Deuteronomy 34 Study Notes
General
What does Deuteronomy 34:7 say about Moses' age and condition when he died?
Answer: One hundred twenty, and still vigorous
Moses was one hundred twenty at his death, yet his eyesight was still clear and his strength had not faded (34:7). He did not die because his strength had given out; he died because the LORD had declared it (34:5). Moses had mentioned his age of one hundred twenty earlier (31:2). His life falls into three periods of about forty years: Stephen says he was forty when he went to visit his fellow Israelites (Acts 7:23), and another forty years passed before God appeared to him at the burning bush (Acts 7:30); he was eighty when he spoke to Pharaoh (Exodus 7:7), and he then led Israel for forty years in the wilderness.
- Deuteronomy 34:7 (BSB)“Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not diminished.”Moses dies at one hundred twenty with his eyesight and vigor intact.
- Deuteronomy 31:2 (BSB)“he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’”Moses had stated that he was one hundred twenty years old.
- Acts 7:23 (BSB)“When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.”Stephen says Moses was forty when he went to visit the Israelites.
- Acts 7:30 (BSB)“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.”Forty more years passed before God appeared to Moses at the bush.
- Exodus 7:7 (BSB)“Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.”Moses was eighty when he spoke to Pharaoh.
Theological
How does Deuteronomy 34:7 describe Moses' age and physical condition at his death?
Answer: One hundred twenty, and still vigorous
Moses died at one hundred twenty, with his eyes undimmed and his vigor unabated (34:7). His strength had not failed; he died in accordance with the LORD's word (34:5). The age matches his own statement in 31:2, and the life divides into three forty-year spans: forty when he visited his brothers (Acts 7:23), forty more before the burning bush (Acts 7:30), eighty at the confrontation with Pharaoh (Exodus 7:7), followed by the forty wilderness years.
- Deuteronomy 34:7 (BSB)“Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not diminished.”Moses dies at one hundred twenty with his eyesight and vigor intact.
- Deuteronomy 31:2 (BSB)“he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’”Moses had stated that he was one hundred twenty years old.
- Acts 7:23 (BSB)“When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.”Stephen says Moses was forty when he went to visit the Israelites.
- Acts 7:30 (BSB)“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.”Forty more years passed before God appeared to Moses at the bush.
- Exodus 7:7 (BSB)“Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.”Moses was eighty when he spoke to Pharaoh.
General
According to Deuteronomy 34:9, why was Joshua full of a spirit of wisdom?
Answer: Moses had commissioned him by laying on hands
Joshua was full of wisdom since Moses had placed his hands upon him; the Israelites listened to Joshua and followed the commands God had given by way of Moses (34:9). This laying on of hands happened when God told Moses to commission Joshua publicly before Eleazar and the whole community, and to give him some of his authority (Numbers 27:18-23). Moses had also charged Joshua to be brave and firm, promising that the LORD would go before him (31:7-8). The people later pledged to obey Joshua just as they had obeyed Moses (Joshua 1:17).
- Deuteronomy 34:9 (BSB)“Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.”Joshua is filled with wisdom through Moses' laying on of hands, and Israel obeys him.
- Numbers 27:18-23 (BSB)“And the LORD replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man with the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and commission him in their sight. Confer on him some of your authority, so that the whole congregation of Israel will obey him. He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.” Moses did as the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD had instructed through Moses.”God told Moses to lay hands on Joshua and commission him before Eleazar and the people.
- Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (BSB)“Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.””Moses charged Joshua to be strong and courageous.
- Joshua 1:17 (BSB)“Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. And may the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses.”The people pledged to obey Joshua as they had obeyed Moses.
Theological
What reason does Deuteronomy 34:9 give for Joshua being full of a spirit of wisdom?
Answer: Moses had commissioned him by laying on hands
Joshua was endowed with wisdom through Moses' laying on of hands, and Israel heeded him, obeying what God had commanded through Moses (34:9). The laying on of hands refers to the public commissioning before Eleazar and the congregation, in which Moses conferred part of his authority (Numbers 27:18-23). Leadership passes by God's appointment, reinforced by Moses' charge in 31:7-8, and the people's pledge of obedience in Joshua 1:17 confirms the transition.
- Deuteronomy 34:9 (BSB)“Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.”Joshua is filled with wisdom through Moses' laying on of hands, and Israel obeys him.
- Numbers 27:18-23 (BSB)“And the LORD replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man with the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and commission him in their sight. Confer on him some of your authority, so that the whole congregation of Israel will obey him. He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.” Moses did as the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD had instructed through Moses.”God told Moses to lay hands on Joshua and commission him before Eleazar and the people.
- Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (BSB)“Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.””Moses charged Joshua to be strong and courageous.
- Joshua 1:17 (BSB)“Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. And may the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses.”The people pledged to obey Joshua as they had obeyed Moses.
General
According to Deuteronomy 34:10-12, what set Moses apart from every prophet who arose in Israel after him?
