfdence in he iniuiona form of veneance In a harpcrque of (Chriian) romanc noion of forvene whoua erou pracce of revene acoby make a ron cae for hedeep neceiy of veneance ha may be channeled andrerained bu no denied

Revege, s csucve ad desrucve frs s aexpress f e aggressve drve wl d classfyvegeace as erely clds, ecause s decdedly adul (acy1985163

Advcaes f e dea pealy are absuely rg, wever,

e p ppular suppr r capa puse s gruded e cvc a crals ug be pad ac fr er vlecres ad a ey are w [ 1985] beg pused sufce easure s cvc s eer legae r clds; dey e respec deserves s ecurage e budless urage a geeraes deads fr budless rerbu (acy1985289)

2 Th aw eek o break he vciou apparenly elfperpeuan cycle of kiln Thu f hould happen ha he



DEERONOMY 1-

"blood aveger kill a ioce eighbor i realiaio i irequired by "hoor ha he aveger hould i ur be killeda a wrogful killer ad o ad o ad o I would be ice o

hik ha he "moder world ha "evolved beyod uchpracice d ye e ecaria killig i Norher Irelad haare fially iexplicable o ouider or he ehic cleaig ie Balka or i Ceral frica or he edle realiaio i heMidea idicae ha where here are o public iiuio hacompel ru ad cofidece he acie hir for hoor i

uqueched ad will have i way hu he ierface of realhuman inclinatin ad prtective public institutins i aimpora oe Iiuio of rerai are crucial becaue i iclear ha he avage elemeal huger for vegeace iuchaged he rule of law ha curb ribal icliaio i idipeable a hi radiio well uderad may ae o he

imporace of larger iiuio of rerai i he face ofroger eergie for hae3 e maer of blod feud aume ocial relaiohip i

which boh parie (ribe or cla) have power o realiae hemaer of aylum perai o oher ocial relaiohip odirecly o he horizo of hi aue amely iuaio iwhich he powerful purue he powerle who ever aveeough leverage o permi realiaio Coider for exampledefeele refugee ad pliical fugiive who eek acuaryfrom aggreive regime or immigra worker hued dow byruhle govermeal agecie or i US ocieie gay adlebia who i may place ave o "afe place i a ocieyill bloodhiry he offerig of acuary or a curre rhe

oric ay "ope ad affirmig pace i of criical imporaceif ociey i o oor humae beyod he aiaio of ragehared ad vegeace "Ciie of refuge i a acie oiobu oe o le perie i a ociey ha ha o "evolvedbeyod elemeal violece i he ame of hoor ad juice

4 While i lie beyod he cope of hi ex ha i focued

o public iiuio he maer of acuary ad aylum ca-o be coidered wihou a fial referece o Y I iprayer ad og Irael fially ha cofidece ha Y i

21



COMMENARY

the utimate sanctuar for those who have no other hep ordefense (Pss 14:6; 46:1 ; 62:8; 91 : 1 2; 142:5 )

The vocabular is different from the provision of pubic insti-tutions in Deuteronom, but the resolve is the same. Human life isife at risk, pursued and exposed by destructive forces. Thereforeto have a safe place," close at hand, is essential for living a viablehuman life. The psalms of lament and complaint repeatedl speakabout life at risk that finds its antidote in YHWH, who is close at

hand and reliable. It is YHWH who breaks the vicious ccles ofdeath, who by forgiveness disrupts the patterns of punishment,and draws lines against violence that violates (see Rom 8:3739)

Don't Move the Markers

This isoated verse belongs under the general rubric of pro

tected ife," but its particular concern is unrelated to what precedesor folows. The law is an absolute prohibition against moving aboundar marker, for such a maneuver wil damage the neighborwhose propert is thereb usurped and so put common life in jeop-ardy. Whie the aw is a defense of private propert, it concerns pri-vate propert situated in an guaranteed b a communal fabric in

which each on his/her own land is a member of the larger inheri-tance" of Israel. Moving boundary markers is a most elementalviolation of the communit, a fact signaled in the absolute formu-ation of the prohibition You must not . . . ," an echo of theabsolute prohibitions of the Decalogue The cohesion of socialrelationships depends upon the inviolabilit of the placement of

persons in communit (see the curse in 27:17; Fensham 1963)

Exegetical Analysis

In this simple undeveloped form, the prohibition precludesneighbor acting against neighbor. This is the point of Prov 22:28as wel, though that teaching appeals to the oldest, most settled

tribal practice The other uses of the same theme, however, intro-duce an important dimension of social criticism, suggesting thatthe aw concerns not simpl neighbor versus neighbor, but the

202





COMMERY

1 The ht of emnent doman that ntend that pubcpoce can peva but whch moe often an excue fodeveope to have the poftabe way

2 The ncuon of upemaket nto eed nehbohood n way that chane taffc patten dupt od bunee and voate nehboy cutue n the evce of eed

3 The capacty of ae economc potca and even mtay opeaton to be heede about what oca eadydetoyn the oca nfatuctue n the evce of eed

4 The aecae dupton of envonment by moneymak-e, a n the cae of the Bazlan an foet

The atonae fo uch entepe of coue away eady npace

1 The Oympc commttee w make ob and ebudhome

2 Bune the uvva of the ttet and thoe who do notubcbe to new patten have no ht to ext

3 The n tde of bune w ae a boat and o on

Th tte text nvte ctca eflecton on economc pactce

that aay b fnanca powe aant the ma and vuneabeThe kndom of God not and w not be a pace whee poweoveun the enttement of the vuneabe The deveope aeon notce

Due rocess 9

Th euaton concened wth eponbe tuothycoutoom pocedue It peence n the copu of tatute aemnde that Deuteonomy advocate a poty that a pattenof pubc ode that manae pubc powe n eponbe way node to enhance communty

The tatute dvde nto o pat The ft pat concen a

bac udene that no one can be convcted of a cme on the tetmony of one wtne (v 15) Th enea concen fo vad ev-dence aeady een n 13:4 and the need fo mutpe wtnee (a

24



DEERONOMY 115-21

i 17:6 idicate the importace of judicial procedure for thicommuity The ecod part of the text cocer a more pecificcae of a ureliable wite who willfully milead the court (vv

1621 Obviouly uch fale tetimoy will ditort ad dicreditthe etire judicial procedure

Exegetcal Aaly

It i importat to otice that the horizo of thi law i ayoffee The poit of vere 15 i the imple recoitio that adju

dicatio of the truth i court cae i problematic ad the bet tetof truth i the corroboratio of everal witee Both the Torahof Moe (Deut 5:20 ad the prophet (mo 57 10 udertoodthat truthtelli i judicia procedure i the mot elemeta uaratee of a viable commuity the lat reort of the arievedWhere there i coverece of tetimoy the commuity may be

atified that the court ha approximated the truth ad thereforejutice a cloely a poibleMaor attetio i ive i thi tatute to perjury o the part of

maliciou witee who come to court to do damae aaitaother member of the commuity (vv 1619 The oee of themaliciou witee i ot imply that they ie a thouh the

appeal were to a eled available orm of truth but rather that lyi they willfully do damage to a eihbor Thu oe mayue ha he om of peu a pamatic oe ot a pcple of truth but a priciple of protecti the eihbor

The mot itereti feature of thi tatute cocer the dipatch of the fale wite who et out to do harm If the witei determied by the cetral court to be maliciou lyi i orderto do damae the court proceed to puihmet The puihmeti ot et out i term of exact meaure but i imply a tatemetof proportioality What thi maiciou wite ouht to havedoe to aother by lyi will be the perjurer' puihmet Ivere 21 the the aw of retaliatio i clearly euciated othat the puihmet fit the crime or more preciely the puih

met fit the iteded damae to the commuity The factoriout of potetial cot life for life eye for eye ad the ike refecta aciet ytem of pealtie i which offeder were pealized

5



COMMEARY

an eye a tooth a hand dependin on the affront The coen-dation of uch punihent at the ae tie reflect everiy andretraint

Theological and Ethical Analysis

The baic concern of corroborative tetiony need no addi-tional coment it i enhrined in the theory of law in the WetTwo other aer may be conidered in thi tatute

Firt the tet of truth and perjury i a praatic one whether

the witne eek to do daae to the couniy or oeone init Thu truth i linked to neihborly jutice; the cour i not inpuruit of truth a may be controlled by exceive punctiliou ruleof evidence it i concerned about the wellbein of the couniy Such a eaure of truth or perjury ive focu to the work ofthe court and ive it reat latitude in decidin what i aliciou

Second the law of retaliation that led to a precie qud o quoof affront and penalty warrant careful utained refection Thecounity introduced uch a forula of proportionaliy in orderto curb exceive barbarim aon thoe bent on veneanceThere i no doubt that thi principle of proportionaliy i deeplyembedded in Irael ene of jutice (Miller 1982)

Nonethele it i clear that the principle of precie retaliation ia licene for approved violence In the current bloodthirty paion for capital punihment in the United State there i no doubtthat a forula of a life for a life i a bid for tateanctioned vio-lence The ethical tradition of both Judai and Chritianiy haveundertood the problem of the principle In Chritian interpreta

tion the principle of retaliation i criticized and overthrown in theteachin of Jeu

Yu ave ead a i was said, a eye f a eye ad a fa u say yu esis a evilde u if ayeses yu e ig cee, u e e als; ad if ayewas sue y ad ae y ca, gve yu cla as wel; ad

if aye fces yu g e ile, g als e secd le Give eveye w egs f yu, ad d efuse aye wwas w f yu (a 5:3842)

6





COMMERY

function a a crtcal perpective about the ravae of war tilawait deveopment outide the world of Deuteronomy

Exegecal Aalyss20- The tatute bein with preparation for war with the

wideeyed recontion that there wl be war and Irae wl beenaed n them ( 19) Thi account of preparaton i framedby an introduction (v 1) and a concuion (v 9) that toetherbracket two peeche by a priet (vv 24) and by the ofica (

57) The firt vere et the premie for the entire preparationThe norma crcumtance of war in Irae i that Irae mayexpect to be outnumbered and outunned The enemy willcharactertcaly have more troop and more hore and chariot, and therefore Irael wl characteritcay repond n fearfune It not cear why thi aumpton voced Certainy in

Irae' tyized memory of warfrt with Eypt and then withthe nhabtant of the landIrael wa lprepared and illarmed The udment may be rooted in ome htorcal ene ofIrae' pat uetin an appeal to very od traditon certainy we before the mpreve arm proram of the monarchyunder Soomon

It pauibe however that th catin of Irael a an inferiormiltary force not o much an appeal to hitorica memory a iti a theooical ploy for the econd part of the vere The natural repone of fear in batte inapproprate and i overriddenby the realty of the RD your God who more than overcomeany deficiency on Irael' part (ee Jud 628) The auranceappea to the Exodu memory in which YHWH proved morethan a match for haraoh (ee Exod 141314). Thu the intalbd do not fear ha a it unpoken poitve counterpart havefath trut in YHWH who wil be adequate and wl prevailWthout YHWH Irael i militarily at rik and hopee WthYHWH Irae may be confident of victory (ee h 413) Thuthe tradition reituate the practce of war in faith. The iue i not

arm or troop; it i rather a decion for fear or faith once aanthe radca either/or of Deuteronomy concernin the rule ofYHWH in the real afar of the world Even the fearfu practce

8



DEERONOMY 21-2

of wa i ehaped by he claim of Y' oveeiny ove hepoce of which he Exodu i he pime exampe

I em of oop pepaaion hi echaaceizaion of wa i

accomplihed by o peiminay addee The fi by a piei pehap no unlike he adde of a miiay chapain befoecomba The ole of he pie i o accen ha he "eihe/oiue ae heooica and no miliay The pie' yized addei in hee pa

1 Thee i a chaaceiic ummon "Hea 0 Iae heame phain a 6:4 uein ha hi deciion befoe baei abou he powe of YHWH

2 Thi i folowed by fou paallel auance aed a neaive impeaive "do no do no do no do no(ee 1 :2 1 ) Whie he inen i auance he one i impeaive

(ee 129) The pie encompae he oop in an enacmenof faih "make he oop u in YH3. The ound fo auance paallel he obevaion of

he Eypian in Exod 14:15 (and ee v 14): YHWH i een obe a deciive fiue in comba The ound of confidence i heauance ha Iae i no aone in he bae bu ha a ayhe fomidabe powe of YHWH who in he pa ha beenvicoiou

Thi imple ylized peech efec coe convicion of he adiion of Deueonomy ae ha YH i a ea paye inIael conflic By YHWH' enaemen hioica bae aeneve wha hey eem becaue he uneen foce of YHW i deci

ive The ound of auance ha nohin o do wih echnooyaey o "miiay pepaedne Such a caim fo he poweof YHWH made mo efecivey no by a hihy odeed echnoloically ophiicaed miliay eabihmen bu by "feedomfihe wih ueila echnique who have no aiona chance ofvicoy bu who may pevai becaue of he "heooical eney

hey ene and in which hey ue he pie he "mue office addee he oop (

57 Thi peech ouine fou condiion fo which one may be

2



COMMERY

exeped fro coba The fir hree perhap appeal o oldaboo of ufhed bue ha h derac fro a leded vee he bale:

1 a ew houe ll udedcaed;2 a veyard o ye eoyed;3 a arrae o ye coumaed

Thee hree provo reflec Irael covco abou he e

lee of lv a ood lfe; he locao of he couy uproec he rh of member o eoy ad coplee he aeral procee of lfe The exepo are ca wh a awareeha f a a o exeped for hee reao aoher awll eoy he Thu he exepo proec ale hoor hecouy of cope male The ae eaure of he ood

lfe ha eed o be proeced are refleced boh he blead he cure foud elewhere (Deu 28:30; o 5: 1 1 ; 9 : 14; a28; 5:2122) The cure ha he oral procee of lfe hallbe druped ad fall o he had of aoher a

4 The fourh provo vere ve a dere ro-duco ad ay be added o cofor o he double do ofear of vere 1 ad 3 The rado kow ha fearlee(fah) cao be coaded ad fear cao be prohbed byadae I kow moreover ha cowardce coaouThe provo however hould be uderood heolocallyad o pycholocally Th bale o for he brave bufor hoe who ru YHWH (ee Jud 7:3) Thoe who do o

ub o he reaur overey of YHWH have o place YH coba

00 Wha ay be a older rule of warlack he pourheorc of vere 19 a reulao for how o proceed aaa eey (vv 1014) The reulao mple I approach o

ay eey ow Irael mu oer erm of urreder The ex hahe er lom er of peace I o be oed however hahe er of peace ueed here are harh eace requre ur

1



DEERONOMY 212

render and bmon to a condton o orced labor (ee Joh921) remably an enemy wold ony bmt wlnly to chcondon t were elevdent that Irael cod not be reted

or deeatedI on the other hand the enemy ret the harh oer o peaceIrae then o neah a ormdabe ee In h rheorc t no dobted that Irael wl preval over every enemy becae theradon ha compete condence n YHWH a the key actor nbae he preentaton o war here hhly ynertc: Irael

ay ee; YHWH ve vctory (ee rov 1:31) he real nteretn h nt not the benet o the mpoed erm (orced abor todo Irael lackey work) bt the an o booy pon vcory Irael o kl all the oppon older bt to take and enjoy a wabooy everyhn ele ncldn women (on whch ee 21:1014)chdren and cae h procedre kely reect he realty o

war n whch the death o enemy older common ene heconcaton o women and chdren may be rearded a atamn o war he aternatve death or al One hod nothowever m the barbarm mpled n the permon to takewomen and chldren a captve o war o the certan cretyo ch a procedre nderood n ncrtcal ahon a a to YWH re vctory

at bac re o war probaby a procedre common to theancen word and rely relected n modern warare wth ttechnoocaly enhanced brtalty he rle however emendedn vere 1 5 18 nder the trnent deoloy o Deteronomy Whathad been a re o procedre or all war (rrender or deeat andbmon) now applcable ony to dtant town and cte wth

whch Irael to have no contnn contac here a harherreqrement or town cloe at hand n the and o prome

06-8b Deteronomy now zealoly enre Yahwtcmonopoy n war he harh provon o vere 171 8 athorzethe klln o all eneme even women chldren and cattle whch

were exemped n vere 1014 (See 2 10:14 Ho 10:14 orch mltary brtalty) he power deoloca orce oDeeronomy evdent n three rhetorca nal:

211



COMMERY

1 Te lit of enemie ecoe 7:1 tou te abence of teGiraite from ti it reduce te conventiona numbereven to ix enemie In any cae te lit i an ideooical ina

of compreenivene referrin to te entire antecedent population of te and of promie2 Te overnin verb anniilate ) tated in an

empatic form recal te ar retoric of capter 7 andintend te detruction to be a teooica act in te interet ofpreervin te ditinctivene of Irae fait

3 Te ue of te term aborrent tin (abomination)ecoe 726, and concern anytin tat treaten or calenete pure Yawim of Irael

Te converence of tee ferce ideoloica factor introduce anew ditinction beween a and a enemie of Irael It uet

moreover tat anniiation of te enemy i not an act of devotion to Y but i a pramatic tep by an exceediny anxiou community to eiminate al treat and eduction tat mitprovide an aternative to Y It i poible to undertand tiproviion a te retoric of fait one yterica and ee it impya deoloy tat i neve ntended o be embodied in actual waOne cannot owever mi te brutality tat i aured in ucideoloy Weter in fact uc retoric ever intended aca impe-mentation or not it i evident tat in te ervice of convinced teoloical monopoy a retoric of violence te tradition doe notobject to

0-0 fter te ferocity of vere 618, one i carcey pre

pared for te fina tatute of vere 1 920 wic take a firt tepin makin war environmentally friendly Siee of a city mutave been a widepread practice and iee weapon require otof umber Ti requirement of umber i one cae of te caracteritic way in wic war avae te environment and eave itdeoate and unproductive lon after afair of tate ave been

reolved and forotten (ee 2 K 3:1925).In te face of Deuteronomic realim about war tee final

vere provide an atoniin imitation upon combat procedure



EERONOMY -

he pupoe i o poec he food chai eve leavi a food uppl fo oe' eemie ae he bale whe Iael' oop havewihdaw Such a poviio ma be ubumed ude a ichoae

ceaio heolo i which i i ecoized ha he ceaed woldha i ow ih ad pivilee ad hee ae impoa limia-io impoed o huma ieveio I i oewoh ha heaue ive o aioale fo he limiaio bu ol ofe ala ijucio ha ad aai he wholeae buali of vee1518

Theological and Ehic Analysis

I a wa chaaceiic of Deueoom hi chape o wacombie paioae Yahwiic faih ad exceedil hah ocialpolic hee ca be lile doub ha i wa he peue ad axie of eal cicumace ha iiiall poduced he evei; i a

cae hi i a hahe io which YHWH i full daw YHWHi implicaed a iiiao ad leiimao of he hahe haIael i heeb compelled o eac

he chape exhibi deep u ad cofidece i YHW Ihe deveopme of he adiio he hi fo wa apoedio a ummo o faih (a i Ia 7:9 30:15) a eadie o u

