Deuteronomy 31:11

11 when all Isra'el have come to appear in the presence of ADONAI at the place he will choose, you are to read this Torah before all Isra'el, so that they can hear it.

Deuteronomy 31:11 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 31:11

When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God,
&c.] As all the males were obliged to do three times in the year, and one of those times was the feast of tabernacles, and so a proper season for the reading of the law; see ( Exodus 23:14-17 ) ;

in the place which the Lord shall choose;
the city of Jerusalem, and the temple there:

thou shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing;
the book of Deuteronomy, as Jarchi, or it may be the whole Pentateuch: who were to read it is not expressly said; the speech seems to be directed to the priests and elders, to whom the law written by Moses was delivered, ( Deuteronomy 31:9 ) ; and who were either to read it themselves, or take care that it should be read. Josephus ^F24 ascribes this service to the high priest; he says, standing in an high pulpit (or on an high bench),

``from whence he may be heard, he must read the laws to all;''

but the Jewish writers commonly allot this work to the king, or supreme governor, who at least was to read some parts of it; so Jarchi says, the king at first read Deuteronomy, as it is said in the Misnah ^F25;

``he read from the beginning of Deuteronomy to ( Deuteronomy 6:4 ) ; hear, O Israel and then added ( Deuteronomy 11:13 ) ; then ( Deuteronomy 14:22 ) ; after that ( Deuteronomy 26:12 ) ; then the section of the king, ( Deuteronomy 17:14 ) ; next the blessings and the curses, ( Deuteronomy 27:15-26 ) ( 28:16-68 ) , with which he finished the whole section;''

and so we find that Joshua, the governor of the people after Moses, read all his laws, ( Joshua 8:35 ) ; and so did King Josiah at the finding of the book of the law, ( 2 Kings 23:2 ) , and Ezra, ( Nehemiah 8:3 ) . The king received the book from the high priest standing, and read it sitting; but King Agrippa stood and read, for which he was praised.

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 Antiqu. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 12.
F25 Sotah, ut supra. (c. 7. sect. 8.)

Deuteronomy 31:11 In-Context

9 Then Moshe wrote down this Torah and gave it to the cohanim, the descendants of Levi who carried the ark with the covenant of ADONAI, and to all the leaders of Isra'el.

10 Moshe gave them these orders: "At the end of every seven years, during the festival of Sukkot in the year of sh'mittah,

11 when all Isra'el have come to appear in the presence of ADONAI at the place he will choose, you are to read this Torah before all Isra'el, so that they can hear it.

12 Assemble the people-the men, the women, the little ones and the foreigners you have in your towns -so that they can hear, learn, fear ADONAI your God and take care to obey all the words of this Torah;

13 and so that their children, who have not known, can hear and learn to fear ADONAI your God, for as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Yarden to possess."