Deuteronomy 10 Study Notes
General
According to 10:6, where did Aaron die, and who succeeded him?
Answer: At Moserah, and Eleazar took over as priest
This short travel note says Israel's camp moved to Moserah, and that Aaron's death and burial took place there, with his son Eleazar becoming priest in his place (10:6). Numbers gives the fuller scene: God had Moses take Aaron and Eleazar up Mount Hor, move Aaron's priestly garments onto Eleazar, and Aaron died on the summit (Numbers 20:25-28; 33:38). Deuteronomy's brief travel note records the death under Moserah, and Numbers gives the scene on the mountain; both record the same death and the same handing on of the priesthood. Aaron's death is a reminder that every earthly priest eventually died and had to be replaced, unlike Jesus, whose priesthood lasts forever (Hebrews 7:23-24).
- Deuteronomy 10:6 (BSB)“The Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest.”Aaron dies at Moserah and Eleazar succeeds him as priest.
- Numbers 20:25-28 (BSB)“Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron’s priestly garments and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered to his people and will die there.” So Moses did as the LORD had commanded, and they climbed Mount Hor in the sight of the whole congregation. After Moses had removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.”Numbers records Aaron's death on Mount Hor and the transfer of his garments to Eleazar.
- Numbers 33:38 (BSB)“At the LORD’s command, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first day of the fifth month, in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt.”The itinerary in Numbers also places Aaron's death at Mount Hor.
- Hebrews 7:23-24 (BSB)“Now there have been many other priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office. But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood.”Death ended every Levitical priest's service, in contrast to Christ's permanent priesthood.
Theological
What does the travel note in 10:6 record about Aaron's death and succession?
Answer: At Moserah, and Eleazar took over as priest
The itinerary note records Aaron's death and burial at Moserah and Eleazar's succession to the priesthood (10:6). Numbers narrates the event at Mount Hor, with the transfer of the priestly garments to Eleazar before Aaron died on the summit (Numbers 20:25-28; 33:38). Deuteronomy's itinerary note records it under Moserah, Numbers gives the fuller scene on Mount Hor, and both agree on the event and the succession. Read alongside Moses' prayer for Aaron (9:20), the note shows Aaron preserved to serve until his death, and the succession itself illustrates the limitation Hebrews draws out: priests who die must be replaced, while Christ holds a permanent priesthood (Hebrews 7:23-24).
- Deuteronomy 10:6 (BSB)“The Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest.”Aaron dies at Moserah and Eleazar succeeds him as priest.
- Numbers 20:25-28 (BSB)“Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron’s priestly garments and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered to his people and will die there.” So Moses did as the LORD had commanded, and they climbed Mount Hor in the sight of the whole congregation. After Moses had removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.”Numbers records Aaron's death on Mount Hor and the transfer of his garments to Eleazar.
- Numbers 33:38 (BSB)“At the LORD’s command, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first day of the fifth month, in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt.”The itinerary in Numbers also places Aaron's death at Mount Hor.
- Hebrews 7:23-24 (BSB)“Now there have been many other priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office. But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood.”Death ended every Levitical priest's service, in contrast to Christ's permanent priesthood.
General
In 10:16 Moses commands Israel to circumcise their hearts. How does Deuteronomy later say this would ultimately be done?
Answer: The LORD Himself promises to circumcise their hearts
Circumcision was the physical sign that a man belonged to God's covenant people. Moses calls for circumcision of the heart, the cutting away of the stubborn inner resistance to God, and pairs it with the command to stop being stiff-necked (10:16). Chapter 9 had just shown how stubborn and rebellious Israel had been. Left to themselves, they could not change their own hearts: Moses later says the LORD had not given them understanding minds (29:4). So Deuteronomy promises that the LORD Himself will circumcise their hearts, so that they will love Him (30:6). The command shows what God requires, and the promise shows that God must give it. This is the Old Testament root of the new birth, which the New Testament describes as a heart circumcision done by the Spirit (Romans 2:28-29) and performed by Christ (Colossians 2:11).
- Deuteronomy 10:16 (BSB)“Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and stiffen your necks no more.”Moses commands Israel to circumcise their hearts and stop being stiff-necked.