YHWH i eve cicumace Eve a he level of buali hiadiio believe ad ik eveh o he will ad capaci ofYHWH Iae wil iumph beaue YHWH ommied o hebale (vv 13 16) he peech of he pie i a aimaio ofYHWH oveei ove he milia poce ad a iviaioha Iael' oop hould e hei fuue i YHWH' eliablecae

Cofidece i YHWH howeve become a waa fo bual-i Whaeve ma be aid abou cofidece i YHW' ove-ei ad povideial cae hee i o ecape fom he eali ofhi ex wa i hell; i emai hell whe coduced b IaelMoeove i emai hell whe coduced b Iael wih heauhoizaio of YHW I ime of emeec cofidece i

YH eadil pill ove io juificaio fo oe' ow cauewhich i eail ead a he caue of YH (ee 149:69)

I i ea o ead uch a uciical likae of YHWH



COMMERY

and bruaiy a primiiv and ancin Bu ha am frvingefdeciving giimizaion i a powrfu in conemporary ife ain h ancien x Thu in Word War II rhoric made h war

ino mora cruade ach id caiming "God wih u whichurch choir wr no very diren from popuar ong in offr-ing "Praie he ord and a he mmuniion urey a modernecho of Pam 149 More rcny Unid Sae miiary powerha been deepy inked o heoogica caim o ha emingynde wave of vioenc ar juified a God' goodwi againdemonized mbodimn of vi ha mu be "uery droyed

There are o b ure miigaion of bruaiy in he ex he iof exempion and h procion of ree h am ime howver i mu be recognizd ha a ong a he rheoric of vioenci mpoyed in order o ummon faih he xure of vioncei undeniaby a work no mar how nob he ummon iinended Thu he rhoric of he churchfor xamp in imaria hymnoninu o carry ubimina nuanc of vioenceven whn he vionce i no onger innded The ong abuivhiory of he church i vidence ha hi durabe rheoric ofvionce coninu o do i egiimaing work even wher i impoyed by ho who innd no uch mag Th upho ofuch uag i ha h God of h Bib rmain impicaed in h

hir for vionc ven when he imony of uffring ov keppeaking again i

In h end hi x i a ummon o faih in Y o ruhe fuure o Y' good aurance In i paricuar rhorici i a ummon o hav nough faih o figh Noing h probemof ha conncion of fath and fght h x may eav u wih a

queion abou faih nough not o figh bu o rik oher acionin obdienc hrby craing a nw fuur

An Ordered Neghborlness (

Thi xndd body of au i rahr random and admi ofno comping rucura anayi I em b o ake up he aw

one a a ime In hi ecion of x h ong rguaion i ah ou (21:19 foowd by hre horr aw (21:1014 1517 1821 which in urn ar foowed by aw ha ar for he

14



DEERONOMY 21:2212

mo par very brief (22:112 The eneral inenion i o brinevery phae of Irael' life under he overnance of Y andunder he pracice of a cerain noion of covenan

Exegetca Anayss

2-9 The fir and lone aue in hi ecion of ex fiwell under he rubric of proecion of human life (ha i dono kill ) (21 : 1 9 I more or le a coninuaion of he concernof 19: 113 which i preoccupied wih blooduil and he heddin

of innocen blood In 1 9:113 he cae wa imper and admiedof adjudicaion becaue he killer wa known Al ha needed obe decided in ha cae wa he murderer' moive In he preencae he maer i more problemaic becaue here i a body evi-denly murdered bu no poible idenificaion of he killer In1 9: 113 he purpoe of adjudicaon i o popely assign blood

guilt ha i like a ubanive lehal force in he communiy Theiue hen i o proec he communiy aain he hrea of unanwered blood

Here he probem of blooduil he endurin hrea of a wron-ful deah mu be handled diferenly becaue here i no knownperperaor o whom blooduil can be ained The problem i

laid ou in vere 1 and he maer of juridicion i eled in vere2 The key player are he elder of he own hu refecin ama ararian communiy ha mu ae reponibiiy for iown wellbein wih he procedure i ha a hand The edermanae he proce of blooduil by acion and by o peecheone of declaraion and one of peiion The acion of he elder ilikely a very old radiional pracice urely oder han Yahwim(and wihou any reference o Yahwim) a nonraional raey for expunging bloodguilt from he communiy (vv 34 Theacion involve a heifer a youn female cow which ha coniderabe value in an ararian communiy pu runnin waer in awadi Boh he heifer and he waer are a heir be; he heifer hano been worked bad and he wadi ha no been worked

bad Boh are eemen of creaion in a free unpoiledunclaimed ae oered a an ac of unrerained invemen in aproce commenurae wih he hrea I appear ha ood

215



COMMARY

bood offered o overcome he hrea of bad bood, boodmade bad by ben voeny poured ou

The eure of wahn mached by a decaraon of nno-

cence Te eder aer ha neher hey (or any hey repreenn he vae have hed he blood nor have hey weed hedd, ha , been a accomplce The aemen dance eeder and her vae from he bloodul T decaraon mached by a peon The peo cener o he mperaveabolve a bd expaon for your people Irae The verb

ued by he edr, kppe more famarly raaed aone(be known from he Hebrew Yom Kppur, Day ofAonemen The NRSV rendern abolve may ue a morejudcal uance, bu he erm key combe cuc and udcaldeon The po o remove he hrea of bloodul fromhe communy by he acrameal ac ju compeed and by a

aemen of nnoceceI remarkabe ha he pre n fac never ay anyn n heex Te pre ran aboluon o he vlae and eder Teproce u compeed ad he emerency overcome A nLev 616 (Heb 2026 o que dnc acon are requredThe fr a ecular, ecoomc ac of reparaons Te econd ac,done by a pre absoluon Boh ac, lay and ordaned, areeceary The lay ac a precodo, bu he auhorave acwh e verb of aboluo by he pre Th weordered prooco a proce whch he commuy may have confdenceha wl ve ecury ad welbe he face of omnou forceha are beyod he ken of he communy

04 The nex aw concern ye aoer rule of war andconue he aenda of caper 20 (vv 1014) In preen con-ex, owever, e cae concern maer aer e war For hareaon, Caroyn reer (19939) ha rouped oeher haue wh he o ha folow (vv 1517 1 821 ) a concern forauhory and order n he houehold

Th aue auhorze he doman power of he male n efamy The aemen reraed, bu he one ad of areclear Warror are free o wa and o ake foren women



DEERONOMY 1

in war (ee 20:14). e verb "take uet forcible action (ee2 Sam 1 1 : 1 5) e woman a no voice in te matter eiter toreit or to comply Se i acted upon by te man wo a all te

rit e fnal aertion of male power airm tat te one ea forcibly eized e i now free to divorce (v 14) reler conclude:

e law cearly asses a ale dated stat It addresseste ale t asses tat te ale s te prary actr e desresad taes e lger desres ad seds t Wle t dees tewas legal stats (wfe ad prvdes er prtect tatstatus (se ay t e sld t des s y ltg te asacts. (Pressler 1993:15

Deuteronomy a not yet tranpoed ender relationip intocovenantal cateorie a it a been able to do in ome oter mat-

ter uc a te economy

1117 e econd tatute in ti triloy of family ordinance concern te rit of ineritance (211517) i proviion i deined to protect te cutom of primoeniture teprivilee of te firtborn on in te ineritance of family property

In tat ancient world and well into te modern world tat cutom i intended to protect family property to prevent endlequarrel about ineritance of land and to preclude te framentation of uc property wit a multiplicity of eir e tatutemoreover undercore te privilee of te firborn on in a quitetraditional ocial orderin by uaranteein im a double portionof ineritance.

e iue of te tatute arie becaue te landowner te onenow bequeatin i property love a wife wo i te moter ofa youner eir. Out of preference for te wife wom e love ewie to privilee er on and b privilein te youner on totrow over ocial convention and propriety But e cannot ayMoe becaue uc an act would "not be rit It would violate

te "ut entitlement (mip) of te older on i i a teacintat upport traditionalim aaint any emotional deviation evenby te male ead of te family Wile tee family law ave a

2 7



COMMERY

hh vew of male patrarchal authorty here the freedom of thehead of the famly curbed The authorty of the father reulated n the nteret of ocal tablty o that he cannot do what

he want wth h own wealth and property The crcumtancereflected n th tatute cloely parallel that of Eau and Jacob nGene 2527 In the ancetral narratve of Gene the clamof prmoenture are reularly overturned (ee Gen 481320)

8 The thrd n th trad of famly ordnance concern

the dcplne of a recalctrant on (211821) The tatute affrmtradtonal authorty of parent over chldren n the nteet ofmantann ocal order The on a dtubance n the famlybecaue he wll not lten that accept authoty The verba ued three tme n a reconton that a Iael lfedepend upon heedn Moac command o the lfe of famly and

of ocety depend upon heedn proxmate authorty The not ltenn whch enerc n vere 18 made explct n vere 20a luon and unkard (ee rov 232021; 287) Such mcon-duct bn hame on the famly and eventually economc eopardy

The tatute aert that uch a famly cr a publc concern chld who place the famly at rk mut be dealt wth by theauthorte when the parent have exhauted ther own capactyThe acton of the elderthe domnant offcal n vllae lfendcate that the communty wll cloe rank to deal wth anyunettlement that dturb the economc (and therefore moral)coherence of the communty The act of publc executon dened to pure the threat to the communty and to make thevolator an example to any othe who may want unretaned free

dom Th tatute refect a cutomary vllae order that eadyto ve communty order prorty well before any peonal freedom and n whch the parental order equated wth God ownwll for the comunty

3 Th bref and olated law of 212223 refect the

concern of Deuteronomy for the land The key term defea, v 23 ) The land not to be polluted for f that happent wll ceae to produce and Irael wll eventually forfet the land

18



EERONOMY 111

It a be the cae that the power of death that wirl aroundthe bod are thouht to be a pecial threat at niht and thereforeburial i required Or it a be that undown et a liit on the

tie of expoure becaue a decopoed bod i intrinicall athreat In an cae a dead bod certainl a dead bod of one exe-cuted for a crie i an aront to God and a threat to the counit There are no doubt all ort of poible eanin to deathniht and cure in thi text For our purpoe it i enouh to eethat Y' hol people ut keep the land clean o thatit a function a God' ood creation (ee 14:1021)

22- Now follow a erie of tatute that reflect a neihbor-l reponibilit for private propert Thee tipulation refect theconcern of a all ararian counit (ee Exod 21 : 1 15 ) Sucha counit i copoed of all landholder who are daildependent upon each other for cooperation aitance and vii

lance The firt four tatute concern lo of propert and thereponibilit of the neihbor to return what i lot when it ifound; neihbor are bound toether in utual care and protection The ot rearkabe apect of thi tatute i the lat iperative urin The NRSV tranlate You a not withhold ourhelp The verb i conceal hide tated in refexive for You

a not hide ourelf You a not withdraw fro neihborli-ne erhap in a ore conteporar context ou a not livebehind hih wall in a ated counit a thouh ou are notobliated to be a neihbor The fifth tatute i oewhat differentbut with iilar concern for the ae phere of neihborl obli-ation (v 4 ee Ma 12:11) ain the verb hide ourelf thitie rendered in NRSV inore reinforced b the ephaticinfinitive abolute urel lift The clai of covenantaliextend to the ot undane realitie of dail life

2252 Thi icellaneou ection conclude with eventatute that refect three concern we have alread een ele-where:

1 Vere 5 i a prohibition aaint crodrein an act thatcoe under the eneral rubric of ixin thin that ut be

19



COMMERY

kept apart o wc ee 14121 e probto clearlted that evert cld ma ad woma hall bekept dtct "after t ow kd ere "male ad female e

created them (Ge 1 27 e mx of eve the lhtet mat-ter apparetl take to be a act tat ha a he rpple effecta "domo teor tat wll evetall relt cao addetablze all of creato oe wo kow abot mall vl-lae lfe kow that a "domo theor of dorder alwaavalable to pport retace to chae he trad of prohb

to vere 91 1 cocer te mx of crop amalad clothe (o whch ee ev 1919 belo toeter wtvere 5 eac tatte tr reflect axet abot thedetrctve power of mx ad cotamat (Vere 12 areulato that form ot lke te preced thoh t potve ad ot probtve It poble that tael lke"n ad emblem pecf a dtctve Iraelte dett [eeNm 15:3741]

2 he provo o te mother brd ad er o to bebmed der a teolo of the lad (vv 68) It permedto take brd e or o brd It prohbted to take temother brd e mt ot terrpt te food ca o tat"ever wed brd of ever kd mt cote to "be frtfl ad mltpl (Ge 1:21 e e of "ood Ge 121(ad repeatedl te ame term a "we vere 7 Iraelkow that te creato (te lad a bee ordered for frtfule b Y ad tat te ood order of ble wlled bY mt ot be drpted e mt ot overtate theevrometal awaree of th text (ad 20:1920

Noethele t evdet that care ad repect for the lad amore vtal dmeo of th coveata orzo tha had beeotced the pat

3 he bref tatemet vere 8 reqre the erecto of aprotectve barrer (ral te cotrcto of a balco o ahoe he rle partclar ad eem lkel a bld code

reqremet e pot for eteroom however that tecode reqremet lked to a lare axet abot blooduilt(o whch ee 1 9113 21 1 9

22



DEERONOMY 211221 2

Theologcal ad Ethcal Aalyss

o the extent that one may genealize at all fom the micella-neou mateial thee egulation ae concened with contuctionand maintenance of an infatuctue of neighboly inteactionthat ummon membe of the community to pay attention to thewellbeing of the community in way that may at the leat beinconvenient and at the mot be cotly Unde that geneal ubic:

1 he poviion on bloodguilt mean that attention mut be

paid to keep the powe of death at bay by caeful itual (21:19) by attentivene to pope pocedue (21:2223) and bycaeful conideation that doe not count cot (22:8)Uneolved and unanweed death can continue to wok tojeopadize a community

2 he family poviion uely would tike a contempoay

eade a vaiouly babaic (21:1014) inexplicable (21:1517) o a unbeaably hah (21:1821) hee i no need toaffim o appeciate thee tatute in ode to undetand thatthey ae attempt to egulate family life in the inteet of a ta-ble community he inteplay of etablihed authoity peonalfeedom and the dignity of all of human life i hee uneled

and unfinihed3 he ule of neighboly obligation ae eential to a viablecommunty and tell agant exceve pvatzaton (:14)

4 he ule againt mixing (22:5 911) and ecologicalepect (22:56) in dieent way concen the popect of aviable tabilized ceated ode

One doe not need to eonate with all of thee law to ee what at take in the community hee dimenion of the matte ofviable infrastructure at wok hee ae

1 The Godgiven order of reali in elation to initiativethat peon in community may take

2 The power of traditional authoimale eldein theimpoition of ode upon undeling in hah and hieachalway

22



COMMEARY

3. T bligai igbli aan a pvazaonha doe no wan o be nconvenenced

A eade a he bennn of he wenyf cenuy n heUned Sae mh epecally noce he nence on nvemen he communy The deoloy of pvazaon ha end owadelfndulence he unwllnne o comm eney o he nehbo o o ax money fo he common ooda ndcae a pevave yeann o be done wh nehboly ealy Th adon

offe a wholeale nence ha he fuue depend upon uaned nenonal commmen o he publc ood

A Digaul A i al (22:1330 [Rb 22:1329 23:1]

Thee x aue eek o eulae exual elaonhp beeena man and a woman I clea ha he eulaon ovenn ex-

ual elaonhp ae nenely paachal wen fom a malepepecve o poec male enlemen and pvlee Indeedeven he volaon of a woman chaacecally becaue he elaed o anohe man o ha he afon o he man In haea of covenanal oden of ocal elaonhp he hzon ofDeueonomy ha no advanced vey fa fom adonal pa

achy owad a covenanal pacce of muualy Boh Caolynele ( 1 993) and Wahnon ( 1998) vew hee law a auhozaon of male domnaon and whee neceay volence

Exegeical alysis

The f and mo exended of hee x aue con-

cen a cae of popely odeed maae ha doe no wok (vv1321) The aue may be dvded no hee pa he peena-on of he poblem (vv 1317) , a penaly fo fale chae 1 8), and punhmen when he chae ae ue (vv 2021)

The cae concen a dapponed huband (vv 1317) Theaue move quckly o he poblem n vee 1 He dlked he

(Heb hae) The law aume ha he huband enled oa vn wfe ha he wfe oblaed o be vn and he pa-en of he wfe mu uaanee



DEERONOMY 1-

een elewhee in thi copu the tatute i concened withclea and fai judicial pocedue he paen of the wife appa-ently have to efute the chae they do o by appeal to the vil

lae ede who a pevouly noted ae the appopiate udiciaybody tha i to veify the claim of viinity It i evident that thechae i a mo eiou one that waant public attention andeview he mae i no imply a pivate iue between two pa-tie o even two familie In the context of Deuteonomy the matte of lo of viinity i appaently both a theat to pope ocia

ode and a caue fo familial hameI i aumed (and not ated that the chae ae fale he huband i een o be a fale witne who mut be punihed (vv 1819) wo matte in the punihment of the man ae to be notedFi the penalty i imply a cah payment to he fathe fo landeWhie he um of the ine i conideable a mee cah payment ia iht enence in view of he penaltie that follow in the ube-quen tatute hi i a mantoman deal with the woman im-ply a paive paty to the financial tanaction becaue the ealaffont would eem to be of one man aaint anothe man headdiiona punihment deined to aue ocial ability i thathe huband fofeit hi nomal iht to any futue divoce He ilocked in to a maiae with a woman he ha depiedpunih-

men indeed But o i the woman What coun i the ocial tand-in of the o men and the tability of the community

In what mut be a futhe development of the tatute vee 2021 ae willin to entetain the altenative cae that the huband'chae i tue and the woman in not a viin n that cae eveeeaction aaint the woman i authoized

Idctmet: She ha done a diaceful thin in Iael by vio-latin he viinity binin hame on he family humiliation onhe huband and jeopady on he community (hilip 1975)Evey coheive villae ociety know about the candal of uch anact and he deep hame that come upon the entie houehold foa dauhte' failue to be a ood il

Setece: In font of he fathe' houe in he own town all themen (n b not he elde will execute he he text conue a



COMMEARY

cene of unetaned mae voence aant a woman who hadaed to dupt a oca ode that uaantee a neok of maepowe

2222 The econd, bef tatute take up yet anothe cae ofdodeed exua ntecoue The tatute tee Both pateto the adultey ae to be executed, becaue uch an act ceatedetuctve futue fo the communy One need ony notce omatte Ft, the aw famed concenn the man who thentato of the ct acton f a man Second, the affont that the woman the wfe of anothe man, that , the act ofthe man voate the peoatve of anothe man The ente matte amon men

