Today, I am reading and commenting on  Deuteronomy 1-2.being written

Many scholars believe that the Book of Deuteronomy was the “Book of the Law” found in the Temple under King Josiah and that it was written at that time. While I have my doubts about Deuteronomy being written by Moses, I think it was likely written close to the time of Moses than to the time of Josiah.  I also believe that it is an accurate portrayal of the events it describes (while it is possible that there are some transcription errors, everything of theological significance is accurate).  The Book of Deuteronomy describes what Moses told the Children of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, something they would be doing without his leadership.  The point of the book is that those Moses addressed had not lived through the Exodus and the giving of God’s Law.  There are a lot of things I would like to write about today’s passage, but I probably will not get to all of them.

Moses begins his recounting of how the Israelites had gotten to where they were at that moment with their departure from Mount Horeb.  The references to Mount Horeb (or often, just Horeb) throughout Deuteronomy, suggest that the camp being referred to was the one at Mount Sinai.  The Hebrew word Horeb derives in a way which suggests that Mount Horeb was “the mountain of the Sun”.  Sinai derives in a way which suggests that Mount Sinai was “the mountain of the Moon”.  Perhaps Horeb and Sinai are two different names for the same mountain.  Or, perhaps Horeb and Sinai were two mountains which were close enough together that the Israelite camp was at the base of both of them at the same time. I would also like to note that Moses’ encounter with the burning bush occurred at the base of Mount Horeb. For all it’s significance to the Exodus and the Israelites covenant with God, Mount Sinai and Mount Horeb never again became significant places for the Israelites to worship.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.