Chapters 1-11: Retelling and warnings
The whole book is almost entirely a first-person speech by Moses that he imparts to prepare the Israelites to enter Israel and begin conquering it.(There is also some repetition of laws given before, I’ve omitted these giving only new laws.)
The retelling of YHWH getting the Israelite camp moving from Mt Sinai (here called Horeb). Moses recounts how he delegated responsibilities (making it seem like his idea not Jethro’s, see Exodus). Moses recounts how YHWH got 12 spies to spy on Israel, how the Israelites were discouraged and punished with staying in the desert for another generation (see Numbers). The wanderings of Israel in the desert retold. In this version YHWH tells the Israelites not to attack the Moabites as they’re not meant to conquer the land. Israel asks king Sihon to pass through his country, instead he attacks and is defeated by them. The retelling of how king Og of Bashan is defeated, how some tribes get land on the other side of the Jordan with a mind to helping the Israeles fight in Israel proper. Moses pleads for YHWH to relent and allow him into Israel but YHWH is angry and tells him not to mention it again.
Moses tells the Israelites to keep the laws and teach their children — especially no idolatry and graven images. If they disobey, YHWH will scatter them among the nations where they will serve the same blind idols (from the department of ironic punishments). Israel is special for no other nation has had a god directly intervene to take them out of a country with miracles, or heard their god speak. Moses retells the 10 commandments, with minor variations.
Israel must serve YHWH alone and not forget him when they enter Israel. They must tell their children that the commandments are a result of YHWH freeing the Israelites from Egypt. The seven Canaanite nations currently living in Israel must be utterly destroyed: no peace treaties or intermarriage with them, destroy all their religious artifacts (without keeping any decorations). By obeying this, YHWH will grant a lot of goodies (health, agricultural success etc). No being afraid of the other nations since YHWH is on the Israelites’ side.
Moses recounts YHWH’s miracles in the 40 years of desert wandering: they were fed with manna, their clothes did not wither. YHWH is bringing the nation into a wonderful land full of fruits and crops. However when you get your fill of these, don’t say to yourself that it’s because of your merit — it’s all from YHWH. YHWH is driving the other nations out not because Israel is virtuous but because they’re wicked. The Israelites don’t deserve the land on their merit since they tested YHWH so many times (Moses recounts the Golden Calf and the new tablets, see Exodus). YHWH is giving a blessing and a curse, the first if the laws are followed, the second if they’re not.
Chapters 12-26: Repetition of laws with some new ones
When in Israel, only offer offerings at the Tabernacle, not like now where everyone does “as he pleases”. But meat for secular purposes can be eaten anywhere [that’s too far to go to the Tabernacle] as long as no blood is consumed. If a prophet arises that urges people to worship another god, this is a test from YHWH (even if the prophecies come true), they must be put to death. Even if a close family member tries to entice you to worship another god, your hand must be the first to stone them. If you hear that an Israelite town has started worshipping another god and this is verified, the whole town is to be put to the sword (including cattle) and then everything burnt (including property) and must not be rebuilt.
The tithes to YHWH are 10%. If you live too far from the Tabernacle to take the produce before it spoils, you can sell the tithes, take the money to the Tabernacle, use it to buy food there and rejoice in YHWH there. Every 3rd year the tithe goes to the Levites instead as their income. Every 7th year, all debts are cancelled (except from foreigners). If you follow the laws, there will be no poor people, Israel will lend to other nations but not borrow. Do not withhold money from the needy and don’t hesitate to lend just because the 7th year debt remission is approaching. When an Israelite slave goes free after 7 years (see Exodus), give them property as a parting gift, remember you were slaves in Egypt.
All men must appear before YHWH at the Tabernacle 3 times a year: Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot — all with appropriate gifts to YHWH. Appoint worthy judges in every town to hear cases. The penalty for idolatry is death. All capital cases need at least 2 witnesses (who are the first to put the convicted criminal to death). For all difficult cases, go to the priests at the Tabernacle and carry out their verdict. Anyone who disregards the verdict is to be killed.
Israelites are allowed to decide to have a king once they’ve settled in Israel. He must not be a foreigner, cannot keep too many horses or send people back to Egypt (since YHWH warned against this), nor too much money or too many wives (who will influence him to worship other gods). He must consult his scroll of YHWH’s teaching at all times.
No imitation of any Cannanite religious practices: no putting children through the fire, soothsaying, witchcraft, consulting spirits/the dead etc. Only heed your own prophet which YHWH will raise up in Israel. Any prophet that speaks in YHWH’s name whose prophecy doesn’t come to pass — this means he spoke falsely and will die.
More on the refuge cities (see Numbers): the legal example of manslaughter is if a man swings an axe and the handle flies off and kills someone, that level of culpability counts as manslaughter not murder. If someone testifies falsely against someone and it’s found out, do to them what they conspired to do to the victim.
Before a war, officials shall excuse anyone who built a house and not dedicated it, planted a vineyard and not harvested it, became engaged but not married yet. They also excuse anyone afraid so he doesn’t infect the troops with fear. When besieging a town offer peace terms first, if they reject it besiege it and take all the spoils (inc women and children). But for towns of the 7 Canaanite nation, everyone must die. In any case, the food-yielding trees of a captured town must not be destroyed.
