Repeatedly in Scripture, the Holy Spirit indicated that Genesis through Deuteronomy was penned by the
inspired writer Moses. Exodus 24:4 indicates that “Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah.”
Deuteronomy 31:9 reveals that “Moses wrote this law and delivered it unto the priests.”
Furthermore, Bible writers throughout the Old Testament credited Moses with writing Genesis
through Deuteronomy, which in the Hebrew Bible, was considered one unit, and thus
frequently was called “the Law” or “the Book.” A plain statement of this commonly held conviction
is expressed in Joshua 8:32: “And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, he [Joshua]
wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he [Moses] had written.” Notice also that 2
Chronicles 34:14 states: “Hilkiah the priest found THE BOOK of the law of Jehovah GIVEN BY MOSES.”
The New Testament also shows no hesitation in affirming that Moses wrote the Pentateuch.
John wrote: “The law was given through Moses.” John 1:17 Jesus Himself claimed the Law came
from Moses. Perhaps the most convincing passage of all is found in John 5:46-47 where Jesus said:
“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me;
for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
Even for those who are completely convinced by the evidence that Moses was the inspired
writer of “the Law,” some respectfully question whether he actually penned the end of Deuteronomy,
which records the death and burial of Moses, as well as “the changing of the guard,” from Moses
to Joshua. How could Moses have recorded these things if he had already died?
First of all, is it possible that the same God Who gave Moses supernatural revelation about
what happened at the beginning of the Creation of the Universe (which no human being witnessed) also
supernaturally revealed to Moses what would happen at (and after) his death? To ask is to answer.
Furthermore, God revealed a number of things to Moses about the future that he
penned in the Genesis through Deuteronomy—from Israel’s future earthly kings (prophesied in
Deuteronomy 17) to the coming of the Messiah, the King of kings (referred to several times in
the Law of Moses). If Moses could write accurately through inspiration about events that would happen
hundreds of years after his death, could he not also write about his death? Certainly he could.
Second, a Bible believer could also reasonably and respectfully make the case that, though Moses
wrote the Pentateuch, the last few sentences in Deuteronomy could have been written by another
inspired writer (possibly Joshua). Consider a modern-day parallel:
What if a mother wrote a 200-page book titled “10 Things to Remember when Educating Kids at Home,”
but as she was finishing the final few sentences (after having already concluded her 10 main points
in 10 chapters) she suffered a stroke and passed away? Could her husband and children publish
the book and call her the author even though they actually completed the final few sentences of the
book? Surely few, if any, would think that such actions on the part of the family would be unfair
or dishonest. However, if the mother was called the author but had not written any of the book,
such attribution could legitimately be considered deceitful. Or, if she was called the author,
but most of the material was written hundreds of years later, that, too, would be a false claim.
In short, the account of Moses’ death serves as no stumbling block to the Christian.
Perhaps Moses recorded it by divine revelation prior to his death.
Or, perhaps God used Joshua or someone else of his choosing to pen it by inspiration.
Either way, one can still be confident that “the Book of the law of the Lord” (that is,
Genesis through Deuteronomy) was “given by Moses.” 2 Chronicles 34:14