Deuteronomy is an ancienty "treaty" or covenant agreement between a king and his people. For some general defense of Deuteronomy, see here where many links below will lead. On the matter of the destruction of the Canaanites, see here[Off Site].
- Deuteronomy 4:34, 13:3
- Does God tempt and try people? See also here.
- Deuteronomy 5
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- Which is the real Ten Commandments?
- Did the Israelites just "rip off" their laws from the Code of Hammurabi or elsewhere? [Off Site]
- Deuteronomy 5:9
- Do children pay for the sins of their fathers, or not?
- Deuteronomy 5:20
- Bearing false witness and the honorable lie
- Deuteronomy 6:16
- Did Gideon's "fleece test" violate this command?
- Deuteronomy 7:6
- Does God play favorites or not?
- Deut. 7:17-24
- Did God fail on his promise of land?
- Deut. 8:22. 13:32
- Does this verse indicate that God is not omniscient?
- Deuteronomy 10:17
- Does God play favorites or not?
- Deuteronomy 10:22
- How many went to Egypt with Jacob?
- Deuteronomy 12:1-9
- In light of this demand for centralized worship, why do OT prophets and people sacrifice anywhere they please?
- Deuteronomy 12:23-5
- Does this verse support the Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrine against blood transfusion?
- Deuteronomy 12:31
- Does God endorse human sacrifice?
- Deuteronomy 14:7
- Deuteronomy 14:18
- Deuteronomy 14:21
- Is the law contradictory about eating carrion?
- Deuteronomy 15:6
- Thou shalt lend to many nations, and shall not borrow. One Skeptic says, "As a prophecy this has clearly failed. Today Israel borrows heavily from the United States and has sought billions of dollars in loan guarantees." If statements so diverse as this one and his statement on Deut. 28:33-4 were found in the Bible, they would no doubt claim it was a contradiction. But, I’ll harmonize anyway. In Deut. 28:33-4 he’s saying that the Jews have lent for most of their history, but in recent times they have had to borrow. This, like the one below, is a conditional prophecy detailing the other side of the coin. In vs. 4-5 states that this blessing is dependent on their obedience; it is not an "all the time" prophecy.
- Deuteronomy 16:3, 8
- 16: 3 says, "Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith..." 16:8 says, "Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly..." Which is correct? Read it carefully: The context of 16:8 is that of observances. The only observance on the six days is to eat unleavened bread; the seventh day observance is an assembly. It is a positive command; 16:3 is a negative one, "Do not eat leavened bread these seven days, eat it unleavened." This is in addition to any ritual eating during the six days.
- Deuteronomy 20:19
- In light of this admonition to spare the trees, what about 2 Kings 3:19? And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones. What about it, indeed? Deut. 20:19 refers to desroying trees for making siege engines which are fruit trees; as the next verse says, "Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued." This is not what is in mind in 2 Kings 3:19, which only orders the destruction of the "good" trees, the best ones -- which leaves behind other, smaller, younger trees.
- Deuteronomy 21:18
- "So does this mean we should stone little Johnny for not cleaning up his room?" See also here.
- Deuteronomy 22:8-9
- Is this law absurd? Why don't we follow it today?
- Deuteronomy 22:13-21
- What's going on here?
- Deuteronomy 22:28-9
- "What kind of God forces a woman to marry her rapist?!?" -- see also this item from the Christian ThinkTank
- Deuteronomy 23:2
- No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation. One Skeptic objects to this as a punishment for deeds done by parents. This is hardly a "punishment" of any sort, except by modern standards of political correctness. It carries no effect other than to keep the people noted from attending meetings in order to preserve the symbolic message of perfection (like the requirement for sacrifices without blemishes). Another issue: Was David in violation of this verse?
- Deuteronomy 23:3
- Isn't Ruth offering a violation of this verse? Also addresses the question of this verse being a "false prophecy".
- Deuteronomy 24:16
- Do children pay for the sins of their fathers, or not?
- Deuteronomy 27:22
- Is the Bible contradictory about lying with your sister?
- Deut. 28:43-44
- The stranger that is within thee (the Jews) shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him; he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. One Skeptic says, "According to this prophecy Jews would be borrowers and not lenders. If Jews had always been debtors instead of great creditors throughout history, Christians would hail this as a fantastic prophecy instead of the failure it is." In context, these verses constitute one of the curses that God pronounces on the Jews should they not follow his commandments (v. 15). In addition, it only applies to the covenant that was established in Old Testament, which terminated in 70 AD. It is not an "always all the time" prophecy.
- Deuteronomy 28:64-5
- Does this teach a flat earth?
- Deuteronomy 29:6
- Does Moses think he is God?
- Deuteronomy 32:11
- As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: It is asked, has anyone ever seen an eagle flying around with its young on its wings? But the context of the verse, and the Hebrew preposition involved, indicate that this is describing an eagle gathering its chicks UNDER itself WITH its wings after disturbing the nest. On the other hand, some commentators have indicated that eagles and other birds do catch their fledgling young on their wings when they tire of flying. [Tigay, Deuteronomy commentary, 463]
- Deuteronomy 33:17
- Does the Bible refer to unicorns? [Off Site]
- Deuteronomy 33:23
- And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor and full with the blessing of the Lord: possess thou the west and the south. One Skeptic says, "In truth Naphtali received a district in the north of Palestine but none in the south and the west." The phrase "the west and the south" may also be translated "southward to the lake" as it is in the NIV. In this case all that the text is saying is that Naphtali will dwell in the land to the north of the lake (Galilee), which it did occupy. The text literally read, "take possession of sea and south" -- their territory surrounded the Sea of Galilee and went south to the Dead Sea.
- Deuteronomy 34:9
- Would Joshua write this about himself?