Deuteronomy 34, Death of Moses

Moses has given his final messages to Israel, sung a worship song and then blessed the tribes.

Deuteronomy 34:1-4, Looking out from Mount Nebo

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land--from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar.

Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, `I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."

Moses, from Mount Nebo, can see the eastern, transjordan region before him, and then west, almost to the Mediterranean Sea.  This is the future land of Israel. 

Pisgah may be an alternate name for Nebo or might be the name of a series of peaks of which Nebo is one.

Deuteronomy 34:5-7, Death of Moses

And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.

Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.

Moses dies on the mountain, his final resting place unknown. (NIV footnotes: In verse 5, the Hebrew could mean that Moses was buried, without naming who buried him.)

Deuteronomy 34:8-12, Epitaph

The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

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

Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt--to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

The people grieve over Moses, as is expected. The mantle of leadership passes on to Joshua, but the final sentences of this book, the final sentences of the Torah, state that no one like Moses had risen in Israel after that, and that Moses miraculously knew YHWH "face to face."

First published May 25, 2023; updated May 25, 2026

Conquest, An Introduction to Joshua

Later this week we finish the book of Deuteronomy. The book of Deuteronomy prepares us -- and the nation of Israel -- for the entrance into Canaan and the conquest of the Promised Land. We return then to a history, with a progression of the timeline of the Old Testament.

The book of Joshua makes it clear that the mantle of the prophet Moses, as leader of the nation and spokesperson of YHWH, had been passed on to the prophet Joshua. Repeatedly in the book, Joshua is compared with Moses in sentences that make it clear Joshua was the one to take the nation on the next step. As we read through the book, we will note the parallels with Moses's leadership -- repeating the covenant commitment, crossing over on dry land, initiating circumcision, celebrating Passover.

The book has two halves: chapters 1-12 show God's blessing in the conquest of the Promised Land and chapters 13-24 show God's completion of the promised distribution of the tribes.

As always, the Bible Project summary is excellent. The video breaks the first half of the book into two parts, chapters 1-5, Joshua's leadership of Israel and chapters 6-12, some battles in the conquest of the land. The second half of the book is also broken into two more parts: chapters 13-22, the distribution of the land to the twelve tribes and chapters 23-24, final speeches of Joshua.

Resources and References

In the online commentaries provided by EasyEnglishBible is one online commentary on Joshua. The Easy English Bible commentaries are easy to read, with deliberately simple language intended for those for whom English is a second language. The Old Testament text is included in the commentary. The commentaries provided by this charity include some simple maps on the Joshua campaigns and the distribution of the tribes.

The Gospel Coalition has a free twelve-week online class (twelve separate printed lectures) on the book. 

There is a free online four lecture class on Joshua offered by Third Millenium. That course takes over five hours to complete. The lectures are here. (Although these lectures are good, I must confess that I have been spoiled by Carmen Ime's course on Exodus -- I have not found anything of similar quality on Joshua.)

I have found several other online courses on Joshua but they come with a fee and so I have not explored them further.

I have found several commentaries helpful. Long ago, I fell in love with the book of Ruth, after reading an commentary by Old Testament scholar Robert L. Hubbard. Hubbard has also written an excellent commentary on Joshua and so I have purchased that for my Kindle. I have also used a commentary by Donald H. Madvig found in the third volume of the Expositor's Bible Commentary. (Madvig, in his commentary, says that NIV uses the Codex Leningradensis, dated about 1008 AD, as the "Hebrew" text for its translation.)

Questions and Problems

Several questions and problems are raised by the book of Joshua. Like the book of Exodus, there is a question of dating the events described. The dates for the exodus and the conquest of Canaan are separated by forty years so the dating of these events are clearly linked. Some argue for an early date, about 1400 BC.  Others argue for a later date, about 1220 BC. I won't elaborate further on those debates; I looked (very lightly) at these arguments in my blog post, Becoming a Nation, An Introduction to Exodus.

