Deuteronomy 31:24-30

Again the Law-Book (?) and the Song

A less vague description of these vv. is not possible. The text says that Moses having written the Law in a book charged the Levites to put it beside the Ark as a witness against thee(Deuteronomy 31:24-26). For Israel, which has been rebellious in his life here the address changes from Sg. to Pl. will be more so after his death (Deuteronomy 31:27). They shall assemble the elders of their tribes and officers that he may recite to them these wordsand call heaven and earth to witness against them. For after his death they will corrupt themselves and evil will befall them in the latter days (Deuteronomy 31:28-30). These wordscan hardly refer to the Law, already recited to the people; they must be the words of this Song(Deuteronomy 31:30) which follows in 32. If the text be original which reads Tôrah= Lawin Deuteronomy 31:24; Deuteronomy 31:26, then Deuteronomy 31:24 are parallel (not consecutive) to Deuteronomy 31:9-13, and we cannot conjecture a reason for separating the two passages by Deuteronomy 31:14-23, on Joshua and the Song.

Staerk (followed by Steuern. and Berth.) holds that Tôrahwas originally Shîrah= Song. This conjecture is attractive. It restores unity to Deuteronomy 31:24 and their natural connection with Deuteronomy 31:16-22, and gets rid of the improbable fact that both Law and Song are described as witness againstIsrael; note too that this book(Deuteronomy 31:24; Deuteronomy 31:26) is not to be put in, but beside, the Ark. At the same time there is no other evidence (in the versions or elsewhere) that Shîrahmay have stood in place of Tôrah, the Law may equally well with the Song be described as a witness againstIsrael, and the phrase these wordsmore usually refers to what precedes than to what follows it. Notice a symptom of compilation, in that while the Levites are addressed in Deuteronomy 31:25 it is all Israel, against thee, which is addressed in Deuteronomy 31:26. The whole passage is therefore editorial, and the questions it raises are insoluble by us.

Staerk distinguishes two introductions to the Song, Deuteronomy 31:16; Deuteronomy 31:24, and so independently Driver; note the difference in their styles. Cullen (p. 181) retains the reading Tôrah= Law, and takes Deuteronomy 31:24-29 as a later addition to Deuteronomy 31:9-13, the original conclusion of the epilogue to the Code of D composed when Israel's attitude to this was still satisfactory, and added when the nation fell away. For another view see the Oxf. Hex.