Pentateuch: Deuteronomy

Contents: Text and commentary -- The outer frame: pt. 1:--A look backwards (1:1--3:29) -- Superscription: Deuteronomy in a nutshell (1:1--6a) -- Summons to enter the promised land (1:6a--8) -- Excursus: Travel notices in the outer frame of Deuteronomy -- Organization of the people for life in the land (1:9--18) -- Israel's unholy war (1:19--2:1) -- Excursus: The Numeruswechsel in Deuteronomy -- The March of Conquest (2:2--25) -- Excursus: Holy war as celebrated event in ancient Israel -- Yahweh's holy war (2:26--3:11) -- Distribution of the land in Transjordan (3:12--17) -- Summons to take the promised land (3:18--22) -- Transition: from Moses to Joshua (3:23--29) -- The inner frame: pt. 1: The great peroration (4:1--11:25) -- "And now, O Israel, obey Yahweh's commandments (4:1--40) -- "Then Moses set apart three cities" (4:41--43) -- "This is the Torah"--the ten words (4:44--6:3) -- "Hear, O Israel, Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone" (6:4--7:11) -- When you obey, you will be blessed (7:12--26) -- When you disobey, you will perish (8:1--20) -- "Hear, O Israel, you are about to cross the Jordan" (9:1--29) -- At that time Yahweh spoke the ten words (10:1-7) -- "At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi" (10:8--11) -- "And now, O Israel, what does Yahweh as of you?" (10:12--11:32).

Contents: Pt. 1: Moses' first address: journey to the boundary (Deuteronomy 1--4) -- On the way with the Lord (1-3) -- Call to obedience (4) -- Pt. 2: Moses' second address: the law proclaimed (Deuteronomy 5--28) -- The most important words (5-11) -- Further rules and regulations for life (12-26) -- Ceremony and sanctions -- Pt. 3: Moses' third address: the covenant at Moab (Deuteronomy 29--32) -- A second covenant (29-30) -- From Moses to Joshua (31-32) -- Pt. 4: The death of Moses (Deuteronomy 33--34).

Contents: Words Worth Pondering (1:1) -- A Message for Changing Circumstances (1:1-4) -- Experiences of God's Care (1:5-25) -- Wrong Attitudes (1:26-45) -- Right Relationships (1:46-2:15) -- Israel's First Victory (2:16-37) -- The Mastery of Transjordan (3:1-17) -- Planning for the Future (3:18-29) -- The Letter of the Law (4:1-8) -- The Dangers of Idolatry (4:9-24) -- The Aftermath of Idolatry (4:25-31) -- God and His Laws (4:32-49) -- The Ten Commandments (5:1-21) -- God's Due (5:6-11) (cont'd) -- Keeping the Sabbath (5:12-15) (cont'd) -- Social Obligations (5:16-21) (cont'd) -- True Obedience (5:22-33) -- Permanent Reminders (6:1-9) -- The Great Challenge (6:5) (cont'd) -- Maintaining Devotion to God (6:10-25) -- "Fight the Good Fight" (7:1-5) -- The Logic of God's Choice (7:6-16) -- Automatic Rewards? (7:6-16) (cont'd) -- Glittering Attractions (7:17-26) -- Desert Experiences (8:1-10) -- The Dangers of Prosperity (8:11-20) -- The Danger of Complacency (9:1-5) -- Priest or Prophet? (9:6-23) -- Lessons from History (9:24-10:5) -- The Covenant Box (10:6-11) -- God's Requirements (10:12-22) -- Dependence on God (11:1-17) -- Geographical Details (11:18-32) -- One Shrine (12:1-14) -- ... and only One! (12:1-14) (cont'd) -- Worship at the Shrine (12:1-14) (cont'd) -- The Provision of Meat (12:15-32) -- The Dangers of Tolerance (13:1-18) -- Prohibited Food Items (14:1-21) -- The Purpose of Tithes (14:22-29) -- Help for the Poor (15:1-11) -- Regulating Slavery (15:12-23) -- The Passover (16:1-8) -- Joy and Generosity (16:9-17) -- Justice (16:18-20) -- Prohibited Worship (16:21-17:7) -- Officers of the Law (17:8-20) -- The Welfare of the Levites (18:1-8) -- Prophets True and False (18:9-22) -- The Protection of Life (19:1-13) -- Perjury (19:14-21) -- The Conduct of Warfare (20:1-20) -- Unsolved Murders (21:1-9) -- Some Rights and Duties (21:10-23) -- Distinctive Features (22:1-12) -- Sexual Morality (22:13-30) -- The National Assembly (23:1-8) -- Some Varied Laws (23:9-25) -- Some Problems in Society (24:1-9) -- The Underprivileged (24:10-22) -- Concern for Humans and Animals (25:1-10) -- Some Dangers to Society (25:11-19) -- First Fruits (26:1-11) -- Walking in God's Ways (26:12-19) -- "Keep Silence and Hear" (27:1-10) -- A List of Curses (27:11-26) -- The Logic of the Covenant (28:1-14) -- The Penalties of Disobedience (28:15-68) -- Universal Obligations (29:1-15) -- The Source of Disaster (29:16-28) -- Secrets and Plain Language (29:29) -- Hope for Dark Days (30:1-10) -- "Not too Hard" (30:11-14) -- A Stark Choice (30:15-20) -- Preparing for Change (31:1-8) -- The Custody of the Law (31:9-13) -- Facing up to Disobedience (31:14-29) -- A Sermon in Song (31:30-32:7) -- Evidence of God's Care (32:8-14) -- Living Dangerously (32:15-25) -- From Powerlessness to Vindication (32:26-52) -- The Blessing of Moses (33:1-29) -- The End of an Era (34:1-12)

Translation of Das fünfte Buch Mose: Deuteronomium, which was first published in 1964 as v. 8 of Das Alte Testament deutsch, edited by V. Herntrich and A. Weiser.

In this volume on Deuteronomy, Brueggemann shows the importance of the biblical book for the shape and substance of Israel's faith. Deuteronomy gave classic articulation to the main themes characteristic of Judaism, and, derivatively, of Christianity. Brueggemann emphasizes that Deuteronomy is an expression of covenant theology, whereby YHWH and Israel are pledged to exclusive loyalty and fidelity to each other; YHWH is to assure the well-being of Israel, and Israel is to live in trust and obedience to YHWH. In examining the relationship of Israel to God, Brueggemann makes suggestions on how such covenant fidelity might be lived out by believers today.

Deuteronomy is a book about a community being prepared for a new life. Hardship and the wilderness lie behind; the promised land lies ahead. But in the present moment, there is a call for a new commitment to God and a fresh understanding of the nature of the community of God's people. Though the scene is set more than three thousand years in the past, Deuteronomy is still a book of considerable contemporary relevance. The book of Deuteronomy, however, is not only a book of contemporary relevance. It has been, and continues to be, one of the most important and debated works in modern biblical scholarship

Contents: March forth 1:1-18 -- A failed invasion 1:19-46 -- Through Edom and Moab 2:1-25 -- Defeating the two kings of the Amorites 2:26-3:7 -- Reaching Beth-peor: allotment and appeal 3:8-29 -- Exhortation to obedience 4:1-40 -- The setting for lawgiving 4:41-49 -- The covenant at Horeb 5:1-33 -- Keep the law diligently 6:1-25 -- Israel as a countercultural society 7:1-26. -- Remember Yahweh's saving deeds 8:1-20 -- Complacency, rebellion, intercession, and pardon 9:1-10:11 -- Incentives for obedience 10:12-11:32 -- Centralization and fidelity 12:1-31 -- Eradicate treason against Yahweh 13:1-19 -- Act as Yahweh's holy people 14:1-21 -- Set apart a tenth 14:22-29 -- Every seventh year 15:1-23 -- Festival calendar 16:1-17 -- Constitutional proposals 16:18-17:20 -- Constitutional proposals continued 18:1-22 -- Fairness in the practice of justice 19:1-21 -- When you go to war 20:1-20 -- In the land Yahweh is going to give you 21:1-23 -- Property laws and family laws 22:1-29 -- Ritual and social boundaries 23:1-26 -- Marriage and community welfare 24:1-22. -- Personal and social integrity 25:1-19 -- Firstfruits and tithes 26:1-19 -- A ceremony of commitment at Shechem 27:1-26 -- Blessings and curses 28:1-68 -- The covenant made in Moab 28:69-29:28 -- I set before you life and death 30:1-20 -- Final words from Moses and Yahweh 31:1-30 -- The song of Moses 32:1-52 -- Excursus: The text of Deuteronomy 32:43. -- The blessing of Moses 33:1-29 -- The death of Moses 34:1-12

By means of a threefold approach - typological analysis of literary forms, investigation of religious ideology, and study of didactic aims and methods - Weinfeld shows that the deuteronomic composition was the creation of scribal circles who began their work some time prior to the reign of Josiah and were still at work after the fall of Judah.

