Answer: Moses
Fact:
The tradition of Mosaic authorship is very ancient. The structure and purpose of the book (record of covenant-treaty) accords well with the historical environment in which Moses lived. In simple language, many nations from that time and geographical area produced a similar kind of document, although almost all others were secular in nature: to do with civil government, not religion. Internal evidence agrees that Moses was the author, at the direction of the Lord: Deuteronomy 31:9; 1:5; etc. The Bible elsewhere also supports this in several places, including Jesus' own views (Matthew 19:3-9).
Some Biblical scholars ascribe authorship to later scribes (of the time of King Josiah, shortly before the Exile ca. 597 BC). These scholars are generally using a source-critical approach to the Bible, and assume the validity of the (19th century) Documentary Hypothesis, and thus the 'JEPD' classification of contributors to the written Scriptures. Source-critical scholars tend to reject the validity and reliability of oral tradition, although modern research has shown that oral tradition, in a culture where it is the primary means of retaining important knowledge, can be both accurate and stable to an astonishing degree.
Opinion:
I believe we need much better grounds than we have now before we can seriously question traditional Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch (the five books of Genesis-Deuteronomy). Much is sometimes made of the fact that Deuteronomy includes the record of Moses' death (right at the end), but I can easily see Joshua or Aaron adding this P.S. to the book, without that changing it from being Moses' book.
From Quiz: BBB Bible Series: Deuteronomy
Answer: Ar
"And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession." (Deuteronomy 2:9)
From Quiz: Deuteronomy: The KJV
Answer: What is the Jordan?
Deuteronomy 1:5. The Jordan River is the modern boundary between Israel and the kingdom of Jordan. It was the second body of water that was divided for the Israelites to cross. The Euphrates and Tigris are in modern Iraq and the Nile is in Egypt.
From Quiz: Deuteronomy Jeopardy
Answer: The Israelites were loved by Him
See Deuteronomy 7, especially verses 6-11. The LORD didn't choose the Israelites as His chosen people because there were numerous Israelites. To the contrary, verse 7 states that they were the smallest nation or ethnic group there was. In addition, while the LORD called Israel to be a holy nation, they weren't always holy. Actually, Deuteronomy 9:6 says that the Israelites were NOT righteous; instead, they were "stiff-necked people" (New King James Bible).
Certainly, their skin color didn't matter much to God, or at least I don't think it did. Again, verses 7 and 8 tell us why He chose Israel: "The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you ... " In other words, they didn't do anything to deserve to be "the chosen people". God simply loved them!
Since the Bible Believers Brigade is a Christian group, and we plan to write quizzes about the Protestant Bible, I feel like it is appropriate to discuss things from a Christian perspective. From a Christian perspective, the signs of the Israelites as God's chosen people are that the Israelites brought the Bible, including the New Testament, into existence. Remember that the earliest Christians were ethnic Israelites; for example, the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 11:1 that he was an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin. Christians also believe that Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah, as a result of the Israelites being God's chosen people. But it's interesting to note that according to John 3:16, God loves the whole world, not only Israel. This makes me wonder, if God loves everyone, then why exactly did He choose Israel instead of some other nation? I don't think the Bible ever truly provides an answer to that question.
From one Jewish perspective, the answer is fascinating. The website My Jewish Learning states in the article "Are Jews the Chosen People?" that while the Bible provides no explanation for why God chose Abraham, a rabbinic source argues that the Jews weren't God's first choice. Rather, the extra-biblical source argues, it was only after God went to every other nation and got rejected that He finally gave the Torah to the Jews.
Question submitted by Ced-uh.
From Quiz: The Last Book in the Pentateuch - Deuteronomy
Answer: History, religious law, teaching
Deuteronomy can be described as a "Treaty-Covenant" document, but one in which the treaty and the covenant are not only entered into with God, but initiated, defined and prescribed by God.
In Deuteronomy, Moses:
- sums up the history of God's dealings with the Israelites (and their past failures in dealing with God);
- reminds them of what the terms of God's covenant with His people are;
- exhorts them to abide by these terms; and
- instructs them in how to put them into practice in daily life.
Deuteronomy does not *typically* contain prophecy, or secular law, or military strategy.
From Quiz: BBB Bible Series: Deuteronomy
Answer: clothing
"Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years." (Deuteronomy 8:9)
From Quiz: Deuteronomy: The KJV
Answer: Who was Jephunneh?
Deuteronomy 1:36. Caleb and Joshua were the only two of the ten spies to give a good report of the land when they first reached this point. For this they were the only ones in their generation that was allowed to live and go into the promised land
From Quiz: Deuteronomy Jeopardy
Answer: Keep God's commandments.
One example of this is Deuteronomy 11:27, which says, "A blessing if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day."
The 10 Commandments are in Exodus 20. Moses had dropped and broken the first set of Commandments so in Deuteronomy God gives them again. These are the commands, along with others that are not part of the 10 Commandments, that God is telling the Hebrews to keep.
Question submitted by Ilona_Ritter.
From Quiz: The Last Book in the Pentateuch - Deuteronomy
Answer: Mosera
"And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead." (Deuteronomy 10:6)
From Quiz: Deuteronomy: The KJV
Answer: Who was Og?
Deuteronomy 3:11. Og's bedstead was made of iron and it was 9 cubits or approximately 13 ½ feet long and 4 cubits or 6 feet wide.
From Quiz: Deuteronomy Jeopardy
Answer: 0%
It says in Deuteronomy 18:2 (King James Version) that the Lord is their inheritance. They are the special tribe who are the priests and get to communicate directly with God in the Old Testament. They are scattered throughout the other tribes' lands.
Question submitted by Ilona_Ritter.
From Quiz: The Last Book in the Pentateuch - Deuteronomy
Answer: Pisgah
First told in Numbers 20:1-13, and recapped in Deuteronomy 32:48-52, the reason the Lord prohibited Moses from entering Canaan was his disobedience of God's command: when God told Moses to speak to the rock, Moses struck it instead, out of his anger and frustration with the people.
The exact site of Pisgah is unknown, but it may have been another name for Mount Nebo itself (as in Deuteronomy 32:49), or one of the neighbouring peaks around Mount Nebo, just northeast of the Dead Sea.
Mount Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai, far to the south in the Sinai peninsula. Mount Carmel overlooks the valley of Jezreel, within Israel itself, and Mount Hermon is far to the north.
From Quiz: BBB Bible Series: Deuteronomy
Answer: give
"Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee." (Deuteronomy 16:17)
From Quiz: Deuteronomy: The KJV
Answer: Trees that bear edible fruit
This regulation is found in Deuteronomy, chapter 20, where we read "When you attack a city and have to fight against it for many days, don't destroy its trees by cutting them down with an axe. You may eat from them, but you must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human beings, that you would come and attack them? However, you may cut down the trees whose fruit you know isn't edible, in order to build siege works against the city that waged war with you, until it falls" (ISV).
Question submitted by Watchkeeper.
From Quiz: The Last Book in the Pentateuch - Deuteronomy
Answer: The ten commandments
Deuteronomy is a review and an affirmation of God's Covenant with His chosen people. Therefore Moses frequently refers back to past events, and in more important areas, quotes specifically, in order to bring accurately to the minds of the people what that Covenant entails, and what that means to them.
In the case of the ten commandments, this is important enough (and short enough) to quote almost verbatim: Deuteronomy 5:6-13 is an exact duplicate, word for word, with Exodus 20:2-9, with the exception of one phrase. Thereafter Deuteronomy 5 continues to parallel Exodus 20, but a little less closely.
From Quiz: BBB Bible Series: Deuteronomy
Answer: They will both die.
"If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel." (Deuteronomy 22:22)
From Quiz: Deuteronomy: The KJV
Answer: What was 7?
Deuteronomy 15:1. Every seven years debts were to be forgiven and slaves were to be released.
From Quiz: Deuteronomy Jeopardy
Answer: Miriam
The correct answer is Miriam, Moses's sister. Back in Numbers 12, which Deuteronomy 24 alludes to, the LORD struck Miriam with leprosy because she insulted Moses and his Ethiopian or Cushite wife (in the Bible, Noah's grandson Cush is considered the ancestor of Ethiopians).
The Bible provides no details about the Cushite wife. Some people believe that she was Zipporah, but others think that she was a different woman whom Moses married, most likely after Zipporah died.
The LORD considered Miriam's words against His servant Moses to be wicked, and He punished her. Being the decent man and brother that he was, however, Moses cried out to God, asking Him to heal her. God did heal her, but she had to be considered unclean for seven days anyway. In Deuteronomy, the point of the Israelites remembering Miriam was so that they would remember what they needed to do with a person who suffered from the disease.
Question submitted by Ced-uh.
From Quiz: The Last Book in the Pentateuch - Deuteronomy
Answer: The year of the Lord's release
This Biblical provision appears to be unique in human history. The 'Sabbatic' or seventh Year addressed here is different to the Year of Jubilee, which operated on a cycle of 7 times 7 years (ie every 49 years), and was even more radical in equalising the distribution of assets.
Bible historians believe that the various Jubilee laws were never fully and universially implemented among the Israelites (there is some evidence for this in the Bible, eg. in Jeremiah 34). They may have been practiced by some, and not others, or they may have been practiced in an amended form. For example, a debate exists over whether this remission of debts in the Sabbatic Year constituted a year's suspension of repayments, or a complete cancellation of the entire debt. The promises God attaches to obedience to this law are generous; nevertheless, it appears that we human beings remain skeptical!
Ordinances regarding the Sabbatic Year are also given, among other places, in Exodus 23:9-11 and Leviticus 25.
From Quiz: BBB Bible Series: Deuteronomy
Answer: all of them
"And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day." (Deuteronomy 27:1)
From Quiz: Deuteronomy: The KJV
Answer: What is the feast of Pentecost?
