Reading Deuteronomy with Critics

Reading Audaciously

Jane Dawson
Published 12 December 2024

I am reading Deuteronomy alongside the following interpretive texts:

Opening Israel’s Scriptures by Ellen Davis
The Bible in History by Thomas L. Thompson
Deuteronomy: The Last Speech of Moses by Micah Goodman

I am particularly gripped by the horrific aspects of Deuteronomy, particularly the parts that read like a commandment to commit genocide (e.g., a selection of verses in chapters 7 and 20). I am also gripped by the works of some biblical scholars who, paradoxically, also find within Deuteronomy a radical ethic of social care that places the most vulnerable members of society – including foreigners – at the centre of concern. I am convinced that the latter interpretations can provide a vital and relevant source of wisdom inviting us to live in the world with less greed and self-interest, more humility and compassion. But what do we do with the horrific aspects of the text? We can’t just ignore them, downplay them, or wish them a way. I believe that a critical engagement with the interpretive paradoxes of Deuteronomy can help us be better interpreters of (and responders to) the paradoxes and divisions in the world right now.