Recapitulation, replication, duplication, redundancy, and repetitiveness

Deuteronomy means " second law, " or may be read as " repetition of the law. " It consists mostly of a review of events from the exodus to the encampment on the plains of Moab, and the law that was given along the way, some of it presented in the form of two long-winded speeches by Moses, framing the beginning and the end. There is also some new law thrown in, most of it morally depraved; and some new events, equally repulsive.The previous books were cobbled together from older sources, but Deuteronomy was evidently composed anew, and scholars have ascribed it to a unique author, imaginatively called the Deuteronomist, or D. I would think it is a team effort, however. I also would guess that the authors overlap with P, and interpolated some material into Leviticus and Numbers. The reason for its creation seems to be to serve as a single document to promulgate the so-called Deuteronomistic reforms of King Josiah, i.e. to restore -- or more likely establish for the first time -- a religious and legal orthodoxy in the new kingdom following the Babylonian captivity and the restoration of the Temple. In other words it ' s what we would call an executive summary of the preceding books. At the end, Moses dies and the scepter passes to Joshua.We have seen most of this content before, and as there is a good deal of redundancy in the preceding books we are seeing some of it for the third or fourth time. Many of these chapters are very long, so I won ' t repeat most of my comments ...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs