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Testament of Moses

Assumption of Moses

About this book
Chapter 12

And when Joshua had finished (these) words, he cast himself again at the feet of Moses. And Moses took his hand and raised him into the seat before him, and answered and said to him: Joshua, do not belittle yourself; but set your mind at ease, and hear my words. All the nations which are in the earth God has created and us, He has foreseen them and us from the beginning of the creation of the earth to the end of the age, and nothing has been neglected by Him even to the least thing, but all things He has foreseen and caused all to come forth. (Yes) all things which are to be in this earth the Lord has foreseen and, look, they are brought forward (into the light. . . .) (The Lord) has on their behalf appointed me to (pray) for their sins and (make intercession) for them. For not for any virtue or strength of mine, but of His good pleasure have His compassion and longsuffering fallen to my lot. For I say to you, Joshua: it is not on account of the godliness of this people that you shall root out the nations.⁠ The lights of the heaven, the foundations of the earth have been made and approved by God and are under the signet ring of His right hand. Those, therefore, who do and fulfill the commandments of God shall increase and be prospered: but those who sin and disregard the commandments shall be without the blessings mentioned before, and they shall be punished with many torments by the nations. But wholly to root out and destroy them is not permitted. For God will go forth who has foreseen all things for ever, and His covenant has been established and by the oath which...

Texts in conversation

Compare Deuteronomy 9:5 and Testament of Moses 12:8

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Testaments

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Summary

In Deuteronomy 9, Moses warns Israel that God gives them the land because of the nations' wickedness, not their own righteousness. In the Testament of Moses, Moses tells Joshua this as comfort, promising the nations will fall even though Israel sins.

Passages

Deuteronomy 9:5

Hebrew Bible
4 Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness, that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he made on oath to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn people!
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Deuteronomy

Testament of Moses 12:8

Pseudepigrapha, Testaments · Assumption of Moses
For not for any virtue or strength of mine, but of His good pleasure have His compassion and longsuffering fallen to my lot. For I say to you, Joshua: it is not on account of the godliness of this people that you shall root out the nations. The lights of the heaven, the foundations of the earth have been made and approved by God and are under the signet ring of His right hand. Those, therefore, who do and fulfill the commandments of God shall increase and be prospered: but those who sin and disregard the commandments shall be without the blessings mentioned before, and they shall be punished with many torments by the nations.
20–50 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Testament of Moses

References

“... In order to comfort and encourage Joshua, Moses in 12:6-7 reappraises his own merits, which Joshua had so highly praised in chapter 11. The Lord heeded Moses' prayers, not because Moses was virtuous or strong, but because the Lord is merciful and patient. Answering Joshua's concern, expressed in 11:16-18, Moses assures Joshua that the Amorites (and the other hostile nations) will be defeated under his leadership, notwithstanding the people's sins. To this, one may compare Deut. 9:5-6 (cf. CD VIII 14-15): Not because of your (sc. the people's) righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess the land; but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Know therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because of your righteousness; for you are a stubborn people (trans. RSV). [...] In 12:8, the view that the people would themselves be able to defeat their adversaries, is rejected. If the victory were to depend on the people's piety, the conquest of the land would certainly fail. ...”
Johannes Tromp, The Assumption of Moses: A Critical Edition with Commentary (Leiden: Brill, 1993), 266–267.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Deuteronomy 9:5 and Testament of Moses 12:8

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