“This is the Torah which Moshe placed before the people of Isra’el —these are the instructions, laws and rulings which Moshe presented to the people of Isra’el after they had come out of Egypt — beyond the Yarden River, in the valley across from Beit-P‘or, in the land of Sichon king of the Emori, who lived at Heshbon, whom Moshe and the people of Isra’el defeated when they came out of Egypt; and they took possession of his land and the land of ‘Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Emori, who were beyond the Yarden toward the sunrise; from ‘Aro‘er on the edge of the Arnon Valley to Mount Si’on,” that is, Mount Hermon, “with all the ‘Aravah beyond the Yarden eastward, all the way to the Dead Sea at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah.”-Deuteronomy 4:44-49
Today I want to shed some light on a controversy surrounding the closing verses of Deuteronomy Chapter 4.
The controversy centers around the following question:
Should these verses really have been included at the end of Deuteronomy Chapter 4 or would it have been more appropriate to place them at the beginning of Chapter 5?
Since Moses says the same thing at the beginning of Chapter 4, having these verses at the end of the same chapter seems a bit redundant…or so the argument goes.
Well, there’s another possibility that I believe is just as valid.
Why not consider verses 1-43 to be a warm-up or a forward to everything Moses is going to say starting from Deuteronomy 4:44 and the next several chapters afterwards?
I think that makes perfect sense.
In other words, Moses is saying something like this…
“Okay, folks, now that I’ve just given you the introduction or background, let’s finally deep-dive into the core teachings I’ve been wanting to share with you.”
Don’t get me wrong.
I’m not saying current Bible translations as they are are wrong.
Nor would I argue with those who are adamant that verses 44-49 should have really been placed at the beginning of Deuteronomy Chapter 5.
Actually, I could care less.
Why?
Because the original Scriptures NEVER HAD ANY CHAPTER DIVISIONS.
This was something that scholars added many centuries later to help make the Bible easier to understand.
The same thing goes with the numbering of the verses as well.
It’s a totally arbitrary system that was just devised to make the Bible easier to digest.
And to be quite honest with you, as a reliable reference system, these chapter divisions and numbering of verses are actually quite helpful when it comes to studying and communicating various Bible chapters and verses between each other.
However, now that I brought this up, I also feel compelled to point out that these same chapter divisions and verse numberings have also been responsible for the BIGGEST MISTAKE Bible Teachers and College Professors make when reading and studying Scripture.
See, here’s the thing.
In pretty much all of the modern written material we are exposed to in our world, paragraph and chapter breaks do carry significant meaning.
They indicate when one scene begins and another ends…and the way they are broken up adds emotional nuance to what is being communicated.
I work as a direct response copywriter and I can tell you that as part of our craft, there is an underlying strategy behind EVERY sentence and word we write including paragraph breaks.
We also strategically use capitalization, italics, bolded words, colors, and whether we should underline certain phrases or not.
So because of this huge difference between modern written material and the Scriptures, without a doubt, the BIGGEST ERROR Bible students, teachers, and Bible college professors make when reading and studying the Bible is…
…reading it as if it is a modern book and thinking there is special meaning to the chapter and verse divisions WHEN THERE IS NO SPECIAL MEANING THERE WHATSOEVER.
That’s right man.
What I’m saying is it’s important to make an effort to NOT read Scripture according to the paragraph and chapter breaks.
I know its tough because that’s pretty much how we read any other written material in our modern world.
Nevertheless, just keep in mind that usually one train of thought simply continues on from the last verse of a given chapter to the next when reading the Bible.
The divisions are COMPLETELY ARBITRARY.
It’s not like a whole brand new context is starting from scratch just because you’re starting a new chapter.
I’m done.
Good Afternoon Rich: I agree with you & I disagree with you. Let me explain:
Yes, originally the text was without Chapter & Verse as such. But do you believe that the L-RD did not know from the beginning of time what verse & chapter the various religions (Jewish & Christian) are going to give a particular commandment in the Hebrew Scripture & the Christian Scripture?
