Book of Deuteronomy

The Book of Deuteronomy (from Greek Δευτερονόμιον, Deuteronómion, "second law"; Hebrew: דְּבָרִים, Devārīm, "[spoken] words") is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah. The Hebrew title is taken from the opening phrase Eleh ha-devarim, "These are the words..."; the English title is from a Greek mistranslation of the Hebrew phrase mishneh ha-torah ha-zoth, "a copy of this law", in Deuteronomy 17:18, as to deuteronomion touto – "this second law".

The book consists of three sermons or speeches delivered to the Israelites by Moses on the plains of Moab, shortly before they enter the Promised Land. The first sermon recapitulates the forty years of wilderness wanderings which have led to this moment, and ends with an exhortation to observe the law (or teachings), later referred to as the Law of Moses; the second reminds the Israelites of the need for exclusive allegiance to one God and observance of the laws (or teachings) he has given them, on which their possession of the land depends; and the third offers the comfort that even should Israel prove unfaithful and so lose the land, with repentance all can be restored.

Deuteronomy (disambiguation)

Deuteronomy may refer to:

Song of Moses

The Song of Moses in this article relates to the name sometimes given to the poem which appears in Deuteronomy 32:1–43 of the Hebrew Bible, written/orated just prior to Moses' death on Mount Nebo.

The Song is believed by some to have been written down and placed in the Ark of the Covenant at one time, along with Aaron's staff and the Ten Commandments.

Biblical narrative

According to Deuteronomy 31:16-18, God met with Moses and his nominated successor Joshua at the "tabernacle of meeting" and told them that after Moses' death, the people of Israel would renege on the covenant that God had made with them, and worship the gods of the lands they were occupying. God told Moses to write down the words of a song and teach it to the community, so that it would be a "witness for Me against the children of Israel" (Deuteronomy 31:19). Deuteronomy 31:22 states that Moses did as he had been instructed, and in Deuteronomy 31:30 he then "spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were ended".