Translation of Das fünfte Buch Mose: Deuteronomium, which was originally published in 1964 as v. 8 of Das Alte Testament deutsch, edited by V. Herntrich and A. Weiser.

Includes bibliographical references.

The proposal here is that Deuteronomy in its final form belongs to the form of covenants of the office-bearers. The contents of Deuteronomy come to us out of a long practice of Levitical preaching which drew upon legal and traditionary elements of the most varied sorts and origins. The martial spirit which dominates the whole work bespeaks an origin in circles where the old traditions of holy war were preserved; this militant piety, together with literary and other considerations, points to the era of the late eighth to late seventh centuries for the formation of the book and its connection finally with Josiah. The theological importance of the book centers in the fact that never before had there been such an all-inclusive treatment of the traditions of Israel in terms of loyalty to one God and his worship at one place; and it was forthcoming at a time of unparalleled threat to the existence of the nation and its distinctive worship. Von Rad's commentary begins with a discussion of the literary form of Deuteronomy, the material peculiar to the book, and its origin and purpose. This is followed by a verse-by-verse commentary on the entire book.