- Deuteronomy 30:6 (BSB)“The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”God promises that He Himself will circumcise their hearts so that they will love Him.
- Deuteronomy 29:4 (BSB)“Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.”Israel lacked understanding because the LORD had not yet given it.
- Romans 2:28-29 (BSB)“A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God.”Paul describes true circumcision as a matter of the heart, by the Spirit.
- Colossians 2:11 (BSB)“In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature, with the circumcision performed by Christ and not by human hands.”Believers receive a circumcision performed by Christ, not by human hands.
Theological
Deuteronomy 10:16 commands heart circumcision. How does the book itself later say this will be accomplished?
Answer: The LORD Himself promises to circumcise their hearts
The command to circumcise the heart and stop being stiff-necked (10:16) exposes the real problem behind the stubborn rebellion chapter 9 has documented: the heart itself. Deuteronomy does not assume Israel can meet the demand; it says the LORD had not given them understanding minds (29:4) and promises that the LORD will circumcise their hearts so that they love Him (30:6). The command reveals duty, not ability, and the promise locates the remedy in God's effectual work. This is the Old Testament root of regeneration: inward circumcision by the Spirit (Romans 2:28-29), performed by Christ without hands (Colossians 2:11).
- Deuteronomy 10:16 (BSB)“Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and stiffen your necks no more.”Moses commands Israel to circumcise their hearts and stop being stiff-necked.
- Deuteronomy 30:6 (BSB)“The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”God promises that He Himself will circumcise their hearts so that they will love Him.
- Deuteronomy 29:4 (BSB)“Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.”Israel lacked understanding because the LORD had not yet given it.
- Romans 2:28-29 (BSB)“A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God.”Paul describes true circumcision as a matter of the heart, by the Spirit.
- Colossians 2:11 (BSB)“In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature, with the circumcision performed by Christ and not by human hands.”Believers receive a circumcision performed by Christ, not by human hands.
General
How does Moses describe Israel's growth since their ancestors first went to Egypt (10:22)?
Answer: From seventy people to a multitude like the stars
Moses closes by calling Israel to revere the LORD, serve Him, cling to Him, and swear by His name, because He is their praise and their God, who did mighty, fearsome wonders they had seen (10:20-21). Then he points to proof of God's faithfulness: Jacob's whole family in Egypt had numbered only seventy (Genesis 46:27), yet now God had made them as countless as the stars (10:22). This fulfilled what God had promised Abraham when He told him to count the stars (Genesis 15:5). God had kept His word.
- Deuteronomy 10:20-21 (BSB)“You are to fear the LORD your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome wonders that your eyes have seen.”Israel is to fear, serve, and cling to the LORD, their praise.
- Deuteronomy 10:22 (BSB)“Your fathers went down to Egypt, seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.”Seventy went down to Egypt, and now Israel is as numerous as the stars.
- Genesis 46:27 (BSB)“And with the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt were seventy in all.”Jacob's family who went to Egypt numbered seventy in all.
- Genesis 15:5 (BSB)“And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.””God promised Abram offspring as countless as the stars.
Theological
What evidence of God's faithfulness does Moses cite in 10:22?
Answer: From seventy people to a multitude like the stars
The closing call to fear, serve, and cling to the LORD (10:20-21) is grounded in visible covenant fulfillment: Jacob's household entered Egypt as just seventy people (Genesis 46:27), and the LORD has multiplied them like the stars (10:22), the very image of the Abrahamic promise (Genesis 15:5). The God who kept this promise can be trusted with the rest.
- Deuteronomy 10:20-21 (BSB)“You are to fear the LORD your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome wonders that your eyes have seen.”Israel is to fear, serve, and cling to the LORD, their praise.
- Deuteronomy 10:22 (BSB)“Your fathers went down to Egypt, seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.”Seventy went down to Egypt, and now Israel is as numerous as the stars.
- Genesis 46:27 (BSB)“And with the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt were seventy in all.”Jacob's family who went to Egypt numbered seventy in all.
- Genesis 15:5 (BSB)“And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.””God promised Abram offspring as countless as the stars.
General
Who wrote on the second set of tablets, and what was written on them (10:4)?
