←Deuteronomy→

Read this book by chapter and explore its background.

Purpose To repeat and provide more details about the covenant prior to Moses’ death and the Israelites' entry into the promised land
Author Moses, according to tradition
Date Likely either 1406 BC or 1230 BC
Setting The Israelites are about to enter the promised land, and Moses is nearing the end of his life

Overview Article

God first revealed Israel’s national “constitution” to Moses at Sinai (Exod 20–23). The great leader Moses was now about to die. God had appointed a younger man, Joshua, to replace Moses, but he was not yet fully tested. Israel had been rescued from slavery in Egypt and miraculously preserved through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. The Israelites now stood on the verge of entering the land promised to them, but it was inhabited by powerful and hostile enemies. Although God had been faithful in the past, the future seemed uncertain. Deuteronomy is the account of Israel’s covenant with God renewed—a covenant that would guide Israel to God’s blessings throughout the remainder of their history as a nation.

Read full article

Key People, Places, and Terms

People 41

See all (20)

Places 89

See all (20)

Key Terms 124

See all (20)

Themes

Biblical Law 12 Biblical law is more than lists of rules. It is a system of what God expects about belief and behavior. If people follow it faithfully, they will receive God's greatest blessings. Keeping the law is essential for life... Pure Worship 9 From the start of God's relationship with Israel, he provided ways for their worship of him to be pleasing to him ( Exodus 20–40 ; Leviticus 1–8 ). One of the Lord's main goals for his people is to guarantee they offe... The Priestly Blessing 8 The priestly blessing is a well-known and beloved passage in the Hebrew Bible ( Numbers 6:22–27 ). For centuries, worshipers have found comfort in its short yet meaningful lines. This famous text is simple and disting... True Justice 8 The community of God's people in Old Testament Israel had to care for widows, orphans, and foreigners ( Deuteronomy 27:19 ). God wanted the Israelites to represent his justice (see 10:17–19 ). He wanted them to always... Blessing 7 Before the patriarch Jacob died, he blessed each of his sons and Joseph's sons ( Genesis 49:1–28 ; 48:3–20 ). This was also how his father Isaac had blessed him ( 27:27–29 ). A blessing gives, improves, and enriches l... Holy War 7 The Israelites’ total destruction of their enemies raises difficult questions about right and wrong. What reasons made Israel invade, conquer, and destroy Canaan and its people? From a human perspective, Israel's aggr... Concern for the Poor 6 God instructed Israel to care for its people's well-being. Israel's covenant (special agreement) with God and its view of itself as a large family helped prevent claims to privilege. A family should support members in... Curses and Blessings 5 Almost all treaty or covenant texts from the ancient Near East included curses and blessings. The curses focused on those who violated the terms of the covenant. Blessings are for those who remained faithful. This was...
See all (20)
What Is Good 5 Micah 6:8 , a famous and often memorized verse, answers questions from people who became confused and had lost their moral and spiritual direction. The people of Israel wanted to know how to please the Lord. In a soci... Children and Parents 5 Wise children bring great joy to their parents, while foolish children cause them much grief ( Proverbs 10:1 ; 15:20 ; 17:21 , 25 ). This motivates parents to guide their children toward wisdom and encourages children... God's Word at the Center 5 After God told Moses the law at Mount Sinai, God wrote it in stone ( Exodus 34:1 ). He intended the Israelites to teach it to their children ( Deuteronomy 6:7 ). People attached it to their hands and foreheads, They e... Remove the Evil 5 Sin is so opposed to God’s holiness that it cannot exist with him. The same should be true for God's people. God is holy, and he expects his people to show his holiness ( Leviticus 11:45 ; 19:2 ). God required severe... Complete Dedication 4 The Hebrew word kherem (related to the verb kharam ) means something that is “specially set apart.” It has no exact match in modern English. The word can mean either to destroy something completely or to dedicate it f... Complete Destruction 4 See Complete Dedication . True Success 4 God wants his people to fully commit to him ( Deuteronomy 6:4–6 ; compare Matthew 22:37 ). True success comes from seeking God and acknowledging him as the ruler, avoiding all false gods ( Matthew 6:33 ; 1 John 5:21 )... Making Sense of the Exile 4 The kings and people of Israel repeatedly disobeyed God and failed to keep their special agreement (the covenant) with him. As a result, God announced that he would bring the covenant curses upon them (see Deuteronomy... Bribery and Gifts 3 The Bible provides clear teachings about bribes (payments given to unfairly influence decisions) and gifts (offerings given to show respect or maintain relationships). Bribes are strongly condemned because they corrup... Ethnic Hatred 3 Selfish pride, a desire to keep power, and hatred for those who oppose them have often led to the persecution of racial or religious groups. Many people have died over the centuries because of this hatred. In the book... Famine 3 Famine happened early in the lives of the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac ( Genesis 12:10 ; 26:1 ). When the patriarch Jacob’s family experienced famine, God had already placed his son Joseph in Egypt to help God's peopl... Fear of the Lord 3 As Moses gives his final instructions to the people of Israel before his death, he repeatedly urges them to "fear the LORD" (see, for example, Deuteronomy 6:1–13 ; 10:12–21 ; 31:9–13 ). Joshua gives the same advice ne...