2222 The thd tatute n th ee, to be paed wth thefouth, yet anothe cae of ct ntecoue In th cae, the

woman, a youn vn, mentoned ft; but he yet aanbeon to a man a h betothed The cuca mae fo thepoce of adudcaton the ettn of the voaton, n thetown Becaue the act wa n town, aound othe peope, t peumed that the woman conented and dd not cy out npotet o eek hep, fo othe woud have ead he That he

appaenty conented n the act ncude he n the voaton, eventhouh t a voaton of a man by anothe man The o of themae toned at the ate, he becaue he conented, he becaue hevoated the pvee of anothe man The ode of the communty w be mantaned n a mot uthe way

2225-27The fouth tatute nked to the cae of vee 23

-

24. It aume a of the ame fact except the ocaton of theaffont that now n the open county, away fom othe peope She t an enaed woman mon a thee aw, onyhee the woman ven the beneft of the doubt She mht haveced out fo hep n potet and etance; he mht have,becaue no one wa coe enouh to hea he Theefoe he pe

umed nnocent and acqutted of any wondon She venno compenaton o potecton, but eft uned n the eye ofth patacha communty

4



DEEONOMY 22:13-30

2228-2 the law proceed n a oveent toward leevere aront the h cae ro the perpectve o the textthe leat evere (vv 2829) Th cae nvolved an unenaed vr

n that a woan not yet poeed by a an other than herather The an areve and eze (pa) her thouh theverb here le harh than that n vere 25 The cae con-trated wth the two precedn cae In th cae, nether party executed becaue there no other an who aronted by theact Thu ocal preure o; nothn uch at take The

ettleent o the cae not unlke the rt cae n whch chareare ound to be ale (. 1819) The an ned and oret hrht to a uture dvorce an the eleent ut be adebetween the two en The woan ha been raped but he noteven acknowleded n the ettleent except that he anedo a lelon partnerhp wth her rapt

220 The nal tatute here not n act a part o the erebut appear to be placed here becaue t concern aly reulaton Unlke the other n th ere th tatute a prohbtonaant ncet (ee ev 1 8:6 19; 20:1 121 ; Gen 9:2227) It aanworth notcn that t not o uch a volaton o the arraea t the volaton o the ather' honor becaue the otherbelon to h and ut not be taken ro h (ee the royal ver-on o th act n the ezure o the ather' concubne [2 Sa162023 1 22125])

heologia ad Ehia ayi

Th tedou body o tate eek to reulate aly le andexual relatonhp accordn to the Torah The apparent purpoeo thee law to enure ocal tablty and order and n don oto protect the tatu quo arraneent o ocal power The uncrtczed or o ale power encaed n thee tatute ndcate thataly law ha not oved very ar toward covenantal utualtyRather thee law operate on the aupton o ale donaton

and preroatve: There an unhakable ba n thee text or theneror poton o woen n a patrarchal ocety (Creann1996 250 ee reler 1993 43; Wahnton 1998 2324)

5



COMMENRY

Th charactertcall patrarchal formulaton of power vocedwth the clam of dvne authort and enhrned n th hol bookha exerced hue nfluence upon the formaton of Wetern law

habt and perpectve Indeed the mantenance of order the protecton of honor and the uarantee of propert n a patrarchalocet have derved terrble trenth from th textual tradtonthat ha for the mot part one uncrtczed

In broad weep one ma notce cultural leap that llumnatethe onon power and onon problem of th von of exua

relatonhp:

1 In both Judam and Chrtant there ha been overtme the development of a crtcal tance aant uch unretraned patrarch The emerence of femnt concouneha made t poble to ee a rown attentvene to thee

matter2 It orr for the credblt of the church that t ha beenlarel the ecularzed Enlhtenment that moved decvel nthe Wetern world to acknowlede that women are full adultfull reponble full free partner wth men n the humanenterpre It a ource of awkwardne and caue for repen-tance n the Chrtan communt that the church ha beenunable n lht of the opel to be more crtcal of t own tra-dton Charactertcall the church ha followed and not ledn the emancpator awarene now at work n the world

It clear that b the end of the centur Wetern ocet haarrved at a ver dfferent cr concernn faml lfe and exual

relatonhp the temptaton to reduce relatonhp of loalt totranacton of convenence that are powered b a noton ofdetached freedom that expreed and enacted larel n utltaran and conumert cateore Deuteronom ha erred n themaer b t authoritarian diregard of mutuality, even a domnant contemporar practce err n t determned diregard of

fidelity n the nteret of autonom It no ea thn to fnd awa to covenantal fdelt freedom and repect that a thrdwa a wa that dffer from abuve authortaranm and

6





COEARY

omeone born of an lct unon that a batard born out ofwedock (v 2) Th rule of excluon renforce the rule on lct exuaty n chapter 22 The only other ue of the term ued here

for the ubect az n Zech 9:6, rendered n NRSV margnal peope or more mpy n the Greek aagi that other Th term ugget aarm about otherne n theprohbton

The econd group of excluon ethnc and concern n turnthe mmonte Moabte Edomte and Egyptan v 38)

Whle thee excluonary rue are tated apodctcay andaboutey t mot plauble that they repreent convcton of aceran moment of artculaton uggetng that on the arger hor-zon of Irae elfcontrual the excluon are not tabe andfxed In another crcumtance the rule mght have come out dfferenty Whe they may be recognzed a contextual thee excu-

on are gven n the tradton a abouteThe frt cae concern mmon and Moab who are treated aa par Thee people Irael' coun (ee Gen 19:3038), are permanently excuded from the aemby The excuon moreover undercored by the fna accent of the paragraph n vere 6, whchpecude forever any concern for the salm of Moab andmmon The partcuar jutfcaton of th excluon turn ono very partcuar memore The ongterm negatve effect ofone remembered aront trkng It wa a voaton of hoptaty to refue food and water and Irael o th tradton uggetetabhed a pattern of permanent hotty on the ba ofone mpe affront agant hoptaty But of coure gven ethncefconcoune uch affront are endurngy productve of

hotyCurouy the harhy negatve atttude toward mmon and

Moab here n obvou tenon wth the more armatve lne n2921 The tenon ndcate the ntablty of enmte that mayn other crcumtance be dfferent

The tere armaton concernng the Edomte n vere 7a

qute n contrat to the tone of vere 36; moreover t not clearwhy Edom derently regarded and no onger the obect ofIrae ntene relgou rejecton Th tl hort of wecome

8





COMMENARY

project in the church I current church circles it is evident that theissue again is invested with great intensity (Gaiser 1 994 The arcof inclusiveess in the church community is ope and embracive

he intensity of the current church issue may illuminate the interpretive struggle that surely is present in this text, not only aboutthe four exclusions, but equally about the o inclusions thatwould not have come easily to Israelites with long memories

Purity and Justice Intermingled (23:9-25)

This section of texts includes a series of brief statutes on a variety of subjects, a series that appears to be randomly ordered It ispossible to suggest something of a paerned arrangement of theselaws:

purity in camp ( 9-14

purity from cult prostitutes"(. 1718)

reliability of vows( 21-23

justice to slaves (. 15-16

justice with interest(vv 19-20

justice with neighbors(vv 2425)

Such a arrangement (that may be completely happestance)

exhibits the major emphases of the Torah of Deuteronomy andshows that issues of puri and justice stand side by side in thisinterpretive tradition

Exegetical Aalysis

4 The first of these statutes concerns a rule for the con

duct of war, and so is topically related to chapter 20 ( 9-14The regulation exhibits the way in which this corpus aends todetail, for the issue here is the maintenance of a clean" militarycamp and the disposal of huma waste that, if le unaended,would make the camp unclean" The use of categories ofcleaunclean" with reference to huma waste might be under

stood in terms of hygiene However, cleanness here is linked toholiness, that is, a habitat that is appropriate to the holy Godhus the concern is cultic, ritual purity and ot hygiene

230





COMMENTARY

found elewhere oe houd o be overl eager o explan raelprohbon (Oden 1987:153 Brd 1997:219225)

2320 The fourh aue lke he ecod cocer aremarkable ecoomc ece (vv 1920) Th prohbon ofnere among member of he covena commu evon aradcall alernave ecoom a von ha voced characercall Irael' aue (Exod 22:25 [Heb v 24] Lev 253627) he wdom rado (rov 288) he prophec rado

(Ezek 18:8 13 17 22:12) ad perhap mo pecacularl n oneof he olde lurge ( 155) Gve he recurrence of he ubjec a vare of rado he prohbo agan ere oloan emerge a oe of he mo elemeal eachg of he ehcof covenan (ee Neh 5)

The eachng make oe allowace and offer one aurance

The allowance ha he lmao o nere apple ol ocovenaer and no o ouder (ee 14:21) Th allowance haprovded an opeg for a vare of erpreao I ha beeargued on he ba of h allowace ha h o a uveralprncple for commerce The aurace ha whe he commu pracce a eghborl ecoomc proper come heexplc negao ha whe eghbor rea each oher a occaon for prof he he "aural evronmen wll be lereponve ad le producve becaue YHWH wll o graabundance o hoe who lve a aeghborl exence

23223 The ffh aue h ere cocern he keepng ofvow (vv 2123) I mpora ha he regulaon peran

he fr a o vow o YHWH ad o o eghbor (ee Num302) Vere 22 a a qualfer leave a wa ou of uch oblgaodon' pledge pparel becaue here wa o oblgao o makeuch a prome here o opprobrum wholdng pledgebu when adhered mu be performed (ee 61:5 [6] 22:25[26]; 61 :8 [9]; 65:1 [2] ad 116:14 [ 18] )

The addendum of vere 23 appear o erpre he orgal cuc pulaon b drawg ou o a more geeral prncple haapple o all uch uerace o eghbor a o God



DEERONOMY -5

4- The xh aue h ere cocer ehborlyacce o produce The each boh perm ad lm The per-mo ha oe may eer he veyard or feld of a ehbor

ad hep oe elf o wha row here The lmao mpoed ha uch free food oly for he mome of ea: oe caoue coaer o harve produce beyod wha oe ca ake byhad Th balace of perm ad lm evo a ehborhood whch he ower o rud oward a ehbor ad heuer o exploave oward he ower bu boh are repecful

of he oherTheological and Ehica Analsis

Thee law a varey of que pecfc way race ou herede of a vable commuy Yahwc covea I herhyhm of x aue o major emphae emere:

vable covea commuy mu Hly ad maacodo whereby hole wll ad able o abde Theerule for ho hole may eem o errbly mpora dye f oe coder he volao of hem erm of cheap de-cecy (vv 914) mapulave exualy a a ulmae ( 1 71 8) ad a breakdow of fdely (vv 2123) oe ca ee ha hole

a preece of ulmae power for wellbe ha ve lfe buoyacy ealy dcarded Commuy become oh moreha aac f coeece whch he o w awaydefea he weak

The ecod heme cocer he pracce of mi juiwhch here arculaed mall bu radcal requreme:

1 The freedom of lave way ha wll break he deb y-em (vv 1516) Th law aer ha he humay (ad herefore freedom) of he lave a coveaal realy ha overrdecoveoal ecoomc

2 The prohbo aa ere o loa o ehbor(vv 1920) a prohbo aa reduc ehbor o pover-

y There o doub ha he hory of char ere aorry ale of exploao reflec he fac ha face amajor zoe of covea oblao ad a major opporuy for



COMMARY

covenana obedence Benamn Neon (1994 ha aced hehoy of he pacce of uuy n he e I h weaueduden ha he pohbon on chan nee wa a con

cou ehca poon n he e un he me of heRefomaon h caef documenaon Neon demonae ha he Refome Luhe and epecay Cavn whhe e of he commecedven boueo found a way ou nee and heefoe chaned he mo eemena eco-nomc ean of he e (Neon 1994 7374) Neon' pay

on he em ohe and bohe deved fom he panof bohe (whch n he Hebew of Deueonomy ncudee) and foene n he aue and ae pacuayen A on a one a bohe o e ha a membe of he communy nee a pobem; when he boowe an oude an ohe who o be eaed a a dance a an

aen hen he aw of Moe pem nee Neon aphom In oden capam a ae bohe n ben equayohe' (Neon 1994 xx)

3 Socey depend on fducay eaonhp n whch peopeae a ood a he wod I cea ha uch fducay way ofean ae an oddy n a ma cuue of anonymy ha eeupon he manpuaon of mae Indeed a cynca udmen nuch a oca conex a conempoay conume oceymh be ade ha o be uohy fooh fo one ueo be expoed Bu he hea o human weben n heabence of eabe eaonhp neay unbeaabe (Bey19832463; Fukuyama 19952627)

4 The acce of nehbo o poduce ha pecude pva-

zed encoue (vv 2425) Th ahe nnocen ookn ude-ne fo nehboy acceby n an aaan ocey hawhn he eed of eance o aw of encoue Kaoany ha aced he pece momen n Enh hoy oce one cae when eaon wa enaced wheeby eabhedandowne eaned he h o fence he popey and o

make foan by needy peope a cme wh evee ancon(oany 1957) Tha enacmen of aw of encoue pevenn he ue of azn and o he coecon of fewood wa a

234





COMMARY

or wdowhood. The saue provdes no deals s no concernedwh eher he frs or he second dvorce. Tha s a aken as roune n a pararcha socey.

The ssue s no eher marrage or he saus of he woman. Is he saus of he and (v. 4) The ssue urns on he characersc erms defle and abhorren. The second marrage hasmade he woman a used woman as far as he frs husband sconcerned. For he firs husband o reengage wh her sexuaywould be o reae o a used woman, whch coud ony brng

amiai o he communy and o he land. Thus he enreregulaon concerns a pararchal judgmen abou proecng hepury of he and of promse by excuson of he now defedwoman. The aw operaes on he assumpon ha anyhng ouof order w hreaen he order of everyhng ese; a seue ofsexua neracons ha s no norma s a dsrupon and a

hrea.The saue, however, s used meaphorcay n er 3:15 and sdramacay overurned. In eremah, s he frs husband of wfe Israe. Wfe Israe eaves her frs husband, ,for a second husband, Baa. When he second husband, Baa, sfound o be nadequae, wfe Israel wans o reurn o her frshusband, I s precsely he reurn ha s precuded by hesaue of Moses. Tha, however, s ony a seup for he announcemen of he prophec poery. The surprse, accordng o he poery, s ha s eager o voae he saue n order o haveIsrael reurn n fah. (See he erm reurn n v 12, 14, 22; 4:1 ) n grea passon overrdes he Torah, rsks he defemen,and embraces he wayward, used wfe, Israel Ths poem effec

vey undermnes he srngency of he saue, hough he benefof such subverson perans o he fuure of covenana heoogyand no o he od famy law.

5 The rule on mary exempon n verse 5 (o whch reference s made n Luke 14:20) s nked o he seres of exempons

n 20:57 In hs earer seres, as Washngon has observed(1998:15), he exempon s o guard agans he compeng rghsof anoher man. Ths ean reguaon more smpy seeks o





COMMERY

a devie or undersoring Leviial auhoriy The reerene onerning Miriam is o he narraive o Num 12 in whih Miriamsiser o Moses was smien wih leprosy or hallenging Mosai

auhoriy (Trible 1989) The onern or puriy appears o be asraagem used or he enhanemen o he auhoriy o Moses andderivaively o he Levies

2022 The remainder o his haper onsiues a series obrie regulaions designed (exep or verse 16) o ensure neigh

borly jusie

1. A onern or ollaeral or loans expressed in verse 6 isaken up again in verses 1013 is assumed as n verse 6 hain he proess o graning a loan he redior has soial leverageover he debor Suh leverage mus be resrained beause he

redior also has an obligaion o proe he digniy o hedebor in wo ways Firs a debor's home "is his asle a saeplae where he redior may no ener (vv 1011). This lawprevens voyeurisi onisaion Seond he vulnerabiliy ohe debor is even more i he debor is "poor n suh a asehe redior migh insis on more subsanive ollaeral oseure a risky loan and ake everyhing he poor person hasThe mos exreme ollaeral imaginable is he poor personsoa needed or warmh a nigh i he oa is seied by heredior he debor is le ompleely exposed by an exploiaiveredior (see Amos 28) Suh a oa as ollaeral he sauemandaes mus be given bak o he poor person every nighor saey and omor in sleep whle he loan oninues This

requiremen perhaps inends o make he daily pik up andreurn o ollaeral so inonvenien ha he need or ollaeralis waived n any ase he righs o he redor are urbed andhe digniy o he poor debor is airmed

2. The parallel saemens in verses 1415 seek urher ourb he wealhy employer in relaion o he poor laborer The

saemens insis ha wages mus be paid he day earned (asin verse 13) Crediors are won o wihhold and use oherpeoples money however briely o heir own advanage (An

8



EERONOMY 2422

anaogue migh be he exorbian ineres raes on shorermoans oered or poor peope who are wihou bargainingpower) One canno say o he poor worker, "The checks in he

mai , or he poor mus have heir money prompy The poinis ha he poor empoyee is a neighbor and no an economicpawn.

3 erse 16 is a remarkabe saemen in conex Whereashe oher saues seem o be case aw, his verse enunciaes aprincipe or capia oenses, seeking o conain sancioned

reaiaion or a capia aron. Ceainy in a sociey ouncurbed raw power, a capia aron migh evoke a whoesaereaiaion, so ha he enire amiy or viage o he murderermigh be wiped ou This saemen seeks o break he paerno vengeu, disproporiona reaiaion by imiing reaiaiono he perperaor. According o he narraive o 2 Kgs 46,

roya vengeance is resrained precisey by Torah eaching. Thesame principe o proporionaiy is saed or dieren reasonsin er 31230 and Eek 182.

4 The saue o verses 118 reurns o he issue o coaera or oans aready voiced in verses 6, 1013. Here he deborwho is ideniied ony as "poor in verse 12 is now speciiedaccording o sandard Deueronomc rheoric by he amiiarriad o hose vunerabe because hey are andess he aien,orphan and widow In verses 1213 he garmen o he poorcoud be aken ony in he dayime, bu here resrain on hecredior is urher advancedno coaera a a The moivaion o verse 1 8 paraes ha o 15 15. This moivaion beongsogeher wih he airmaive sancion o verse 13 and he neg

aive sancion o verse 15 The hree saemens o verses 1315 and 18 ogeher odge economic ransacions in he conexo YHs good governance.

The hree parae reguaions o verses 19 20 and 2122 arereaed o 232425. The dierence is ha in 232425 he aws

give o he needy neighbors permission o gean. In he presenverses, he saues issue a sai o crediorowners ha macheshe pi o 232425. Tha is, resrain and permi share he

29



COMMARY

same ass aayss of how he powerfu ad he poweress arereae as eghors The ower, harvesg gra, oves, adgrapes, ao go hrough he fed, orhard, or veyard a seod

me for wha was dropped ad e he rs me The resdue,whh mgh e osderae s for he eedy Thus he resrao he ower s o esure a modes wefare aome of produeo hose who have o ad of her ow

Theolocal and Ethical Analysis

The grea emphases of hs oage of ref sruos arepury a use The wo major rues for pury here are oere wh avodg oamao ha w eopardze he ada edager he ommuy. Whe verses 4 (5) ad 89 mayseem offesve eause of her auhorara as, hey do rasea mpora oer pouo ad oamao are a deep

hrea o he fe of Israe ad o he fe of he word The ad(earh) s o gve as a uodoa guaraee of weeg,u s eeedgy frage ad reures aeveess The reguao verses 4 moreover, udersads ha dsored humareaoshps o "poue ad edager, so ha he erreaedess of he huma ad he evromea s armed (erry993)

The umuave efe of hs user of saues o use smpressve The rues oer ue oree maers of oas adoaera, payme of poor workers, ad wefare provsos forhe adess poor I remas, however, o ake up hese modes"vage reuremes ad raspose hem y remagao aseghory eoom praes a poes a mass uure

where he power of he propered ad he vueray of heproperyess s pay ou ogeher desruve ways The "assaayss doe here s sef mpora eause sss uporeogo ha he poorwdow, orpha, aeare dffere,have ffere eeds ad eemes Beyod ass aayss, hesoa yams of "haves ad "have os are framed

ahwsay y saos (vv 3, 5 a y movaos (vv 822) The eghorspeay he eghor eedves awor govered o y he ruhess "ro aw of he marke or y

4





COMMEARY

parcuar awha has s narrave compemens n Gen 38 anhe book of Ruhproves a sanar proceure n he even ofhe eah of a husban who has no son (vv 56) A broher of

he ecease man s oblgae o marry hs ea broherswow an so o prove a son for he ecease The provsonreflecs he nensey pararcha concern ha he "name anlne of he ecease shou be perpeuae Famly connuy san overrng agena as s evence n he ancesra narravesof Geness

The saue has n vew an eal "srae ha akes care of sown an oes no perm an "ouser o marry one of s wows The premse of he aw s a welorere selfconscous communy wh al members comme o s webeng "Whenbrohers rese ogeher (see Ps 1331 )

7-0 Tha yllc sae of communy s arre by herecognon ha no al "brohers "well n uny no a areprepare o accep an obgaon ha woul cae he marrageof he survvng broher no maer how he hmself may regarhe maer The saue oes s bes o promoe s vson of" broherlness by suggesng ha o renege on such famy obgaon s a cause for communa elberaon The wow can flea charge an he eers can nervene wh he broher o urgecomplance o hs emanng ornance f he broher sresss hen he abanone wow s free o engage n wo acsof humlaon of he broher spng n hs face an removnghs sana Whle he exac meanng of he secon ac s noclear s he more urable ac because gves he reneger a

asng "nckname ha keeps hs ressance o soca obgaonvsbe n he communy Verses 10 ncae how ffcul hseal "broherhoo s o susan an how probemacenforce complance s The verses sugges ha he umaeweapon agans such a broher who w no "ac for he famys shame Communal coherence s a large agena n hs corpus

bu no everywhere preval The shame was apparenlybearabe for he broher who renege He cou lve weenough even f labele an espse



DEERONOMY 25:1-19

25-2 The fourh brief saue in verses 1 2 concerns adispue among men perhaps he liigaion of verses 3 carriedino he srees Thus he regulaion is o be undersood as par of

he family law ha guards and enhances pariarchal primacy. Thephysical dispue among men is aken for graned; wha ineresshe regulaion is he "inappropriae inervenion of a woman onbehalf of her husband. The case cies a knowledgeable woman forwhen she inervenes she goes for he genials of her husband'sadversary his mos vulnerable par. The erm used for genials

{mbyw based on he roo {b recognies ha he genialsare he par of he male anaomy mos exposed and mos vulnerable and herefore mos privae and no o be ouched by he wifeof anoher man. Her conac wih his genials humiliaes him.

Her hand has offended and mus be cu off (see Ma 52930)The formula "no piy is reserved in his corpus for he mos

exreme and dangerous affrons (see 138). This is evidenly oneof hose mos exreme affrons The prioriy of men and he irrelevance of women are unmisakable in his case Tha ordering ofsocial power is preserved wih harshness and unblinking severiy.

25-6 The fifh sipulaion in his chaper concerns equiableeconomic ransacions and so relaes o he fundamenal and concree insisence on usice in 161820 "Jusice is no simply a"good idea in his vision of sociey bu comes down o quie concree pracices. This sipulaion consiss in wo prohibiions andwo corresponding posiive saemens plus a moivaional clauseinroduced by "in order ha. The o negaives concern commercial fraud of rigged weighs and measures. The o parallel

posiive saemens require ha weighs and measures should be"full and hones ha is as claimed and represened so ha cusomers receive wha is allegedly sold The erm "hones {$dq) iswice used in 620 where i is convenionally rendered "jusicejusice The mos remarkable feaure of his saue is he way inwhich fair commercial pracices are reaed as a condiion for sus

ainale life in he land. The nonnegoiale condiion of wellbeing is inenional neighborliness in every dimension of lifeincluding daily dealings in he markeplace (see Amos 856)



COMMEARY

The sixh and final sipulaion in his chaper concerns enduring hosiliy oward he Amalekies, Israels perennialenemy. This final, passionae urging in he corpus of saues

relaes o he "Rules of Exclusion in 2318, bu escalaes herheoric well beyond any of hose formulaions. The saue beginswih an exended hisorical allusion in verses 118, looking backo Ex 1816 [see also Num 144345].

Wih ha grounding for "eernal hared, he final verse issuesis imperaive I is simple and unqualified "blo ou he memo

ry, everywhere, in every way, for all ime The mandae is reenforced by he final, "do no forgeever The locus of hisdurable hosiliy is for a ime when Israel will be "a res in heland and safe from all enemies and hreas (Deu 1210; Josh214345; 2 Sam 1).

In ha conex wihou any hreaening enemies, however,

Israel's adrenalin is o be devoed o hared oward heAmalekies. The juxaposiion of s from enemies and his mandae for a is highly ironic. The harsh saemen is no doubrooed in some concree memory. Wha was apparenly a concreeand compelling memory has become an ideological slogan haperhaps has a purpose oher han hared s funcon in hs locaion is o remind Israel a he end of he legal corpus ha Isal isdi, unlike all oher peoples, especially unlke is enemieswho are he enemies of hei God, he quinessenial one beinghe Amalekies (on which see also 1 Sam 15). This durable haredis a defian way o affirm ha "hrough many rials and snareswe have already come The funcion of his slogan may be beerundersood if one recalls parallel slogans ha have a similar

funcion

"Remember he Alamo "Remember Pearl Harbor "Never again a Masada

The main inenion of hese slogans is no o evoke hared ordesrucion of, respecively, he Mexicans, he Japanese, or heRomans Raher hey summon, respecively, Texans, Americans,

4



DEERONOMY 26119

and Israelis o ake accoun of heir special place and role in heworld, given providenially and enaced diligenly Thus his concluding law is no inended o be enaced I is raher a bid ha

srael no forge is blessed painful pas ha has culminaed ingifs, assurances, and enilemens None of ha, o be sure, minimies he harsh, ruhless formulaion ha finally loses none of isominous one, a slogan kep ready for he mobiliaion of violenadrenalin in any fuure emergency

heoogica and Ehical Anaysis

The six "saues reierae hemes already known elsewhere inhe corpus a concern for due process (2 1 3 ) an acknowledgmen of he digniy and enilemen of nonhuman creaures (24)family law ha preserves pariarchal preeminence (210 1 112) he pracice of neighborly jusice (21316) and rules of

exclusion now escalaed (2 19) This srange bu characerisic sequence exhibis an inenionalcommuniy a work seeking o regularie and make coheren isown sense of iself The wo regulaions in 24 131 accen acaring ehic of jusice Tha ehic however, operaes wihin a seled pariarchal order susained by harsh sancions (2 3 910

12) ha draw rigorous, even inflammaory lines agains ousidersTo an observer of he radiion, such a collage of requiremens andsensibiliies seems fraugh wih inconguiies Neverheless, heincongruiies alogeher add up o a communiy of inenionaliy,obeying YHWH as hey undersood he God of he Exodus andcaring for neighbor as hey were able in an environmen sauraed wih hrea and anxiey

A ECAON NASED 26:119

Wih he end of he corpus of saues in chapers 122 he"Second Address of Moses, begun in 444 now moves o is

concluding saemen of sancions and appeals in chapers 2628The presen chaper has been undersood, since he defining workof Gerhard von Rad (1966233) as an oah of allegiance where

245





DEEROOMY -9

Y an is, properly, wha he Bible means by "miraclean "mighy ee. The rheoric works so ha he speaker whois a belae rememberer o an ol even becomes a presenense

paricipan in ha ol even In "liurgical ime, he gapbeeen pas ime an presen ime is overcome, an presenense characers become involve in remembere evens Therecial, moreover, makes clear ha he iniiaive or his eliverance is no wih Y bu wih he paine peiion o srael.Israel speaks irs an mobilies Y ino acion YHWH is

ecisively responsive o Israel's nee. The irresisible power oY is exhibie in he assaul on Pharaoh. Y hasone for Israel wha i coul no o or isel.

3 The recial culminaes in verses 910 wih an airmaiono he gi o he wonrous lan as he ulillmen o boh heancesral promises an he eliverance rom Egyp (see alreay

v. 3 ) The presenaion o he irsruis is an avowal o his narraive accoun o Israels pas wih Y A every poin, i isY who is he ecisive acor.

22-5 The secon par o his chaper concerns he hiryear ihe an seems especially connece o 142829 (vv. 1225)Thus he o oerings are here place backoback bu wih noevien relaionship o each oher isuis (on which see 1 5 1922) an hir year i (on which see 142829) The hir yearihe is special because is "n your owns, no brough o hesancuary or o a pries, bu kep or he neey in he communiy

As wih verses 111 his uni o ex consiss in ac an worThe ac enails genuine soliariy wih he poor an neey (v. 12)

The ex is ominae as in verses 59 by he uerance o heworshiper The oering provies opporuniy or a public aesaion o singular, uncompromise evoion o Y an aesaion ha is given as a "saemen o innocence in a series o eclaraions

I have removeI have given,I have no ransgresse

47



COMMENARY

I have not forgotten,I have not eaten,I have not removed,

I have not ofered (given),I have obeyed (istened).

In every way, the speaker has diigenty and scrupuousy kept thecovenant and obeyed the Torah commandments. The entire assertion of fideity and innocence articuates a contrast beeen Torah

obedience and other aternatives that were surey avaiabe andthat required intentiona denia The outcome is a ife that is competey shaped and discipined by the commands ofY. Thisis indeed a righteous man" who has meditated on the Torah dayand night" (see Ps 1 2; Deut 17 18-19), and who finds oy in suchattentiveness.

The recita of innocence forms the ground of appea that isuttered in the imperative of verse 15. After the statement of quaification, the speaker has earned the right to petition YHW as adevoted adherent. The imperative is in o parts

1. Look down" the verb assumes that YHW is highabove and not in the place." The term regulary bespeaks bothY's transcendence and YHWHs attentiveness (Gen1928; Ex 1429; Pss 142; 102:20; Lam 350). The petitionwants YHWH to notice.

2. The second, more forcefu imperative is to bess" bothIsrael and its and. The term bess" appeas to the creationtradition of the God who infuses the earth with abundance.

The term affirms that YHWH has wied the habitat of sraeto be fruitfu. The petition asks that in special, particuar waysthis and of promise may enjoy the intense generosity thatYHWH has decreed for a of creation. Whie the recita ofverses 310 ooks to the past, the recita of verses 1 314 ooksto the future and the bessing for which fideity quaifies srae

and its and. The speaker is fuly committed to a Deuteronomictheoogy of choosing ife and of receiving ife from the Lord oflife

248



DEERONOMY 26119

The conclusion of he chaper reflecs muual promises of loyaly ha eecively bind and srael ino anexclusive covenan relaionship of fideliy (vv 1619) The sae

men hree imes assers "oday v. 6 7, 1 8), suggesing a cuic, liurgical exchange of vows underaken wih grea inensiy.The erm ha NRSV renders "agreemen refers o formal verbalasserions ha is, solemn vows ha commi he speaker o cerainobligaions o he parner srael binds iself in his agreemen oull bdi "o walk, o keep saues and ordinance and com

mandmens, o obey, wih hear and soul. The requiremen on's side is o be he God of srael and o esablish srael'ssingular wellbeing and prominence over he naions in "praise,fame and honor, ha is, o esablish srael's superioriy o alloher peoples (see Deu 2813)

The aking and receiving of vows yields he saus of srael as's "reasured people, a people "holy o yourGod (on which see 76 41 2) These muual vows creaein he world a relaionship of covenan and an eniy (srael) hadid no exis unil his momen of formal uerance and solemndeclaraion

Theological and Ethical Analysis

Chaper 26 brings ogeher several liurgical acs ha were originally ndependen of each oher The hree secions of his exogeher yield a liurgical, and subsequenly exual, pivo poin inhe formaion of covenanal srael and in is periodic reformaionThe rie of firsfruis provides an occasion when srael aess owa YHWH as d, a series of ransformaive acs ha hasbrough a "wandering (= a risk) people o he land of wellbeing The rie of he hird year ihe, in urn, provides an occasion when srael can aes o wa Isal as d, a series ofclaims, generic and concree, ha srael has been singularly andconsciously loyal o . These wo declaraions provide hebasis for he muual declaraion ha concludes he chaper in vv.

1619 The muual declaraions are oahs ha bind each pary ohe oher in uncompromsing ideliy srael will be uly bdi o and hereby enhance as 's only

29



COENARY

reasured people YHH will e utterly devoted o Israel andherey assure Israel a specacular, visile, poliical success in heworld. This resolve o live hrough he vagaries of life ogeher

leads o he following oservaions

1 . The muual giving and receiving of promises of fideliy hasis closes analogue in wedding vows for eer, for worse, insickness and in healh The analogue of he wedding vow suggess he profound inimacy of his muual commimen, he

deep risks i enails, and he profound pain caused y infideliyand erayal.2 The hrus of Deueronomy makes clear ha his relaion

ship of muual fideliy is condiional I depends upon Israelsreadiness o honor is vow of oedience, for oedience is hecondiion of YHH's devoion o Israel

3And yet

his same radiion of covenan produces poes(Hosea and eremiah) who voice he deep grief of YHH andhe yearning of YHH o have he covenan wih Israelresored, even hough i has een erminaed in infideliy.

I is clear ha newness in covenan ha is rooed in YHHsuncondiional love for Israel, newness voiced y he prophes,runs well eyond he harsh condiionaliy of Deueronomy. Andye i is possile o see ha such generous uncondiionaliy is adevelopmen of and exrapolaion from he passion of YHH forIsrael ha is already inchoaely presen in Deueronomy. Newnessfrom YH is inchoaely presen in he incepion of hecovenan. I is his God who has "se his hear (�saq) on Israel

(; 1015), who wans Israel for a reasured people, and whowills seadfasly o e Israel's God

YH, in deep passion, acs he erminaor when Israel disoeys. This relaionship, however, will no say erminaed. Ikeeps reemerging as YHH reengages Israel eyond every quidpro quo upon which Israel has reneged Thus Deueronomy and

he enire covenanal radiion of YHH has as is core dynamiche endless capaciy for newness in he relaionship jus when ihas sadly failed This muual declaraion, saed in he presen ex

250



EERONOMY 27126

ncefrall an repeaely resae in new cnexs, causes heemergence f a raical newness in he wr ha makes he wrlirrevcably ifferen, a newness grune in muualiy an cn

creely enace as fieliy

ECOG E EOPLE OF

0 While he maerials f his chaper were n ubnepenen pieces, in heir presen lcain an cngurainhey serve give liurgic implemenain he muua ecarain f 26619 ha cnsiues he cvenan. This chaper cnsiss in w inepenen bu relae unis. In verses 110, carefupreparain is mae fr he "furniure f he cvenan in he newlan acrss he ran, in rer make cvenan a visible, public phenmenn in Israel. The remainer f he chaper (vv 1 126"scrips a ceremny f blessings an curses ha is enunciaehe sancins ha suppr an enfrce he cvenan.

Exegetica Anaysis

0 The cvenan prpagae by Deuernmy is n jus

a g iea r a helgical cmmimen I is a relainship cnsiue publicly an iniiae hrugh liurgical enacmen as afrm f life

These verses are frame in verses 1 an 910 by slemn appealsfr beience The pening imperaive, "keep, is in emphaicfrm ha is answere in verses 910 wih he uble use f sa("hear, bey) These imperaives perain he large bligains

f cvenanWihin ha framing verses 28 give eaile guiance fr mak

ing he cvenan prcess highly visible in he new an, s haIsrael is cnsisenly aware f is peculiar gif frm YHWH an ispeculiar bligain YHWH

"Tis la presumably he saues f Deu 122, is be

visibly exhibie in plasercvere snes ha are wrien "veryclearly (v 8). The paser billbars may be parallel averising ha seeks win cnsuers as cnvers a cerain bran f

25



CMMEARY

produc Aernavey, one s remnded of he arge bboards nconemporary Chna where he governmen dspenses hghysupervsed news. The purpose of a such bboards s o nurure

and admnser pubc opnon and pubc oyay o persuade forhs cam agans a oher camsA ala s o be ereced o Y, a dfferen knd of pubc

exhb o drec pubc energy o he God of he covenan Thecenra urgca enacmen whereby hs peope becomes hepeope of Y (v 9) s o be conduced on Eba and Germ,

perhaps an ancen pace of covenan makng (see Deu 1 1 930osh 8303 41 18) . The drama of bessngs and curses, sancons for covenana obedence, nvoves a weve rbes n hedea sysem of Israe n Deueronomy. The drama, however, sconduced by he Levca press, he apparen supervsors andguardans of he Mosac covenan One can magne a urgca

anphon among he o groups of sx rbes on he o mounans, ecep ha he ony uerance s of curse; he negave sancons are gven prmacy, agan ndcang he nonnegoaby ofhs covenana radon.

