Deuteronomy 1 Footnotes

1:5 Deuteronomy is in the form of a sermon by Moses, a sort of “farewell address,” in which he undertakes to “explain this law” to the people who, under different leadership, will be occupying the promised land. It harks back, of course, to the laws given at Sinai a generation earlier but differs from them in that—as might be expected when “preaching” the law—Moses frequently inserts a reminder of the proper motivation for keeping the Lord’s instructions.

1:6 Horeb, the name of the sacred mountain in Deuteronomy, is an alternative designation of Sinai. Moses uses the name Horeb throughout Deuteronomy (except in 33:2) and both Sinai and Horeb elsewhere (Ex 16:1; 19:1,11,18,20; and 3:1; 17:6; 33:6 respectively).

1:10 “As the stars of the sky” is not to be taken literally but as hyperbole, an exaggerated comparison. This literary device emphasizes the amazing blessing of God upon the people of Israel. It anticipates the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham (Gn 15:5; 22:17).

1:30 The idea of God’s fighting for Israel has to be understood against the backdrop of the conquest of Canaan, in which the Lord would annihilate the hopelessly unrepentant and irredeemable Canaanite nations so as to open the land to Israelite possession. This language of “holy war” does not contradict the idea that God loves all peoples and desires all to repent. Even the NT speaks of Jesus, God’s love incarnate, coming in bloody wrath and judgment in the last days (Rv 19:11-16). God’s love and grace never compromise his holiness and justice.

1:37 God’s severe treatment of Moses for what seems a minor incident (see Nm 20:12) does not expose him to a charge of unfairness or of capricious administration of his judgment. Moses was the most privileged of men. As such he bore the greatest responsibility for his sin of failed leadership. His punishment was in direct proportion to what God had rightfully expected of him.