Devarim (Part 6) - Deut. 1:1-3:22

It's a Feature, not a Bug!

Preface

It is unreasonable to continue to hold the position that one person wrote the entire Pentateuch when so many segments contradict one another. It is equally unreasonable to continue to resist the idea that the text is not a chronicle of historical facts rather than national folklore. And it is incredibly dogmatic to maintain the position that these texts were either authored by or inspired by an omniscient supernatural Entity.

In another blog post, I wrote one hypothetical possibility as to why the Book of Deuteronomy, which was previously known as the mishneh Torah by the Jews, and later, simply Devarim. There are several equally good possible reasons why it was written. 

This week's portion focuses on most of the preamble of Deuteronomy, which continues through 4:43. The beginning verses are written in such a way that it is almost as if the author is giving a wink, saying, "This is going to be more than just reboot of older stories, but before we can continue, let's first wipe away what we know about them.

So let's look at the verses in Deuteronomy that undo that which we read in the other books of the Torah. While this is likely to not be a perfect list, it will provide you with enough information to consider the motivation of the Deuteronomist(s).

Feature List

1:1 - Authorship

"These are the words that Moses spoke...on the other side of the Jordan..." - Moses never made it to Israel, but the author was writing from there, indicating, "Moses didn't write this - I did!". Unlike the stories after the preamble where the author is putting words in Moses' mouth by speaking in the 1st person, this opening statement is written in the 3rd person, setting it off from the rest of the text. The end of Deuteronomy follows a similar style, wrapping it up by saying that no other prophet rose up in Israel who was like Moses, indicating that Deuteronomy was written very late in the game.

This "other side of the Jordan" statement also appears in verse 1:5, and future acts in 2:12.

1:4 - Og's Place and Species

We read that Og of Bashan dwelled in Ashteroth. But the earlier texts don't say that. So what's going on? Well, the Deuteronomist is going to change Og into one of the Rephaim as well as a giant, which isn't in the earlier texts. In fact, the author is quite enamored with giants and they appear more in this book than the previous four combined. In Genesis 14:5, we read of the Rephaim fighting in a war at/with "Asteroth of the horns", which is either the Goddess, or a place named after her. Since Og needs to become one of the Rephaim (Deut. 3:11), he has to live among them. 

1:12 - Delegating

In verses 9-19, Moses tells the Jews that he came up with the idea to delegate some authority. This was one of the changes in the Moses character that the author made to make him more proactive than he was viewed by the earlier authors who had a Midianite (Jethro) and even Yahweh tell Moses that he couldn't do it all himself.

The system that the Deuteronomist established for Moses was quite good, ending with Moses being the supreme arbitrator when they could not come up with a solution, making him a far more competent character than how the Exodus or Numbers authors depicted him.

1:22 - Sending the Spies

The Deuteronomist has Moses bringing the people to the place and telling them to take it, with the people having a reasonable idea: spy out the place before attacking. However, Numbers 13:1-2 doesn't have Moses telling the people to attack, but passively waiting for Yahweh to tell him what to do, and it was Yahweh who told Moses to send in spies. The Deuteronomist made Moses a stronger and more commanding character.

1:25 - The Report of the Spies

In Numbers 12:27-29, when the spies return, the mention the flowing of milk and honey and show the giant fruit, but they then follow by giving a disastrous warning about giants and Amalakites, and warn the people that the enemy is far too strong to defeat.

The Deuteronomist gives the spies a short amount of dialogue, only 7 Hebrew words: "Good is the land that our God, Yahweh, is giving to us!" 

After the people shout that Yahweh must hate them (something that they don't say in the Numbers version) they go on to exclaim that their brothers have also said that "A people greater and taller than us, cities great and fortified up to the firmament, and even children of giants!"

The adding of great imaginary cities extending to the firmament (aka "heavens") is a nice touch. Since the Numbers version of Moses is quiet and incompetent, the people want to replace him, whereas in the Deuteronomy version, that doesn't happen because we have a stronger Moses to contend with. Also, the Deuteronomist trims away some other unnecessary details that muddies things up, such as warning that the Amalakites were near.

1:29 - Moses' Reaction

The Deuteronomist has Moses give an impassioned speech (1:29-33) to convince the people to overcome their fears and to enter the land. The version in Numbers (14:5) has Aaron and Moses simply falling on their faces and being silent. The meek character of Numbers has been strengthened in the Deuteronomy version.

1:34 - Yahweh's Reaction

Not only Moses, but Yahweh get's a makeover in Deuteronomy. In Numbers, after hearing that the people don't want the land, but want to get a new leader and return to Egypt, Yahweh decides to kill them instead, but Moses convinces Yahweh that it's a bad idea because the other nations would gossip bad things about Him.

The Deuteronomist did not want Yahweh to be changing His mind, and so drops out that part of the story altogether. 