226 The s of weve cuses consues a se urgcpece ha has been crafed n a syed way and key was usedover me (vv 16). Tha s syed and ncudes eve eemens suggess funconed no unke he Decaogue n Deu 61 as a charer eachng for covenan. These eve curses are oneverson of he boom ne concernng pracces ha are noerabe n Israe because hey w eoparde he communy y hsreca and he reguar communa response of assen (Amen),

Israe acceps s pecuar saus as he peope of Y and heuncompromsng requremens and prohbons ha go wh hasaus

I s no necessary o commen on each of hese acs, because anumber of hem have aready been consdered earer as herhemes have been ancpaed esewhere n he book of

Deueronomy Thus I w ndcae he ones ha are crossreferenced esewhere and hen ·consder hose no aready commened upon



EERONOMY 27:126

v 15 ccerg ds ad agesv 16 dsrg pares 17 vg udary arers

v 1 8 seadg e ld 1 9 wdws rpas ales

v 20 lyg w faers we. 2123 lyg w ay aav 24 srg a egrv 25 rery

. 26 ccludg geeralza

; 4:15-20 6; 21 :1 8-2119:14

ew14:29; 16:1 1, 1424:1 921 ; 26:121322:30 (e 23: 1 ewew10:17 16:19

ew

Of he welve curses, he firs o are presen in he Decaloguesx have appeared elsewhere in he corpus remains o considerhe four no hereofore menioned

. Misleading he lind (v 18), a prohiiion paralleled inLev 1914, is a characersic way of proecing he vulneralein he communy The lnd elong socially among he moregeneral caegory of he vulnerale on he horion ofDeueronomy and are guaraneed communal proecon (seeo 29 15 16)

2 The hree prohions of verses 2123 are no elsewherepresen in Deueronomy, and verse 20 only wih reference o2230. This communiy, as we hae seen inends o e holypure, and clean Disordered sexualiy is regarded as a primalhrea o such a communiy see Le 18623 201021 for afuller, more deailed expression of his concern The prohiedacions are aken o e "dsgraceful acs (see Deu 2221) ha

jeopardie he communiy3. The prohiiion agains sriking a neighor is no else

where menioned in he radion i is noneheless congruenwih respec for he neighor ha pervades Deueronomy"eighor here as elsewhere refers o a fellow memer of hecovenan communiy sraelie mus cur anger and vo

lence, ecause violence oward a neighor will jeopardie heenire communiy. The qualificaion "in secre, here as in verse15, reflecs an awareness ha he communiy canno supervise

5



COMMNTARY

all such acs The weigh of heoogica sancion is an alernaive o communiy scruiny, designed o proec agains undeeced endangermens o he communiy and is members

YH can see in a supervisory way where he communiycanno4 The final curse of verse 26 is a generic conclusion, perhaps

incuded o complee he number welve

The one of his recia is one of deep convicion, prone o

auhoriarianism, inoleran of deviaion I refecs he sense hahe communiy may be pu in eopardy by hese prohibied acionsha are, in he mos severe way, precluded

Theological ad Ehical Analysis

Covenan mus be regularly, inenionally enaced in a public

way The mood of his ex indicaes ha being he hoy peope ofY is no obvious, naural, or easy maer, bu requires dailyresolve in order o be a differen kind of communiy na socia environmen ha is marked by easy compacency and sefindulgence, he mainenance of an ineniona aernaive communiy is indeed an endless challenge Tha inenionaliy, moreover,

does no concern hough or belief, bu concerns acions ha growou of covenana passion and show up in daiy life The odd mixof hese sancions concerns economic maers like bribes andboundary markers, neighborly acs oward disabed neighbors,culic acs abou images and idols, and family reaions and iicisexualiy Tha is, he sancions concern every face of life, a summons o love God in he concree ways of loving neighbor

F F EADS R LS

The second speech of Moses (444291) ha consiues heprimary maerial of he book of Deueronomy now draws o is

cose The fina maerial is a recial of blessings (vv 114) andcurses (vv 1568) ogeher wih a cosing "hisorica noe (291 ) This recial of covenan sancions, as Deber Hilers has shown

54



DEERONOMY 8191

(1964 3042) participates in a common stock of blessings andcurses used all over the ancient Near East and given variations isexpressed in a conventional highly sylied form That is the

material is not particularly original to srael and its connection tocovenantal Yahwism is loose and secondary More specifically arecital of such sanctions placed after "covenant stipulations as amode of enforcement of the stipulations is a characteristicarrangement of international treaties that were especially prominent in the eighth to seventh centuries which is perhaps the time

of the formulation of DeuteronomyThe enunciation of blessings and curses can be understoodprimitively as the enactment of a "hex with magical power sothat a word uttered takes on a lingering looming power beforewhich the addressee is helpless More likely however the blessingsand curses are understood not as freefloating magical words thatcast spells but as a system of rewards and punishments that arethe covenant Lord dispensed according to compliance or resistance to treaty conditions The importance of these sanctions isevident across the sraelite tradition having different forms in thehistorical narratives the prophetic poetry and the sapientialinstruction of ancient srael

Exegetic Anysis4 he reial of lessng n verses 4 promses to obe

dient srael all the wellbeing of peace prosperity and abundancein time to come The sense of all of these blessings is "life (lifeabundant as in ohn 1 0 10) or salm. That gift however is conditional t depends completely upon obedience for this demand

ing sovereign does not give gits readily to recalcitrant subjectst is important to notice o quite different modes of rhetoric

by which the blessings are to come upon srael n verses 36 theterm "blessed is used six times as a passive participle in what issurely a highly stylied series of assurances The use of the passiveparticiple "blessed affirms that srael will be ad o in this

positive lifegiving way The focus is upon srael as the recipientObviously the passive voice means that no agent is named whowill give such a good future; that is the process takes place with

55



COMMENTAR

ou expici reference o YHWH, who here does no ac This wayof speakig is imporan for, as Klaus Koch has shown, suchgrammar afrms ha here are "spheres of desiny creaed by

acs of obedience, so ha he blessing is a guaraneed and "aural oucome and consequence of he acion of srael (Koch 983) Tha is, obedien acs pdu good oucomes.

Beginnig in verse , he blessing recial shifs o a differenform, in which YHWH is he acive agen of bessig as he subjec of a series of acive verbs (vv 3). These six saemens por

ray YHWH as an acively engaged agen who personaly andinenionaly akes an iniiaive o esablish Israels preeminenceamong he naions, a preeminence visibe in abundance. I maywel be ha he two kinds of rheorical formulaions, in he end,come o he same hing. They arrive here by very differe roues,suggesing blessing firs as "naural qu and second asineniona wad.

8568 The recial of curses (vv 568) is much onger hanha of blessings and herefore more varied The relaive egh ofhe curse secion is congruen wih he fac ha i chaper 2, herecia of curses i verses 56 has no counerpar of blessing aall. The negaive sancions of curses occupied he primary energyof he radiion, likely refecing is anxiey abou he fuure.

As in he bessing recia, wo rhetorical paerns are found inhe curses In verses 69 he series of six passive pariciples (hesame passive pariciple as i 2 526) corresponds o he bessingformula of verses 36 hough he hird and fourh elemens are inreverse order. Again i is affirmed ha Israel's own acions generae

curse as he inescapable consequence of disobedience. The secondpaern of curse wih YHWH as acive agen is voiced in verses2028, 353 YHWH will be he acive agen who inervees inhe life of Israe o cause Israel's life in every aspec o fail

The recial of YHWH's acve inervenion is inerruped inverses 2933 3844 by rheoric ha lacks such acive agency and

ha simply aricuaes consequences of recalciran acion. Thushe provisional conclusion of verses 4546 aribues o he cursesa life and force of heir ow, wihou divine involvemen.

56



DEERONOMY 28 1291

n verses 448 he ex akes a remarkable urn ha has nocounerpar in he blessings ocuses, in verses 45 upon anenemy invasion ha wil devasae he land. In he arger conex

o Deueronomy wih is connecion o he Deueronomic hisoryha culminaes in 2 Kgs 2425 hese verses surely have reerenceo he Babylonian devasaion o erusalem a he beginning o hesixh cenury, even hough he rheoric could be undersood moregenerically This secion o ex ha seems o move rom hegeneric o he concree develops in hree sages (. 45)

1 YHWH as acive agen wil sd, wil bring (vv 48 49).Tha is all ha YH does, bu i is decisive YWH is presened as he sovereign o all he naions and empires o heearh. And hereore i is no srech, as in er 259 26 o seeBabylon and is ruler Nebuchadnear, as agens (servans) o

YHWH who are dispached o implemen sancions againsYHWH's own people2. Tha naion ("i) dispached by YHWH will devasae

he land, as occupying armies are won o do, and wil inaylay siege o he ciies (o udah) The imagery o he dispachedpower is congruen wih he poery o eremiah concerning heinvading power (er 41318 5141 62225)

3 The purpose o he siege is o sarve he inhabians o heciy, o deny ood uni hey surrender Now, in verses 535he siege isel does he work o curse These verses describe adesperae communiy ha is compleey wihou resources. Inis desperaion, moreover, he mos basic digniies are abandoned; all ha couns now is survival Every person reas every

oher as a compeior or wha lile ood remains. The graphicscenes porray in deail srael's humiliaing helpessness anddegradaion.

The inal secion o he curse recial urns rom he speciicaions o he Babylonian siege o relec upon he nuiicaion o

old aih radiions and he despair ha such nulliicaion willbring (vv. 5868) The secion again is governed by he "i oTorah (v 58) The "i will produce YHWHs "daemen. The

257



COMMEAR

verb of s acion, "overwhem, is a ransaion of he verb o o somehing exraorinary. This erm characeries hea YHWH ha are beyon sraes unersaning or

epanaion ha can ony be unersoo hrough oxoogy (seeEx 1 5: 1 1 ; Ps 77:12; Job 37:14). Now he erm is use wih someirony o refec on he prospec ha Y wi ud hose oiraces in a way ha wi be as specacuar as he iniia miracesheseves

1. The aemen of he Exous wi be unone, so hasrae wi again be subec o he iseases of Egyp (v. 60; seeEx 15:26), an wi reurn o Egyp (v 68).

2 The promise mae o he ancesors o be ike he sars inhe heavens, a proise ceebrae as fufie in Deu 10:22, wibe reverse srae wi again be few in number an "a risk, as

in 26:53. The communiy ha prospere in he an, "prosperousan nuerous (v 63), wi ose is an, "pucke off an"scaere ino exie, so ha he grea raiion of an enryis negae

The sum of hese saemens is o eny srae is os reasureraiions an memories ha are he groun of is ieniy an isa d' in he wor srae wi have os is reason for beingsrae The eph of espair is expresse in o nice rheoricafourishes. Firs, in verse 67, srae wi fin he ay unbearabean wi wish for he nigh, an he nigh unbearabe an wish forhe ayno res, no respie, no comfor. Secon, he fina humi

iaion is o be offere as saves once more, as in ong ago Egyp,an o fin no buyer (v 68) srae now has become useess anworhess, no even suiabe for menia asks, no wane for saesave proecs, beyon any noice.

The concusion of 291 is an ausion back o he begin

ning of 44449 A of his, in he fina form of Deueronoy asgiven o us, is anicipaion of he an. srae wi be ad he an now in is fina fourish srae is vd he an.

8





COMMEARY

covenant (30 1 131 13 ) that open the way to a future n theland (3 1 1339) Or put more mpy, t the movement of i and wal that geographcally preented a la l and

la y Th thrd peech take a a gven the brokenne ofcovenant and abandonment by Y On that ba, t work (a) to how why th brokenne ha come about and (b) toaert a future beyond the brokenne The poem of 32143take up the ame theme, artculatng both the dma falure ofrael and the determned acton of Y to gve Irael a new

futureMore partcuarly the narratve tructure of 29228 on b and 30120 on w pvot on the curou text of2929 that tand aone, beeen the o text, a a ponderngof the gft of the future that YHWH wll gve to th recactrantpeople

Chapter 29 preented a a peech of Moe, a preferred vehcle for theologca ntructon n the tradton of DeuteronomyThe peech deveop a an htorca revew (vv 28) a ummonto renewed covenant (vv 916), an ndctment for covenant voaton wth a refecton on the reaon for reecton by YH (128) and the engmatc vere at the end (v 29)

Exegecal alyss228 The htorca revew of vere 28 foow the tandard

ne of rectal ao found, for exampe, n 269 It begn n thewonder of Ep (v 3) and move through the utenance of thewil (vv 56) to the conquet of the la eat of the Jordan(vv 8) The whoe of the rectal taken a an nventory ofgn and wonder, whereby rae can ee that t ved memory pervaded by the power of YHWH that ha been mobed ont behalf The whole of the memory n order that Irae mayearn that am YHWH your God (v 6) The memory a normatve dcloure of YHWH who capabe of utanng raeln every crcumtance

Vere 4 aert that the mrace dd not evoke fath The reaon that rae lacked, becaue YHWH had nt granted, a todcern, y to ee, and a to hear rael o obtue through

0



DEERONOM 99

all hese miracles ha i does no recognie wha a power YHWHis or wha a gif YHWH gives o Israel. The riad of "hear eyesears calls o mind he despairing verdic in Isaiah 69 ha Israel

will no cach on enough o "urn (See Mark 8 1718 ) Israel hasfailed o respond and so has failed as of now o be YWH's holypeople. The speech of Moses hus voices a harbinger of he judgmen ha is o come laer in his chaper.

6 I is on he basis of ha longerm obuseness ha

Moses issues a powerful summons ha Israel should now for hefirs ime embrace he covenan and become he people ofY (vv. 916). The imperaive addressed o he assembled ofIsrael is remarkably inclusive The meeing includes no only elders officials and all males as in 1 6 16 bu also women childrenand sojourners. Of special noe is he inclusion of hose who do

he menial work of he communy hose in Germany now calledGaabi (gues workers).The odd proviso of verse 15hose "no here wih us oday

is parallel o he opening saemen of 53 in Moses' long secondspeech In ha earlier reference he phrase "all of us here aliveoday focused on he p gai in disincion from he

failed pas In he presen verse he parallel phrase has is eye onuu gai- here no ye bornin disincion fromhe curren generaion

2 This buoyan expecaion for "hose no here however is immediaely sobered (vv. 1721). The voice ha speakshere is no romanic abou Israel's fuure. Deueronomy is deeplyaware ha Israel's faih is in a conex of endless disracion andseducion "deesable hings (iqq�), filhy objecionable disracions from covenanal faih No only is he environmen filledwih such alernaives o covenan bu some in Israel may succumb o hem The risk is a hear urned away o oher gods onwhich see 1 Kgs 1 1 3. The mos likely candidaes for such seduc

ion are precisely hose who are comforable and complacen inYahwism and who congraulae hemselves over heir am(v 19). They are he ones mos suscepible and mos surely o

61



COMMEARY

bring isaser upon all of he communiy erses 119 are apsychologically acue analysis of how seucion from covenanhappens among hose who urn a lile a a ime away from

Y because hey are no vigian heir lack of vigilance isrooe in heir selfcongraulaions, in which hey presume uponheir special saus, an in heir presumpion bring isaser uponhe enire communiy

The heavy conclusion is ha "all hese curses of chaper 28will be enace on srael, unil srael's ieniy is compleely

unone (vv 2021). A waywar srael will be a esroye srael canno be oherwise hus he errible scenario of suffering inDeu 28468 has he crisis of erusalem in 58 B in purviewn verse 20, he speech of Moses souns is final ominous noe"unwilling o paron The phrase has is only precise parallel in2 Kgs 244 a he en of he hisorical narraive concerning King

Manasseh I is because of Manasseh ha he harsh, irreversibleveric falls on he ciy he covenan has run ou an he life ofsrael is exhause, jus as 285868 anicipaes

is imporan o noice he remarkable abrasion beweenhe srong appal of verses 916 an he evasaing jdgof verses 121 The reason he appeal can be issue given

he jugmen, is ha here are hose "no here wih us oay(v 15), ha is, "he nex generaion (v 22) is o hem hahe appeal is aresse he raiion, for al is rheoric of erminaion, has is eye on he coming generaion ha will arise"afer you is his generaion ha is aresse in chapers2930, afer he erminaion of all ha faile is fully voice anacknowlege

292228 The firs ask of his nex generaion "no wih ushere oay is heological reflecion on he ebacle in orer ounersan he cause of erminaion (vv 2228) he governingquesion of heological reflecion, parallele in 2 Kgs 1 ff, issae in a wofol way

Why has he e hs hs la? Wha cause hs geaisplay ager? (v 24





OMMEARY

2 The "nex generaion in verse 22, ceary ooks beyond;3 These wo expici references are reinforced by wha may

be a hird, remoey impied reference. If one engages seriousy

he meaphor of Sodom and Gomorrah, hen i is imporan onoice ha in ha erribe narraive accoun, "God rememberedAbraham, and sen o ou of he mids of he ovehrow (Gen1929) YHW remembered Abraham and, as a conseuence,rescued o. Hos, moreover, is cosey inked o Deueronomy.In Hos 1 189, he error of YHWH agains Sodom and

Gomorrah (Admah and Zeboiim) is wihhed a he asmomen because of YHWH's pahosfied ove of Israe. The"anger, fury, and grea wrah of 2828 is fuy fe by YHWin Hos 1 1 57 And ye,

ill not execute my ierce anger; il not again destroy Ephraim

or am God and no mortalthe Holy ne in your midstand ill not come in rath. Hos 1 1 9

This assurance of surviva beyond devasaion, o be sure is noexpici in our chaper. ut i is here and i eads o verse 29.

Verse 29 ceary moves beyond he rage of verses 2528and ooks oward chaper 30 Or said anoher way, i ooksbeyond he deporaion of 587 and oward homecoming andhe emergence of udaism. I aess o a fuure ha YH wigive o Israe, Moses knows no how. The verse makes cear a division of responsibiiy Wha is reveaedmade cear and avai

abeis obedience o he Torah. Tha is given by Moses inDeueronomy There is no need for ambiguiy or uncerainyabou obedience o Torah (see 301114) Tha is Israe's singeask Moreover, he ask is given "o our chidren forever, a wondrous saemen of an openended fuure.

Wha is no given o Israe is hed in YHWH's inscruabe gov

ernance, compeey secre from Israe. There is no hin of whahis phrasing means bu i seems mos ikey, in conex, ha irefers o he fuure YHWH ye inends, and o he ways in which

64



DEERONOMY 99

YWH will bring hs rejeced people ino is undeserved fuureWha is hined a n chaper 29 and fully clear in chaper 30 is hahere s sll lfe o be chosen by Israel, even afer he deporaion.

The division of labor in his verse is an assurance coupled wiha summons Israel may be a peace abou YHWH's assured fuureWhle p, however, Israel mus be dili. Que pracically, Israel is herefore freed for obedience, no needng o explain orundersand anyhing else How o ge from verses 2021 o afuure is YHWH's mysery. The fahful need give no energy o

explanaon of he mysery YHWH makes a way ou of no wayfor Israel hrough is abyss

Thegca and Ehica ayss

Togeher wih chaper 30, hs chaper consiues a largescoped ariculaion of he grand hemes of jud d pis

from YHW in he radiion of Deueronomy, he heologicalhemes of judgmen and promise are presened hisorically, so haudgmen exle I land loss and promise = udaism beyond exile

The judgmen s severe, for he God of Israel will no bemocked. I enails he undoing of all ha consues Israel and allha Israel held dear, as anicipaed in 285868. In a sixhcenu

ry conex, ha loss refers o he erusalem esablishmen haemboded all of Israel's bes hopes. In ha momen of undoing,YHWH is unmoved by piy o compassion oward Israel hejudgmen is fnal, even as anicipaed in he curse recal of chaper 28 .