A significant question raised by the book is the commandment to annihilate the people of Canaan. These commands are explained as a reaction by YHWH to the gross immorality of the Canaanites (such as child sacrifice) as first suggested in Genesis 15:12-21 and as a protection against the rampant idolatry of the people. Still, as explained by others, this "total destruction" seemed to allow local inhabitants to convert to worship of YHWH (see Rahab in Joshua 2 and Ruth much later) or to make treaties (the Gibeonites in Joshua 9.)

(The Babylonia Bee, with its usual humor (?), has an article on "Precious Moments" from Joshua that tends to rub our face in this issue of annihilation and genocide.)

Format

The format I've selected for this blog is always centered on the Old Testament text, from the New International Version (NIV), italicized in blue.  At the head of each blue paragraph of text I place a short title; after the text I place my thoughts or comments in black.  (Those are my own reactions, with some gleanings from commentaries.  Feel free to disagree -- or to react in other ways!) I place hyperlinks in pink, created so that one can click on a link and see the linked site open in another window. (One pleasure of the blog is that I can create numerous hyperlinks, leading off into various rabbit holes!)

(On my Substack version of this blog these colors are lost.)

The real goal of this blog is to force me to read every verse thoughtfully. My comments are part of that process, creating a certain accountability for me in this study. I hope that you, too, read the passages thoughtfully!

We will begin the book of Joshua next week!

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First published May 21, 2023; updated May 24, 2026

Deuteronomy 33, Blessings on Eleven Tribes

As Moses prepares to climb Mount Nebo, he gives final blessings on the people. In doing so, he blesses eleven tribes.  (Which one is missing?)

Deuteronomy 33:1-5, Blessing

 This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. He said: 

"The LORD came from Sinai 

and dawned over them from Seir; 

he shone forth from Mount Paran. 

He came with  myriads of holy ones from the south, 

from his mountain slopes.

Surely it is you who love the people; 

all the holy ones are in your hand. 

At your feet they all bow down,

 and from you receive instruction, 

the law that Moses gave us, 

the possession of the assembly of Jacob. 

He was king over Jeshurun 

when the leaders of the people assembled, 

along with the tribes of Israel.

In his final blessing, Moses reminds the people that they are loved. YHWH is introduced as greeting them from Sinai.

Jeshurun, meaning "the righteous one", is apparently synonymous with Jacob/Israel. As with many Old Testament songs, some of the Hebrew is ancient, unusual and not easily translated. (NIV footnotes: The meaning of the Hebrew in verse 2 for the phrase "from his mountain slopes" is uncertain.)

Moses is identified as a "king" of Israel; he ruled the tribes for forty years.

Deuteronomy 33:6, Reuben

"Let Reuben live and not die, 

nor his men be few."

The descendants of Reuben are to live and prosper (despite the fact that Reuben dishonored Jacob.) As in the blessing of Jacob in Genesis 49, the blessing begins with the firstborn of Israel. See Genesis 49:3-4 for Jacob's (not-)blessing of Reuben; here the blessing of Moses is slightly better, as he wants the descendants of Reuben to survive....

Deuteronomy 33:7, Judah

And this he said about Judah: 

"Hear, O LORD, the cry of Judah; 

bring him to his people. 

With his own hands he defends his cause. 

Oh, be his help against his foes!"

YHWH is to defend and protect Judah. This blessing skips Simeon and Levi and moves directly on to Judah. (See Genesis 49:8-12 for Jacob's blessing of Judah.) Commentators read here hints of Judah's later isolation from Israel, as a separate kingdom.

Deuteronomy 33:8-11, Levi

About Levi he said: 

"Your Thummim and Urim belong to the man you favored. 

You tested him at Massah; 

you contended with him at the waters of Meribah. 

He said of his father and mother, `I have no regard for them.' 

He did not recognize his brothers or acknowledge his own children, 

but he watched over your word and guarded your covenant.

He teaches your precepts to Jacob 

and your law to Israel. 

He offers incense before you 

and whole burnt offerings on your altar. 

Bless all his skills, O LORD, 

and be pleased with the work of his hands. 

Smite the loins of those who rise up against him; 

strike his foes till they rise no more."

 

After skipping (in birth order) Simeon and Levi, Moses returns to Levi, the tribe of priests. The priests are to be guided by the Thummim and Urim, which lie in the Tabernacle and are apparently used for detecting the will of YHWH. This tribe of priests are charged to continually teach the precepts of the Law to Jacob/Israel.

Simeon will be left out of Moses' blessings -- this chapter will only bless eleven, not twelve, tribes!

Deuteronomy 33:12, Benjamin

About Benjamin he said: 

"Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, 

for he shields him all day long, 

and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders."

Now Moses' blessings, which began with the children of Leah, skips to the last two children of Jacob, Benjamin and Joseph, children of Rachel. Benjamin, the last son and most loved son of Jacob, is loved by YHWH, Who protects him and carries him on His shoulders. (This is an interesting image, of a small boy riding on his father's shoulders. I like this interpretation of the passage but commentators agree that the Hebrew is somewhat uncertain.)

Jacob's blessing of Benjamin is in Genesis 49:27.

Deuteronomy 33:13-17, Joseph

About Joseph he said: 

"May the LORD bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above

 and with the deep waters that lie below; 

with the best the sun brings forth 

and the finest the moon can yield; 

with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains 

and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills; 

with the best gifts of the earth 

and its fullness 

and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush. 

Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, 

on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

In majesty he is like a firstborn bull; 

his horns are the horns of a wild ox. 

With them he will gore the nations, 

even those at the ends of the earth. 

Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim; 

such are the thousands of Manasseh."

Joseph (and therefore his tribe) is highly praised. This tribe is to have "precious" dew in this desert land, with deep waters and the finest gifts of nature. They will have the favor of Him Who lived in the burning bush that introduced YHWH to Moses.

The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh are mentioned briefly. At this point Moses is reversing the birth order, going from the youngest back up the line. And indeed, Moses, like Jacob, gives weight to Ephraim (second born of Joseph) over Manasseh (first born.)

Jacob's blessing of Joseph is in Genesis 49:22-26. There are some similarities between the blessing by Jacob and that given by Moses.

Deuteronomy 33:18-19, Zebulun and Issachar

About Zebulun he said: 

"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,

 and you, Issachar, in your tents.

They will summon peoples to the mountain 

and there offer sacrifices of righteousness;

they will feast on the abundance of the seas, 

on the treasures hidden in the sand."

Zebulun and Issachar are mentioned together. This has some similarities to the blessing by Jacob in Genesis 49:13-15; both blessings mention the sea. It is possible that the blessing in "going out" and in "your tents" is a blessing that covers both tribes: they will be successful in both going out and staying home.

In the distribution of land in  tribes of Zebulun and Issachar were just west of the Sea of Galilee and almost reached the Mediterranean.

Deuteronomy 33:20-21, Gad

About Gad he said: 

"Blessed is he who enlarges Gad's domain! 

Gad lives there like a lion, 

tearing at arm or head. 

He chose the best land for himself; 

the leader's portion was kept for him. 

When the heads of the people assembled, 

he carried out the LORD's righteous will, 

and his judgments concerning Israel."

Gad, like a lion, will receive the best land. Gad has already fought and won its land, east of the Jordan (see Numbers 32 for a description of that conquest; see Genesis 49:19 for the blessing of Gad by Jacob.)

Deuteronomy 33:22, Dan

About Dan he said: 

"Dan is a lion's cub, 

springing out of Bashan."

Dan is mentioned briefly, described a lion's cub. A lion's cub can be a powerful animal. Currid says the interpretation of Bashan is unclear. Is it the name of a land? It has been suggested that it is instead an Ugaritic loan word for "viper", which would fit in with the serpent mentioned in the earlier blessing by Jacob in Genesis 49:16-18. 

Deuteronomy 33:23, Naphtali

About Naphtali he said: 

"Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the LORD 

and is full of his blessing; 

he will inherit southward to the lake."

Naphtali is to receive a land "southward to the lake." That translation is unclear; it could be "south and sea". Eventually Naphtali's land would be north of Issachar and Zebulun, in northern Galilee, with the Sea of Galilee forming a southeastern boundary.

Deuteronomy 33:24-25, Asher

About Asher he said: 

"Most blessed of sons is Asher; 

let him be favored by his brothers, 

and let him bathe his feet in oil. 

The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, 

and your strength will equal your days.

Asher is favored, pampered and strong. Currid says that the land allotment for Asher (in Joshua 19) is a fertile region with olive trees.

Deuteronomy 33:26-27, Rides on the heavens

"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, 

who rides on the heavens to help you 

and on the clouds in his majesty. 

The eternal God is your refuge, 

and underneath are the everlasting arms. 

He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, `Destroy him!'

Moses turns now to praise of the God of the covenant. YHWH is described as riding on the heavens, providing arms of support, driving out their enemies.

YHWH, riding on the clouds of heaven, is an image repeated elsewhere.  (Currid gives as examples: Psalm 1810, Psalm 68:33 and Isaiah 19:1.)

Deuteronomy 33:28-29, Blessed is Israel

So Israel will live in safety alone; 

Jacob's spring is secure in a land of grain and new wine, 

where the heavens drop dew. 

Blessed are you, O Israel! 

Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? 

He is your shield and helper 

and your glorious sword. 

Your enemies will cower before you, 

and you will trample down their high places."

In summary, the God of Israel will guide and protect the nation, in a land of grain and new wine, "where the heavens drop dew", a land then of rains, not desert.

Notice that Simeon is missing in this list!  Why? (See this question and answer.)

First published May 24, 2023; updated May 23, 2026

Deuteronomy 32, Song of Moses, II

YHWH has given Moses a final song.  Moses sings a praise song that includes a reminder of the natural brokenness of the People. 

This is the second song by Moses. The other appears at the beginning of the desert wanderings, in Exodus 15, exulting over the triumph at the Sea of Reeds. This one appears at the end of their wanderings. A third song is recorded in Psalm 90. Carmen Imes, in her BibleProject class on Exodus, emphasizes that the real theology of the Torah occurs in the songs.

We repeat the last verse of the previous chapter, a verse that introduces this song. 

Deuteronomy 31:30, A final song of Moses

And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

Moses, repeating the issues of blessing and curse, prepares to recite the song YHWH has given him. 

Deuteronomy 32:1-4, "I proclaim the name of YHWH"

Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; 

hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

 Let my teaching fall like rain 

and my words descend like dew, 

like showers on new grass, 

like abundant rain on tender plants.

 I will proclaim the name of the LORD. 

Oh, praise the greatness of our God!

He is the Rock, 

his works are perfect, 

and all his ways are just. 

A faithful God who does no wrong, 

upright and just is he.

The song begins with praise, emphasizing the righteousness of YHWH. The pleasure of a desert rain is associated with an attention to these teachings. 

Deuteronomy 32:5-6, and yet...

They have acted corruptly toward him; 

to their shame they are no longer his children, 

but a warped and crooked generation.

Is this the way you repay the LORD, 

O foolish and unwise people? 

Is he not your Father, your Creator,

who made you and formed you?

The people are chastised for their corruption, in the midst of YHWH's goodness.

Deuteronomy 32:7-8, Remember

Remember the days of old; 

consider the generations long past. 

Ask your father and he will tell you, 

your elders, and they will explain to you.

When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,

when he divided all mankind, 

he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel.

God has especially chosen Israel. The people of Israel are to remember that they are a special possession. If they have any doubts about God's work in their history, they should ask the generations before them! (This continues a theme of Deuteronomy: the older generation should make sure to pass on the knowledge to the younger.)

Deuteronomy 32:9-14, Allotted inheritance

For the LORD's portion is his people, 

Jacob his allotted inheritance.

In a desert land he found him, 

in a barren and howling waste. 

He shielded him and cared for him; 

he guarded him as the apple of his eye,

 like an eagle that stirs up its nest 

and hovers over its young,

 that spreads its wings to catch them 

and carries them on its pinions.

 The LORD alone led him; 

no foreign god was with him.

 He made him ride on the heights of the land 

and fed him with the fruit of the fields. 

He nourished him with honey from the rock, 

and with oil from the flinty crag,

with curds and milk from herd 

and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, 

with choice rams of Bashan 

and the finest kernels of wheat. 

You drank the foaming blood of the grape.

God first chose Jacob/Israel, then nourished and built up the descendants of Israel, guiding them through dry desert lands to prosperity. The images drawn here are beautiful, picturesque. The people of Israel are the apple (ie., pupil) of God's eye, ever in His vision and He acts as an eagle hovering over her young.

Deuteronomy 32:15-18, Fat Jeshurun

Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; 

filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. 

He abandoned the God who made him 

and rejected the Rock his Savior.

 They made him jealous with their foreign gods 

and angered him with their detestable idols.

They sacrificed to demons, 

which are not God--

 gods they had not known, 

gods that recently appeared, 

gods your fathers did not fear.

You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; 

you forgot the God who gave you birth.

Yet in their prosperity Jeshurun (Israel) has grown fat and abandoned God. (Jeshurun, a synonym for Israel, means "the upright one."  A similar sounding passage occurs in Isaiah 44:1-5.)

The result of YHWH's goodness in the previous paragraph is turned into "grew fat", "filled", "became heavy", as the people gorge themselves and turn away from the One who took care of them.

As Currid points out, the Hebrew word, lashshedim (לַשֵּׁדִים֙), translated "to demons" here, occurs only one other time in the Old Testament, in Psalm 106:37, where the NIV translates the word "to false gods". There the passage explicitly describes what is sacrificed: children. 

The song describes a cycle: despair, salvation, renewal, prosperity, self confidence, fall, despair....

Deuteronomy 32:19-21, Rejected

The LORD saw this and rejected them 

because he was angered by his sons and daughters.

"I will hide my face from them," he said, 

"and see what their end will be;

 for they are a perverse generation, 

children who are unfaithful.

They made me jealous by what is no god 

and angered me with their worthless idols. 

I will make them envious by those who are not a people; 

I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.

The people have rejected YHWH, who is a "jealous God", and YHWH responds that He will use another people to make the Israelites jealous. The apostle Paul, in his argument to fellow Jews in Romans 10:19, quotes verse 21.

There are echoes of this passage in the words of the prophet Hosea. (See, for example, Hosea 1:9 and Hosea 2:23.)

Deuteronomy 32:22-25, Wrath

For a fire has been kindled by my wrath, 

one that burns to the realm of death below. 

It will devour the earth and its harvests 

and set afire the foundations of the mountains.

 "I will heap calamities upon them 

and spend my arrows against them.

 I will send wasting famine against them, 

consuming pestilence and deadly plague; 

I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, 

the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.

In the street the sword will make them childless;

 in their homes terror will reign. 

Young men and young women will perish, 

infants and gray-haired men.

If the people of Israel have abandoned God, destruction then follows -- descension even into Sheol. The people perish in famines, wild animal attacks, attacks by foreign armies. The last verse describes the calamity as coming upon all, from young men and women to infants and the elderly.

Deuteronomy 32:26-27, Destruction paused

I said I would scatter them 

and blot out their memory from mankind,

but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy, 

lest the adversary misunderstand and say, `Our hand has triumphed; 

the LORD has not done all this.'"