Deuteronomy 16:1-10. The passover and the feast of unleavened bread were observed at the same time and after the 8th day they were to count 7 weeks and observe the feast of weeks which is also known as Pentecost
From Quiz: Deuteronomy Jeopardy
Answer: by giving generously to the needy
Generosity and an ungrudging heart, rather than duty, or logic, are the key to the teaching in this verse.
The NKJV text manages to communicate this quite well:
'You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy,'
Not grudgingly, nor dutifully; you shall not just open your hand,
you shall open it WIDE.
In the same vein v.10 reads, 'You shall surely give to him, AND your heart should not be grieved when you give to him...' (my emphasis)
Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:42, "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." Notice that there is no qualification, such as, 'so long as you think he's not going to spend it on drink'; or, 'if you think she really needs it'.
From Quiz: BBB Bible Series: Deuteronomy
Answer: the Lord
"The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 29:29)
From Quiz: Deuteronomy: The KJV
Answer: What is the 10th generation?
Deuteronomy 23:3 Because they failed to show kindness to the Israelites as they wandered in the desert the Lord passed this judgment upon them.
From Quiz: Deuteronomy Jeopardy
Answer: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
The verse is Deuteronomy 6:5. It's important to note what exactly it means to love the LORD with all your heart, soul, and strength. In Deuteronomy 6's context, God instructed the Israelites to follow ALL of the commandments that He gave them. He also told them to keep His words in their hearts and teach them to their children and grandchildren. In other words, to love the LORD is to follow Him.
Even Jesus said in John 14:15 that if you love Jesus, you will keep His commandments! Of course, it's important to note that most Christians don't believe that they are required to keep the Old Testament Law; instead, there is the "Law of Christ," which Galatians 6:2 mentions. Nonetheless, Deuteronomy 6:5, love the LORD your God, seems to be very important in both the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.
Regarding the incorrect choices, Leviticus 19:18 says to ". . . love your neighbor," which Jesus said was the second greatest commandment. "Honor your mother and father" can be found in Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16. "You shall not eat pork", as I wrote, is NOT a direct quote, but it is a paraphrase of Leviticus 11:7.
Question submitted by Ced-uh.
From Quiz: The Last Book in the Pentateuch - Deuteronomy
Answer: asp
"Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps." (Deuteronomy 32:33)
From Quiz: Deuteronomy: The KJV
Answer: What was Reuben?
Deuteronomy 29:8. These tribes which included Gad and half of Manasseh saw that the land in Heshbon and Bashan was desirable so they asked for the inheritance to come from this area. This area was later known as Transjordan and is now modern day Jordan.
From Quiz: Deuteronomy Jeopardy
Answer: The poor need to be helped with whatever they need.
In Deuteronomy 15:7-11, the LORD said that the poor needed to be helped with whatever they needed. In addition, He told His people to NOT be selfish or to have wicked thoughts against the poor, but to give with willing hearts. If they blessed the poor, then God would bless them in return. The LORD also said that there would always be poor people, so the Israelites needed to open their hands to them.
The comment about there always being poor people reminds me of Matthew 26:11, in which Jesus said, "For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always" (New King James Bible).
The New Testament also stresses the importance of helping other people. For instance, 1 John 3:17 questions how someone can have God's love inside him/her if he/she has the financial or material ability to help someone else who is in need, but yet he/she simply refuses to do so.
Question submitted by Ced-uh.
From Quiz: The Last Book in the Pentateuch - Deuteronomy
Answer: Moab
"So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD." (Deuteronomy 34:5)
From Quiz: Deuteronomy: The KJV
Answer: What is Nebo?
Deuteronomy 32:49. Because Moses struck the rock in the wilderness when he was supposed to speak to it the Lord would not allow him to enter the promised land. He did get a chance to see it though from Mt Nebo and there he died.
From Quiz: Deuteronomy Jeopardy
Answer: We do not know exactly
Deuteronomy 34: 5-7 states that Moses was buried in the land of Moab (today it is known as Jordan), but no one knows "of his sepulcher unto this day." It says that God buried Moses. Moses was 120 years old when he died, and according to these same verses "his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated."
Question submitted by Ilona_Ritter
From Quiz: The Last Book in the Pentateuch - Deuteronomy
Answer: "whom the Lord knew face to face,"
All of the prophets knew God, and faithfully communicated His will or His word to the people (by definition, this is what made them prophets!); several ruled justly (eg. Samuel, Daniel); and almost all emphasized the exclusive nature of Israel's service to God. Only Moses is recorded as conversing with the Lord face-to-face.
Moses is revered in three faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, in each of which the books attributed to him are accepted as sacred scriptures. In Judaism and in Christianity they are part of the canon: the inspired Word of God.
From Quiz: BBB Bible Series: Deuteronomy
Answer: Israel
"And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel." (Deuteronomy 34:12)
I hope you enjoyed my quiz. Stay tuned soon for the quiz on Joshua the sixth book of the Bible.
From Quiz: Deuteronomy: The KJV
Answer: What is 120?
Deuteronomy 34:7. Even though Moses was so old when he died he was very healthy. It is believed by many that he will reappear again. He was present during the transfiguration of Jesus along with Elijah.
From Quiz: Deuteronomy Jeopardy