If a murder victim is found without any evidence, the distance to the closest town is measured. Elders from that town take a cow and break its neck in the nearest valley and wash their hands, declaring that they didn’t shed this person’s blood or see the murderer and so YHWH is to put the guilt on whoever commited the murder.
If in battle you see a beautiful woman you can take her as a wife but only after you bring her into your house, cut her hair and give her a month to lament her parents. If you get sick of her you can divorce her but not enslave her. If a man has a firstborn from an unloved wife he cannot shaft his inheritance just because he doesn’t love that boy’s mother. If parents have a rebellious son, they bring him to the elders and say that he doesn’t heed them, is a glutton and drunkard and everyone stones the son.
A man who was executed must be buried on the same day. Return your neighbour’s lost animal. No cross dressing of any kind. If you see a birds nest on the road with a mother and young, only take the young but let the mother go. Build a roof with a protective fence to stop people falling off.
Don’t sow a field/vineyard with different kinds of seed. Don’t plow with different species together. Don’t make clothes combining wool and linen. A worn garment should have tassels on the corners.
If a man marries a woman and claims she’s not a virgin, his parents should show proof of her virginity and he gets a fine and lashes for defaming the bride. But if she’s not a virgin she is to be killed. A man who has sex with another man’s wife: both of them must die. If an engaged [or married?] woman is raped by someone and does not cry out for help, they are both put to death. If this happens in a remote area she does not die since there was no-one to help her anyway. If a man rapes a virgin he pays her father 50 shekels and marries her, with no right to divorce her.
A man with crushed testicles or dismembered penis or the product of an adulterous union is not to be admitted into the congregation of Israel. When going out to war, the camp must be kept ritually clean: toilets and unclean people are to be outside the camp. A runaway slave must not be returned to the master but can live in your settlements. No cult prostitution. No interest on loans to Israelites (but ok for foreigners). When going past someone’s field it’s ok to eat as much as you want but you can’t put it in a vessel as takeaway.
A man who doesn’t like his wife anymore must give her a bill of divorce. If she marries someone else she can never marry her first husband. Marriage exempts a man from the army for 12 months. Don’t take a handmill as a loan pledge as this is required for the borrower’s livelihood. A man who kidnaps an Israelite and sells them into slavery is put to death. Parents must not be put to death for the crime of their children and vice versa. When gathering fruit from trees don’t do it a second time, leave those remains for the poor, widows, strangers etc.
If a person is sentenced to lashes the defendant shall get as many as the crime warrants, up to 40. If a man dies leaving no son his brother must marry his wife to continue the name (ie. levirate marriage). If he doesn’t want to, the widow takes his shoe off and spits in his face in front of the elders and he is shamed. If two men are fighting and the wife of one grabs the other by the balls, cut off her hand. No possession of dishonest weights/measures. Always remember what Amalek did (see Exodus) and don’t forget your duty to blot out their name. When the first-fruits are given to the priest (see Leviticus), you must say a special formula remembering the Exodus, and another formula when giving the tithe to the Levites (see above).
Chapters 27-34 (final instructions and Moses’ death)
Moses tells the Israelites to set up large stones with YHWH’s law as soon as they cross the Jordan into Israel and to offer sacrifices. He tells them to perform a ceremony of blessings and curses. 6 tribes are to stand on Mt Gerizim and 6 on Mt Ebal and a blessing and curse is pronounsed. First, some initial curses in the form of “cursed be he who commits sin X”. Then the blessings for the nation if they follow YHWH’s laws. Then the curses, even longer and more elaborate than the ones in Leviticus.
A gist of the curse: the Israelites will get all sorts of fevers, diseases, panic, drought, madniess, blindness. You will pay the dowry for a wife and another man will “enjoy” her. Others will enjoy all your property and produce, other nations your land. Locusts will consume all crops. Non-jews will be your creditors. YHWH will bring a cruel nation from afar and it will wipe the whole country out. Again, you will eat the flesh of your children and your afterbirths. You will be scattered among the nations and serve other gods there. Every day will be worse. YHWH will send you back to Egypt despite his promise, you’ll be sold as a slave in the marketplace but nobody will want to buy you.
Moses “motivates” the nation a bit more to make sure they keep the laws and don’t worship other gods. He prophecies that the blessing (above) will happen, then the curse but in the end YHWH will gather the nation in and redeem them. Following YHWH’s laws is not beyond the reach of an ordinary person. Moses finishes writing down the Torah and gives it to the priests. YHWH tells Moses it’s almost time for him to die and teaches him a poem about the curses that will befall Israel in the future as well as their redemption. Moses recites this to Israel.
YHWH gets Moses to ascend Mt Nebo and die there — but only after he blesses each tribe individually. Moses dies and is buried, and no-one knows the location “until now”. The nation mourns Moses and the mantle passes to Joshua. There is no prophet like Moses in all the history of Israel since he is the only one to have spoken to YHWH directly.
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