As Moses reminds YHWH in Exodus 32:11-14, YHWH has promised Egypt and other nations that Israel is His People. For this reason, YHWH holds back the destruction of this broken nation of idolaters.

The phrase translated here "our hand has triumphed" is literally "our hand is high."  A hand held high was a sign of confidence and triumph.

Deuteronomy 32:28-35, Vine from Sodom

They are a nation without sense,

 there is no discernment in them.

If only they were wise 

and would understand this 

and discern what their end will be!

How could one man chase a thousand, 

or two put ten thousand to flight,

unless their Rock had sold them, 

unless the LORD had given them up?

For their rock is not like our Rock, 

as even our enemies concede.

Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom 

and from the fields of Gomorrah. 

Their grapes are filled with poison, 

and their clusters with bitterness.

Their wine is the venom of serpents, 

the deadly poison of cobras.

"What a messed up people these are!" says YHWH. Despite God's intervention, the people of Israel lean on weak rocks, weak foundations, vines from Sodom and Gomorrah, poisonous grapes and venomous snakes.

Deuteronomy 32:34-35, Vengeance belongs to YHWH

"Have I not kept this in reserve and sealed it in my vaults?

 It is mine to avenge; I will repay. 

In due time their foot will slip; 

their day of disaster is near 

and their doom rushes upon them."

 

Vengeance belongs to YHWH. He holds off the vengeance but only for a time. (This is a common message of the future prophets of Israel.)

Deuteronomy 32:36-38, Do the other gods help you?

The LORD will judge his people 

and have compassion on his servants 

when he sees their strength is gone 

and no one is left, slave or free.

He will say: "Now where are their gods, 

the rock they took refuge in,

the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices 

and drank the wine of their drink offerings?

Let them rise up to help you! 

Let them give you shelter!

Do the other gods really help? If the people of Israel worship them, then let those gods save Israel!

Deuteronomy 32:39-42, Only one God, only one Savior

"See now that I myself am He! 

There is no god besides me. 

I put to death and I bring to life, 

I have wounded and I will heal, 

and no one can deliver out of my hand.

I lift my hand to heaven and declare: 

As surely as I live forever,

when I sharpen my flashing sword 

and my hand grasps it in judgment, 

I will take vengeance on my adversaries 

and repay those who hate me.

I will make my arrows drunk with blood, 

while my sword devours flesh: 

the blood of the slain and the captives, 

the heads of the enemy leaders.

The song now turns from despair to victory. The people of Israel have only one Savior. In the end, this Savior will destroy Israel's enemies.

Deuteronomy 32:43, Atonement

"Rejoice, O nations, with his people,

for he will avenge the blood of his servants; 

he will take vengeance on his enemies 

and make atonement for his land and people.

At the end, YHWH avenges his people and provides atonement and salvation. At the end the nations, not just Israel, will rejoice. A version of this praise song appears in the New Testament in Revelation 15:2-4. 

Deuteronomy 32:44-47, "They are your life"

Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people.  When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law.  They are not just idle words for you--they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."

The song of Moses is a summary of the book of Deuteronomy, a summary of the covenant, intended to be sung and remembered.

In verse 44 the Hebrew is "Hoshea", a variant of Joshua

Deuteronomy 32: 8-52, Land from a distance

On that same day the LORD told Moses, "Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."

At the end of the song, on that same day, Moses is to climb Mount Nebo and look into Canaan.

First published May 23, 2023; updated May 22, 2026

Deuteronomy 31, Commission of Joshua

Moses continues his sermons on right actions in entering Jordan.

Deuteronomy 31:1-6, Be strong and courageous

Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: "I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The LORD has said to me, `You shall not cross the Jordan.'

The LORD your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the LORD said. And the LORD will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land.

The LORD will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Moses, aware of his impending death, gives a brief charge to Israel. His life is described in three forty-year periods: forty years in Egypt, forty years in the desert of Midian, forty years leading the Israelites. According to Currid, the number 40 often represents, in the Old Testament, a period of testing. (See Genesis 7:17, I Samuel 17:16, indeed even, Matthew 4:1-2, for a testing period in days.)

"Be strong and courageous" will be the theme of Joshua.

Deuteronomy 31:7-9, Joshua summoned

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.

Moses is passing on the mantle of leadership to Joshua. YHWH will continue to lead Israel but now Joshua is leader number two, the human leader following YHWH's instructions.

Currid says that verse 9 is the clearest statement in Scripture to the claim that Moses is the human author of the law. It is unclear here how much of the Torah (or even Deuteronomy) is being described by "this law."

Deuteronomy 31:10-13, Read the law every seven years

Then Moses commanded them: "At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people--men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns--so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."

The Israelites are to publicly read the Law together every seven years. Centuries later, in Nehemiah 8, at the end of the Babylonian exile, Ezra and other priests will bring out the Law and read it to the people, as the people celebrate their return to their homeland.

Deuteronomy 31: 14-15, Tent of meeting

The LORD said to Moses, "Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, where I will commission him." So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting.

Then the LORD appeared at the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the Tent.
 

Joshua, the people, and then YHWH, come together at the Tent of Meeting. YHWH appears and prepares to officially commission Joshua. The Tent of Meeting is not the Tabernacle, but the place set up outside the camp for YHWH to meet with Moses. (See Exodus 33:7-11.) Here it is Joshua with whom God meets; it is no longer Moses.

Deuteronomy 31:16-18, A final song

And the LORD said to Moses: "You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them.

On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and difficulties will come upon them, and on that day they will ask, `Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?' And I will certainly hide my face on that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.

God describe a future time in which the people of Israel will forsake Him and the disasters and curses mentioned previously (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68) will come to pass.

Deuteronomy 31:19-21, A final song

"Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. And when many disasters and difficulties come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath."

Moses is to sing a new song for the people in preparation for their years of desertion. This is one of three songs attributed to Moses. A triplet of instructions require that the song be written down, taught, then sung. The song, itself, is a "witness" to the covenant since the singing of the song indicates the people's agreement to the blessing of obedience and the curses of disobedience.

Deuteronomy 31:22-23, Commissioning of Joshua

So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites. 

The LORD gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: "Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you."

After the song is taught to Israel, it is now Joshua who is the representative of YHWH. The instructions to "be strong and courageous" are repeated.

Deuteronomy 31:24-26, The Law next to the ark

After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD: "Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God. There it will remain as a witness against you. 

The book of the Law is to be placed beside the ark, as a witness.

Deuteronomy 31:27-29, Rebellious and stiff-necked

"For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the LORD while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die! Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to testify against them. For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall upon you because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD and provoke him to anger by what your hands have made."

Currid translates, in verse 29, the phrase "disaster will fall upon you" as "evil will summon you", that is, evil is personified, explicitly inviting the nation to evil and to the curses that follow.

Deuteronomy 31:30, The song before the assembly

And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

Moses, repeating the issues of blessing and curse, prepares to recite the song YHWH has given him. That song will be in the next chapter. (Currid argues that this verse is really the heading for the song and that the chapter division should occur before this verse.)

First published May 22, 2023; updated May 21, 2026

Deuteronomy 30, Choose Life!

Moses has repeated the numerous blessings and curses that will occur in the nation of Israel, depending on their obedience or disobedience to YHWH.

Deuteronomy 30:1-5, Fortunes restored

When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.

Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.

Even if the people disobey, there are promises of restoration. This will be remembered much later during the Babylonian captivity.

Currid says that the Hebrew phrase translated here "most distant land under the heavens" is literally "at the end of the sky."

Deuteronomy 30:6-10, "Circumcise your hearts"

The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

The LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands I am giving you today. Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

And so the people are to have "circumcised hearts", an internal moral decision process, separate from their genetics and cultural heritage, that leads them and their descendants to stay close to YHWH.

