Deuteronomy 34
Christian Standard Bible
Moses’s Death
34 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah,(A) which faces Jericho, and the Lord showed him all the land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean[a] Sea, 3 the Negev, and the plain in the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 The Lord then said to him, “This is the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’(B) I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”
5 So Moses the servant of the Lord(C) died there in the land of Moab, according to the Lord’s word. 6 He buried him[b] in the valley(D) in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows where his grave is.(E) 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not left him. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days.(F) Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.(G)
9 Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom(H) because Moses had laid his hands on him.(I) So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.(J) 10 No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.(K) 11 He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do against the land of Egypt—to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land— 12 and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.(L)
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Deuteronomy 34
New English Translation
The Death of Moses
34 Then Moses ascended from the rift valley plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho.[a] The Lord showed him the whole land—Gilead to Dan, 2 and all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the distant[b] sea, 3 the Negev, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of date palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’[c] I have let you see it,[d] but you will not cross over there.”
5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab as the Lord had said. 6 He[e] buried him in the valley in the land of Moab near Beth Peor, but no one knows his exact burial place to this very day. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, but his eye was not dull[f] nor had his vitality[g] departed. 8 The Israelites mourned for Moses in the rift valley plains[h] of Moab for thirty days; then the days of mourning for Moses ended.
An Epitaph for Moses
9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had placed his hands on him;[i] and the Israelites listened to him and did just what the Lord had commanded Moses. 10 No prophet ever again arose in Israel like Moses, who knew the Lord face to face.[j] 11 He did[k] all the signs and wonders the Lord had sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, all his servants, and the whole land, 12 and he displayed great power[l] and awesome might in view of all Israel.[m]
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- Deuteronomy 34:1 sn For the geography involved, see note on the term “Pisgah” in Deut 3:17 and the note on “rift valley plains” in Num 21:1.
- Deuteronomy 34:2 tn Or “western” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); Heb “latter,” a reference to the Mediterranean Sea (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
- Deuteronomy 34:4 tn Heb “seed” (so KJV, ASV).
- Deuteronomy 34:4 tn The Hebrew text includes “with your eyes,” but this is redundant in English and is left untranslated.
- Deuteronomy 34:6 tc Smr and some LXX mss read “they buried him,” that is, the Israelites. The MT reads “he buried him,” meaning in the context that “the Lord buried him.” This understanding, combined with the statement at the end of the verse that Moses’ burial place is unknown, gave rise to traditions during the intertestamental period that are reflected in the NT in Jude 9 and in OT pseudepigraphic works like the Assumption of Moses.
- Deuteronomy 34:7 tn Or “dimmed.” The term could refer to dull appearance or to dimness caused by some loss of visual acuity.
- Deuteronomy 34:7 tn Heb “sap.” That is, he was still in possession of his faculties or liveliness.
- Deuteronomy 34:8 sn This is the area of the rift valley basin to the north of the Dead Sea and east of the Jordan. See the note at Num 21:1.
- Deuteronomy 34:9 sn See Num 27:18.
- Deuteronomy 34:10 sn See Num 12:8; Deut 18:15-18.
- Deuteronomy 34:11 tn Heb “to,” “with respect to.” In the Hebrew text vv. 10-12 are one long sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides this into two, using the verb “he did” at the beginning of v. 11 and “he displayed” at the beginning of v. 12.
- Deuteronomy 34:12 tn Heb “strong hand.”
- Deuteronomy 34:12 tn The Hebrew text of v. 12 reads literally, “with respect to all the strong hand and with respect to all the awesome greatness which Moses did before the eyes of all Israel.”
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