The suffering Moses in the Pentateuch and Psalms

Abstract

The article shows the prophetic profile of Moses from the perspective of the “final text” of Deuteronomy especially in Deut 4 and Deut 29– 30. In Deut 30:1–10, Moses announces the circumcision of hearts. Moses’ song in Deut 32 confirms his message of doom and final salvation for the people of Israel. It solves the question of collective salvation of the people by a kind of canonical theology, quoting as a subtext Prophets, Psalms and Wisdom Literature. However, Deuteronomy has no answer to Moses’ fate of suffering death. He has to die, so that instead of him the written Torah can accompany the people on their way into the Promised Land. Moses’ fate of suffering death is not at all over because Pss 90–92 function also as a subtext for Moses’ individual fate, developing a perspective of salvation for him as a kind of subtext for the Moses narrative in Deuteronomy.