Answer: The LORD wrote the same Ten Commandments again
God Himself wrote on the new tablets, and He wrote exactly what had been on the first ones: the Ten Commandments He had spoken from the fire when the people assembled (10:4; Exodus 34:1). The terms did not change. God did not lower His standard after Israel's sin, but He showed grace by giving the covenant again to the same people who had broken it. The prophets later promised a day when God would write His law on His people's hearts rather than on stone (Jeremiah 31:33), and Paul describes believers as a letter written by the Spirit of God on human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3).
- Deuteronomy 10:4 (BSB)“And the LORD wrote on the tablets what had been written previously, the Ten Commandments that He had spoken to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of the assembly. The LORD gave them to me,”The LORD writes the Ten Commandments on the new tablets.
- Exodus 34:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.”God promised to write the same words that were on the first tablets.
- Jeremiah 31:33 (BSB)““But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.”The new covenant promise to write God's law on the heart.
- 2 Corinthians 3:3 (BSB)“It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”Paul contrasts tablets of stone with the Spirit's writing on human hearts.
Theological
According to 10:4, who inscribed the replacement tablets, and how did their content relate to the first set?
Answer: The LORD wrote the same Ten Commandments again
The LORD personally re-inscribes the identical Decalogue He had spoken from the fire (10:4; Exodus 34:1). The covenant's demands are unchanged, yet the re-issue is gracious: God renews the covenant with the people who had just broken it. The stone tablets anticipate the new covenant promise that God would write His law on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33), which Paul sees realized in the Spirit's work in believers (2 Corinthians 3:3).
- Deuteronomy 10:4 (BSB)“And the LORD wrote on the tablets what had been written previously, the Ten Commandments that He had spoken to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of the assembly. The LORD gave them to me,”The LORD writes the Ten Commandments on the new tablets.
- Exodus 34:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.”God promised to write the same words that were on the first tablets.
- Jeremiah 31:33 (BSB)““But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.”The new covenant promise to write God's law on the heart.
- 2 Corinthians 3:3 (BSB)“It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”Paul contrasts tablets of stone with the Spirit's writing on human hearts.
General
According to 10:8, which of these was NOT one of the tasks God gave the Levites?
Answer: Leading Israel's troops into battle
The LORD then appointed Levi's tribe to three tasks: carrying the ark, standing in His presence as His servants, and blessing the people in His name (10:8). The Levites were Israel's worship servants, and the priests among them came from Aaron's family. Later Moses handed the written law to the Levitical priests who bore the ark (31:9), and God gave the priests of Aaron's line the blessing to speak over Israel (Numbers 6:23-27). Leading the army was not listed. Exodus records that after the golden calf, when Moses called for whoever was on the LORD's side, the Levites rallied to him (Exodus 32:26), and they were told they had been ordained for the LORD's service (Exodus 32:29).
- Deuteronomy 10:8 (BSB)“At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day.”The LORD sets apart Levi to carry the ark, serve Him, and bless in His name.
- Deuteronomy 31:9 (BSB)“So Moses wrote down 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.”The priests, the sons of Levi, are the ones who carried the ark.
- Numbers 6:23-27 (BSB)““Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’ So they shall put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.””The blessing Aaron's sons were to pronounce in the LORD's name.
- Exodus 32:26 (BSB)“So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.”When Moses called for those on the LORD's side, all the Levites gathered to him.
- Exodus 32:29 (BSB)“Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so the LORD has bestowed a blessing on you this day.””After the golden calf the Levites were declared ordained for the LORD's service.
Theological
Which of the following is NOT among the Levitical duties listed in 10:8?
Answer: Leading Israel's troops into battle
The Levitical commission in 10:8 has three parts: bearing the ark, standing before the LORD in ministry, and pronouncing blessing in His name. Each appears elsewhere: the Levitical priests carry the ark (31:9), and the Aaronic benediction is the form of blessing in the LORD's name (Numbers 6:23-27). Military leadership is not among them. Exodus records that at Horeb, after the calf, the Levites had rallied to Moses as those on the LORD's side (Exodus 32:26) and were declared ordained for His service (Exodus 32:29).
- Deuteronomy 10:8 (BSB)“At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day.”The LORD sets apart Levi to carry the ark, serve Him, and bless in His name.
