DEUTERONOMY – The history of religion in the time of the Prophet Moses, and the Law given through him from God. Book of the Old Testament, one of the five books written by Moses.
The basic theme of Deuteronomy which means Second Law, is the renewal of the Covenant. At the end of the book of Numbers, Israel is encamped in the Plains of Moab, preparing for an attack upon Canaan from the East. Deuteronomy is essentially Moses’ farewell address to the people in which he rehearses the mighty acts of the Lord, solemnly warns of the temptations of the new ways of Canaan, and pleads for loyalty to and love of God as the condition for life in the Promised Land. A distinctive teaching of Deuteronomy is that the worship of the Lord is to be centralized in one place, so that the paganism of the local shrines may be eliminated.
This book can be divided into four parts: 1) God’s care for Israel from Sinai to Moab (Ch. 1-4); 2) The Covenant Proof of God’s love (Ch. 5-11); 3) Moses’ explanation of the Law (Ch. 12-26); and 4) Moses’ last words and death (Ch. 27-34).