The Book of Deuteronomy (New International Commentary on the Old Testament

The New International Commentary on the Old Testament

by Peter C. Craigie, Ronald Kenneth Harrison

Craigie's study on the Book of Deuteronomy is part of The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Like its companion series on the New Testament, this commentary devotes considerable care to achieving a balance between technical information and homiletic-devotional interpretation.

Genres: Reference, Theology, Christian, Old Testament, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Fiction

424 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 1976

Reviews

[CJ Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book - not too technical, but still quite rigorous. Craigie is an unapologetic believer, and this helps him clear away the underbrush of much inventive scholarship to focus on the text itself. After a very helpful introduction to the book as a whole (composition, date, authorship, theology, etc) Craigie translates and comments section by section. He reminds us that Deuteronomy should be read not as if it were a legal code, but rather a father's rules for his sons. As the covenant charter of Israel, it is law in the context of love. This is how Israel can show her love and devotion to God. He has delivered them from a brutal and oppressive lord to become a loving and faithful Lord to them, and His law enables them to receive His blessings. While connections to the NT are sparse, they do exist, and helpfully connect the different administrations of the covenant. Craigie is succinct and discriminating, which results in a very valuable commentary.

[Kofi Opoku · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good insights. Sometimes too brief.

[Chris Comis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of good exegesis. Takes a covenantal approach to the book, which was great to see. He also deals with intervening historical contingencies in way that many expositors fail to do.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I referenced quite a few commentaries in my sermon series on Deuteronomy, but three were particularly helpful. This one, by Craigie, was clear and insightful without being too academic. It was always a good place to start (and if I had to choose one, it would be this one).

[Other commentaries I referenced: Thompson, McConville]

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid, intermediate commentary on Deuteronomy from an evangelical perspective. While it will likely be eclipsed by Bill Arnold's commentary on the same book, which is a replacement of Craigie's Deut. commentary in this series, it will still prove valuable to consult for a particular verse or section of Deut. for a busy pastor.

[Jake McAtee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really concise and (sometimes too) brief. I would have liked to see him explore more in particular passages. He admittedly confesses that that will be the nature of his commentary. Good. But was glad to have read more than just Craigie on Deuteronomy.

[Jeff Ragan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous, concise explication of the covenant treaty between God and the Israelites. Craigie gives full explanations of the text, while keeping the pace moving and active. A great read and resource.

[Mark D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too often my questions weren’t addressed. Sometimes, the most glaringly obvious issues were ignored completely. Overall, little to recommend unless you have several commentaries on Deuteronomy.
I only have a few in the series, but so far, I think this was the least helpful.
2.5 stars.

[Josh Dockter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great commentary. Not lifeless at all. Learned lots of new things.

[Jacob Rush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine.

[Zachary Wilke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent overview of Deuteronomy. Although, being a commentary, it often left me wanting more.

[Vicki Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical, in-depth exploration into the world of the Biblical Scriptures of Deuteronomy. I appreciate the scriptures included with the writings. Makes reading on the go possible.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Craigie follows Kline's Treaty of the Great King very closely, seeing the structure of the book as a covenant document and ANE vassal treaty. He structures the book:

1. Preamble (1:1–5)
2. Historical Prologue (1:6–4:49)
3. General Stipulations (5–11)
4. Specific Stipulations (12–26)
5. Blessings and Curses (27–28)
6. Witnesses

Craigie argues not only that the treaty is a literary device, but that it probably "reflects also the ceremony during which the covenant was renewed and a successor to Moses was appointed." (24) While a moderate amount of space is devoted to this thesis, Craigie pays almost no attention to other proposed outlines (such as the book being outlined as a covenant document through the Ten Words).

Craigie relies on historical research into the ANE far too much for my liking throughout the book. Not only does he carry over what I would consider the more negative aspects of Kline's work (i.e. the Hebrews adapted the ANE treaty for their own use p. 22), but he also tends to use the Ancient Near East as a default interpretation to hard passages (i.e. "this is probably commanded because it was practiced elsewhere"). In other words, laws are prescribed simply to separate Israel from the nations in life and practice.

One of the things I appreciated most from this commentary was the devotional material woven throughout. This made the commentary at times very enjoyable and edifying.

Finally, while Craigie's commentary contains some helpful paraphrases of otherwise difficult passages (I found his commentary on ch. 19 most helpful), the commentary is consistently thin and I found that oftentimes my most pressing questions were not even addressed.

[Nile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great commentary that helped provided excellent historical insight and point to how Deuteronomy fits into the larger scheme of scripture. I was leading a men's study on chapters 1-11, so I did not finish this cover to cover.

For those of you that think the Old Testament is no longer relative on this side of the cross, please read Deuteronomy remembering that God first redeemed the people to himself, provided for them, and brought them to the edge of the land promising them victory. Then he enters this covenant with them.

Here are some of my favorite excerpts:

"Deuteronomy is a book about a community being prepared for a new life. Hardship and the wilderness lie behind; the promised land lies ahead. But in the present moment, there is a call for a new commitment to God and a fresh understanding of the nature of the community of God's people." Pg 7

"In summary, the covenant was the constitution of a theocracy. God was king and had claimed his people for himself out of Egypt; the people, who owed God everything, were required to submit to him in a covenant which was based on love." Pg. 19

"But now that they know the character of God, They renewed their covenant allegiance to him before entering into battle; The outcome of the future battles lay not in their military prowess, But in the power of God and in the wholeheartedness of their commitment to God. The renewal of the covenant by the Israelites was thus acknowledgment that they were about to set forth on an impossible task, But that with God all things would be possible. Obedience, however, To the god of the covenant would be essential and it is to this and that Moses, who anticipates death, encourages his people to wholehearted commitment." Pg 31

"The covenant at Sinai was not a once for all event that had only historical significance. It inaugurated a continuing relationship (which had already been anticipated in earlier covenants) between God and His people." Pg 37

In talking about the content of the historical preamble, "History reflects the will of God, in word and in deed, within the creation of God. To be particular, the historical prologue of the covenant is a description of the enacted will and word of God within the sphere if history; it provides the basis upon which the covenant between God and man is compacted." Pg 40
Good explanation of the reason to obey the specific stipulations: "To declare that The Lord was their God, but to live as others lived would be more than hypocrisy; in the eyes of the world, it would blemish the knowledge of God for whom Israel had made their declaration." Pg 43

[Paul Wichert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good workmanlike commentary with a focus on exegesis. It was very concise, though perhaps a bit too brief in some areas. I found it to have good depth historically with discussion of ancient near east parallels and also linguistically with discussion of the Hebrew translation issues. The writing is very clear and on the whole covers the book very well. There is some limited discussion of theology and application which I think could have been expanded upon for certain topics. I will be supplementing with Christopher Wright's Deuteronomy and J. Gary Millar's Now Choose Life: Theology and Ethics in Deuteronomy, though there are other good choices too such as Block and McConville. Overall a very good read.

[Ben Zornes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Craigie's commentary on Deuteronomy is a fine work, and helpful in all the right ways. He is at the same time succinct and yet beneficially so, something few commentators seem to manage. He leaves expanding on the text to other more loquacious commentators, and simply get's to the pith of what each verse/section is saying, providing useful historical/contextual insights along the way. Anyone studying or teaching through Deuteronomy would do well to consult this commentary.

Read my full review here.

[Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

A precise commentary getting to the meaning of the text. Notable for it's brevity. I aim to have three to four commentaries per book of the Bible. I would make Craigie one of my tools for Deuteronomy.

[Seth Channell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good commentary of Deuteronomy.