Deuteronomy 30:11-16, This is not too difficult

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?"

No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

 

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.

For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

Moses argues that the Law is not too difficult – its principles are straightforward – and that one need not go up to heaven or across the ocean to find the answers.  But, focusing on all the many decrees, the broken people of Israel will find this difficult!

The apostle Paul quotes this passage in Romans 10:5-8, arguing there that through the Messiah, obedience to the Law is natural and by faith.

Commentator John Currid says that this passage is a contrast to the ancient Near Eastern culture, where, for example in The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh travels the world, even going beyond the sea, in a futile hunt for the meaning of life.

Deuteronomy 30:17-20, "Choose life!"

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Moses admonishes his listeners to "Choose Life!"  The blessings of the covenant bring life; disobedience brings death. The invitation includes a triplet of steps: love, listen, hold fast to YHWH.

Currid says that calling heaven and earth as witnesses was a standard feature of ancient Near Eastern treaties.

First published May 20, 2023; updated May 20, 2026

Deuteronomy 29, Prepare to Enter Canaan

Moses has reviewed  the Covenant, and a series of related decrees, with the people  of Israel and has then laid out the rituals required upon entering the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 29:1, Covenant at Moab

These are the terms of the covenant the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb. 

This verse sums up the past chapters and prepares us for a ratification of the covenant and final acts of Moses.

Deuteronomy 29:2-6, Clothes did not wear out

Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Your eyes have seen all that the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.

During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the LORD your God.

The covenant at Horeb/Sinai provided protection in the desert wanderings over 40 years. The text transitions to first person as YHWH speaks.

Deuteronomy 29:7-8, Sihon and Og

When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them. We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Enemy tribes were defeated during those wanderings and the land east of Jordan was given to the two-and-a-half tribes Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.

Deuteronomy 29:9-11, Carefully follow

Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do. All of you are standing today in the presence of the LORD your God--your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, together with your children and your wives, and the aliens living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water.

To continue this success the Israelites must carefully follow the covenant, here being renewed. This ratification will be done by everyone, from the "leaders and chief men" on down to the immigrants and servants who "chop your wood and carry your water."

Deuteronomy 29:12-15, Ready to re-enter the covenant

You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the LORD your God, a covenant the LORD is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

I am making this covenant, with its oath, not only with you who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God but also with those who are not here today.

An official ratification of the covenant is about to begin. Currid equates this ritual with the ratification of the covenant in Genesis 15, in which Abram walked between the two halves of an animal.

Deuteronomy 29:16-18, Idolatry

You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way here. You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold.

Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. 

Prohibitions against idolatry are reviewed. Sometime before (see Numbers 25:1-9) the Israelites had engaged in idolatry of Baal at Peor.

Deuteronomy 29:19-23, Idolatry

When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, "I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way." This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. 

"All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven. The LORD will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law. Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the LORD has afflicted it. The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur--nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in fierce anger.

The people may be tempted to focus on the blessings of the covenant and ignore the warnings and responsibilities that go with it.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah occurs in Genesis 19. Admah and Zeboiim were towns close to Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 14:8) and were presumably part of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those additional two towns are only mentioned in Genesis, here, and in Hosea 11:8, always in relation to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Deuteronomy 29:24-28, "Why?"

All the nations will ask: "Why has the LORD done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?"

And the answer will be: "It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them.  Therefore the LORD's anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. In furious anger and in great wrath the LORD uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now."

It is hoped that Israel will be a positive witness of YHWH. But they will be a witness in some sense, one way or another.

The paragraph ends with a strange phrase, "as it is now". Is this added by a later editor? Or is this a comment on the state of Israel at the time of these lectures, at the end of centuries of wandering?

Deuteronomy 29:29, Secrets and revelations

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

There are many things that YHWH keeps secret. The covenant law is not one of them.

First published May 19, 2023; updated May 19, 2026