![]() This means the historical books are not merely a historical record of Israel they are a “sacred history” written by a prophet to record God’s acts among his covenant people (1 Chron. What we consider the historical books (Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings) are considered prophetic as well. 1:20–21), and many committed their prophecies to writing (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Micah, and so on).Īccording to the division of the Hebrew Bible, however, there are more prophetic books. The Old Testament prophets were divinely inspired (1 Pet. 2:21 3:19) and also his role as a prophet. Samuel is a prime candidate for the authorship of Deuteronomy 34 given both his standing before the Lord (1 Sam. Given Ezra’s literary activity and the resources available to him, he could’ve been responsible for closing out the Pentateuch with Moses’s death and burial. Additionally, 2 Maccabees 2:13 suggests that Ezra had a large library at his disposal to perform his work on the Old Testament canon. Second, in the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmud, the rabbis indicate that Ezra completed updating, collecting, and arranging the books of the Old Testament. First, he’s responsible for updating the script of the Hebrew Bible. Ezra was responsible for restoring faithful worship among the remnant that returned from exile.Īs part of his restorative work, Jewish tradition attributes two actions that bear on our topic. Ezra?Įzra is described as a worthy scribe who was “skilled in the law of Moses” and who had “set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it” (Ezra 7:6, 10). Eleazar’s position as high priest, and his service alongside Moses and Joshua, may have given him the qualifications to update Deuteronomy after Moses’s death. 31:9, 26) and charged to teach the law (Num. ![]() The Levites were charged with the care of the law (Deut. He also assisted Moses and Joshua in distributing the land to the tribes of Israel (Num. ![]() In the wilderness, Eleazar was charged to inventory the spoils of war after Israel fought Midian (Num. 3:32) and was charged with overseeing the duties of the sanctuary (Num. He was named the chief of the tribe of Levi (Num. Eleazar played an important role in Israel’s life during the ministries of Moses and Joshua. The son of Aaron and his successor as high priest, Eleazar is often named as a possible author of Deuteronomy 34. However, it’s more likely that another hand penned Deuteronomy 34, and there are indications in Scripture and in Jewish tradition as to the author’s likely identity. After all, God revealed to him what happened before his birth (Gen. Therefore, God could have revealed to Moses what would come in his last days. Matthew 16:21 indicates that Jesus knew what lay before him-suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection-in Jerusalem. In Ezekiel 8, God revealed to Ezekiel-while in exile near the Euphrates River-what was going on in the temple in Jerusalem. God revealed to Ezekiel in real time that Nebuchadnezzar was standing at a crossroads, divining which way to proceed (Ezek. God previewed his plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah to Abraham (Gen. That would be consistent with God’s revelation of future events in other places. There are other examples in Scripture that lend some credibility to the idea that Moses saw his coming death and wrote about the circumstances. It’s not far-fetched to think Moses wrote the account of his own death and burial, particularly since God revealed his word and works to Moses (Ps. Woods, and Dan Block-simply leave the author unnamed. ![]() More recent commentators-such as Eugene Merrill, Edward J. John Gill says Joshua could be the author, and yet admits that Eleazer, Samuel, and Ezra are also possible. In his commentary on Deuteronomy, John Calvin acknowledges the “probable conjecture of the ancients” that Joshua wrote Deuteronomy 34, but admits Eleazar the priest is a likely candidate too. For example, Jewish tradition cites Joshua. Over the centuries, biblical scholars and commentators have differed over who wrote Deuteronomy 34. Holding to Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, however, poses an interesting question: Who wrote about Moses’s death and burial in Deuteronomy 34? The Scriptures are clear that Moses wrote the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament (Deut. In each instance-and there are many more-another author edited and completed the work. The author of each died before completing his work. ![]() Tolkien’s The Silmarillion and The Book of Lost Tales, and Charles Krauthammer’s The Point of It All. What do these books have in common? The sixth volume of Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, J. ![]()
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