What did Moses mean when he said that he was Yahweh (LORD) at Deuteronomy 29:6

Question

What did Moses mean when he said that he was Yahweh (LORD) at Deuteronomy 29:6.

Deuteronomy 29:6 Holman Christian Standard Bible you did not eat bread or drink wine or beer—so that you might know that I am Yahweh your God.

REASERCH:

The only comment that I could find was on Copilot.

You: What did Moses mean at Duet. 29:6 when he said he was Jehovah?

Copilot: Using the web In Deuteronomy 29:6, Moses speaks to the Israelites, emphasizing their unique covenant with God. Let’s explore the context and meaning of this verse: The verse reads: “You have not eaten bread, neither have you drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am Yahweh your God” (Deuteronomy 29:6, WEB).

1. Context: o Moses is addressing the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. o He recounts their journey, God’s guidance, and the covenant they are about to renew. o The context includes warnings against idolatry and disobedience.
2. Meaning: o The Israelites had experienced God’s miraculous provision during their wilderness wanderings. o By abstaining from bread, wine, and strong drink, they were reminded of their complete dependence on God. o Moses declares, “I am Yahweh your God,” emphasizing God’s unique relationship with Israel. o The covenant was not just a legal agreement; it was a personal bond between God and His chosen people.
3. Significance: o Moses, as God’s mediator, spoke on behalf of Yahweh. o His words carried divine authority, reinforcing the covenant’s seriousness. o The Israelites were to recognize God’s sovereignty and their role as His chosen nation. In summary, Moses, in his role as God’s representative, emphasizes the covenant’s significance and God’s identity as Yahweh—their faithful and covenant-keeping God

Answer 1

This is extremely simple - the answer is actually given in Deut 29:1 -

These are the words of the covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab ...

Beginning with V2, Moses simply repeats the words of the LORD verbatim. Thus, Moses is NOT saying, "I am the LORD your God. Far from it!! Moses is simply conveying the words of the LORD to the Israelites.

Recall that later, we have others quoting the same speech Moses delivered to the Israelites as quoted by the OP and recorded in Deut 29:5, 6:

and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. With an uplifted hand I said to them, ‘I am the LORD your God.’

Indeed, the same idea is recorded many years earlier in Gen 28:13 when Jacob had the vision of the ladder extending to heaven -

And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.

Early on at the start of the Exodus, before they had even left Egypt, Moses had repeated the same message from Jehovah -

Ex 6:6 - Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

Later, Moses had to relay the same message from God -

Ex 12:12 - On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.

Ezekiel had to convey the same message and repeat it verbatim to the Israelites in many places such as Eze 7:17, 12:25, 17:24, 20:5, 38, 42, 25:7, 28:22, 29:46, 30:25, 36:23, 39:7, etc.

Other prophets had to deliver a similar message:

1 Kings 20:28 - And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The LORD is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’”

Further, Isaiah tells us, that the LORD Jehovah is unique -

• Isa 45:18 - For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Thus, there is nothing odd or strange or blasphemous about Moses repeating a verbatim message from God as in Deut 29:6.