- Deuteronomy 31:9 (BSB)“So Moses wrote down 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.”The priests, the sons of Levi, are the ones who carried the ark.
- Numbers 6:23-27 (BSB)““Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’ So they shall put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.””The blessing Aaron's sons were to pronounce in the LORD's name.
- Exodus 32:26 (BSB)“So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.”When Moses called for those on the LORD's side, all the Levites gathered to him.
- Exodus 32:29 (BSB)“Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so the LORD has bestowed a blessing on you this day.””After the golden calf the Levites were declared ordained for the LORD's service.
General
According to 10:18-19, why were the Israelites to love the foreigner?
Answer: God loves foreigners, and Israel had been foreigners too
Moses describes the LORD as supreme over every so-called god and ruler, great and awesome, a God who plays no favorites and cannot be bribed (10:17). He defends the orphan and the widow, and He shows love to the outsider living among them, providing him with food and clothes (10:18). So Israel was to love foreigners too, for two reasons: God loves them, and Israel itself had once lived as foreigners in Egypt (10:19; Leviticus 19:34). God's people were to reflect God's character. The New Testament repeats that God shows no favoritism (Acts 10:34) and calls caring for the orphan and the widow in need pure religion (James 1:27).
- Deuteronomy 10:17-18 (BSB)“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.”God's impartial justice and His love for the foreigner.
- Deuteronomy 10:19 (BSB)“So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”Israel must love the foreigner because they were foreigners in Egypt.
- Leviticus 19:34 (BSB)“You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”The same command and the same reason appear in Leviticus.
- Acts 10:34 (BSB)“Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,”Peter affirms that God does not show favoritism.
- James 1:27 (BSB)“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”Caring for orphans and widows is the mark of pure religion.
Theological
What two grounds does Moses give in 10:18-19 for Israel's duty to love the foreigner?
Answer: God loves foreigners, and Israel had been foreigners too
The command rests on two grounds: theological imitation and historical memory. The LORD, supreme over all powers, impartial and incorruptible (10:17), upholds justice for the orphan and widow and loves the outsider (10:18); Israel must love the outsider because God does and because they themselves were outsiders in Egypt (10:19; Leviticus 19:34). The ethic flows from God's character and Israel's redemption. The New Testament affirms God's impartiality (Acts 10:34) and the same concern for the vulnerable (James 1:27).
- Deuteronomy 10:17-18 (BSB)“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.”God's impartial justice and His love for the foreigner.
- Deuteronomy 10:19 (BSB)“So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”Israel must love the foreigner because they were foreigners in Egypt.
- Leviticus 19:34 (BSB)“You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”The same command and the same reason appear in Leviticus.
- Acts 10:34 (BSB)“Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,”Peter affirms that God does not show favoritism.
- James 1:27 (BSB)“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”Caring for orphans and widows is the mark of pure religion.
General
Besides two new stone tablets, what did the LORD tell Moses to make, and what was it for (10:1-2)?
Answer: A wooden chest to hold them inside
After the first tablets were broken, the LORD told Moses to cut two new tablets of stone matching the first ones and to make an ark, a wooden chest, so the tablets could be placed inside it (10:1-2). Moses made the ark from acacia wood, cut the tablets, and carried them up the mountain (10:3; Exodus 34:4). Once God had written on them, Moses placed them inside the ark, where they still were when he spoke these words (10:5). God had earlier commanded that the covenant tablets be kept inside the ark (Exodus 25:16), and centuries later, when the ark was brought into Solomon's temple, it still held both stone tablets Moses had placed there at Horeb (1 Kings 8:9). By giving the tablets again, God restored the covenant Israel had broken.
- Deuteronomy 10:1-2 (BSB)“At that time the LORD said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood. And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you are to place them in the ark.””God commands new tablets and a wooden ark to hold them.
- Deuteronomy 10:5 (BSB)“and I went back down the mountain and placed the tablets in the ark I had made, as the LORD had commanded me; and there they have remained.”Moses places the tablets in the ark, where they remain.
- Exodus 34:4 (BSB)“So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the originals. He rose early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hands, he went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him.”Exodus records Moses cutting the new tablets and carrying them up the mountain.
- Exodus 25:16 (BSB)“And place inside the ark the Testimony, which I will give you.”God had commanded that the Testimony be placed inside the ark.
