Who wrote Deuteronomy?
Deuteronomy is the closing book of the first five books of the Bible, and it is the one whose authorship has been argued over most fiercely. The commentators handle two separate questions: what the book claims about itself, and whether the last chapter — which records Moses' death — can have come from the same hand.
What the Book Says About Itself
The commentators begin with the book's own statements rather than with theories about it. One writer lays out the internal and Old Testament evidence in order:
Arend RemmersStarting from 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is breathed out by God," we can see in the Old as well as in the New Testament that Moses is considered to be the author of Deuteronomy, and so the time of writing is confirmed. In Deuteronomy 31:9 and 24-26 it is testified that Moses wrote the book and that he gave it to the Levites to keep. In Joshua 8:32-35 explicit reference is made to Deuteronomy 27:8-12 as "all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before." When the law of Moses is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 34:14 and Nehemiah 8:1, the book of Deuteronomy is included as well.
The Rival Theory
The denial of Moses as author is a comparatively recent development, and it targeted this book above the others. One writer quotes the critics in their own words so readers can see what is actually being claimed:
Arno Clemens Gaebelein"It is clear, say our modern authorities, that he (Moses) could not have been the author of this book (Deuteronomy). For reasons equally convincing, it is evident that the book must be the product of a period or periods far later than that of Moses." "The date of its origin is probably not far from the middle of the sixth century B.C."
Christ's Own Verdict
For these writers the decisive testimony is not scholarly but from Jesus Himself, who spoke about a specific command found in Deuteronomy 24:
William KellyIt is worth noting that the Lord distinctly attributes to Moses not merely the substance but the writing of Deuteronomy (Mark 10:5). There can be no doubt that the Pharisees refer to the instruction in Deuteronomy 24; and about it the Lord declares that not "a later writer," but Moses, "wrote you this commandment."
Who Physically Held the Pen
Some have suggested that Moses spoke the words while someone else wrote them down. The commentators do not treat that as fatal, because the same thing happened with Paul's letters — Tertius did the writing of Romans, and no one doubts whose letter it is.
J. N. DarbyIt is trifling to talk of who wrote down the words; the question is, Is it a divinely given, and therefore perfect, account of what God spoke and did by Moses, and was really uttered by Him, woven as it is into all the details of the history of God's people? We know that, apart from the one to the Galatians, Paul wrote none of his letters. In one case we know who did it for him: "I, Tertius, who wrote this letter." He signed each one, greeting in grace, so that it might be authentic.
The Evidence of Tone
Beyond formal proofs, several writers point to the feel of the book. It reads like the farewell of a man who knows he is about to die and will not cross into the land himself:
William KellyDeuteronomy closes the law, and is so self-evidently Mosaic in its personal warmth, that one may wonder how any man of spiritual perception could fail to recognise that none but the saintly lawgiver could have written it — as he himself indicates, with death immediately in view, yet undismayed, his natural strength unabated, and all his deep affections poured out for Israel just about to enter the land of promise from which he was shut out.
The Final Chapter
Chapter 34 describes Moses' death and burial, so another hand clearly finished the book. Commentators differ on whose. One suggests Joshua, Moses' successor; another allows Joshua or Eleazar the high priest and adds that we do not need to know; another declines to name anyone at all:
C. H. MackintoshThis brief chapter forms an inspired postscript to the book of Deuteronomy. We are not told who was used as the instrument in the hand of the inspiring Spirit; but this is a matter of no importance to the devout student of Holy Scripture. We are fully persuaded that the postscript is as truly inspired as the book, and the book as the Pentateuch, and the Pentateuch as the whole volume of God.
Why It Matters
The book Jesus reached for when tested by Satan in the desert was this one — and the writers see that as no accident:
Samuel RidoutIn His conflict with Satan after the forty days' fasting in the wilderness (in which our Lord perfectly displayed His obedience, as Israel displayed their disobedience in their wilderness experience), our Lord meets all the temptations of Satan by quotations from the book of Deuteronomy, so placing special honour on that book which higher criticism has particularly attacked.
Summary
- Moses. The book states three times over that Moses wrote it and handed it to the Levites for safekeeping; Joshua, Chronicles and Nehemiah treat it that way too.
- Confirmed. Jesus attributed not just the content but the actual writing of a Deuteronomy command to Moses, which settles the matter for these commentators.
- Contested. Critics have dated the book to Josiah's reign or the sixth century B.C., centuries after Moses — a denial the writers answer rather than ignore.
- Secretary. A scribe taking dictation would not change the authorship, any more than Tertius writing Romans makes it less Paul's letter.
- Postscript. Chapter 34 records Moses' death, so another writer added it — Joshua, Eleazar, or an unnamed hand; commentators differ, and treat the answer as unnecessary since the inspiration is unaffected.