Texts in Conversation
Paul’s citation of Deuteronomy 32:43 in Romans 15:10 adapts the ancient song that called nations to join Israel in celebrating divine justice. In Deuteronomy, this verse concludes a vision of vengeance and restoration after Israel’s suffering, and in Romans it is interpreted as a call for harmony between Jews and Gentiles.
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Deuteronomy 32:43
Hebrew Bible
41 I will sharpen my lightning-like sword, and my hand will grasp hold of the weapon of judgment; I will execute vengeance on my foes, and repay those who hate me! 42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword will devour flesh—the blood of the slaughtered and captured, the chief of the enemy’s leaders.’” 43 Cry out, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge his servants’ blood; he will take vengeance against his enemies, and make atonement for his land and people. 44 Then Moses went with Joshua son of Nun and recited all the words of this song to the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Romans 15:10
New Testament
8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 9 and thus the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Because of this I will confess you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to your name.” 10 And again it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.”
Date: 55-58 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The importance of the book of Deuteronomy for the study of Israel’s scriptures in the New Testament can hardly be exaggerated. As is recognized, the fifth book of the Pentateuch, along with the Psalms and the prophecy of Isaiah, is the most quoted of Old Testament books in the New Testament. Paul, for instance, cites Deuteronomy as one of several possible proof-texts (Deuteronomy 32:43 in Romans 15:10; Deuteronomy 17:7 in 1 Corinthians 5:13); he erects a central, theological pillar of how the blessing of Abraham was extended to gentiles by a paradoxical interpretation of ‘the curse of theone who hangs on a tree’ (Deuteronomy 27:26 in Galatians 3:13); and he instructs his congregation on the contrast between living righteously, founded on faith, against life based on the law by a ‘midrashic’ reading of Deuteronomy 30 in Romans 10. The study of quotations is a useful and illuminating exercise, but it hardly exhausts the influence of Deuteronomy on the New Testament and other Jewish writers of the Second Temple Period ..."
Lim, Timothy H.
"Deuteronomy in the Judaism of the Second Temple Period" in Maarten J. J. Menken and Steve Moyise (eds.), Deuteronomy in the New Testament
(pp. 6-26) T&T Clark International, 2007
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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