Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land:¹ Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar.² The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”³

Then Moses, the servant of the Lord,⁴ died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command.⁵ He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day.⁶ Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.⁷

Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.⁸ Never since⁹ has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.¹⁰ He was unequaled 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 his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.¹¹

1 A positive look to end it.

2 Israel is claiming as much as they can here – they have never actually held all that land at any point.

3 God fulfills his word.

4 “servant” as the greatest title.

5 To the end, Moses is obedient.

6 Interesting - “to this day” clearly indicates a much later author.

7 They mourned for him according to tradition, as they had with Aaron.

8 A point of obedience for the Israelites to end the book.

9 Once again clearly a far later comment.

10 Even Elijah did not match Moses's knowledge of God.

11 Moses's greatness completes the text.

Take-home: Deuteronomy ends by exalting Moses as the great man of God who brought Israel to the cusp of the Holy Land.

Deuteronomy 33:1-29

This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the Israelites before his death.¹ He said:

“The Lord came from Sinai,² and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran. With him were myriads of holy ones; at his right, a host of his own. Indeed, O favorite among peoples, all his holy ones were in your charge; they marched at your heels, accepted direction from you. Moses charged us³ with the law, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob. There arose a king⁴ in Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people assembled— the united tribes of Israel.”

“May Reuben live, and not die out,⁵ even though his numbers are few.”

And this he said of Judah: “O Lord, give heed to Judah, and bring him to his people; strengthen his hands for him, and be a help against his adversaries.”⁶

And of Levi he said: “Give to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your loyal one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah; who said of his father and mother, 'I regard them not'; he ignored his kin, and did not acknowledge his children.⁷ For they observed your word, and kept your covenant. They teach Jacob your ordinances, and Israel your law; they place incense before you, and whole burnt offerings on your altar. Bless, O Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; crush the loins of his adversaries,⁸ of those that hate him, so that they do not rise again.”

Of Benjamin he said: “The beloved of the Lord rests in safety— the High God surrounds him all day long— the beloved rests between his shoulders.”⁹

And of Joseph he said: “Blessed by the Lord be his land, with the choice gifts of heaven above, and of the deep that lies beneath; with the choice fruits of the sun, and the rich yield of the months; with the finest produce of the ancient mountains, and the abundance of the everlasting hills; with the choice gifts of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of the one who dwells on Sinai. Let these come on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers. A firstborn bull—majesty is his! His horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he gores the peoples, driving them to the ends of the earth; such are the myriads of Ephraim, such the thousands of Manasseh.”¹⁰

And of Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out; and Issachar, in your tents. They call peoples to the mountain;¹¹ there they offer the right sacrifices; for they suck the affluence of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.”

And of Gad he said: “Blessed be the enlargement of Gad! Gad lives like a lion; he tears at arm and scalp. He chose the best for himself, for there a commander’s allotment was reserved; he came at the head of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his ordinances for Israel.”¹²

And of Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s whelp that leaps forth from Bashan.”¹³

And of Naphtali he said: “O Naphtali, sated with favor, full of the blessing of the Lord, possess the west and the south.”

And of Asher he said: “Most blessed of sons be Asher; may he be the favorite of his brothers, and may he dip his foot in oil. Your bars are iron and bronze; and as your days, so is your strength.”

“There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, majestic through the skies. He subdues the ancient gods,¹⁴ shatters the forces of old; he drove out the enemy before you, and said, 'Destroy!' So Israel lives in safety, untroubled is Jacob’s abode in a land of grain and wine, where the heavens drop down dew. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread on their backs.”¹⁵

1 Reminiscent of Jacob's blessing at the end of Genesis.

2 Only place in Deuteronomy that “Sinai” is used instead of “Horab, suggesting a separate origin.

3 Talking about himself in the third person?

4 King? Who? Study Bible suggests that this refers to God, but I'm not convinced, though the idea that verses 1-5 and 26-29 were once connected as a separate, earlier prayer is believable.

5 Very low-goal blessing, but of course the most central need of the tribe.

6 Unity with others, and protection from enemies.

7 Rare point at which family loyalty is not commended.

8 Protection from enemies again.

9 No request – protection from God is assured.

10 Blessing again is focused on land and defeat of enemies.

11 What does it mean that they call people to the mountain?

12 Again prosperity and defeat of enemies.

13 Quite minor reference.

14 Here they are again referred to as other gods. Is this only a metaphor? Study Bible notes that the translation is difficult though.

15 This all seems to refer to the coming conquest, with no hint of the disaster to come that Moses spoke of in the last song.

Take-home: A hymn of blessing recalls God's greatness and briefly notes characteristics of each tribe, with a focus on their prosperity and physical protection from enemies.

Deuteronomy 32:48-52

On that very day the Lord addressed Moses as follows:

“Ascend this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, across from Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites for a possession; you shall die there on the mountain that you ascend and shall be gathered to your kin,¹ as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his kin;because both of you broke faith with me among the Israelites at the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin,² by failing to maintain my holiness among the Israelites.³ Although you may view the land from a distance, you shall not enter it—the land that I am giving to the Israelites.”⁴

1 Seeing “the land” as a last act is a great way to go.

2 I'm still unclear on what they did wrong, which you think would be one of the most important tales of the book. Deuteronomy 3:26 and Numbers 20:12-13 don't really clear it up.

3 Deuteronomy 32:48-51 is a near-exact copy of Numbers 27:12-1. Study Bible states that Moses's death was originally placed there, but got moved here to make way for the Deuteronomical retelling of the law.

4 Not that they've been particularly more holy, but a promise is a promise.

Take-home: God show Moses he will be true to his promise to the people, but keeps his word to punish Moses for what happened in Meribeth Kadesh.