Answer: God knew him directly and worked mighty wonders through him
The book closes by saying that no prophet like Moses had arisen in Israel since. The LORD knew him personally and directly, and no one else performed the miracles God sent him to do in Egypt against Pharaoh and his land, or the great and fearsome deeds he did before all Israel (34:10-12). God had said He spoke with Moses plainly and in person, not in riddles as with other prophets (Numbers 12:6-8). Yet Moses himself had promised that God would raise up a prophet like him whom the people must listen to (18:15). The book ends looking forward to that prophet, and Peter declares that this promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Acts 3:22). Hebrews explains that Moses served faithfully within God's house as a servant, while Christ is faithful over that house as the Son (Hebrews 3:5-6).
- Deuteronomy 34:10-12 (BSB)“Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face— no prophet who did all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent Moses to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his officials and all his land, and no prophet who performed all the mighty acts of power and awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.”No prophet has arisen like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face and who did great signs.
- Numbers 12:6-8 (BSB)“He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream. But this is not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?””God spoke with Moses face to face, unlike other prophets.
- Deuteronomy 18:15 (BSB)“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.”Moses promised that God would raise up a prophet like him.
- Acts 3:22 (BSB)“For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you.”Peter applies the promise of a prophet like Moses to Jesus.
- Hebrews 3:5-6 (BSB)“Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be spoken later. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope of which we boast.”Moses was faithful as a servant, Christ as the Son over God's house.
Theological
How does Deuteronomy 34:10-12 describe Moses' uniqueness among Israel's prophets?
Answer: God knew him directly and worked mighty wonders through him
The epitaph declares that no later prophet in Israel matched Moses, known by the LORD in unmediated intimacy, and who was unequaled in the miracles done in Egypt and the mighty acts done before Israel (34:10-12). His uniqueness lay in the directness of God's revelation to him (Numbers 12:6-8). But the notice also keeps the promise of 18:15 open: a prophet like Moses was still awaited. The New Testament identifies that prophet as Christ (Acts 3:22), and Hebrews 3:5-6 contrasts Moses' faithfulness as a servant within God's house with Christ's faithfulness as Son ruling over it.
- Deuteronomy 34:10-12 (BSB)“Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face— no prophet who did all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent Moses to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his officials and all his land, and no prophet who performed all the mighty acts of power and awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.”No prophet has arisen like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face and who did great signs.
- Numbers 12:6-8 (BSB)“He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream. But this is not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?””God spoke with Moses face to face, unlike other prophets.
- Deuteronomy 18:15 (BSB)“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.”Moses promised that God would raise up a prophet like him.
- Acts 3:22 (BSB)“For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you.”Peter applies the promise of a prophet like Moses to Jesus.
- Hebrews 3:5-6 (BSB)“Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be spoken later. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope of which we boast.”Moses was faithful as a servant, Christ as the Son over God's house.
General
According to Deuteronomy 34:5-6, who buried Moses, and where?
Answer: The LORD Himself, in a Moabite valley
Moses, the LORD's servant, died in Moab, exactly as God had said he would (34:5). The LORD Himself laid him to rest in a Moabite valley opposite Beth-peor, and to this day no one knows where the grave is (34:6). This fulfilled God's word that Moses would die on the mountain and not enter the land (32:50). The book of Joshua opens by calling him God's servant who has died (Joshua 1:1-2). The New Testament letter of Jude briefly mentions a dispute between the archangel Michael and the devil over Moses' body (Jude 1:9), but Scripture gives no further detail.
- Deuteronomy 34:5-6 (BSB)“So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows the location of his grave.”Moses dies as the LORD said, and the LORD buries him in an unknown grave in Moab.
- Deuteronomy 32:50 (BSB)“And there on the mountain that you climb, you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.”God had told Moses he would die on the mountain.
- Joshua 1:1-2 (BSB)“Now after the death of His servant Moses, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore arise, you and all these people, and cross over the Jordan into the land that I am giving to the children of Israel.”The book of Joshua opens by announcing that Moses, God's servant, is dead.
- Jude 1:9 (BSB)“But even the archangel Michael, when he disputed with the devil over the body of Moses, did not presume to bring a slanderous charge against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!””Jude briefly mentions Michael disputing with the devil over Moses' body.
Theological
Who buried Moses according to Deuteronomy 34:5-6, and what does the text say about his grave?
Answer: The LORD Himself, in a Moabite valley
Moses, the LORD's servant, died in Moab in accordance with God's word (34:5), fulfilling 32:50. The LORD Himself laid him to rest in a valley opposite Beth-peor, and his burial place remains unknown (34:6), so the covenant mediator's end is entirely in God's hands. Joshua 1:1-2 marks the transition by speaking of Moses as God's servant who has died. Jude 1:9 alludes briefly to Michael's dispute with the devil concerning Moses' body; Scripture does not elaborate.
- Deuteronomy 34:5-6 (BSB)“So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows the location of his grave.”Moses dies as the LORD said, and the LORD buries him in an unknown grave in Moab.
- Deuteronomy 32:50 (BSB)“And there on the mountain that you climb, you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.”God had told Moses he would die on the mountain.