For he mos par, he enacmen of hope awais he nex chaper. In chaper 29 hope is indicaed only n he enigmaic phrase,"he secre hings Tha is, here is There is more haYHWH knows, has a disposal, and will do none of ha fuure,however, is open o Israels discernmen. Israel mus wai mids hejudgmen

This chaper hen is a remarkable heologcal achievemen Iappears n s prmary erms o be a saemen of unmiigaed

udgmen In he end, however, he judgmen becomes a marixou of which YHs newness for Israel is announced Thafuure s held n secre by YHWH, and Israel s ss o i only



COMMEAR

in anicipaory doxology. Finally his chaper moves even beyond"udgmen and hope o focus on he full, free governance ofYHWH ha is no in hrall o any choices of Israel. The insisence

ha YHWH holds for YHWHs own sel he ull range ohe fuure is a marvelous celebraion of YHWHs providenialfreedom.

N COOSG

The presen chaper is an appeal on he par of Moses o he"nex generaion (ha has a chance of being genuinely YHWHsholy people) o repen and rechoose life wih YHWH according oYHWHs disclosed will. The chaper divides ino hree disincunis (a ) an appeal or repenance (vv 1 1 0) , (b) an assurance haobedience is indeed possible (. 1114), and (c) a dramaic summons for a decision ( 1520)

Exegetical alysis

04 The irs uni in his chaper bids srael o repen ando reurn o full obedience o Y (vv. 110) The firs verseses he conex of exile where Israel has been "driven byYHWH, where "all hese hings, presumably he curses of chapers 228, 292021 have been enaced on Israel. The dramaicpresenaion of Deueronomy assumes he exile and addresseshose in exile abou life beyond exile. I is in exile ha Israel is o"u is hear o he blessings and curses, ha is, "call[hem] o mind in order o "urn o YHWH. The accen is upon

repenance and reversal, which are he keys o he fue.YHWH will inervene, end he exile, and bring exiled Israel

back home o is own land ( 35). These verses are freighedwih YHWHs mos characerisic promises o Israel, promisesha dominae he core heological asserions o he OldTesamen

1 "Resore he forunes is a ranslaion of he Hebrew "urn your capiviy, ha is, reverse he "desiny



DRONOMY 32

of Israel YHWH is powerful, loyal, and deermined enough oinervene in exile and ransform Israels life from curse o blessing The phrase "urn he urnings is especially preferred in he

reaed lieraure of eremiah where i also refers o he end ofexie (er 29 4; 303, 1 8; 3 1 23; 3244; 33 , 1 , 26)2 This is a God of compassion (see 431) who noices he

people in exile even as his same God had noiced he slaves inEgyp Again YHWH is moved o exricae Israe from is curren siuaion of powerlessness and despair

3. The word pair, "gaher/scaer (on which see er 3110)is a characerisic way of speaking of exile and homecoming,boh of which are he work of YHWH In his conex, i is he"gahering work of he compassionae God ha is prominen(see Isa 68; Luke 1334)

The inerplay of verses 12 and verses 3 is as an "ifhenformulaion Israe again becomes obedien Israel, YHWwill be he God of all wellbeing The "if is Israels enacmenof he "revealed hings of 2929; he "hen is YHWs enacmen of YHWHs "secre hings. The fuure is a gif fromYHWH, bu i is a gif given only when Israel is in an obedienposure YHWHs gif of he fuure will no be wased on heunrecepive

Y wll do more (vv 610). These verses are largely abouYHWHs gif Bu pervasive in hese verses of generous grace is arepeaed accen on "obey (vv 8, 10). Israel in is reurn o ruecovenanal obedience will receive a fuure i had lile reason oexpec

1 YHWH will circumcise Israels hear (v 6);2. YHWH will remove he curse from Israel and redeploy

he curse on is enemies so ha Israel who was "ail willbecome "head (see 2813). The full embrace of covenan byboh paries means he end of all quid p qu caculaion and

he full, unmeasured yielding by each pary o he oher

The accen on Israels role in his recovery of covenan in he

267





DEERONOMY 30120

mus choose I belongs o Israel o choose The choice, especiallyclear and congruen wih he pervasive imperaives ofDeueronomy, is saed wih a double "ifhen formulaion

T siiv "i concerns full obedience by hearing, loving,walking, and heeding (v 6) The verbs are all familiar from hecharacerisic cadences of Deueronomy

T siiv " concerns blessing in he land (v 6)T gaiv "i concerns no lisening and herefore forge

ing covenan and serving oher gods (v )

T gaiv " enails perishing (v. )The calculus is clear and pervades his radiion obey land,disobey . . land loss

I s on he crucial basis of ha courverified esimony(according o he meaphor) ha Moses issues he firs imperaivein his paragraph, a simple, unadorned summons choose life bykeeping Torah (v 9) The basic imperaive, narraively enaced inoshua 2445, is supplemened by familiar verbs love, hear,cleave Such a choice will lead o life and wellbeing

Theological and Ehical Analyi

If one says wih he corpus of Deueronomy unil his poin,

hen he conclusions and opions saed here are familiar.Deueronomy conains no exoic disclosures, bu gives he simple,plain "mea and poaoes ha obedience is he condiion of lifein he land. This simple and unqualified appeal is placed in inimae connecon o chaper 29 Tha means ha appeal, inviaion and summons are addressed o "he nex generaion againsa backdrop of deporaion I is hus a program for he refounding of udaism based upon he sorry and difficul lesson of disobedience ha has led o land loss.

The hard work of his chaper is o persuade "he nex generaion ha a fuure is indeed possible Three hemes may be noed

The inricae grammar of verses 0 suggess a glad,

unresrained, uncalculaing muualiy of wo paries, Yand Israel, who are glad o be back ogeher aer he hiaus ofexile They are eager o make he new relaionship work



COMMARY

2. The "doae characer o Torah s mporan, ecause rees he couny o he ahu rom excessve preoccupaon and angush aou how and n wha ways oedence mgh

e done The smpe gude o "a your hear and a your mndha ncudes whn "your neghor as yourse opens a rssep ha when uneraken opens more

Iusrave o he "pan and smpe characer o Torah oedence s he accoun o he evangeca Chrsan communy oLe Chamon n France ha hd ews durng Word War II rom

he a eors a exermnaon (Hae 199). Among heremarkae eaures o ha rave an ahu communy wasan nury aer he war y a ewsh adu who was kep avehere as a chd When he nervewed hs proecors aou herreason or akng such rsky acons on hs eha, hey onyshrugge her shouers and ncae ha seeme ovous

rom her ah They ha no ramac expanaons or heoogca nerpreaons o oer hm I was raher a "ha oneghorness ha was a he cener o her emrace o hegospe an was enough (See Rom 1068.)

3 Fnay, wha s hs li o e chosen and how s chosen?The e Moses commands, as he has a hrough hs corpus, s ae congruen wh he w an purpose o YHWH as gven ohn he arc o creaon and n he commands o Sna Tha econsss n lovig YHWH whch s a pracce o honess, andhas o dsncveness ha know e s dreced oward andreceved rom he nscruae presence o YHH n he mds oday exsence Tha e consss, moreover, n lovig igbowhch s a pracce o jusce ha grounds an promoes he

enemens o he neghor, even a cos and nconvenence ose "Love o God n honess and "ove o neghor n jusce consue a e o reaedness ha yeds a sense o eongng n communy and a g o maera prospery n he and

Moses says caegorcay, "choose oshua echoes Moses wh

he mperave "choose (osh 24:141) Tha mperave moveshrough he radon ha, n Chrsan purvew, cumnaes nesus suons o dscpeshp (see Ma 624, 233 and he



DEERONOMY 329

enre Sermon on he Moun} Faih has o do wih his lifeordeah choice

Bu of course he faihful keep choosing and rechoosing keep

choosng oherwise and hen choosing again. The rheoric oMoses is cean and simple. The realiy of lived life is much moreambguous and so was for Israel Moses knows abou heinescapabe ambguiy bu ha awareness causes no diminishmen of he urgen rheoric of choice.

US AS A F ALL

The ex of chapers 3 34 begins o look beyond Moses o heongong hsory of Israel across he ordan no he land of promse Chaper 3 is a mediaion on ha decsive ransiion n hememory and life of Israel. The ransiion is given as a isial

ggapial move from landlessness o land across he ordan.The ranson is one of ladsip from Moses o oshua Andhe ransion is a lia one from he founding radiions ofTorah (Penaeuch} o he firs canonical maerals beyond heTorah in he book of oshua Given hese various dimensions ohe ransion i s no wonder ha he ex pays such careful aen

on o hs urn in he life of Israel a urn fraugh wih danger andpossibiliy for Israel

Exegeical Aalyi

38 Israel is ready o cross he ordan a las o eceive heland of promse. Moses however canno go ino he land and

canno ead Israel for he has been prohbied by Y fromgong (v. 2 see 2 326}. The crossing s dangerous enough iis even more so whou Moses upon whom Israe has relied soheavly. Moses mus make provision and give assurances for hisourney he himself canno ake The assurance he gives s a heological one Y will cross over as leader of Israel.

The assurance uilizes wo sock phrases ha Dennis .McCarhy calls n urn an "Encouragemen Formula and an"Assisance Formula (McCarhy 9}

27



COMMEARY

1 "Be song and bod (McCahy ansaes " be bave andof sou hea. )

"Y wi be wih you

Y wi be, in ime o come, whom Y has been foIsae in imes pas. Y is eiabe and wi no fai o fosake.The fuue wi be safey govened by Y as has been he pas.Y inends he and o beong o Isae and wi focefuy aco secue i fo Isae

Aong wih he assuance, Moses mus make povision fo heeaiy of he new and. He does so by idenifying and empoweing Joshua o be his successo, o compee he wok ha hehimsef canno do. Joshua has aeady been inked o Moses inadiions ouside of Deueonomy (Exod 1816; um 118)and in he book of umbes is fequeny cied (aong wih Caeb)

as he embodimen of faihfuness who wi epesen and ead henew geneaion ha is no budened, ike he od geneaion ofMoses, wih he ecaciance of he wideness (Oson 1 985) Thefomua of encouagemen is chaaceisicay addessed oJoshua, fo Joshua is he epesenaive and embodimen of haposMoses sae ha is caed enac he saues ofDeueonomy in he and. I is Joshua who is unde hea.Eveyhing depends upon Joshua, fo if his venue fais, eveyhing Mosaic wi have faied (Josh 15 18).

319-13 Veses 913 consiue a disinc exua uni. Bupaced hee, hese veses povide fo a egua iugica execisein he new and. Isae bes eveyhing on he damaic pefom

ance in iugy of is disincive ideniy as an anidoe o heheas ha wi undo ha ideniy These veses have payed aage oe in schoay hypoheses in he enieh cenuy concening povision fo he peiodic pubic eading of covenanageemens, a povision common in eay aangemens. Theemay be somehing in he anaogue o ohe eaies i is bee,

howeve, o ake he ex in is own conex of anxiey and o seehe gea confidence ha Isae invess in peiodic iugica enacmen Peiodicay evey seven yeas (see 151), a he Fesiva of



DEERONOMY 3 -29

Boohs (see 16131), Israel shall assemble o hear he Torahread agan (see Neh 818). Ths meeng wll be all nclusve ofhe communy Everyone shall be presen, all Israel The ex ds

plays concern for he chldren who mus ener he pecular worldof Yahwsc covenan, and who do so by parcpaon n hegrea lurgcal even The new land of promse s o be revsonedgeneraon afer generaonas a dfferen knd of landmarked by covenan requremens as a condon of covenanblessng

4 In verses 141 Moses brngs oshua o "he en ofmeeng where oshua s exposed drecly o he raw presenceof YHWH and s hereby auhored as sraels new leader Theseverses are a connuaon and compleon of he nave YHWHhas aken oward oshua n verses 18. The "en of meeng s

he specal place of presence and dsclosure ha s presded overby Moses (Exod 3 1 1 ) Thus oshua s admed o he placewhere only Moses can go, n order o gve "sacramenal forceo oshuas new role The ex does no dsclose wha s sad ordone n he secre momen s mporan n any case ha sYHWH (and no Moses) who fnally auhores oshua oshuas gven he marks of auhory prevously monopoled byMoses

8 The radon of Deueronomy offers a pecularlyselfconscous pece of heologcal ancpaon as a raonale forhe Song ha s o follow n chaper 32 (vv 1622) Wha a sorryfuure s I s marked by "prosuon, ha s, Israel wll

"shack up wh oher gods, when s proper parner s YHHonly (v 16 see er 220 32) Israel wll abandon loyaly oYHWH and volae covenan Ths ancpaon s generc andmgh refer o he judges or o he kngs ha are o come Eherway, rus n and obedence o YHH wll fal

Thus verses 1618 are a smple, unsurprsng arculaon of

Deueronomc heology choose deah persh, he classcalspeech of judgmen echoed so ofen by he prophes and narraedn he book of udges

273



COMMARY

There will however oe a oen of hones refleion andselfawareness in srael srael will have a momen of "reogniion (v 1) Tha moen of reogniion moreover will be iner

preed by "his song a referene o he "Song of Moses ofolow in haper 32 Tha is hese verses are inended o frameand inrodue he long poem of haper 32, o give i onex ando idenify is purpose The song is a review of sraels hisory hais shown o be a dreary sory of endless rebellion and infideliyMoses already reognies sraels sorry ale in his aniipaory

ariulaion

3 11 The primary purpose of he song he ex noes hereis o fix he blae for sraels oing suffering Tha is hesong esablishes sraels faul for he failed ovenan wih YHWHand hereby akes lear ha YHWH is no a all a faul Y

is an innoen faihful ovenan keeper This song will be sungand sung and sung again so ha srael in all is generaions iskep aware of is aalysi failure as a ovenan parner oY

3 10 The inroduon of he song in verse 19 is followed

in verses 2022 ha anno resis in aniipaion saing ye againhe hesis of he song The hesis is given in a series of indiingverbs

ea be ful grow fa urn serve despise break

Hins of his hee are already seen in hapers 6 and 8 bu nowi beomes he ain poin The radiion knows ha he very andha is he fulfillmen of he promise is he land of abundane hawill make srael "fa and happy oplaen and selfindulgenand finally indifferen o he ondiions of ovenan

313 There is perhaps soehing ironi in he plaeen ofverse 23 This single verse ehoes he enouragemen of verse aniipaes osh 168 and urges oshua o onfidene in he

74



DEERONOMY 3 -29

proise ha YHWH will aopany Israel he dangers ooe

The word of YHWH o oshua is a onfiden one. Bu i is se

in verses 622 and 29, in he ids of an aknowledgen ofhow wrehed Israel will be in ie o oe. oshua is o lead hisrealiran orrup ouniy in oplee onfidene inYHWH Wha a andae Trus will defea infideliy in he longrun!

The way is now prepared for he song of haper ha will ell he reurring ruh abou Israel and Y Bubefore he song he narraive has one oher sraegy for guidingIsrael in s oinous fuure (vv 2429). The Levies are ye againade usodians of he ark and of he Torah sroll i onains (see089; 279; 3 9 ) The sroll is o be an abiding winess o Israelboh of is ovenanal oiens o YHWH's oand and ois haraerisi reneging on hose oiens

Theoogca and Ehca Anayss

The fuure is already a hand and he news is no good Oneay wonder abou suh onisiene abou he fuure and resolve

ha issue by he riial judgen ha he ex ha purpors o beearly is in fa a lae rerospe afer he evens Of ourse bu haiia udgen ugh n bsure he fa ha hose whopraie sensiive oral disernen an indeed see wha is insore for a ouniy They an see ha an ebrae of "folly isrreversible even hough as Barbara Tuhan has seen he warning signs ay be everywhere (Tuhan 984) The Mosai Torahprovides an angle of riial vision fro whih one an see heselfdesruive habis o whih he ouniy in is adness isdeeply oied As a onsequene he anonial radiion isshaped so ha in his haper all ha will oe in he hisorialaoun of oshuaudgesSauelKings is in view (Frehei983)

Deueronoy provides for visible highly auhoried liurgialpraies ha are designed o all srael bak o is rue self andaway fro is selfdesruve insaniy Speifially his refers o

27



COMMARY

he Fesva of Boohs, a whch he Torah s read (vv. 913), andhe adng presence of he Torah ( 2426); more generally forsrae s he voce of "Holy Oherness ha endlessly suvers

sraes easy accepance of s dsored fe. One canno overesmae he mporance of such auhored, reguared ruhelng opporunes ha are esalshed n communes ofmadness, ndference, and compacency.

The fuure of he Torah communy as ancpaed here s oneof connua falure, and corrupon Ths cam, so far removed

from he afrmaon of 301114, perans precsely and concreey o ancen srae. The ex refers o he comng judges and comng kngs and comng deporaon and ermnaon of "he placen Jerusaem The concree hsory of ancen srae s held frmlyunder udgmen y Torah, and nohng should derac from heconcreeness of ha reference.

Gven he key nadequacy of lurgca props for susanngnenonal Torah deny and gven he dsmal prospec for helfe of srael, hs ex focuses upon he crucal mporance of eadershp ha s od, confden, commed, and undvded n spasson.

Ths eadershposhua after he manner of Mosess

Torah ased,• addressed n encouragemen, gven assurance of YHWHs presence, gven faceoface access o YHWH's holness, o reorgane he land n covenanal ways makng he eader

shp roe one of pulc engagemen far eyond culc man

agemen.

Ths leader, moreover, s o receve buoyancy from heologcalassurances n he face of a faled communy No doub he expecaon s oo much, surey more han anyone could ear. And yehe ex makes clear ha he welleng of srael depends upon

eadershp ha s no defned y sraels faure bu by YHWH'sfdey Thus s eadershp precsely for a communy a rsk andseemngy whou adequae resources.

276



DEERONOMY 3:33:5

SS GE URRSG OPE

The poem of 321 43 constitutes a major statement of covenan

tal theology that has been anticipated in 3119. t is almost surelyan independent poem that has been secondarily placed hereamong the materials that mark the transition from the covenantcommands o Deuteronomy to the covenant history beginning inJosh 1 . The poem has on its horion the entire history to foow inthe corpus of JoshuaKings

The poem is framed by the narrative introduction of 3130 thatsituates the song "in the assembly, and by the conclusion of32444 that reiterates the theme of "witness against from3 1 19 . The narrative note of 324852 is an independent unit, butshares with the poem the motif of "broken faith Thus the poemand the narrative together attest to srael's violation of thecovenant that will become the lii of history to follow.

