Reading Deuteronomy: A Literary and Theological Commentary

✍ Scribed by Stephen L. Cook

• Publisher: Smyth & Helwys Publishing
• Year: 2015
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 277
• Series: Reading the Old Testament; 4
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

A lost treasure for large segments of the modern world, the book of Deuteronomy powerfully repays contemporary readers’ attention. Part of the Reading the Old Testament series.

The book of Deuteronomy represents Scripture pulsing with immediacy, offering gripping discourses that yank readers out of the doldrums and back to Mount Horeb and an encounter with divine Word issuing forth from blazing fire. God’s presence and Word in Deuteronomy stir deep longing for God and move readers to a place of intimacy with divine otherness, holism, and will for person-centered community. The consistently theological interpretation reveals the centrality of Deuteronomy for faith and powerfully counters critical accusations about violence, intolerance, and polytheism in the book.

Stephen L. Cook serves as the Catherine N. McBurney Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Virginia Theological Seminary. He did his doctoral training in Old Testament at Yale after having earned the M.Div. degree at Yale’s Divinity School. Stephen has served in several capacities as an officer of the Society of Biblical Literature and is currently chair of the executive committee, the Catholic Biblical Association, Baltimore-Washington Region.

Praise for Reading Deuternomy

"Stephen Cook’s theological commentary puts Deuteronomy’s compelling reinterpretation of an earlier minority tradition in ancient Israel in lively dialogue with other like-minded representatives of this 'outsider' stream of tradition within the Old Testament (Hosea, Micah, Jeremiah, Malachi, the Elohist, Psalms of Asaph, Joshua–2 Kings). All this is done in service to Cook’s overall aim to bring out the 'vibrant liveliness and pressing relevance' of Deuteronomy as a resource for constructive theological formation for contemporary people of faith today. An insightful and accessible study of the theology and ethics of Deuteronomy." —Dennis Olson, Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology Chair, Biblical Studies Department, Princeton Theological Seminary

"Stephen Cook’s commentary on Deuteronomy captures the reforming spirit of this biblical book. With his own fresh and dynamic voice, Cook unleashes the forceful, commanding voice of Deuteronomy. Read in light of Cook’s long and deep scholarship, Deuteronomy emerges as a powerful source for theological reflection for the church today. Most highly recommended for courses in seminaries, divinity schools, and programs in theology." —Mark S. Smith, Skirball Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, New York University

"Stephen L. Cook provides an accessible yet profound theological commentary on the theologically rich book of Deuteronomy. Often thought-provoking and always insightful, Cook’s contribution illumines the ancient biblical text so modern readers, particularly lay and clergy, can come to a deeper understanding not only of the book itself but also of the God who reveals himself through it." —Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College

✦ Table of Contents

Reading Deuteronomy
Contents
Editor's Foreword
Author's Preface
Reading Deuteronomy: Issues and Approach
THE FIRST DISCOURSE OF MOSES
Israel’s Past at Mount Horeb and at Kadesh-barnea
Israel’s Journey from Kadesh to Moab
The Allotment of Transjordan
Israel on the Plains of Moab
THE SECOND DISCOURSE OF MOSES
Introducing the Torah
God’s Revelation of the Decalogue
The Command to Love an Integral Lord
The Command to Show No Mercy
The Rejection of Dependence on Self
The Rejection of Self-righteousness
A Summative Call to Commitment
A Central Sanctuary
A Command to Resist Sedition and Insurrection
A People Called by God’s Name
A People of Sacred Interruptions
Leadership and Polity for God’s People
Protecting Innocent Life: The Public Order
Protecting Innocent Life: Warfare
The Confrontation of Life and Death
The Obligation to Protect Life
Exposition of the Commandment against Adultery
Exposition of the Commandment against Theft
Exposition of the Commandment against False Witness
Do Not Covet Your Neighbor’s Wife
Do Not Long for Anything that Belongsto Your Neighbor
Conclusion to the Legal Corpus:A Mutual Covenant
Ceremonies at Shechem
Covenant Blessings and Curses
THE THIRD DISCOURSE OF MOSES
Ratification, Part 1: Review of Israel’s History
Ratification, Part 2: A Reciprocal, Immutable Commitment
Ratification, Part 3: Assurance of the Future
Ratification, Part 4: A Word Very Near
Ratification, Part 5: A Necessary Choice
EPILOGUE: THE DEATH OF MOSES AND THE TORAH’S FORMATION
Transferring Leadership and Depositing Witnesses
The Song of Moses
Moses Commanded to Die
The Blessing of Moses
The Death of Moses
Works Cited