- Joshua 1:1-2 (BSB)“Now after the death of His servant Moses, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore arise, you and all these people, and cross over the Jordan into the land that I am giving to the children of Israel.”The book of Joshua opens by announcing that Moses, God's servant, is dead.
- Jude 1:9 (BSB)“But even the archangel Michael, when he disputed with the devil over the body of Moses, did not presume to bring a slanderous charge against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!””Jude briefly mentions Michael disputing with the devil over Moses' body.
General
True or False: After Moses died, the Israelites mourned for him on the Moabite plains for seven days.
Answer: False
This is false. Israel wept and grieved over Moses on the Moabite plains for a full thirty days, not seven, at which point the mourning period was complete (34:8). The whole nation had mourned for Aaron for the same length of time when he died (Numbers 20:29). The book of Joshua then opens with God telling Joshua to get up and lead the people across the Jordan (Joshua 1:2).
- Deuteronomy 34:8 (BSB)“The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.”Israel mourns Moses for thirty days in the plains of Moab.
- Numbers 20:29 (BSB)“When the whole congregation saw that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him thirty days.”Israel mourned Aaron for thirty days as well.
- Joshua 1:2 (BSB)““Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore arise, you and all these people, and cross over the Jordan into the land that I am giving to the children of Israel.”After Moses' death God commands Joshua to lead the people across the Jordan.
Theological
True or False: According to Deuteronomy 34:8, Israel mourned Moses on the Moabite plains for seven days.
Answer: False
This is false. The Israelites wept over Moses on the Moabite plains for thirty days, not seven, at which point the mourning period was completed (34:8), the same length of national mourning observed for Aaron (Numbers 20:29). The narrative then moves to the LORD's command to Joshua to cross the Jordan (Joshua 1:2).
- Deuteronomy 34:8 (BSB)“The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.”Israel mourns Moses for thirty days in the plains of Moab.
- Numbers 20:29 (BSB)“When the whole congregation saw that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him thirty days.”Israel mourned Aaron for thirty days as well.
- Joshua 1:2 (BSB)““Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore arise, you and all these people, and cross over the Jordan into the land that I am giving to the children of Israel.”After Moses' death God commands Joshua to lead the people across the Jordan.
General
When Moses climbed Pisgah's summit, what did the LORD show him (Deuteronomy 34:1-4)?
Answer: The whole land promised to the patriarchs
Moses climbed from the Moabite plains to the peak of Pisgah on Mount Nebo, facing Jericho (34:1). There the LORD let him see the entire country, from Gilead up to Dan in the north, through Naphtali, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Judah to the Mediterranean, the southern desert, and the area around Jericho as far as Zoar (34:1-3). God told him this was the land He had sworn to the three patriarchs, and that Moses had now seen it with his own eyes but would not cross over into it (34:4). God had first made this promise to Abram (Genesis 12:7) and had even told him to look in every direction at the land (Genesis 13:14-15). Joseph died trusting that God would bring Israel into it (Genesis 50:24). Moses, like the patriarchs, saw the promise from a distance before it was fulfilled (Hebrews 11:13).
- Deuteronomy 34:1-4 (BSB)“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar. And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give 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 into it.””The LORD shows Moses the whole land sworn to the patriarchs, though Moses will not enter it.
- Genesis 12:7 (BSB)“Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”God first promised the land to Abram's offspring.
- Genesis 13:14-15 (BSB)“After Lot had departed, the LORD said to Abram, “Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are, and look to the north and south and east and west, for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.”God told Abram to look in every direction at the land promised to him.
- Genesis 50:24 (BSB)“Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.””Joseph died trusting that God would bring Israel into the sworn land.
- Hebrews 11:13 (BSB)“All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”The patriarchs saw the promises from afar before receiving them.
Theological
What did the LORD show Moses from the summit of Pisgah in Deuteronomy 34:1-4?
Answer: The whole land promised to the patriarchs
From Pisgah on Nebo, facing Jericho (34:1), the LORD displayed to Moses the full extent of the land, from Gilead to Dan, across the tribal territories to the Mediterranean, the southern desert, and the Jericho plain as far as Zoar (34:1-3), and identified it as the land sworn to the patriarchs (34:4). The scene seals the faithfulness of the patriarchal promise (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:14-15), which Joseph had also trusted (Genesis 50:24). Moses beholds but does not possess, sharing the experience of the patriarchs who saw the promises from afar (Hebrews 11:13).
- Deuteronomy 34:1-4 (BSB)“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar. And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give 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 into it.””The LORD shows Moses the whole land sworn to the patriarchs, though Moses will not enter it.
- Genesis 12:7 (BSB)“Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”God first promised the land to Abram's offspring.
- Genesis 13:14-15 (BSB)“After Lot had departed, the LORD said to Abram, “Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are, and look to the north and south and east and west, for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.”God told Abram to look in every direction at the land promised to him.
- Genesis 50:24 (BSB)“Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.””Joseph died trusting that God would bring Israel into the sworn land.
- Hebrews 11:13 (BSB)“All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”The patriarchs saw the promises from afar before receiving them.