Death and Burial of Moses

Click here to read Deuteronomy 34.

Chapter 34 gives an account of the dieing words of Moses, his death and burial and the account of Israel's mourning for him. It pronounces Joshua as the successor of Moses and describes his character.

Obviously Moses could not have written this chapter. Speculation is that it was written by Joshua or Eleazar or perhaps as some suggest, by Samuel. After Moses ended his prophecy concerning the Tribes of Israel, God took him up from the Plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, from there he had a view of the land of Canaan.

After viewing the land, Moses died and was buried. Jewish tradition has it that he was "translated" like Elijah was but the Bible says he was buried. We believe sense he was by himself that God buried him, unlike Jesus, whom He raised. The parallel being that the Law of Moses was to have an end but not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was buried in a valley near Bethpeor, the exact place is unknown. He was 120 years old when he died. His life was divided into three stages. He spent 40 years in Pharaoh's court, 40 years in Midian and 40 years wondering in the wilderness.

With the lost of Moses, the people of Israel mourned. They mourned for 30 days for of all the Prophets of Israel, there was none like Moses. Then Joshua, the Son of Nun, full of the spirit of wisdom, and ordained by the laying on of hands, the hands of Moses, became the leader of Israel.

THUS ENDS THE BOOK OF DEUTER0NOMY

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