- 1 Kings 8:9 (BSB)“There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after they had come out of the land of Egypt.”The same two tablets were still in the ark in Solomon's day.
Theological
Along with the replacement tablets, what did the LORD command Moses to prepare in 10:1-2, and for what purpose?
Answer: A wooden chest to hold them inside
The renewal of the covenant begins with new tablets and an ark to house them (10:1-2). Moses prepares both, carrying the tablets up as commanded (10:3; Exodus 34:4), and after God writes on them deposits them inside the ark, where they remain as he speaks (10:5). This follows the earlier instruction that the Testimony be placed in the ark (Exodus 25:16), and the tablets were still there at the dedication of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:9). The re-issue of the tablets to a covenant-breaking people is itself an act of mercy following Moses' intercession.
- Deuteronomy 10:1-2 (BSB)“At that time the LORD said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood. And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you are to place them in the ark.””God commands new tablets and a wooden ark to hold them.
- Deuteronomy 10:5 (BSB)“and I went back down the mountain and placed the tablets in the ark I had made, as the LORD had commanded me; and there they have remained.”Moses places the tablets in the ark, where they remain.
- Exodus 34:4 (BSB)“So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the originals. He rose early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hands, he went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him.”Exodus records Moses cutting the new tablets and carrying them up the mountain.
- Exodus 25:16 (BSB)“And place inside the ark the Testimony, which I will give you.”God had commanded that the Testimony be placed inside the ark.
- 1 Kings 8:9 (BSB)“There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after they had come out of the land of Egypt.”The same two tablets were still in the ark in Solomon's day.
General
According to 10:14-15, what is remarkable about God's choice of Israel?
Answer: The Owner of heaven and earth chose them out of love
Moses sets two facts side by side. Everything belongs to the LORD, the highest heavens as well as the earth and all it holds (10:14). Yet this God fixed His love on Israel's forefathers, loved them, and chose their descendants above all peoples (10:15). The reason given is His love, not Israel's size or goodness (4:37; 7:7-8). This is election, meaning God's free choice of a people for Himself. In Deuteronomy it is Israel chosen as a nation for a special covenant relationship, and the New Testament shows the same pattern of grace, not merit, when God chooses believers in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-5), who are now called a chosen people (1 Peter 2:9).
- Deuteronomy 10:14-15 (BSB)“Behold, to the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, and the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD has set His affection on your fathers and loved them. And He has chosen you, their descendants after them, above all the peoples, even to this day.”The Owner of all creation sets His love on the fathers and chooses their descendants.
- Deuteronomy 4:37 (BSB)“Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by His presence and great power,”God chose Israel because He loved their fathers.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”God's choice did not rest on Israel's numbers but on His love and oath.
- Ephesians 1:4-5 (BSB)“For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,”God chose believers in Christ in love, according to His good pleasure.
- 1 Peter 2:9 (BSB)“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”Believers are given the title of a chosen people.
Theological
What contrast does Moses draw in 10:14-15 regarding Israel's election?
Answer: The Owner of heaven and earth chose them out of love
The sovereign Owner of the earth and of the highest heavens (10:14) freely set His love on the patriarchs and chose their offspring above all peoples (10:15). The text grounds the election in God's love alone (4:37; 7:7-8), not in anything in Israel. This is Israel's national election to covenant privilege, but it displays the same unconditioned, gracious choice the New Testament ascribes to God's election of believers in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-5), whom Peter addresses with Israel's own titles as a chosen people (1 Peter 2:9).
- Deuteronomy 10:14-15 (BSB)“Behold, to the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, and the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD has set His affection on your fathers and loved them. And He has chosen you, their descendants after them, above all the peoples, even to this day.”The Owner of all creation sets His love on the fathers and chooses their descendants.
- Deuteronomy 4:37 (BSB)“Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by His presence and great power,”God chose Israel because He loved their fathers.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”God's choice did not rest on Israel's numbers but on His love and oath.
- Ephesians 1:4-5 (BSB)“For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,”God chose believers in Christ in love, according to His good pleasure.
- 1 Peter 2:9 (BSB)“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”Believers are given the title of a chosen people.
General
Why, according to 10:9, did Levi receive no share of land like the other tribes?
