Moses fell short of entry into the land of promise (see study note on 32:51), but God did permit him to share a moment of glory in the land at Jesus’ transfiguration (Luke 9:28–36).
1Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan, 2all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraimand Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,†3the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the Cityof Palms) all the way to Zoar.
4And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to giveAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”
5So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said. 6And He buried him†in a valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows the location of his grave.
7Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not diminished. 8The Israelites grieved for Mosesin the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning for Mosescame to an end.
9Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. 10Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israellike Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face— 11no prophet who did all the signsand wonders that the LORD sent Moses to do in the land of Egyptto Pharaoh and to all his officials and all his land, 12and no prophet who performed all the mighty acts of power and awesome deeds†that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
Commentary
Deuteronomy 34:1
Mount Nebo is a high elevation in the Abarim hills east of the Jordan River. Virtually the whole land west of the Jordan can be seen from this vantage point (32:49).
Gilead as far as Dan was the northernmost part of the land. The Sea of Galilee and Mount Hermon lie straight north from Nebo. Gilead is just east of the sea, and Dan (Laish; Judg 18:29) was south and west of Hermon.
Commentary
Deuteronomy 34:2
The land of Naphtali was northwest of Nebo and west of the Sea of Galilee.
The land of Ephraim and Manasseh was a large area to the west-northwest of Nebo, the present West Bank area of Palestine.
The land of Judah lay to the immediate west-southwest of Nebo, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
Commentary
Deuteronomy 34:3
The desert region of the Negev (meaning “desert” or “south”) extends south from Judah to the Gulf of Eilat (or Aqaba) and thus to the far southwest of Mount Nebo.
Jericho . . . as far as Zoar: These two sites marked the northern and southern ends of the Jordan Valley from the viewpoint of Mount Nebo. Zoar was a city of the plain that was not destroyed in the days of Abraham and Lot (see Gen 19:21–22, 30).
Commentary
Deuteronomy 34:6
Beth-peor was where Israel engaged in pagan ritual (see 3:29; 4:3; Num 25) and where Moses presented his farewell address (see Deut 4:44–46).
The phrase to this day refers to the time of Deuteronomy’s final composition (see Genesis Book Introduction, “Authorship”).
At age 120, Moses was as strong as ever and in full possession of his faculties. He did not fail to enter Canaan because he died; he died because he failed to enter Canaan.
Commentary
Deuteronomy 34:9
full of the spirit of wisdom: When Joshua was selected as Moses’ successor, he had to be invested with the Spirit of God to fill the office (Num 27:15–23; cp. Num 11:16–30). Now that Moses had died, God showed that Joshua was Moses’ divinely appointed successor by giving continuing evidence of the Spirit’s power and blessing.
face to face: Moses and the Lord had an intimate relationship, and there was no need for an intercessor between them. Aaron and Miriam once challenged Moses’ leadership and were severely rebuked by the Lord (Num 12:8), who reminded them that they were ordinary prophets that received revelation by dreams and visions. Moses was not such a prophet. God said, “I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles” (Num 12:8). No other prophet in Old Testament times could rival Moses in his relationship with God (see study note on Deut 18:15).
terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel: The people of Israel as well as the Egyptians were impressed by the power of God. They needed a constant reminder to submit to him in reverential fear (see 4:10; 5:29; 6:2; Prov 1:7).