The definitive study of the poem by G Ernest Wright arguedfor a quite early date of the poem and, more important, identifiedits genre as a "prophetic lawsuit that has most in common theologically and rhetorically with the speeches of judgment in theeighthcentury prophets (Wright 1962) The discussion that follows is principally informed by Wright's analysis As a "awsuit

speech, Moses utterance is cast as a judicial case concerning broken covenant. The song establishes the generosity and reliabilityof Y and sraels constant recalcitrance that refuses to trustand obey Y. Thus the song functions as a great theodicyconcerning the history of srael t insists that all the troubles thathave come upon srael, which are to culminate in the destruction

and deportation of 58, are warranted consequences of srae'scovenant violation. Only at the end of the song, in an unexpectedturn, does the song move to an affirmation of Ys continuedcommitment to srael in spite of its infidelity

Exegeca Aayss

326 The introductory section of the poem issues asummons to listen and announces the main themes to foow( 16). The situation of srael according to the seductions of



COMMEARY

hapers 6 and 8, is one of saiaion and ompaeny. In a aeronex Israe is in despair abou is ife. Eiher way, n ompaeny or n despair, Israe aks he nsgh and aegories hrough

whih o undersand is rue siuaion. In verse 3 he poem saeshe subje maer of he name and greaness of H. Thisis a deepy HWHenered poem, for i is preisey a dsregardof or msauaion abou HWH ha has ause Israein ompaeny or in despairo mispereve is ife. Inee,from he perspeive of his radion, Israes ife is perfore

Hfoused everyhing is skewed and mispereve f nodefiniivey referred o HWH.Having announed he heme, verses 46 now provide a sweep

ing haraeriaon of Israes ife wih H. Boh paries aresummariy denified

YHWH prct, just, athul, thout dct, just,

upght!

Wha a mouhfu Moses uses a rh, haraerisi voabuary ovoie HWHs uer fideiy.

sral dgra, als, prs, crookd, oolsh, ssss!

Anoher mouhfu, in every syabe poemia and negaive.

The presening probem is how his God and his peope oudpossiby inera. HWH is he one who reaed, makes, esabishes Israe, so ha Israe is Hs reaure, oay dependenupon HWH. Israe, however, rejes ha very saus upon whhis ife depends. Verses 46 are a preminary saemen, as hougho e he jury a he opening of igaion wha wi be emonsraed for he our during he ria. Now he demonsraion ofonree evidene begins.

37- Firs, he song expiaes he aim of verse 4 ha

HWH is faihfu, jus, and uprigh, ha is, honors ommimensand keep promises (vv. 14) I appeas o a very o vision ha"a he beginning, he gods in onvoaion apporioned he peo

78



DEERONOMY 31303252

pes of he world among hemselves, so ha each god received apeople as his or her own domain of governance and loyaly. The"High God, he one presiding over all he gods, in Deueronomic

vision, is none oher han YHWH n he meeing of "assigningpeoples, his High God kep srael as Gods very own, hus making srael he "special reasure of YHWH (see 76; 142) A heouse he High God who could have had any people desired noneoher han srael. "A he beginning, when oher opions wereavailable, YHWH waned only srael From ha beginning poin,

srael has been he apple of YHWHs eye (v 10) he one onwhom YHW does.Tha choice of srael by YH le YHWH deeply obligaed

o be he God of srael who would see o i ha srael prosperedand enjoyed he good life in he land Verses 1014 are an offer ohe cosmic cour of evidence ha YH has indeed been faihful

in adhering o ha iniial choice and has given endless bouny osrael. The evidence of YHWHs caring fideliy oward srael basically follows he narraive recial of 2659, focused upon love i wid and wellbeing i ad These verses are dominaed by a rich series of verbs wih YHWH as acive subjec susained, shielded, cared, guided, se, fed, nursedall o sraelsgrea joy, wellbeing, and luxury.

325-2 n response o such overwhelming goodness, however, srael has been ungraeful, unresponsive, and recalciran(vv. 1518) srael responded o YHW supidly sraels condiion was one of saiaion fa, bloaed, gorged. srael was nolonger needy and could no remember is dependence upon

YHWH. This sorry condiion expressed iself as he violaion ofhe firs commandmen (57 645) srael embraced oher loyalies and oher ways of securing is own exisence, no recogniinghe crucial imporance of he "faher God who sired or he"moher God who birhed (v. 18) srael refused he obedienceand loyaly due YHW for all of YHWs goodness The enire

hisory of srael is a sorry, sordid ale of supid auonomy, ofrejecion of ha odd relaionship ha gives srael is life in heworld (see Ps 106)

279





DEERONOMY 31303252

1 YHWHs iniial and consan goodness2 sraels failure o respond3 YHs devasaing judgmen.

Bu here is more There is "wha comes nex, and he poem coninues (v 29)

323034 The poem makes an abrup, nearly inexplicable urn(v 30) The speech of judgmen, which seemed like a las word from

YHWH, is now compleed Gods rage wih srael is exhaused urns ou ha YWHs erminal rage oward srael is provisionaln verses 3033, YHWH urns aenion away from alienaed sraelo he more burdensome realiy of he oher naions (see v 21 ), whoimagine ha hey are iniiaors of heir assauls on srael (see sa10814 410) The ruh is, as known in sraels covenanal ca

egories, ha he oher naions succeed in heir explois onlybecause YHWH sancions heir success (see Deu 2825, 36) nfac hese naions, provisional insrumens of YHWH, are repulsive YHWH can have no enduring aachmen o hem, becausehey are abhorren o YHWH. From ha i follows ha heircapaciy o abuse srael is also provisional and canno las.

32342 As a consequence, YH has ye more o do (3542) YHWH is he final arbier of he fuure The fuure willno be deermined by sraels sorry fae or by he arrogan auonomy of he naions, bu only by YHWH. Tha is wha i means forYHWH o asser ha, "Vengeance is mine (v. 35 see Ps 94 12) YHWH will ac in complee and decisive freedom

One aspec of ha freedom is ha he naions ha seem so formidable will in fac "slip swily (v. 35) They will no be able osusain hemselves, as is eviden if one observes heir rise andfall The oher relaed bu more imporan aspec of Ysfreedom for he fuure is ha YHWH will move effecively onbehalf of srael, acing in compassion and inervening decisively

(v. 36) Now here is no more alk of sraels failure or YHWHsrage agains srael YHWH will boldly and decisively respondwih an asonishing affirmaion o srael and a devasaing rebuke

28



COMMEARY

o he arrogan naions (v 39) Y even only I isY who is he subjec of al of he efiniive verbs in hefuure even as i was in he pas (see v 14) There is no oher

go; here is no oher effecive agen There is none who can chaenge Y There is none who can harm Israe ( see Rom 833) Y is he ispenser of goo an evil life an eah anfinaly al paries mus ea wih Y

32:43: is no woner ha he poem ens in oxoogy forsrae mus respon in exulaion ha he inscruabe Mysery ofa live reaiy is mobiie on is behalf beyon al expecaionsan al is own meris (v 43 ) Given such an assurance praise ishe only appropriae response The opening lines of his oxologyappea o he cosmic cour as in verse 1, an celebrae Ysecisive brua acion aken on behalf of Israe er Israe knowsabou Ys commimen an compassion Israel si mus be

reassure of Ys power o implemen an so one fins helanguage of "avenge vengeance repay cleanse Al he enemieswi be remove from he an in a "cleansing an Israe wihave room again for a covenanal life in he lan

324447 he framing conclusion of he song in verses 444

aaches he song no ony o Moses bu also o oshua hus ooking beyon he oran ino he hisory of Israe in he lan Mosesfina iacic commen in verses 464 summons srael o payaenion o he song I is your ife The rheoric of Moses is reminiscen of 30120 Israel can choose ife which is o live wihreference o Y Al ese is eah

32:4852: This secion suppies a fresh reason for Moses exclusion from he an by making reference o Num 20103; 2124 Moses is inice for no "keeping he holiness of Yha is no paying suicien aenion o Ys pecuiar characer an caims

eological and tical nalysis

This poem consiues a major heoogical aricuaion ha isrepresenaive of Deueronomic heology an inee of he pri

282



DEERONOMY 3:303252

mary hemes of Old Tesamen faih The poem urns decisvelybeeen verse 29 and verse 30, so ha his hinge poin is he placea which o marvel a he fah of Israel in is affirmaion of he

freedom of YHWH. The ofold srucure of he poem porraysYHWH as (a) fully commied o a quid p qu ofobedience/blessing ha pervades Deueronomy and ha is seenmos clearly in 301520, and (b) fully free o move beyond hasymmerical calculus o a more vigorous and surprising enacmenof sovereigny.

The firs par of he poem (vv 129) is concerned o delineaehe conras of faihful God and faihless people ha ends in judgmen The second pa of he poem (vv 3043), sill filled wihbrualiing harshness oward he enemy is an asonishing accenon YHWHs enduring commimen o Israel afer Israel has gvenevery reason for forfeiure of ha relaionship. The unexpeced

"news of hese verses is YHWH's inalenable devoion o Israela devoion ha will cause he remaking of he world map onbehalf of Israel and agains auonomous superpowers. The poembears winess o YHWHs sovereign capaciy for boh judgmenand compassion boh of which are finally YHWH's free acs evenif evoked in urn by Israel and by he naions

In relaionship o he radiioning process one may imagineha verses 129 look as fa as 587 and he erminaion oferusalem and al ha ha devasaon sgnfies. The poem coninues however because he fahful communiy of udasm persised beyond 587 and coninues o be susained by YHWH. Thepoem looks beyond 587 o an enduring fuure for udaism I ispossible in Chrisian exrapolaon o see ha he archiecure of

judgmen and vicorious compassion in his poem can be broughino conac wih he FridaySunday mysery of faih. Friday inChrisian radiion is a day of deep judgmen and ermnaion.Tha faih dares o asser ha on Sunday all he indispuable facsof judgmen are exploded n a new manifesaion of YHWH'spowerful freedom

This poem is an insisence o Israel and o all ohers who aendo biblical radiion ha YHWH is he key defining player in helife of he world. In modern imes as he church is more user

23



COMMEAR

frendy and herapeuc, he noon of udgmen seemsremoe as hough here were no an awabiiy (udgmen) has nescapabe n ke manner, n a echnoogca socey ha

ncreasngy manages s own envronmen he noon of fegvng ii (rescue) seems unkey Thus he wnnedhemes of udg and pai code serousy wh hemos eemena assumpons of conemporary cuure s now amaor heoogca burden o see wha udgmen and compassonmgh mean n he mds of a nosurprse, noaccounaby nonervenon nogf deoogy

EOPLE w D

Ths poem commony dubbed "The Bessng of Moses spaced a he end of he book of Deueronomy as Moses as w

and esamen s pacemen suggess a canonca cam ha hebessng funcons n an ancpaory and effcacous wng of hefuure of srae A propery eecued w does ndeed cas an nfuena shadow over he fuure of a famy Ths uerance arbued o Moses nends no ony o ancpae bu o creae sraesfuure as a gf from HWH

The poem s framed by an nroducon (vv 15) and a concuson (vv 2629) ha aes o he massve power of HW ha so be mobzed n he fuure on behaf of srae as a snge unfedsoca eny Tha s, he bessng s horoughy ahwsc a decaraon of HWHs capacy o do he good for srae haHW nends nsde ha frame, he uerance of Moses proceeds o pronounce specfc bessngs on eeven rbes of srae,wh Smeon beng omed (see Gen 293 13034; 3 1621 ) Thebessngs o he severa rbes are characerscay hswordyand maera The poem n he cone of a Deueronomc epecaon of ee becomes an ac of hope asserng he convconha YHWs powerfu bessng and provdena resove forgoodw fnay overcome every hsorca crcumsance of nega

on The poem w concede nohng o he vagares of hsory, noeven he crses of 58, bu affrms ha srae, no a fuure generaons s o be susaned and prospered by YHW

4



DEERONOMY 1-

Exegetc yss

The poem begins wih a doxoogica asserion ha ison he move, coming up from he souh, from M Sinai where resides. comes wih heaveny and earhy aies asa formidabe invading power Three quick caims are made inverse 4

1 . The presence of Israe in he invading force of isas a peope of he Torah. Thus he poem, hough no cosey

inked o he radiion of Deueronomy, insiss ha Torah is hedefining mark and prima resource of Israe.

2 comes as king over "eshurun. The aer erm isa pe name for Israe (in addiion o v , 26, see 321 and Isa442) The poin o be accened, however, is ha iscoming as king. (See Buber 1 96 1213 ) The divine king wi

come in power and grea fearfuness o impose a roya wiupon he enire word (see Pss 9699)

3. The King presides over he unied ribes of Israe. Thevision of Israe is one unified peope, unied in oyay o and in obedience o Torah In verses 623, Mosesproceeds o wi o each ribe a fuure appropriae o is radi

iona characer, a bessing for each ribe Here I wan ocommen on ony hree of he paricuar bessings (a) I isremarkabe ha udah receives such a brief and undisinguishedbessing (v see he conrasing exended bessing for udah inGen 49812) Given he rise of he Davidic monarchy from heribe of udah, more coverage migh be anicipaed. Apparenyhis ex reecs a percepion of Israe in which he monarchydid no igure arge, for as king need no defer o heribe of David (b) The bessing for he ribe of Levi is congruen wih he Levies roe hroughou he book of Deueronomy,especiay 1018, 1818, 2914 (vv 811). (c) I is noeworhy ha oseph receives by far he onges bessing (vv. 131)."oseph occupied he cenra hi counry and was, for a ong

period, he core popuaion of he covenan communiy. This isrefeced in he menion of Ephraim and Manasseh, he woribes regarded as he heirs of oseph (v. 1 see Gen 48822)

85







COMM

oninuiy beween wha has been under Moses and wha will beunder Joshua

Exegetical alyiI is already esablished ha Moses will no ener he land of

promise o reason for ha exlusion is given here bu he verdi o H refles he keen irony haraerisi in Israelssripure The grea leader mus leave his leadership ask inomplee In 1 37 326 he reason for exlusion is on your aoun

on aoun of Moses' onemporaries of he older failed generaion In 3201 , releive of um 201213 271214 a dieren reason or exlusion is given based on Moses own ailureThe presen narraive reuses o adudiae beween hesewo explanaions and has no ineres in any usifiaion for heexlusion

Wha ouns is he land he whole land The book ofDeueronomy is abou land land promises land empaions landreepion land managemen and ulimaely land loss(Brueggemann 1978 Habel 199) There is a possibiliy ha heormula show he land is referene o a legal laim being esablished by suvey so ha wha Moses "sees Moses an laim

legally (Daube 19472439) If ha is he ase hen hroughMoses Israel now laims afresh he land long ago seen byAbraham

Wih he land in his formulai way now seure he narraiveo losure proeeds o ous on Moses (vv 12) I repors hisdeah and burial his vigor and Israels grief he normal ingrediens for an ending o a ormidable lie The ransiion of leader

ship is omplee; Joshua will now do for Israel in he new landwha Moses has done for Israel hus far oshua however muswai unil his book For now he narraive urns is aenionone more ime o Moses o assure no only ha Moses reeives hisus due in he memory of Israel bu ha laer generaions inIsrael will be aware of who Moses is and wha he oninues o

mean in Israel v 1012)In any ase hese inal verses idenif wo feaures of Moses

ha are disinive and definiional Firs Moses knew YHWH

288



DEERONOMY 1-1

faceoface, as has no oher Moses has been permied ino hemos awesome, dangerous presence of YHWH. (See Exod 1 1on "faceoface.) Such inimacy is unhinkable and acknowl

edged in Exod 20 as oo dangerous Nobody, no even oshuain 1:14 enoys such inimacy wih YHWHs own holinessnobody excep Moses. The second, unparalleled claim abouMoses is ha nobody did "wonders like he did (vv 1 112) Iis no said ha he "wonders derive from faceoface accesso Y, bu such a connecion may be inferred. In any case

verses 1 112 credi Moses, in a rich vocabulary, wih signs andwonders, a srong hand, grea displays of power Such wondersare of course he subsance of he enire Mosaic radiion. Heenaced hose wonders, sen from YH, in he land of Egypbefore Pharaoh, before Pharaohs servans, before all Pharaohsland, and before all he eyes of Israel. Moses confounded all hings

as hey are in order o creae a newness in he world Nobody hasever done ha, before or since!I is convenional, in he long sweep of Deueronomic hisory,

o noice he parallel saemen made abou King osiah a he endof he narraive

Beore him there as no king ike him o turned to te

ith a his heart ith a his sou and ith a his might aording to a the a o Moses nor did an ike im arise aer him2 Kgs 2325)

obody before, nobody afer, like him. u of course osiah, inhis form, is a Deueronomic "plan in he narraive, a device

whereby his heological hisory places a Moseslike figure a heend of he royal hisory in order o bracke and frame he enireaccoun by he claims of Moses osiah is Moses who reappears inroyal garb a he end of he sory

Theologa d Ehal Aayss

The book of Deueronomy ends as i began, wih a focus uponhe land (see 178 Deueronomy is a mediaion upon he newrule of Y ha will creae a safe, secure, prosperous place for

8





DEERONOMY 34-2

It s ecsely ths ooted tadton that enables the facng of theoblem and the demandng negotaton of contnuty and dscontnuty. he fnal fom of the text s n the end owefully con

temoay fo eey geneaton that fnds tself ondeng old macles tustng old memoes heedng old commands and alwaysagan enteng new tetoy of omse (see Heb 1 1 3940) .

9





ELECT IBLIOGRAHY

OR Dndrson Brnhard W 1999 Contours of Old Tstamnt Tholo

nnapois: orrss rss.ssmann, Jan 1992 Das kulturll Gdchtns Schr, Ernnrung,

und poltsch Idnttt n frhr Hochkulturn nhn C HBk

Barton, John 1979 Nahum's aw and oti Justi in th ldTsamn" JT 30 1-14Brgr, tr and Thomas ukmann 1967 Th Socal Constructon of

Ralty. A Trats n th Socology of Knowldg. nhor Books,Gardn Ciy Doublday, 47-183

Brgr, r. 1990 Sacrd Canopy: Elmnts of a Socologcal Thoof Rlgon Nw York Doublday

Brry, Wndll 1981. Th Gft of th Good Land: Furthr EssaysCultural and Agrcultural. an raniso Norh ont rss

1983 Standng By Words Essays an raniso: North ointrss

. 1993 Sx Economy Frdom, and Communty: Eght EssaysNw York: anthon Books.

Btz, Hans Ditr 1995 Th Srmon on th Mount. Hrmniainnapols: ortrss rssBird, hyls 1997 Mssng Prsons and Mstakn Idntts: Womn

and Gndr n Ancnt Isral BT innapolis ortrss rssBrown, aymond 1995 Th Snsus Plnor of Sacrd Scrptur

Baltimor t. ary's nivrsity.Bruggmann, Waltr 1978 Th Land Plac as G Problm, and

Challng n Bblcal Fath. BT hiadlphia: ortrss rss 1982. Prayng th Psalms. Winona, inn.: t ary's Collg rss. 1991 Th Commandmns and ibratd ibrating Bonding" in

2



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1994. he Boo o Exodus ntroduction Commentary andRelection" Th N rr's Bb Nashville AbingdonPress 677981 .

1997. Thoog o h Od Tsam Tsmo DspuAdvo inneapolis Fortress Press

1998. A Exodus' in the Plural Amos 97" Ma ocs OGod Bg Fahu a Purasc ord ed. Walter Brueggemannand George Stroup. Louisvile Westminster/ohn Knox 1534.

1998. Faith ith a Price" Th Ohrsd 34 4 uly-August1 998 335.

1999. ruth-eling As Subversive bedience in idem" ThCovad Exporaos La ad Cova ed. Patric Diler inneapolis Fortress 9198

. 1999. e Liturgy o Abundance the yth o Scarcity." ChrsaCu 1 16 10 arch 3-31 34-47.