But he adds a twist to it, including the story of Moses not going into the land of Israel, but changing why that happened by moving it to the Spy Report rather than having it happen after Miriam dies (who is never mentioned by the Deuteronomist) in Numbers 20:12.

1:37 - Moses' Punishment

In Deut. 1:37, we read that it wasn't Moses' fault that he didn't enter Israel, but the people's fault! They made God so angry that He turned on Moses and told him that he would not be entering the land of Israel either. As to why Aaron was included in God's reneging, the story doesn't say.

In Numbers 20:11, we read that God reneging on His promise to Moses didn't happen due to the report of the spies, but long afterwards, by the waters of Meribah after striking a rock twice to bring forth water.  However, nowhere in Numbers does it specifically tell us what the sin was that Moses and Aaron did, only that it took place at the waters of Meribah.

The Deuteronomy version is more satisfying in that it specifically details why Moses was nout going to enter the "promised land".

1:39 - The Little Children

The Deuteronomist didn't like the idea that God would punish innocent people. Had he rewritten the story of Sodom or Noah's Ark, he would have had the innocent children survive as well! In this version of the punishment, Yahweh specifically indicates that the children, those who don't know right from wrong, the innocents, would not die because of the sins of the elder people who should have known better. They would grow up and would enter the land.

This is not the view of the authors of Numbers, where everyone of that generation would die, except for Caleb and Joshua. 

The description of the people wanting to go fight, but Moses refusing to go and keeping the Ark by his side, and the people arming themselves and going off to battle and losing is far better in the Deuteronomist version. The use of "...they pursued you in the manner of bees..." is a great visual of being overwhelmed and trying to flee.

2:4 - Edom

The weaker Moses in Numbers 20:18-21 asks the people of Edom for food and water, offering them money. The Edomites threaten the Israelites, and start to attack "with a strong hand", and the Israelites turned away to save themselves. 

The Deuteronomist didn't like the idea of Yahweh not helping His people get food and water, so rather than having them run away because Edom was too strong for them, he has Yahweh tell them not to attack Edom, for that land is promised to them, but that the Israelites should purchase food and water from the Edomites. There is no mention that the Edomites refused to sell food and water for more than two-million people!

2:9 - Moab

There's this weird problem with Moab i the Book of Numbers. The Moabite women bring idols to the Israelites to worship and seduce them, and there is a violent reaction with Moses commanding the death of all participants. And there is a mention of a single Midianite girl who did not bring an idol, but was having sex with a prince of the tribe of Shimon. And Yahweh's reaction?

Yahweh commands the genocide of Midian. Not Moab, but Midian.

The Deuteronomist has Yahweh telling the people to leave Moab alone and makes no mention about their involvement with the Miainites. His reason for leaving them alone is because He gave that land to Lot and his descendants. Although none of the other authors made mention of that covenant.

2:12 - Israel did What?

This verse initially tells us that the children of Esau drove away the Horites, who were the original inhabitants of that land to make it their own just as the people of Israel did in the land of their inheritance which Yahweh gave them! 

This is another anachronism within the text where the author reverted back to his point of view, long after Israel came to the land and settled it.

2:19 - Ammon

As with Edom (2:4), the Deuteronomist avoids the problem with the Israelites failing to conquer Ammon (Numbers 21:24). In the earlier version of the story, we are told that the Israelites were defeating one village after another, but when they got to the border of Ammon, their people were too strong. Here, the Deuteronomist has Yahweh keeping His covenant with Lot and his children, which the previous authors neglected to mention.

2:29 - Edom Revisited

Moses makes the claim that the people of Edom let the Israelites pass through their country and sold them food and water. If you read Numbers 20:18-21, that never happened. But it is consistent with the Deuteronomist rewrite as noted in Deut. 2:4. Moses also claims that Moab did the same thing for the Israelites which isn't mentioned in the Numbers version as well.

3:20 - He said/They said

In order to make Moses a much stronger character, the Deuteronomist has Moses commanding everyone to take part in the war to claim the land, and that they can return after the fighting is over, to dwell as they see fit, keeping their wives, children, and livestock safe from the battles to come.

In chapter 32 of Numbers (32:16-26), however, it is the people who are telling Moses their plans to do exactly that, with Moses simply listening and, we can assume, agreeing with their plans.

Conclusion

The Deuteronomist gave us a stronger Moses, a more commanding character, omitting his weaknesses and the losses of the Israelite battles in the Book of Numbers. Where Moses was silent, he is outspoken, and where he was meek, he is taking charge.

The narratives of the battles and of the giants are for more interesting than those of the earlier writers, and some of the other details are trimmed or moved around to make the story a better read.

All in all, I can see why the Deuteronomy Scroll was the most popular one, with the most copies, found in Qumran.