Deuteronomy 34 - Introduction

The Death of Moses.

The book closes with a record of the death of its main source. As has been mentioned previously Moses is unlikely to have recorded it himself. That would have been put into the hand of an experienced scribe. In so far as it is there the impression gathered throughout the Pentateuch is that that was probably Joshua. But what we do have are the words of Moses, with occasional background material put in by the scribe. Here in this final chapter the scribe completes his work.

Analysis using the words of the scribe:

a And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to mount Nebo, to the top of the Pisgah, that is over against Jericho, and Yahweh showed him all the land of Gilead, to Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, to the hinder sea, and the South, and the Plain of the valley of Jericho the city of palm-trees, to Zoar (Deuteronomy 34:1).

b And Yahweh said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your seed.' I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there” (Deuteronomy 34:4).

c So Moses the servant of Yahweh died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of Yahweh, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor (Deuteronomy 34:5 a).

c But no man knows of his sepulchre to this day (Deuteronomy 34:6 b).

b And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated (Deuteronomy 34:7).

a And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days. So the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended (Deuteronomy 34:8).

Note that in ‘a' that Moses goes up and sees the whole land. How his faithful heart must have exalted. He had brought his people to the very verge of this glorious land which he now saw before him. And in the parallel Israel mourn for his loss, as well they might. In ‘b' he sees the promised land, promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (they had not taken possession of it either, but they had fulfilled their part just as Moses had) and he could die content. And in the parallel Moses died, his task complete, and he was one hundred and twenty years old (he had lived a long life through three generations). And he could see the land clearly for his eyes were not dimmed. And Yahweh had rewarded his faithfulness by allowing him to retain his strength. In ‘c' Yahweh buried him, and in the parallel no one knew where.