Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun — the completion of the Song of Moses is presented as a joint act of Moses and Joshua, the outgoing and incoming leaders of the covenant community standing together to deliver the song that will serve as witness against Israel in future generations. The pairing of Moses and Joshua in this moment communicates the continuity of leadership despite the generational transition — the song belongs not only to Moses' generation but to every generation that Joshua will lead into the land and beyond. The phrase all the words of this song (kol-divrei hashira hazot) emphasizes the completeness of the transmission: nothing is abbreviated or summarized, the whole song is recited in full so that the people have no excuse for not knowing its warnings. The public nature of the recitation — in the hearing of the people — fulfills the command of 31:19 and 31:22 to teach the song to the Israelites so that it may be a witness for the LORD against them.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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