Deuteronomy (Otl)

Publisher Marketing: This commentary on Deuteronomy, now available in a new casebound edition, meets and exceeds the high standards of the Old Testament Library series. It provides one of the most sophisticated explanations of the compositional process that produced Deuteronomy, presenting that process as a combination of large-scale redactional activity and "micro- redaction." The commentary is also attentive to the historical background of Deuteronomy's origins in the reigns of Manasseh and Josiah. The fresh translation that heads each section is followed by insightful linguistic comments that highlight Deuteronomy's famous homiletical and didactic style. The literary and rhetorical features of the final form of Deuteronomy are everywhere present, and Nelson makes a compelling presentation of their incessant claim on the reader, a claim that effectively urges the reader toward an appropriate response. What emerges most clearly from these elements of Nelson's commentary is a critical but sympathetic portrait of Deuteronomy's distinctive theology: its idealistic call for reform, its demand for the centralization of sacrifice, its demand for the eradication of rival religions, its stress on Yahweh's election of Israel and Israel's covenant duty, and its confrontation of every serious reader with a moment of existential decision. Contributor Bio:  Nelson, Richard D (2004) Richard D. Nelson is W. J. A. Power Professor of Biblical Hebrew and Old Testament Interpretation, Perkins School of Theology, SMU, Dallas, TX. He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Society. Contributor Bio:  Mays, James James Luther Mays is Cyrus M. McCormick Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Old Testament Interpretation at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. He was the general editor of the best-selling Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teacing and Preaching series, and is author of many books, including "Psalms" in the Interpretation series and "The Lord Reigns: A TheologicalHandbook to the Psalms".