31 So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ 3 The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken. 4 And the Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. 5 And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
9 Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”
14 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 15 And the Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent.
16 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. 17 Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18 And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods.
19 “Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. 21 And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.” 22 So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.
23 And the Lord1 commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.”
24 When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end, 25 Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 26 “Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord. How much more after my death! 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.”
30 Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel:
Section Overview: Provisions for Covenant Continuity
The epilogue shifts from reported speech to narrative action that includes instructions and poems. Covenant making and law giving give way to provisions for the future. The words spoken by Moses have been given. The narrator turns to reporting the events that conclude not only Deuteronomy but the entire Torah. They describe the steps taken by Moses to prepare Israel for the future in his absence. The death of Moses and the provision to transfer leadership to Joshua set the scene (vv. 1–8). The appointment of Joshua as successor, the deposition of the written Torah, and the memorization of the song are the repeated topics.
Chapter 31 does not relate the closing events in sequence. The rabbis referred to this phenomenon as “nothing early and nothing late,” their way of expressing the observation that material in the Torah is given topically. Continuity of the covenant is the burden of the epilogue. Israel is told repeatedly that future generations will not be obedient (e.g., vv. 16, 20, 27). This truth makes the reading of the Torah and the memorization of the song under the new leadership of Joshua an urgent concern.
The actions of Moses could not have taken place in the sequence reported in the narration. Moses speaks to Israel about his death and then to Joshua before all Israel to designate him as successor (vv. 1–8). Joshua and Moses are stationed at the entrance to the tabernacle (vv. 14–15). Moses is given instructions to write the song and teach it to the people (vv. 16–22). After the song is taught to the assembly, Yahweh appoints Joshua as successor to Moses at the tabernacle, saying, “I will be with you” (v. 23). The divine anointing of Joshua is interrupted with the teaching of the song. The deposition of the Torah is repeated in two separate sections. The arrangement makes the giving of the written Torah and the teaching of the song the emphasis of the chapter. The chapter is arranged as a chiasm to place the giving of the Torah at the beginning and the end, with the teaching of the song in the very center:
(A) Moses writes the Torah and gives it to the priests. (vv. 9–13)
(B) Joshua and Moses are stationed at the entrance to the tabernacle. (vv. 14–15)
(C) Moses writes the song and teaches it to all the people. (vv. 16–22)
(B') Yahweh commissions Joshua at the tabernacle. (v. 23)
(A') Moses gives the written Torah to the Levites who place it in the ark. (vv. 24–26)
This technique inextricably binds together the song with the reading of the Torah, which is the intent of the epilogue.
The narration of the epilogue continues with Moses’ issuing a directive to assemble all the leaders of Israel so that they may learn the words of the song. It will be their responsibility to teach it. The reporting of the speech of Moses begun at 31:1 is concluded in 32:44–47 after the giving of the words of the song. The song is introduced with calling the heavens and earth to act as witness (31:28–30), just as they did in the taking of the vow (30:19). In the main Masoretic Text (Leningrad Codex and Aleppo Codex) the introduction to the song is purposefully distinguished by separating each word with dots (31:28–30). The song itself is set in parallel lines. The epilogue is constructed so that both the written Torah and the Song of Moses act as an eternal witness to God’s relationship with his people.
Section Outline
IV. Epilogue (31:1–34:12)
A. Covenant Continuity through Witness of the Torah (31:1–30)
1. Joshua Designated Successor to Moses (31:1–8)
a. Moses Speaks to All Israel (31:1–6)
b. Moses Speaks to Joshua before All Israel (31:7–8)
2. Torah in Word and Song Given as Witness (31:9–30)
a. Torah Written and Given to the Priests (31:9–13)
b. Joshua Stationed at the Tent of Meeting (31:14–15)
c. Moses to Teach Israel the Song as Eternal Witness (31:16–22)
d. Yahweh Appoints Joshua as Leader of Israel (31:23)
e. Completed Torah Placed in the Ark as Eternal Witness (31:24–27)
f. Heaven and Earth Witnesses to Israel Accepting the Song (31:28–30)
Response
The epilogue returns to the themes of the historical prologue that introduce the book (cf. Introduction: Genre and Literary Features). The time is after Sihon and Og have been defeated in Transjordan (Deut. 31:4). Moses will not cross the Jordan (31:2; cf. 3:23–26), but Joshua will be his successor (31:3; cf. 3:28). Moses will die in Mount Nebo, the high point of the Pisgah range (32:49–50), as stated in the prologue (3:27). The epilogue brings closure to covenant renewal, the vital component to choosing life.
The warnings of the epilogue make crystal clear that there are only two options in life. Humans created to represent God may abandon him, but God will never abandon them. Abandonment of God does not provide an escape from him. The intention of just one individual to ignore the requirements of the divine relationship will not escape divine notice (29:18–20). The curse of covenant violation will be lurking for that individual; there will be no escape. Failure to observe the requirements of a relationship with God will occur. This is different from turning away to follow other gods, mostly represented in the wood, stone, and molded metal of earthly pursuits.
Faithfulness is impossible apart from discipline, especially discipline of the mind. The instruction of God demands regular repetition. Focus of the mind requires words that are known and can be repeated. A technological age leads to a tendency to minimize memorization and to assume that things can be looked up rather than learned. But technology cannot be exchanged for the spiritual work Moses demands in this epilogue. Learning and retaining instruction is never finished. It takes the presence of spontaneous words to have clear vision, the hearing of the covenant responsibilities, and the words of instructive song.