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The fifth book of the Torah, also known as the Books of Moses, gets its title from the Greek Septuagint’s “to deuteronomion,” which means “second law” or “repeated law.” In Hebrew, it is called Debarim, which translates to “the words.” As the Greek title suggests, Deuteronomy revisits the laws given at Mount Sinai, which are recorded in other books of the Torah. It focuses on renewing the covenant with a new generation of Israelites, explores the blessings and curses associated with the law, recounts Israel’s history, and includes the famous Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Deuteronomy covers ethical principles, the concept of the covenant, the blessings of obedience, and the consequences of disobedience.
As part of the Books of Moses, Deuteronomy is traditionally attributed to Moses, a significant figure in Scripture and an Old Testament foreshadowing of Jesus. Like the other books of the Torah, Deuteronomy was either directly written by Moses or dictated to scribes. The Mosaic authorship is widely accepted, as most of Deuteronomy consists of sermons that Moses delivered to Israel just before they entered the Jordan. The Book of Deuteronomy begins with the statement: “These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan” «These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. », (Deuteronomy 1:1).
Another individual may have transcribed the
Last chapter of Deuteronomy, which records Moses’ death. Various plausible suggestions exist. Jewish tradition attributes Deuteronomy 34 to Joshua as the most likely author, although Eleazar the priest is also considered. Notably, modern authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Matthew Henry had their works completed posthumously. It is not far-fetched to propose that the same happened with the book of Deuteronomy.
Despite Scripture’s clear attribution of Deuteronomy to Moses, some scholars deny Mosaic authorship in favor of modern hypotheses that view the Torah as a work of several anonymous authors spanning centuries. But in the New Testament, Jesus divides the Hebrew Bible into three sections: “The Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” «And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. », (Luke 24:44). By classifying the law as being “of Moses,” Jesus clearly affirmed that the Torah was written by Moses.
