The
Book of the Law of the Lord (2 Chronicles 17:9) may be the same book called the
Book of the Law (Joshua 1:8; 8:34) or the Book o the Law of Moses (Joshua 8:31;
23:6). Some have suggested that it is the book known to us as Deuteronomy, in
which we sometimes read of “this Book of the Law” (Deuteronomy 28:61; 29:21;
30:10). Indeed, Deuteronomy appears to be the Book of the Law Moses found in the
temple in the days of Josiah (2 Kings 22:8-23; 2 Chronicles 34:14-31), for
whenever reference is made to its contents, the topics discussed are found in
Deuteronomy (Cf. 2 Kings 23:21 with Deuteronomy 16:2; 2 Kings 23:24 with Deuteronomy
18:9-14; 2 Chronicles 29:34 with Deuteronomy 27-28; 29:20-21, 27; 30:7. In 2
Kings 14:6//2 Chronicles 25:4, where the Book of the Law of Moses is cited, it
is a quote from Deuteronomy 24:15.)
The
difficulty with this identification is that Deuteronomy 31:24-26 speaks of the completion
of the Book of the Law some two chapters before Deuteronomy ends, while Joshua
24:26 indicates that Joshu wrote in the Book of the Law of God. The book of
Deuteronomy may, in fact, be a later compilation or revision of the law of Moses.
Note
also that in Nehemiah we have references to the Book of the Law (8:3, 8), the
Book of the Law of Moses (8:1), the Book of the Law of God (8:18) and the Book
of the Law of the Lord their God (9:3, while Galatians 3:10 mentions the Book
of the Law, which may have been the Torah which is discussed in Chapter 3. (John
A. Tvedtnes, As Far as it is Translated Correct, 18 n. 18; draft copy in
my possession)
