Deuteronomy (Otl)

This commentary on Deuteronomy,
now available in a new casebound
edition, meets and exceeds the high
standards of the Old Testament Library
series. It provides one of the most
sophisticated explanations of the
compositional process that produced
Deuteronomy, presenting that process
as a combination of large-scale
redactional activity and "micro-
redaction." The commentary is also
attentive to the historical background
of Deuteronomy's origins in the reigns
of Manasseh and Josiah. The fresh
translation that heads each section is
followed by insightful linguistic
comments that highlight Deuteronomy's
famous homiletical and didactic style.
The literary and rhetorical features of
the final form of Deuteronomy are
everywhere present, and Nelson
makes a compelling presentation of
their incessant claim on the reader, a
claim that effectively urges the reader
toward an appropriate response. What
emerges most clearly from these
elements of Nelson's commentary is a
critical but sympathetic portrait of
Deuteronomy's distinctive theology: its
idealistic call for reform, its demand for
the centralization of sacrifice, its
demand for the eradication of rival
religions, its stress on Yahweh's
election of Israel and Israel's covenant
duty, and its confrontation of every
serious reader with a moment of
existential decision.