Footnote

d Some have read into the text at Deuteronomy 17:8-11 an implication of an inspired oral tradition. However, as mentioned in the footnote to paragraph 14, the text deals solely with the procedure of judgment in judicial cases. Notice that the issue was not whether different customs or traditions were passed down through many centuries or not. There were no doubt some traditions passed down as to how to carry out specifically certain aspects of the Law. But the fact that a tradition is long-​standing does not prove inspiration. For example, note the tradition that developed regarding the bronze serpent.​—Numbers 21:8, 9; 2 Kings 18:4.