Deuteronomy 4 - Introduction

Hortatory Part of the First Discourse

The historical review closing with Deuteronomy 3:29, the rest of the discourse consists of exhortations to practise the Laws about to be announced and appeals to the nation's experience. Four obvious divisions: (1) Deuteronomy 4:1-8, Commands to keep the Laws, with a reminder of Ba-al-Pe-or; (2) Deuteronomy 4:9-24, Against idolatry, with memories of Ḥoreb; (3) Deuteronomy 4:25-31, Predictions of the nation's destruction by exile if they fall into idolatry and of God's mercy if they then repent; (4) Deuteronomy 4:32-40, Appeals to their experience of the uniqueness of their God. Though all four are concerned with the spiritual nature and uniqueness of Jehovah, their form and their contents both raise doubts of their unity, and of their connection with Deuteronomy 1:6 to Deuteronomy 3:29. There is no regular progress; repetitions of, and apparent discrepancies with, Deuteronomy 1:6 to Deuteronomy 3:29 occur; the passages on exile and repentance confined to Deuteronomy 4:25-31 are held to be exilic; though the language is mainly deuteronomic there are curious outcrops of terms either found only in D and P, or elsewhere confined to Deuteronomy 4:5-26. On all these see below. Opinion is, therefore, divided as to the unity of this section, its integrity with Deuteronomy 1:6 to Deuteronomy 3:29, and its date. Moore, Enc. Bibl., holds these further reasons for its exilic origin, that its monotheism is loftier than that of Deuteronomy 4:5-11, and that the greater part of it is but a homily on Deuteronomy 5:25 ff. The first of these reasons is questionable cp. Deuteronomy 4:19 and even if true would be a precarious symptom of date: the second is also doubtful.