Case in point – just listing a couple of the most obvious ones :
How many Mitzvot / laws of Moses – in Judaism ? 613
Judaism reads from Right to Left = therefore in reverse it is 316
What is the most important verse in NEW TESTAMENT? JOHN 3:16
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN
SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH
BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. (+v. 17)
Followed up with this verse in the NEW TESTAMENT; 1JOHN 3:16
HEREBY PERCEIVE WE THE LOVE OF GOD, BECAUSE HE LAID DOWN
HIS LIFE FOR US; AND WE OUGHT TO LAY DOWN OUR LIVES FOR OUR
BRETHREN (+v. 17)
This particular verse in the New Testament Book is clear, again same #’s 2 TIMOTHY 3:16
ALL SCRIPTURE IS THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD, AND IS PROFITABLE
FOR DOCTRINE, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, FOR
INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS… (+v 17)
Back to the Begining in GENESIS we read GENESIS 6:13
AND GOD SAID UNTO NOAH, THE END OF ALL FLESH IS COME
BEFORE ME; FOR THE EARTH IS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE
THROUGH THEM; AND BEHOLD, I WILL DESTROY THEM WITH
THE EARTH (followed by the instruction how to build the ARK)
Another example –
How many letters in the Hebrew Alphabet? 22
How many fasts, fest, festivals on the Jewish Calendar ? 22
What is the last book of the OT & NT? REVELATION 22
Last verse: THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOU ALL 22:21
This is just a teaser – I could go on and on and on how everything is overlapping in order to give us humankind a WAKE-UP-CALL… THE 1st Poem the L-RD inspired me to write on 9.21.96:
GOD IS L O V E:
GOD IS SITTING ON HIS THRONE, TEARS ARE STREAMING DOWN HIS FACE, FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE MY PEOPLE SHALL DIE, HOW COME YOU BELIEVERS ARE SO SHY? I GAVE MY BELOVED SON THAT YOU MAY LIVE, LIVE A LIFE OF PEACE & HAPPINESS ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN. SHOUT IT TO THE WORLD, LET THEM SEE, LET THEM HEAR, I AM A GOD OF LOVE,
I CARE, YOUR PRAYERS I HEAR. MAKE YESHUA / JESUS YOUR WAY OF LIFE, HE LONGS TO HOLD YOU, LOVE YOU, HEAL YOU. HE IS THE ONE WHO CAME BACK AND IS NOW ALIVE.
WHEN I’M YOUR GOD YOUR FIRST LOVE, THEN YOU’LL DO MY WILL, THEN YOU’LL KNOW TRUE LOVE, HAVE PEACE & HAPPINESS ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE AS I LOVE YOU ALWAYS
EVEN TO THE END OF TIMES. Written by Monique on 9.21.1996 – my very first G-D inspired Poem
2 months before the L-RD inspired that poem, on 7/22/1996, I asked the L-RD a very specific question: Where does it say “WHITE AS SNOW” in YOUR WORD – That night HE showed me verse PSALM 51:7 -PURGE ME WITH HYSSOP, AND I SHALL BE CLEAN; WASH ME, AND I SHALL BE WHITER THAN SNOW. In the Tanakh this verse is in PSALM 51:9 ; G-D has a Plan and the Plan is G-D. Therefore, I ask and HE shows me what HE wants me to see. After 22 years of walking daily with HIM in this most intimate way, I can say with total confidence that HE knows all things from the beginning of time to the end of time. Therefore, HE knows what Chapters & Numbers divide HIS WORD. IS HE THEN WORRIED? NO, HE knew ALL ahead of time, just like HE says :
Every hair on your head is numbered…Or : Not a sparrow falls to the ground without GOD’s knowledge.
Let us give HIM credit where credit is due. HE knows EVERYTHING and therefore HE wants to be our EVERYTHING. One day HE said to me :
WRITE THIS: GOD ALWAYS WINS, WHY DON”T YOU GIVE IN! Directed at every soul that is HIS!
I am on the winning team ! Never bored, never without hope, never giving up, always looking up! Amen.
PS: Deuteronomy 4 is read in every Catholic Church this weekend – being in tune with HIS SPIRIT – HE GUIDES US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.. Shalom to all who walk with HIM every Second of the Day.
Amen.
Thank you for sharing Monique.
Appreciably correct.
Many thanks
Shalom