Chapter Thirty-Four
The Death of Moses
34:1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.
Moses left the plains where the people of Israel were located opposite Jericho on the east side of the Jordan River to climb Mount Nebo (also known as Jabal Nībū). The exact location of Pisgah is unknown, it is referenced as a high spot ideal for viewing long distances (see Numbers 21:20; 23:14; Deuteronomy 3:27; 4:49). It is often considered to be the same as Mount Nebo or the highest peak of Mount Nebo. There is a ridge of the Abrarim mountain range in the country of Jordan that is named Mount Nebo. It is the highest peak in the range being 2,330 feet in elevation.
From the top Moses was able to see Gilead (see Genesis 37:25, region of land or related cities, all being to the north-east), and as far as Dan (could be a reference to the future city of Dan in the north end of Naphtali as the region allocated to the tribe of Dan would be more towards the west, in the opposite direction from Gilead). Moses was able to view Naphtali to the north-west and Ephraim to the north-west with some portions being close to due west. Both of Manasseh’s regions (east and west of the Jordan River) would have been visible from the north-west to the north-east. He also viewed Judah in the south-west and was able to see the Mediterranean Sea in the west. Then he looked further south towards the Negeb and then due south to see the wilderness and the plains from Jericho to Zoar believed to be located at the southern end of the Dead Sea.
Since many of these locations would not be visible from present-day Mount Nebo, some believe it was a different location. However, there are very few other locations, if any, that can offer such a view. The text does note that YHWH showed him all the land, perhaps this was accomplished in some supernatural way.
34:4 And the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” 5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, 6 and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. 8 And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
YHWH explained to Moses that what he saw was the land that He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for their offspring. He also promised to show Moses the land before his death (see Numbers 27:12; Deuteronomy 3:27; 32:49), with that promise now fulfilled, Moses died there on top of the mountain.
God buried him in the valley in Moab opposite Beth-peor.[1] God never disclosed the location of Moses’ burial site other than it was not on the mountain. He was 120 years old and was in excellent health, he still had good eyesight and he was still strong and able to climb mountains.
The people of Israel then mourned for Moses for thirty days.[2]
34:9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Joshua was now the leader of the people of Israel. Moses had laid his hands on him (see Numbers 27:12-23, see also commentary under Leviticus 1:3-9 regarding the importance of the laying on of hands) and Joshua now had the Spirit of Wisdom to guide him. This gift of the Spirit of Wisdom (Hebrew ‘ḥǒk·mā(h)’,[3] wisdom, skill, experience) was first given to those that built the Tabernacle and all of its accoutrements (see Exodus 28:3; 31:3, 6; 35:26, 31, 35; 36:1-2), it was also given later to King Solomon (see 1 Kings 4:29) and listed as one of many attributes of the Messiah (see Isaiah 11:1-5). The people obeyed Joshua in the same manner they had listened to Moses.
34:10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12 and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
In the final three verses of the book of Deuteronomy Moses’ life is summarized with a short eulogy. He was a prophet like no other (see commentary under Deuteronomy 18:15-22), who met with God face to face (see Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 5:4), and there was none like him that was used by God to demonstrate the ten plagues in Egypt and the many incredible miracles on the way to the Promised Land.
Considerations
Why was Moses buried by God and why was the location kept secret? Most agree that those things were undoubtedly done to prevent people from digging him up to venerate or worship his bones like some people will do years later with the bronze serpent that Moses held up for the Israelites to look at to prevent them from dying from serpent bites (see Numbers 21:8-9). That bronze serpent survived up to King Hezekiah’s time when he finally had the ‘Nehushtan’ destroyed (see 2 Kings 18:1-4).[4] One can only imagine what someone might do with Moses’ body, especially since he was so highly regarded by both man and God.[5]
That explanation might be satisfactory until we come to an odd verse in the second-to-the last book of the Bible, “But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” Now what would Satan want with Moses’ body? There may be a number of potential explanations, but they would all be speculation since this is never explained and no one knows for certain. So why is it mentioned in the book of Jude? Jude is using this story as an example of respect as he describes how the Archangel Michael would not accuse or pronounce judgment on Satan directly for his actions, but simply stated, “the Lord rebuke you.” Some point out that the phrase is similar to one found in Zechariah 3:2, but that is only a similarity, nothing else in that verse aids in understanding this dispute. Jude clearly illustrates that the archangel was not willing to push his weight around, but to simply state that God would rebuke Satan for his action.
It is interesting to note that many consider the source of Jude’s reporting of a dispute between the angel and Satan is a pseudepigraphal document titled “The Assumption of Moses” (also known as the “Testament of Moses”).[6] The document is considered to be written as late as the fifth or sixth century A.D. (making it too late to be Jude’s source) with very little of the document still intact today. While clearly not considered acceptable as part of the Biblical canon, the document appears to have some Biblical truth in its text. The use of non-canonical books is not without precedence, as the apostle Paul quoted a poet in Acts 17:28 and referred to extra-Biblical sources in 2 Timothy 3:8; 1 Corinthians 15:33; and Titus 1:12; plus, Jude also quoted “The Book of Enoch” (see Jude 14-15). Does that mean that those sources should be accepted as being completely true? No. However, some of these books do contain accurate historic depictions and, as a result, contain some truth, but remember they have all been deemed as not being inspired by God and should not be given the same weight or attention as Scripture.[7]
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[1] See commentary under Deuteronomy 3:23-29 regarding the location of Beth-peor.
[2] See commentary under Genesis 50:1-3 regarding mourning periods.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 2451.
[4] See also Considerations under Numbers 21:7-9.
[5] See Considerations under Exodus 25:38-40 and commentary under Exodus 40:33.
[6] See Considerations under Genesis 5:28-32 regarding Enoch the Prophet and pseudepigraphal writings.
[7] See Considerations under Genesis 5:28-32.