The Death of Moses
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Deu.34.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מערבת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- אל: NEG
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- נבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ראש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הפסגה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- על: PREP
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ירחו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויראהו: VERB,hif,impf-cc,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- הגלעד: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עד: PREP
- דן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 27:12-14 (quotation): God commands Moses to ascend Mount Abarim (Mount Nebo) to view the land he will not enter — the same divine instruction that explains why Moses goes up Nebo in Deut 34:1.
- Deut 32:48-52 (quotation): An earlier Deuteronomic account in which the LORD tells Moses the specific mountain where he will see the land and die; Deut 34:1 narrates the fulfillment of that declaration.
- Numbers 33:47-49 (verbal): Locational parallel: the Israelites' encampment 'in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho' echoes the setting given in Deut 34:1 ('from the plains of Moab... opposite Jericho').
- Joshua 1:1-2 (thematic): Reports the transition of leadership after Moses' death and the fulfillment of entering the land Moses glimpsed from Nebo; thematically linked as the outcome of the scene in Deut 34:1.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah that faces Jericho; and the LORD showed him all the land:
- Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah that faces Jericho; and the LORD showed him all the land—
Deu.34.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- נפתלי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אפרים: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומנשה: CONJ+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- עד: PREP
- הים: NOUN,m,sg,abs,def
- האחרון: ADJ,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Numbers 34:3-12 (structural): Gives the formal boundary description of the land to be given to Israel, listing northern and eastern limits—parallel administrative/territorial material to Deut. 34:2’s listing of tribal territories.
- Joshua 1:4 (verbal): Promise of the land 'from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the River, the River Euphrates, to the Great Sea' parallels Deut. 34:2’s sweep of tribal territories 'to the far sea' (same territorial promise language).
- Deuteronomy 11:24 (verbal): Earlier Deuteronomic promise that 'every place on which the sole of your foot treads will be yours... to the Great Sea' echoes the same territorial promise and formula found in Deut. 34:2.
- Joshua 11:16-23 (thematic): Summary of Joshua’s conquests 'took the whole land' and gave it to the tribes—fulfillment theme corresponding to the territorial names cited in Deut. 34:2.
- Judges 1:27-28 (thematic): Reports incomplete occupation in parts of the land (e.g., Naphtali, Manasseh) and failure to drive out inhabitants, providing a contrasting post-entry reality to the territorial claims enumerated in Deut. 34:2.
Alternative generated candidates
- from Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea;
- Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea.
Deu.34.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואת: CONJ
- הנגב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואת: CONJ
- הככר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בקעת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ירחו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- התמרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- עד: PREP
- צער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 34:3 (quotation): Nearly identical wording for the southern boundary: mentions the Negev, the Plain (kikkar), the valley of Jericho (city of palms) and extent 'as far as Zoar.'
- Deuteronomy 34:1-4 (structural): Immediate context — the same scene of Moses on Mount Nebo surveying the land; v.3 is part of this fuller description of the vista and borders.
- Joshua 1:4 (thematic): Another canonical statement of the promised land's borders given to Israel; both passages enumerate territorial limits of the land.
- Genesis 13:10 (verbal): Lot's sighting of the 'plain of the Jordan' described as well‑watered and extending 'as far as Zoar' — echoes the plain/Zoar imagery and fertile character associated with Jericho.
Alternative generated candidates
- the Negev and the Plain—the valley of Jericho, the city of palms—right up to Zoar.
- The Negeb and the plain—the valley of Jericho, the city of palm-trees—as far as Zoar.
Deu.34.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשבעתי: VERB,niphal,perf,1,_,sg
- לאברהם: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ליצחק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וליעקב: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לזרעך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:2ms
- אתננה: VERB,qal,fut,1,sg
- הראיתיך: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,_,sg
- בעיניך: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,const,2,ms
- ושמה: CONJ+ADV,loc
- לא: PART_NEG
- תעבר: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms
Parallels
- Genesis 12:7 (verbal): God's initial promise to Abram: 'To your offspring I will give this land'—the same basic land promise invoked in Deut 34:4.
- Genesis 15:18-21 (allusion): The covenant allotting the land to Abraham's descendants with specified boundaries; Deut 34:4 appeals back to this covenantal grant.
- Genesis 17:8 (verbal): Another formulation of the patriarchal promise—'I will give to you and to your offspring the land'—echoed by the declaration in Deut 34:4.
- Numbers 27:12-14 (structural): The narrative where God tells Moses he will see the land but not enter it; Deut 34:4 repeats that outcome while invoking the patriarchal oath.
- Joshua 1:2-4 (thematic): God's commissioning of Joshua with the promise of the land to Israel and their descendants, continuing the fulfillment of the oath mentioned in Deut 34:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”
- And the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”
Deu.34.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וימת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עבד: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- על: PREP
- פי: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Joshua 1:1 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: opens with the statement 'after the death of Moses' and begins the account of Israel after Moses' death, directly following Deuteronomy's ending.