Bube artin 1 967. Kgshp o God hird edition London GeorgeAllen and UninChaney arvin L. 198 You Shall Not Covet Your Neighbor's

House" Pacc Thoogca Rv 15 Winter 198 3-13Chids Brevard 1974 Exodus A Commar. London SC

Press. 1985 Od Tsam Thoog a Caoca Cox London

SC Press.Clare Ersine 1979. rs/ acob A Porra o Rgo h Odouh Atlanta ohn Knox Press.

Coats George W 1968. Rbo h dss Th MurmurgMo h drss Trados o h Od Tsam NashvilleAbingdon Press

Cross Fran . 1973 Caaa Mh ad Hbr Epc Essas h

Hso o h Rgo o sra Cambridge Harvard UniversityPress.Crsemann Fran. 1996. Th Torah Thoog ad oca Hsor o

Od Tsam La Edinburgh . & ClarDaube David. 1947. uds Bbca La Cambridge Cambridge

University PressDan aa 1989. Kpg h abbah ho Grand Rapids

Eerdmans.Dea ohn. 1995 Pac Bhd Bars A Pacmakg Prss ou

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Koch, Klaus 1982 he Prohe he Aran Age Phiadelphia:Fortress Press

. 1983 s There a Doctrine of Retribution in the d estament "heod n he Old eamen ed by James Crensha Philadelphia:Fortress Press, 1983 5787

Levine Samuel J. 1998 nenumerated Constitutioal Rights andnenumerated iblical bligations: A Preliminary Study iComparative Hermeneutics." onuonal Commena 15

Levinson, ernard. 1997 Deueronom and he Hermeneu of Legalnnovaon xford: xford niversity Press.Liton, Robert J. 1993. he Proean Self Human Relene n he Age

of Fraenaon Ne Yor: asic oos.Lohfin, Norbert. 1981. Distribution of the Functions of Poer he

Las Concerning Public ffices in Deuteronomy 1181822"Grea heme from he Old eamen Chicago: Franciscan Herald,

1981 5575Mcride S Dea 1973 The Yoe of the Kingdom: A Expositio ofDeuteronomy 45" nereaon 27 1 973) 27330

. 1987. Polity of the Covenant People: he oo of Deuteronomy."nereaon 41 1987) 22944

McCarthy Denis J. 1971 An nstallation Gene?" JL XC 1971) 31 41

Miler, Patric D 1982. Sn and udgmen n he Prohe A Sl and heologal Anal Atlata Scholars Press

1984 The Most mpotant Word The Yoe of the Kingdom"he lff Revew 41 1984) 1730.

1985. he Human Sabbath: A Study in Deuteroomic heology."Prneon Semnar Bullen 6 1985) 8297.

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Knox Press.Moran William L. 193 he Anciet Near Eastern acground of theLove of God in Deuteronomy" CQ 25 193) 7787

Mulen E. heodore. 1993 Narrave Ho and Ehn Boundarehe Deueronom Horan and he Creaon of raele Naonalden Atlanta: Scholars Press

Nelson enjamin. 1994 he dea of Uur From rbal Broherhood

o Unveral Oherhood Princeton: Princeton niversity PressNeusner Jacob. 1991 he Enhanmen of udam Re of

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Uruly Coduct"V 25 1975) 23742. 1985. Th Dath of th Old and th Brth of th Nw: Th

Framwork of th Book of Numbr and th Pntatuch AtlataScolars rss

1994. Dutronomy and th Dath of Mo BT Miapolis:ortrss rss

ilips Atoy 1970 Ancnt Iral Crmnal Law N York:Scock Books

oayi Karl 1957 Th Grat Tranformaton Th Poltcal andEconomc Orgn of Our Tm. Bosto: Baco rss

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th Ag of Show Bun odo: Himarsslr, Caroly 1993 Th Vw of oman Found n th

Dutronomc Famly Law BAW 216; Bri: Watr d GruytrScartz gia 1997. Th Cur of Can. Cicago Uivrsity o

Cicago rssStark, ody 1 996 Th R of Chrtanty A Socologt Rcondr

Htory ricto: ricto Uivrsity rssStr, iip D 1991 Th Bblcal Hrm A ndow on Iral'Rlgou Exprnc Bro udaic Studis Atlata: Scolars rss

Stulma, ouis 1990 Ecroacmt i Dutroomy: A Aaysis ot Social World o t D Cod" B 109 1990) 61332

Sy, Marvi A 1996 T Book o saia as roptic Tora"Nw Von of Iaah Ed oy F Mlugi ad Marvi A Sy

ST Supp 214; Sild: Sild Acadmic rssTillic, aul 1951. Th Prottant Era odo Nisbit ad CoTribl, yllis 1989. Brigig Miriam ut o t Sados" Bbl

Rvw 51 bruary, 1989) 1325 34Tucma, Barbara W 1984. Th March of Folly From Troy to Vtnam

odo: ospWasigto, Harold C 1998. st H Di i Battl ad Aotr Ma

Tak Hr: Violc ad t Costructio o Gdr i t as oDutroomy 2022" i Gndr and Law n th Hbrw Bbl andth Ancnt Nar Eat. Ed by Victor H Mas t al Joual for

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Weber Max. 1952 Ancent Judasm Gecoe: ree ress

Weied Moshe 1972. Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomc Schooxord: Caredo ress_. 1995. Soca ustce n Ancent Israe and n the Ancent Near

East Mieapois: ortress ressWesterma Caus. 1978. Bessng n the Bbe and n the Lfe of the

hurch BT hiadephia ortress ressWidavsky Aaro 1984 The Nursng ather Moses as a Potca

Lead Tuscaoosa: Uiversity o Aabama ress.Wiimo Wiiam ad taey Hauerwas 1989 esdent Aens Lfen the hrstan oony Nashvie Abigdo ress

Wright G Erest 1962 The awsuit o God: A orm-Critica tudyo Deuteroomy 32" Israe's Prophetc Hertage: Essays n Honor ofames Muenburg. Ed Berhard Aderso ad Water Harresoodo: CM ress 26-67

MMENTARES

Cemets Road E 1998 The Book o Deuteroomy: ItroductioCommetary ad eectios NIB II Nashvie: Abigdo ress

271-538n up-todate theoogica expostio b oe o the seiorschoars i the ied that has the specia merit o drawig the texttoward cotemporary iterpretive impicatos The book is wegrouded criticay but serves the more practica ad cotemporarpurposes o the series i whch it appears

Craigie eter 1976 The Book of Deuteronomy The New IteratioaCommetary o the d Testamet; Grad Rapds: Eerdmas.This

commetary i a distiguished series works through the text verse byverse ad phrase b phrase The author is a dstiguished iterpreterwho pays atteto to the arger purposes o the book ad does otose sight o those i the detai o the text

Mayes A. D H. 1981 Deuteronomy The New Cetury Bbe; GradRapds: EerdmasThis commetar oers a rch bbiography adtakes up i tur the severa pericopes the book o Deuteroomy.

ocus is upo the importat phrases ad the astoshig weight thatthey are abe to carr whe uderstood the cotext o the argerdeveopig traditio

98



SEE BBOGPHY

Mier, atrik D. 990 Deuteronomy. Interpretation Louisville:Westminster/ohn KnoxThis ommentary by one o the most dstingushed sholars in the ield intends to deliver ontemporaryhomietal eadngs o the text artiular aention is paid to theays in hh a rtially understood book untions as a normativetheologial statement or ongoing theologal reletion

Thompson, J 974 Deuteronomy. Tyndale ld TestamentCommentares London: ntervarsity elloshp.This ommentary,rom a somehat more onservative perspetive, areully pays attention to the nuane and detail o the text.

von ad, Gerhard 953 Studes n Deuteronomy BT 9; London: CMress_. 966 The Problem of the Hexateuh and Other Essays Ne

York MGraHil. 966 Deuteronomy TL. hiladelphia: WestminsterThis om

mentary is the normatve lassi in the ed herein ths great Germansholar developed his thesis about the onvenantal shape o the book

o Deuteronomy and the ays in hh the text relets the poer andontinuing ontemporaneity o preahed la."

Weneld, Moshe 99 Deuteronomy 1 - 1 1 . B 5 Ne York:DoubledayWeineld, a distinguished Israel sholar presents hat,upon ompleton, ill no doubt be the reerene ommentary or along tme to ome. The ommentary relets massve erudition andonsiders every imagnabe nuane o the text as it is read in the ontext o the nient Near East, in hih understanding it ompletelyparipates

R URR Y

Crsemann, rank. 996 The Torah Theology and Soal Hstory ofOld Testament Law Edinburgh: T & T ClarkThis book hasquiky emerged as the lassi in the ield that provides a detailed ritial releton upon all the legal materials o the ld Testament. t isan aomplished reerene ork that ouses upon the poly impliatons and does not lnger exessively over the partiulars o any onetext but looks at the impat and lam o all.

Harrelson, Walter 980 The Ten Commandments and Human ghtsBT. hiladephia: ortressThs book oered by a senior sholarin the ield onsiders the ays n hih the Ten Commandments un



SEE BBIOGPHY

tion not ony in the context of ancient srae in the canon of the Odestaent but as a continuing source for socia vision and social practice. A cue to te orion of the boo is te fact that it ends it aconsideration of the Helsini Huan Rigts Decaration it te suggestion tat te conteporary issues faced in uan rigts areinfored by and rooted in te initial enunciations of Mount Sinai.

Levinson ernard. 997 Duonomy and h Hmnu of Lgalnnovaon Oxford: Oxford University Press.evinson a youngerscoar considers te ay in hic te ega traditions ofDeuteronoy ove fro te oder lega traditions of te boo of

Exodus but also ove out beyond te. t is a study of the ay inhich egal interpretation is adaptable to circustance. One aylearn fro ere about te dynaic ega traditions in a ay tat contradicts a uncritica clais of strict constructionis."

Lofin Norbert 98. a Thms fom h Old TsamnCicago Franciscan Heradis distinguised Geran scoaroffers a variety of independent essays that are arveousy accessibe

and tat are concerned ith conteporary teoogica and ethicaprobes. or purposes of tis coentary, te ost iportant essayconcerns te separation of poers" tat is refected in te egal traditions of Deuteronoy. he author carries te atter of separationof poers into conteporary poitical questions of autority and participation.

McConvie . G. 984 Law and Thology n Duonomy SOSup

Seffied SO Presshis boo is a study of the ay in hic teega traditions of the boo of Deuteronoy for a basis for thedynic and deveoping theological interpretive tradition. he authorunderstands the ay in hich the tradition is both rooted and openfor rich interpretive possibility

e Patric D. 989 he Pace of the Decaogue in the Oldestaent and ts La" nterpretation 43 22942is brief dis

cussion shos the ay in ich the coandents of te Decaogueave ipoant interpretive trajectories iplied in te tat carry teancient coandents into fres etica and ora issues

Olson Dennis. 994 Duonomy and h Dah of Moss OMineapois: Fortress.is boo is a creative onograp tat considers te shape and force of the hoe tradition of Deuteronoy andtraces te ay in hich its accents revove around te question of

death. he author as oved aay fro a conteporary forat andfocuses on a singe teoogica accent that perits a fresh interpretation of the oe



SELE BIBLIOGHY

ozin, obet 1 980. Moses and he Deueronoms A Lera udy ofhe Deueronomsc Hso Ne Yok eabuyTi bookappea to opitiated iteay teoy and i inteeted in te ay ini text efet tenion, ontadition and oneationbeeen aiou oie in te textua tadition Ti book i pat of aage tiogy in i te diaogi foe of te text i onideedtoug a age potion of te anon

Weinfed oe 9. Deueronomy and he Deueronomc choolxfod: Caendon eTi aei oa a poided a aitudy of te ay in i te apientia tadition of ae ae ope

atie in te book of euteonomy and in it deiatie itoia naatie tadition Te book i an inteeting atenatie to te dominant tadition of oenant tat i ooted in te tudy of on ad andugget tat tee i moe tan one poibe ay of identifying teinfoming tadition of te book of euteonomy

1





NDEX

abomnaon 99 14 1 192 212

Abraam 19aduery, 7amnesia (See o memoy), 81 8 88 91

19 112 17Anderson Benad anmals, etcal treament 22Assman Jan, 9asyum, 19799 21autonomy 11-12 141 148 1997

Baal Peo 1Baon Jon 11Berger, Peter, 18Began, Danel, 81Began, Piip, 81Bery, Wende 112 24 24Betz ans Dieer, 27Bid Pyis 22

blessngs, 248 247 29 28487bood, 14boodgut, 199 211 2221bread as meapor o Isae's selexstence

1- 18Brueggemann Wae, 8 7 79 97

12 18 2 288Buber Man 28

caendar, litugcal 174 178Cavin, Jon, 142 24capal punsmen 199 2 29capalism 148Caney, Marvin, 71clden education n at, 174

growt in ait , 88 92los to e ai 1

Cids, Bevard

cities o euge 9 19798 21Clake, skine 7clean vs unclean, 18-9 24 2Coats, G W

colaea 278 24

commoditization, o realiy, 1 27commun, 9 1communy exc 19 99connecedness, 72consumeism, 7778 91copses ime or disposon, 219covenant obedence covenant eology, 17covenana ec, 22

coveting 71 77 99creaon 27 98Creaton eoo 2 14 111creaton, demse, 14Cross F M 188crossdessng 219Csemann Frank, 19 1 22cuses 229 22

Daube David, 4 288Dawn Maa 77Da o Aonement 21Dea, Jon 81deb cancelation 17deb setude, 14-8Decalogue, 8 71 7981 122 22Deuteronomc sory 19Deuteronomy, and e contempoa com

mitment to ustice 18nuence on Bbca nterpreaton, 2inuence on emeging Judasm, 2 2inuence on popets, 21posiion n e canon, 22

discipine, 1 19dsease, ocal, 27dvnation (See o idoa) 19dne counci, 19

divoce, 2domination, mae (See o patarcy)2117 221 222

Donner, eber 229

303



NDEX

Dog, M, 101, 158de poe, 204

dom, 35, 229edon, 85

gpt, 136, 229l, Jqe, 61envonmentlm, 74, 241elvm, 15556, 227, 22930eeion, 218eie, 20, 59 , 125, 265od, 31, 66, 73, 88, 164, 173xod, plel to Shon, 40

fth, 210fh v fihfne, 47fle wne, 70fe 31Fenhm, F hrle, 202Fetiv of Booh, 175-76, 276Fetv of Week, 174ffrt, 2464 7Fihbne, Mhel, 92

foegne (See reident len, 229fee wil, 40Fetheim, erene, 275Fkm, Fni, 234

gent me, 227, 243geogph, heoog vle, 63-64gint, 39, 43, 1 14genng, gh to, 23940

Gne, Robe, 70god, fe, 150-51

Hbe, Nomn, 288Hlie, Php, 270Hmon, effie, 163Hrreon, Wle 66, 98He, Stne, 100h 412, 94, 96, 101, 155, 212

Hehe, Abhm, 13heeonom, 14849Hler, Debe, 25 4hore, gn of mli might, 18485

ideoog, domnnt, 155idolt, 71, 143if-then theoog, 267mge, eton of elt, 62, 102

ne, 225nherne, 217interpeton, bibl, 7980

rit onttonm , 7981

Irel, ontrt oet, 52, 60, 73, 78tonom, 33, 126dobediene, 117dvert, 131eleton, 129-130

eneme, 244fithflne, 32fithlene, 3233holne, 157-58idolt, 5556lolt to YHWH, 8384, 90-91memor, 54obediene, 97, 116, 157pelrit, 58, 9394

tbbornne, 130YHH hld, 156

Job, Sn, 200Joh, tnton from Moe, 45Joni reformton; 19Joe, Pl, 49Jbilee See Yer of Releejtie, 27, 179183, 205, 230

jtie v injte, 48jtifition, 127

Kfmn, Yehezkel, 142Kierkegrd, Sen, 89kinhip, 38kinmn redeeme, 36, 198Koh, Kl, 104, 196, 256

lnd, 5960, 13436, 203bndne, 108 et, 44deiion for, 5051defilement, 218entrne into, 288eploitton, 112lo throgh njte, 28pevo opn, 37

reditribtion, 167tking poeon, 29, 38-43ndle peon, 162, 165lw of retliton, 205-6lwit, 277280lepro, 237Levine, Smel, 80Levinon, ernrd, 79Levite, 161

evite, men of ppot, 1 89evite, rivl with Zdokie, 190lex lns See lw of etliton)ifton, Robert , 90

304



NDEX

[urgy make covenan[ conempora 65ofnk Norbe 79loyaly 94uckman Toma 38u[e Main 66 234

marrage 22225 23536 24-42Marx Karl 6McBrde S Dean 83 78memory ( amneia) 25 73 0-

3 28Mlle Pa[rick 68 83 206Moab 36monarcy 84

moeim 67Moran William 84 35Moe a mediao 26 7 24 27

auoriy 79auorip of De[eonomy 8dea[ 287-88excluion from land 45incompaabliy 289inepre[er of YHWH, 27popec funcion 92 94peece 78unbelief 32

Mullen Teodoe 24 227murder 70 9899murmung 30

naion 280negborline 270Nelon Benamn 234

obdn 82 84 8 24950 255Oden Robe A Jr 232Og 38-39 42-44 48old v new generaon 47Olon Denni 32 42 272o[e god 52 282oer people 98 0

paening 07paen[ reaonp w cilden 76pae ocial uily 69Paove 73-74pariacy 22225 236 243 245peace v war 48peruy 205Pillip An[ony 66 223

Polany Karl 69 23435poo po[ecion by udge 80Po[man Neil 62pomodenm 92

Powell ewi 80paye [eceion 8 20-2 2527Prele arolyn 267 222 225prieood 90-92pimogenie 278priva[e popery 202privaiaion 69 222producviy economc 75producv relaonp [ voence 77-78promie 27 30propecy 92 94-97propecy [ue v fale 95pro[ue emple 230punmen 223 243punimen[ propoonaliy 24pury 230 240

Rad Geard von 7 88 24 88892456

rape 22425relaonp eual 223-26 228 253religou pofeonal 54reiden[ alien ( o foeigne) 28 3rule of law 8 20

abba 6869 77acrifce 70-7acfce cld 46aaon 86Scwa Regna 0eual n[ecoure 224-25ame 242 33 38 88iege 22Son 8 4lavey 86 64 66 23 233Solomon 39 46 85-86$[ark Rodney 34ealng 70$[ern Pilp 4 94$ulman ou 24

Sweeney Main 53

Teology of Gloy 55Teology of [e o 55Teonomy 4849[i[e 45 60-63 247 249Tora 22-23 26-27 268

Moaic 5 86 275-76eading 273

voaion 72wrien 63

Trible Pyll 238Tucman Barbara 275

05



INEX

Documents

Deuteronomy - Walter Brueggemann