---
title: "Who Wrote the Book of Deuteronomy?"
canonical: "https://www.bibletolife.com/resources/questions/who-wrote-the-book-of-deuteronomy"
markdown: "https://www.bibletolife.com/resources/questions/who-wrote-the-book-of-deuteronomy.md"
type: "questions"
typeTitle: "Questions"
authors:
  - "James Coakley"
date: "2024-05-29"
updated: "2026-09-15"
topics:
  - "Biblical Figures"
perspective: "Learn"
relatedBook: "The Moody Bible Commentary"
relatedBookUrl: "https://www.bibletolife.com/resources/books/the-moody-bible-commentary"
---

# Who Wrote the Book of Deuteronomy?

> Moses is credited as Deuteronomy's author through internal evidence, editorial tradition, and affirmations from Joshua, Ezra, and Jesus Himself.

**Type:** Questions  
**Published:** May 29, 2024  
**Authors:** [James Coakley](https://www.bibletolife.com/resources/authors/james-coakley)  
**Topics:** [Biblical Figures](https://www.bibletolife.com/resources/topics/biblical-figures)  
**Perspective:** Learn

Internally the book is clearly attributed to the hand of Moses (31:9, 24), and there are several references to Moses “speaking” the content of this book (1:9; 5:1; 29:2; 31:30). No other OT book is as clearly attributed to a human author as this one, so to suggest otherwise means that the burden of proof clearly lies with those do not hold to a Mosaic authorship of the book. Some editorial additions have been inserted (e.g., 34:5-12), but the core of this book is attributed to Mosaic composition as Joshua (Jos 1:7-8), Ezra (Ezr 3:2), and Jesus Himself attest (Jn 5:45-47). For most critics of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy is the “D” portion of the JEDP documentary hypothesis identified with the “book of the law” found in the temple in 2Kg 22:8-11 and is a unified whole edited by a single writer who lived in the seventh century BC. For a critique of the documentary hypothesis see the Introduction to the book of Genesis.

## For Further Reading

[The Moody Bible Commentary](https://www.bibletolife.com/resources/books/the-moody-bible-commentary)

by Michael A. Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham