This commentary uniquely combines diachronic and synchronic interpretation for the first time in the history of the exegesis of the Book of Deuteronomy. Diachronically, it demonstrates that the book stands at the beginning of the literary history of the Torah of the Books of Moses in the 7th century BCE, and synchronically, that it is the keystone of the Torah of the Books of Moses. The focus of the commentary on chapters 12-26 is the classification of the commandments of Deuteronomy within the context of biblical and ancient Near Eastern legal and religious history. The commentary on the post-exilic framework in Deuteronomy 27-34 presents Moses as the archetypal prophet who announces the completion of history after the catastrophe of the exile period.