Contents: Deuteronomy in modern research / Duane L. Christensen -- Deuteronomy / Moshe Weinfeld -- Recent discussion on 2 Kings 22-23 / Norbert Lohfink -- Polity of the covenant people / S. Dean McBride, Jr. -- Covenant in a century of study since Wellhausen / E.W. Nicholson -- Deuteronomy and the central sanctuary / Gordon J. Wenham -- Deuteronomy and Ugaritic studies / Peter C. Craigie -- Wisdom influence in Deuteronomy / C. Brekelmans -- Principal observations of the basic story in Deuteronomy 1-3 / Timo Veijola -- The end of the unholy war and the anti-Exodus / William L. Moran -- The structure of the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy (32:1-43) / Patrick W. Skehan -- Samuel's "broken rîb" : Deuteronomy 32 / George E. Mendenhall -- Legendary motifs in the Moses death reports / George W. Coats -- Deuteronomy 4 and the literary criticism of Deuteronomy / A.D.H. Mayes -- The decalogue / Anthony Phillips -- Malediction and benediction in ancient Near Eastern vassal-treaties and the Old Testament / F. Charles Fensham -- The curses of Deuteronomy 27 / Elizabeth Bellefontaine -- The covenant in the land of Moab (Deuteronomy 28:69-30:20) / Alexander Rofé -- Some postulates of biblical criminal law / Moshe Greenberg -- "Moses my servant" / Patrick D. Miller -- The sequence of the laws in Deuteronomy 12-26 and in the Decalogue / Georg Braulik -- Distribution of the functions of power : the laws concerning public offices in Deuteronomy 16:18-18:22 / Norbert Lohfink -- Reporting speech in the book of Deuteronomy / Robert Polzin -- Divine speech in Deuteronomy / Casper J. Labuschagne -- The Numeruswechsel in Deuteronomy 12 / Duane L. Christensen.

Contents: The first edition of the Hebrew Bible -- Theology, history, and folklore -- The sins of Jeroboam and the shrine at Bethel -- Joshua and Josiah -- The four layers of authorship of the Deuteronomistic history -- The death of Josiah -- The exilic edition of the Deuteronomistic history -- The origin of covenant theology -- The Book of Deuteronomy -- The eighth century prophets -- The heritage of the Deuteronomic circle -- Going back to the beginning -- Justice themes and the Deuteronomists.

Professor Carmichael here proposes a convincing solution to a perplexing problem in biblical studies--the order and arrangement of the Deuteronomic laws. He shows that Deuteronomy is not a haphazard collection of fragments, but rather a carefully constructed, coherent literary work with a definite purpose. Through his analysis, many of the peculiar features of the code are made intelligible, for example, the relationship between the laws and earlier stories, sagas, and historical narratives. Opening up a new approach to the interpretation of the laws, this book makes an important contribution to the understanding of biblical material.

Positioned at the boundary of traditional biblical studies, legal history, and literary theory, 'Deuteronomy and the Hermeneutics of Legal Innovation' shows how the legislation of 'Deuteronomy' reflects the struggle of its authors to renew late seventh-century Judean society.

"A Crossroad book.".
pt. 1. Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges.

This work is a comparative study into the theological concerns of the writers of the Deuteronomistic History and Chronicles as demonstrated through their respective portrayal of the Davidic monarchy. It then presents a comparative analysis of the portrayal of select Davidic kings.

Contents:
Deuteronomy and Josiah's reformation --
The structure and unity of Deuteronomy --
The nature of Deuteronomy and the traditions upon which it stands --
Deuteronomy and Northern Israel --
Deuteronomy and Judah --
Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomist --
Conclusion.