- Numbers 27:12-14 (thematic): God tells Moses at Mount Nebo that he will see the land but not enter it and that he will die there—this promise/command is the direct background to Moses' death 'according to the word of the LORD.'
- Deuteronomy 3:23-28 (verbal): Earlier in Deuteronomy Moses records his plea to enter Canaan and God's refusal ('you shall not go over this Jordan'); this passage frames the reason and inevitability of his death in Moab.
- Hebrews 3:5 (verbal): New Testament characterization of Moses as a 'servant' (faithful servant in God's house) echoes Deut 34:5's designation 'Moses the servant of the LORD,' linking identity and role across Testaments.
- Jude 9 (allusion): A New Testament allusion to the circumstances surrounding Moses' death/burial (Michael disputing over Moses' body) reflects later tradition and interest in the fate of Moses noted in Deut 34:5-6.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD’s command.
- So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, at the word of the LORD.
Deu.34.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקבר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- בגי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- מול: PREP
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פעור: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- קברתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- Numbers 20:27-29 (thematic): Narrates Aaron’s death and burial on Mount Hor—an explicit, known burial of a major Israelite leader that contrasts with Deut 34:6’s statement that Moses’ tomb was unknown.
- Joshua 1:1-2 (structural): Immediate narrative sequel announcing Moses’ death and commissioning Joshua; it continues the storyline begun in Deut 34 and situates Moses’ death as transition of leadership.
- Jude 1:9 (allusion): Refers to a heavenly dispute about the body of Moses (Michael and the devil), reflecting early traditions and concerns about Moses’ burial and the fate of his body—an allusive engagement with the mystery noted in Deut 34:6.
- Psalm 90 (thematic): A psalm attributed to Moses that meditates on human mortality and the brevity of life; thematically linked to the death and finality recorded in Deut 34:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- He was buried in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth‑peor, and no one knows his burial place to this day.
- And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; and no one knows his burial place to this day.
Deu.34.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומשה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאה: NUM,f,sg,abs
- ועשרים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- במתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- כהתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- עינו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- נס: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- לחה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deut.31:2-3 (verbal): Moses himself declares he is 120 years old and can no longer 'go out and come in'—an immediate internal parallel that echoes the age and the point about his capacity at the end of life.
- Numbers 27:12-23 (structural): God tells Moses to ascend Mount Nebo to view the land and hands leadership to Joshua; this passage sets up and anticipates the account of Moses' death in Deut 34.
- Joshua 1:1-2 (structural): The narrative continuation after Deut 34: the report of Moses' death and the commissioning of Joshua, providing the immediate historical-theological aftermath.
- Gen.48:10 (verbal): Jacob's eyes are described as 'dim' for age (Hebrew same root for dim), offering a contrast to Deut 34:7's statement that Moses' eye was not dim.
- Acts 7:20-36 (allusion): Stephen's retelling of Moses' birth, training, exile and leadership in the New Testament echoes the Deuteronomic portrait of Moses and situates his life and death within later interpretive tradition.
Alternative generated candidates
- Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye had not grown dim, nor had his vigor abated.
- Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor had his vigor abated.
Deu.34.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבכו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בערבת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- שלשים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויתמו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- בכי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אבל: CONJ
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 20:29 (verbal): Identical formula of communal weeping for thirty days—Israel mourns Aaron thirty days, echoing the wording and ritual mourning period used for major leaders.
- Numbers 27:23 (structural): Moses’ laying on of hands and commissioning of Joshua anticipates the leadership transition that follows Moses’ death and the period of mourning described in Deut 34:8.
- Joshua 1:1-2 (structural): Direct narrative continuation: announces Moses’ death and immediately commissions Joshua to lead Israel into the land—connects the end of mourning with the new leadership.
- Judges 2:10 (thematic): Describes a generational break after the deaths of the leaders who entered the land (including Joshua); thematically parallels the societal shift and loss that follows Moses’ death.
- 2 Samuel 1:17-27 (thematic): David’s public lament for Saul and Jonathan models communal mourning and eulogizing of fallen leaders, reflecting the cultural practice of formal lamentation found in Deut 34:8.
Alternative generated candidates
- The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; the days of mourning for Moses were completed.
- The children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; and the days of mourning for Moses were ended.
Deu.34.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהושע: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלא: ADJ,m,sg
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- סמך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- ידיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs,suff:3,m,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- וישמעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויעשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כאשר: CONJ
- צוה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 27:18-23 (quotation): Records the same commissioning event: Moses is commanded to appoint Joshua, lays his hands on him, and transfers leadership authority.
- Joshua 1:1-9 (structural): Narrative continuation of Joshua's succession: God directly commissions Joshua to be Moses' successor and commands him to be strong and obedient.
