Deuteronomy 31:9-13

The Law written and delivered to the Levites, etc.

Moses wrote this Law and gave it to the priests and elders, charging them to read it every seventh year at the Feast of Booths to all Israel, women, little ones and gerimincluded, that they and their children might evermore fear God and do its words upon the land. The language is almost purely deuteronomic, and the passage may be original to D (Dillm. Dri., etc.) or from the edition of D, introduced by 1 3 (-not impossible," Berth. Marti). Steuern. takes parts of it as original to his Sg. author, the rest due to later expansion, but his analysis is precarious; Cullen (147, 159) as part of the epilogue to the Torah. The order of the passage, between two others relating the commission to Joshua, is inexplicable, unless we suppose that in place of the priests, the sons of Levi … and the elders, to whom Deuteronomy 31:9 describes that Moses entrusted the written law, the name of Joshua himself originally stood. And for this there is some evidence in the sing. thou shalt read and assembleof Deuteronomy 31:11 f. But the text is not certain.