*Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Moses dies at the age of 120 on Mount Nebo after seeing the Promised Land he cannot enter.
- Moses’ Final Journey:
- Moses ascends Mount Nebo, overlooking the land of Canaan, as instructed by the Lord.
- From this vantage point, the Lord shows Moses the entire land, from the northern region of Dan to the southernmost area of Naphtali, as well as the land of Ephraim and Manasseh.
- Promise to Moses:
- The Lord reassures Moses that He has given the land to the Israelites, as He promised to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
- However, the Lord informs Moses that he will not enter the land himself due to his disobedience at the waters of Meribah.
- Moses’ Death:
- Moses dies on Mount Nebo, as the Lord had foretold, at the age of 120 years.
- The text notes that Moses’s eyes were undimmed, and his vigor had not diminished before his death.
- Mourning for Moses:
- The Israelites mourn for Moses for thirty days in the plains of Moab, demonstrating the depth of their respect and affection for their leader.
- Joshua, son of Nun, who had been appointed by Moses as his successor, is filled with the spirit of wisdom, as Moses had laid his hands on him.
- Legacy of Moses:
- The passage acknowledges that there has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, with whom the Lord spoke face to face, performing signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
- It highlights Moses’s unique relationship with God and his role as the deliverer of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
- Conclusion of the Book of Deuteronomy:
- The passage concludes the book of Deuteronomy, which recounts Moses’s farewell speeches and the covenant renewal with the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land.
- It marks the end of Moses’s leadership and the beginning of Joshua’s leadership as they prepare to cross the Jordan River and possess the land God had promised to them.
34:1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, 34:2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, 34:3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.
34:4 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
34:5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
34:6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.
34:7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
34:8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
34:9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.
34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 34:11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, 34:12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.