Deuteronomy 34

Moses went up from the flat land of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan,

1And 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,

NoteMoab lay east of the Jordan River, opposite Jericho; the "plains" are the flat valley floor where Israel had camped. Pisgah is the ridge or escarpment, and Nebo one of its peaks, the text names both because they were two ways of describing the same lookout. Gilead is the highland region east of the Jordan; Dan marks the far north, so "Gilead as far as Dan" sweeps the eye from near at hand up to the northern limit of the land.

2all the territory of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah out to the sea in the west,

2And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,

NoteNaphtali, Ephraim, Manasseh and Judah are named here as regions rather than families, the territories the tribes descended from those men would later hold. The KJV's "utmost sea" means the farthest sea, the Mediterranean, which Hebrew normally calls simply "the western sea" because it lay at Israel's western edge.

3the dry southern region, and the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, all the way to Zoar.

3And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.

NoteWhere the KJV says "the south," the Hebrew has the Negev, the dry scrubland south of Judah. It is a place name, not a compass direction. "The city of palm trees" is a standing nickname for Jericho, which sat at a spring in an otherwise barren valley. Zoar was a town near the southern end of the Dead Sea, marking the far southern point of the view.

4The LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised with an oath to Abraham, 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 over into it."

4And 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.

Note"I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" refers to the promise God made repeatedly to Israel's ancestors, generations earlier, that their descendants would possess this land. The KJV's "thy seed" is the ordinary Hebrew word for offspring or descendants, not a single individual.

5So Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, just as the LORD had said.

5So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.

Note"Servant of the LORD" is a formal title of honor, used of someone commissioned to act on God's behalf, not a term for a menial worker.

6He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, across from Beth-peor, and to this day no one knows where his grave is.

6And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

NoteThe Hebrew simply says "he buried him," and it is genuinely unclear who is meant. The nearest subject is the LORD, and many readers have taken it that way; the same form can also be read impersonally, "he was buried," or as referring to an unnamed burial party. Beth-peor was a site in Moab. "To this day" is the writer speaking to his own readers, however long after the events he wrote.

7Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were still sharp, and his strength had not faded.

7And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

NoteThe KJV's "his natural force abated" means his vigor had not drained away. The underlying Hebrew word is uncertain and may carry the sense of freshness or moisture, the picture is of a plant still green rather than dried out.

8The people of Israel wept for Moses on the flat land of Moab for thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.

8And 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.

NoteThirty days was the customary formal mourning period for a person of great standing; the note that the days "came to an end" marks the community's release from mourning obligations, not merely the passing of time.

9Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel listened to Joshua and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.

9And 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.

NoteLaying hands on someone was the recognized gesture for transferring an office and its authority publicly, a commissioning, done where witnesses could see it. "The spirit of wisdom" describes the capacity for governing and judging well that came with it.

10Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.

10And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,

Note"Knew face to face" is an idiom for direct, unmediated dealing, speaking with someone in person rather than through a messenger, dream, or vision, which is how prophets ordinarily received their messages.

11No other prophet did all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent Moses to do in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh, against all his officials, and against all his land.

11In 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,

Note"Signs and wonders" is a fixed pair meaning displays of power that carried a message: the plagues and other events in Egypt. "His servants" in the KJV means Pharaoh's court officials, not slaves.

12And no other prophet did all the acts of great power and all the terrifying deeds that Moses did while all Israel watched.

12And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.

Note"Mighty hand" is a standard Hebrew idiom for overwhelming force exerted by someone. "Great terror" translates a word meaning awe-inspiring, dread-producing acts, deeds that stunned those who saw them, not cruelty inflicted on Israel.