- Deuteronomy 31:7,23 (allusion): Earlier passages in Deuteronomy where Moses publicly charges Joshua and the LORD confirms Joshua’s leadership—prefiguring the statement that Joshua was empowered.
- Exodus 31:1-5 (verbal): Uses the same language of being filled with 'the spirit of wisdom' (God filling a servant for a special task), paralleling the description of Joshua’s endowment for leadership.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; and the Israelites heeded him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
- Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the children of Israel listened to him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Deu.34.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולא: CONJ
- קם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- נביא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עוד: ADV
- בישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כמשה: PREP+NOUN,prop,sg,m,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ידעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- פנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אל: NEG
- פנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 33:11 (verbal): Explicitly states that the LORD spoke to Moses 'face to face, as a man speaks to his friend,' directly paralleling the Deuteronomy claim of Moses' unique face‑to‑face knowledge of God.
- Numbers 12:6-8 (verbal): God contrasts other prophets with Moses, saying He speaks to Moses 'mouth to mouth' and not in riddles—underscoring the special intimacy summarized in Deut 34:10.
- Deuteronomy 18:15-18 (thematic): Promises that God will raise up 'a prophet like me' (like Moses); thematically relates to Deut 34:10 by treating Moses as the exemplary, unparalleled prophet against whom future prophecy is measured.
- Acts 3:22 (quotation): Peter cites Deut 18:15 ('a prophet like Moses') in his Christian preaching, showing how New Testament interpreters read Moses' unique status (as asserted in Deut 34:10) typologically in relation to Jesus.
- Hebrews 3:1-6 (structural): Contrasts Moses' faithful service in God's house with Christ's superior role, reflecting the NT appropriation of Moses' unique prophetic and mediatorial status affirmed in Deut 34:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- Never since has there arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
- Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.
Deu.34.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכל: PREP
- האתות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- והמופתים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שלחו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לפרעה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולכל: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עבדיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- ולכל: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארצו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,ms
Parallels
- Exodus 4:21 (verbal): God tells Moses to perform the signs and wonders before Pharaoh when he returns to Egypt—language closely parallels Deut 34:11's reference to signs and wonders done in Egypt.
- Exodus 7:3-5 (thematic): Speaks of God multiplying his signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and hardening Pharaoh’s heart so that God’s power is displayed—same motif behind the miracles mentioned in Deut 34:11.
- Psalm 105:26-36 (verbal): Retells Moses' mission and recounts the signs and wonders performed in the land of Ham/Egypt, echoing the description of miraculous deeds in Deut 34:11.
- Psalm 78:43-51 (thematic): Recalls God’s judgments and wonders against Egypt in the exodus narrative, thematically parallel to the signs and wonders attributed to Moses in Deut 34:11.
- Acts 7:36 (allusion): Stephen’s speech summarizes Moses’ leadership and the wonders and signs he performed in Egypt by God’s command—New Testament retelling that alludes to the same tradition behind Deut 34:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land,
- For all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt—to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to all his land;
Deu.34.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולכל: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היד: NOUN,f,sg,def
- החזקה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ולכל: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המורא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הגדול: ADJ,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cons
- כל: DET
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deut.34.10 (structural): Immediate context: declares Moses' unique prophetic status ('no prophet like Moses') which the next verse (34:12) supports by listing his mighty works and terrifying deeds.
- Numbers 12:6-8 (verbal): God contrasts Moses with other prophets, emphasizing direct, face-to-face revelation and Moses' exceptional standing—background for attributing extraordinary signs and wonders to him.
- Exodus 33:11 (verbal): States that the LORD spoke to Moses 'face to face, as a man speaks to his friend,' reinforcing the unique relationship underlying the remarkable deeds attributed to Moses in Deut 34:12.
- Exodus 14:31 (thematic): After the crossing of the Red Sea Israel 'saw the great work' the LORD had done and revered Him—an example of the powerful acts and the awe they produced, similar to the 'mighty hand' and 'great terror' of Moses' ministry.
- Joshua 4:24 (thematic): Speaks of making known to all peoples the 'hand' of the LORD and its might—parallels Deut 34:12's emphasis on mighty deeds that reveal divine power through Moses.
Alternative generated candidates
- and for all the mighty deeds of power and the great and awesome works that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
- and for all the mighty hand and for all the great and terrible deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah that faces Jericho; and the LORD showed him all the land:
Gilead as far as Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
and the Negev, and the Plain—the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—to Zoar. And the LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'To your offspring I will give it.' I have let you see it with your eyes; you shall not cross over there." So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, at the command of the LORD. And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth‑Peor; but no one knows his burial place to this day.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye had not dimmed, nor had his vigor abated. And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; and the days of mourning for Moses were ended. Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; and the Israelites listened to him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. And there arose no prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.
For all the signs and 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,
and for all the mighty hand and for all the great and awesome deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.