Related Articles

Deuteronomy, Book of →
Related Articles

Outline

Use of Deuteronomy in the New Testament

Quoted 68 times across 12 New Testament books

Total quotations 68
Connected books 12
Most-connected book Matthew 17

Most Echoed Across the New Testament

Deuteronomy 5:16 7

Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Echoed in MatthewMarkEphesiansLuke
Deuteronomy 6:5 4

And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Echoed in MarkMatthewLuke
Deuteronomy 25:5 3

When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her.

Echoed in MatthewMarkLuke
Deuteronomy 24:1 3

If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.

Echoed in MatthewMark
Deuteronomy 8:3 2

He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Echoed in MatthewLuke
Deuteronomy 19:15 2

A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Echoed in Matthew2 Corinthians

All References

Deuteronomy bookOverview.connections.ntReference Compare
Deuteronomy 4:24 Hebrews 12:29
Compare
OT Text
  • For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
NT Text
  • God is a consuming fire
Deuteronomy 5:16 Ephesians 6:2
Compare
OT Text
  • Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
NT Text
  • Honor your father and mother
Deuteronomy 5:16 Ephesians 6:3
Compare
OT Text
  • Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
NT Text
  • that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth
Deuteronomy 5:16 Luke 18:20
Compare
OT Text
  • Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
NT Text
  • honor your father and mother
Deuteronomy 5:16 Matthew 15:4
Compare
OT Text
  • Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
NT Text
  • Honor your father and mother
Deuteronomy 5:16 Matthew 19:19
Compare
OT Text
  • Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
NT Text
  • honor your father and mother
Deuteronomy 5:16 Mark 7:10
Compare
OT Text
  • Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
NT Text
  • Honor your father and your mother
Deuteronomy 5:16 Mark 10:19
Compare
OT Text
  • Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
NT Text
  • honor your father and mother
Deuteronomy 5:17 James 2:11
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not murder.
NT Text
  • Do not murder
Deuteronomy 5:17 Luke 18:20
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not murder.
NT Text
  • do not murder
Deuteronomy 5:17 Matthew 5:21
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not murder.
NT Text
  • Do not murder
Deuteronomy 5:17 Matthew 19:18
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not murder.
NT Text
  • Do not murder
Deuteronomy 5:17 Mark 10:19
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not murder.
NT Text
  • Do not murder
Deuteronomy 5:17 Romans 13:9
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not murder.
NT Text
  • Do not murder
Deuteronomy 5:18 James 2:11
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not commit adultery.
NT Text
  • Do not commit adultery
Deuteronomy 5:18 Luke 18:20
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not commit adultery.
NT Text
  • Do not commit adultery
Deuteronomy 5:18 Matthew 5:27
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not commit adultery.
NT Text
  • Do not commit adultery
Deuteronomy 5:18 Matthew 19:18
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not commit adultery.
NT Text
  • do not commit adultery
Deuteronomy 5:18 Mark 10:19
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not commit adultery.
NT Text
  • do not commit adultery
Deuteronomy 5:18 Romans 13:9
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not commit adultery.
NT Text
  • Do not commit adultery
Deuteronomy 5:19 Luke 18:20
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not steal.
NT Text
  • do not steal
Deuteronomy 5:19 Matthew 19:18
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not steal.
NT Text
  • do not steal
Deuteronomy 5:19 Mark 10:19
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not steal.
NT Text
  • do not steal
Deuteronomy 5:19 Romans 13:9
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not steal.
NT Text
  • Do not steal
Deuteronomy 5:20 Luke 18:20
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
NT Text
  • do not bear false witness
Deuteronomy 5:20 Matthew 19:18
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
NT Text
  • do not bear false witness
Deuteronomy 5:20 Mark 10:19
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
NT Text
  • do not bear false witness
Deuteronomy 5:21 Romans 7:7
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
NT Text
  • Do not covet
Deuteronomy 5:21 Romans 13:9
Compare
OT Text
  • You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
NT Text
  • Do not covet
Deuteronomy 6:4 Mark 12:32
Compare
OT Text
  • Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.
NT Text
  • Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied. “You have stated correctly that God is One
Deuteronomy 6:4–5 Mark 12:29–30
Compare
OT Text
  • Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
NT Text
  • Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength
Deuteronomy 6:5 Luke 10:27
Compare
OT Text
  • And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
NT Text
  • Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and
Deuteronomy 6:5 Matthew 22:37
Compare
OT Text
  • And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
NT Text
  • Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
Deuteronomy 6:5 Mark 12:30
Compare
OT Text
  • And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
NT Text
  • Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength
Deuteronomy 6:5 Mark 12:33
Compare
OT Text
  • And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
NT Text
  • and to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and
Deuteronomy 6:13 Luke 4:8
Compare
OT Text
  • Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
NT Text
  • Worship the Lord your God and serve Him
Deuteronomy 6:13 Matthew 4:10
Compare
OT Text
  • Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
NT Text
  • Worship the Lord your God and serve Him
Deuteronomy 6:16 Luke 4:12
Compare
OT Text
  • Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.
NT Text
