AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY

The name "Deuteronomy" is a Greek word and is an inexact rendering of Deut.17v18 in the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It should have been translated: "this is the repetition of the Law." This book is not a "second Law," but only a partial restatement and expansion of former laws in the writings of Moses. The Jews called this book: "the five-fifths of the Law," since it is the last of the five books of Moses. Deuteronomy resumes where the Book of Numbers leaves off. Israel is not in the Plains of Moab, poised for invasion. The laws of Moses were rehearsed and expounded for this new generation as they were about to take possession of the land which had been promised to them by God.

Deuteronomy contains the last words of Moses in the final week of his life. Since God would not allow him to cross the Jordan River with them, under the direct inspiration of God, Moses re-emphasized God's Law in view of the new conditions which they would soon face. Moses warned them against disobeying God and he encouraged them to follow the true path.

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