Answer: The LORD Himself was Levi's portion and inheritance
An inheritance here means a tribe's allotted share of land in Canaan. Levi received none, because the LORD Himself was Levi's inheritance, as He had promised (10:9; Numbers 18:20). Instead of farmland, the Levites were supported by the tithes, the tenth of their produce that Israel gave to the LORD (Numbers 18:24). This was not a punishment. Having God as one's portion is the highest privilege, as the psalmist gladly says of himself (Psalm 16:5).
- Deuteronomy 10:9 (BSB)“That is why Levi has no portion or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God promised him.”Levi has no land inheritance because the LORD is his inheritance.
- Numbers 18:20 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.”God had told Aaron that He Himself would be his portion and inheritance.
- Numbers 18:24 (BSB)“For I have given to the Levites as their inheritance the tithe that the Israelites present to the LORD as a contribution. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.””The Levites were given the tithe in place of a land inheritance.
- Psalm 16:5 (BSB)“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.”The psalmist calls the LORD his chosen portion, a privilege rather than a loss.
Theological
What reason does 10:9 give for Levi's lack of a territorial inheritance?
Answer: The LORD Himself was Levi's portion and inheritance
Levi's lack of territory is explained positively: God Himself is Levi's inheritance, as promised (10:9; Numbers 18:20). The Levites' material support came through the tithe dedicated to the LORD (Numbers 18:24). Far from a penalty, it expresses a privileged nearness to God, the same confession the psalmist makes when he calls the LORD his chosen portion (Psalm 16:5).
- Deuteronomy 10:9 (BSB)“That is why Levi has no portion or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God promised him.”Levi has no land inheritance because the LORD is his inheritance.
- Numbers 18:20 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.”God had told Aaron that He Himself would be his portion and inheritance.
- Numbers 18:24 (BSB)“For I have given to the Levites as their inheritance the tithe that the Israelites present to the LORD as a contribution. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.””The Levites were given the tithe in place of a land inheritance.
- Psalm 16:5 (BSB)“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.”The psalmist calls the LORD his chosen portion, a privilege rather than a loss.
General
In 10:12-13, Moses sums up what the LORD asks of Israel. For whose benefit does he say the commandments were given?
Answer: For Israel's own good
Moses sums up what God asked of Israel: to fear Him (to honor Him with reverent awe), to follow Him in every way, to love Him and give Him wholehearted service, and to obey His commands. Then he gives the reason: these commands were for Israel's own good (10:12-13). God's law was not a pointless burden but a way of life for a people He had already rescued (6:24). Micah later gives a similar summary of what God requires (Micah 6:8), and Jesus names wholehearted love for God as the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38).
- Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (BSB)“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD that I am giving you this day for your own good?”Moses sums up what the LORD asks and says it is for Israel's good.
- Deuteronomy 6:24 (BSB)“And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes and to fear the LORD our God, that we may always be prosperous and preserved, as we are to this day.”The commands were given so that Israel might prosper and be preserved.
- Micah 6:8 (BSB)“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”A later prophetic summary of what the LORD requires.
- Matthew 22:37-38 (BSB)“Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”Jesus names wholehearted love for God the greatest commandment.
Theological
What motive clause does Moses attach in 10:13 to his summary of what the LORD requires?
Answer: For Israel's own good
The summary in 10:12-13 gathers the covenant demand into fear, walking in God's ways, love, wholehearted service, and obedience, and it ends with a motive clause: the commands are given for Israel's good. Law here is the gracious ordering of a redeemed people's life, not a means of earning redemption (6:24). Micah's summary of what the LORD requires echoes the form (Micah 6:8), and Jesus identifies wholehearted love for God as the first and chief command (Matthew 22:37-38).
- Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (BSB)“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD that I am giving you this day for your own good?”Moses sums up what the LORD asks and says it is for Israel's good.
- Deuteronomy 6:24 (BSB)“And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes and to fear the LORD our God, that we may always be prosperous and preserved, as we are to this day.”The commands were given so that Israel might prosper and be preserved.
- Micah 6:8 (BSB)“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”A later prophetic summary of what the LORD requires.
- Matthew 22:37-38 (BSB)“Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”Jesus names wholehearted love for God the greatest commandment.