Where it fits

Deuteronomy is the fifth and last book of the Law, with 34 chapters. The name means “second law” in Greek, but the book is less a new law than a renewal of the covenant. Its Hebrew title is “These are the words” (1:1). It is set on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River and across from Jericho, where Moses speaks to a new generation just before his death. Tradition credits Moses, with the account of his death (chapter 34) added later. Read straight through, it takes about two hours.

The big message

Moses is old and will not enter the land (3:23–29). The generation that left Egypt has died, and those before him were children at Sinai or not yet born. So Moses preaches. The book is a series of speeches that retell the story, repeat the law, and ask for a decision. Scholars note that its shape resembles ancient treaties between a king and his people.

Chapters 1 to 4 review the journey from Sinai and call Israel to obey. Chapters 5 to 11 repeat the Ten Commandments and give the center of the book, the Shema, which begins “Hear, Israel” (6:4) and calls Israel to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength (6:4–5). Chapters 12 to 26 apply the covenant to daily life: worship, justice, kings and prophets, war, family, and care for the poor, widows, orphans, and foreigners. Chapters 27 to 30 spell out blessings for obedience and curses for rebellion, and end with a famous choice: “Therefore choose life” (30:19). The last chapters record Joshua's commissioning, the Song of Moses, and Moses' death on Mount Nebo (31–34).

Three ideas to hold on to

1. Love God with everything. Obedience in Deuteronomy flows from love. Israel is to teach these words to their children, talking about them at home, on the road, when lying down and when rising (6:4–9).
2. Remember. Moses warns that in prosperity Israel will be tempted to say that “my power and the might of my hand” made them rich, and to forget the God who brought them out (8:11–18).
3. God's grace comes first. God didn't choose Israel because they were great or good. He chose them out of love and faithfulness to his promise (7:7–8; 9:4–6).

Passages people ask about

• Deuteronomy 6:4–9. The Shema, which Jews pray daily and which Jesus named as the greatest commandment (Mark 12:28–30).
• Deuteronomy 8. Remembering God in the wilderness and in prosperity. Jesus quoted verse 3 when he was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:4).
• Deuteronomy 7:1–6 and 20:10–18. Commands to destroy the nations in the land. These are among the hardest texts in the Old Testament. Christians approach them in different ways, pointing to ancient war language, to judgment on specific peoples at a particular time, and to Jesus' call to love enemies. Most agree they are not a model for the church today.
• Deuteronomy 30:11–20. The call to choose life.

How it points to Jesus

Jesus knew Deuteronomy well. When Satan tempted him in the wilderness, he answered each time with a line from it (Matthew 4:1–11; Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:13). Asked for the greatest commandment, he quoted the Shema (Mark 12:29–30). Moses promised that God would raise up a prophet like him, and the New Testament says Jesus is that prophet (18:15; Acts 3:22–23). Paul's teaching that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law draws on Deuteronomy 21:23 (Galatians 3:13).

A common misunderstanding

Deuteronomy is sometimes read as a bargain: obey and God will pay you, disobey and he will punish you. The blessings and curses do sound that way. But Moses is clear that Israel's place in God's plan was never earned (7:7–8; 9:4–6) and that obedience is a response to love, not a way to buy it. He is also honest that Israel will fail (31:16–18), and the book looks ahead to a day when God will change their hearts so they can truly love him (30:6).