  • Do not put the Lord your God to the test
Deuteronomy 6:16 Matthew 4:7
Compare
OT Text
  • Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.
NT Text
  • Do not put the Lord your God to the test
Deuteronomy 8:3 Luke 4:4
Compare
OT Text
  • He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
NT Text
  • Man shall not live on bread alone
Deuteronomy 8:3 Matthew 4:4
Compare
OT Text
  • He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
NT Text
  • Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God
Deuteronomy 9:4 Romans 10:6
Compare
OT Text
  • When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness.
NT Text
  • Do not say in your heart, ‘Who
Deuteronomy 9:19 Hebrews 12:21
Compare
OT Text
  • For I was afraid of the anger and wrath that the LORD had directed against you, enough to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me this time as well.
NT Text
  • Moses said, “I am trembling with fear
Deuteronomy 17:7 1 Corinthians 5:13
Compare
OT Text
  • The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among you.
NT Text
  • Expel the wicked man from among you
Deuteronomy 18:15 Acts 7:37
Compare
OT Text
  • The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.
NT Text
  • God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers
Deuteronomy 18:15–16 Acts 3:22
Compare
OT Text
  • The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him. This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”
NT Text
  • The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells
Deuteronomy 18:19 Acts 3:23
Compare
OT Text
  • And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name.
NT Text
  • Everyone who does not listen to Him will be
Deuteronomy 19:15 2 Corinthians 13:1
Compare
OT Text
  • A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
NT Text
  • Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses
Deuteronomy 19:15 Matthew 18:16
Compare
OT Text
  • A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
NT Text
  • every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses
Deuteronomy 19:21 Matthew 5:38
Compare
OT Text
  • You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.
NT Text
  • Eye for eye and tooth for tooth
Deuteronomy 21:23 Galatians 3:13
Compare
OT Text
  • you must not leave the body on the tree overnight, but you must be sure to bury him that day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
NT Text
  • by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree
Deuteronomy 24:1 Matthew 5:31
Compare
OT Text
  • If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
NT Text
  • must give her a certificate of divorce
Deuteronomy 24:1 Matthew 19:7
Compare
OT Text
  • If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
NT Text
  • to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away
Deuteronomy 24:1 Mark 10:4
Compare
OT Text
  • If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
NT Text
  • a man to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away
Deuteronomy 25:4 1 Corinthians 9:9
Compare
OT Text
  • Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
NT Text
  • Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain
Deuteronomy 25:4 1 Timothy 5:18
Compare
OT Text
  • Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
NT Text
  • Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain
Deuteronomy 25:5 Luke 20:27–28
Compare
OT Text
  • When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her.
NT Text
  • some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to question Him Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him
Deuteronomy 25:5 Matthew 22:23–24
Compare
OT Text
  • When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her.
NT Text
  • the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him
Deuteronomy 25:5 Mark 12:18–19
Compare
OT Text
  • When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her.
NT Text
  • the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him
Deuteronomy 27:26 Galatians 3:10
Compare
OT Text
  • ‘Cursed is he who does not put the words of this law into practice.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
NT Text
  • under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law
Deuteronomy 30:12 Romans 10:6
Compare
OT Text
  • It is not in heaven, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’
NT Text
  • Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven
Deuteronomy 30:12–13 Romans 10:7
Compare
OT Text
  • It is not in heaven, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’ And it is not beyond the sea, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’
NT Text
  • Who will descend into the Abyss
Deuteronomy 30:14 Romans 10:8
Compare
OT Text
  • But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may obey it.
NT Text
  • The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that
Deuteronomy 31:8 Hebrews 13:5
Compare
OT Text
  • The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
NT Text
  • Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you
Deuteronomy 32:21 Romans 10:19
Compare
OT Text
  • They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation without understanding.
NT Text
  • First, Moses says: “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation without understanding
Deuteronomy 32:35 Romans 12:19
Compare
OT Text
  • Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”
NT Text
  • but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says
Deuteronomy 32:35–36 Hebrews 10:30
Compare
OT Text
  • Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.” For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.
NT Text
  • Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people
Deuteronomy 32:43 Hebrews 1:6
Compare
OT Text
  • Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him. Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take vengeance on His adversaries and repay those who hate Him; He will cleanse His land and His people.
NT Text
  • Let all God’s angels worship Him
Notes
  • This line is linked to both Psalm 97:7 (MT tradition) and Deuteronomy 32:43 (DSS/LXX); the Greek wording in Hebrews follows the latter more closely, so the wording does not match a single OT text form exactly.
Provenance
  • bsb-footnote