It is often argued that monotheistic religions have an inherent tendency towards intolerance and violence. The first four chapters of Deuteronomy are paradigmatic for this issue, as they were composed around the same time as the development of monotheism and seem to justify violence in its worst forms. JHWH, Israel, and the nations are caught in a power struggle of war, murder, threat, and failure. This is neither pure poetry nor a historical treatise; rather, older traditional elements and situational experiences, particularly with the great powers, were interpreted and generalized in writing. The study explores the question of this imagery of violence in the first speech of Moses.