The Death of Moses

(Deuteronomy 34:1 - 34:12)
From the plains of Moab, Moses climbed Mount Nebo to the summit of Pisgah, across the river from Jericho.  Jehovah revealed to him the entire land from Gilead as far as Dan, all the territory of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah extending to the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev, the whole region of the Jordan Valley from Jericho, the city of palms, to Zoar.  Jehovah said to him, “This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I swore, ‘I will give this to your descendants.’  I have let you see the land with your own eyes, but you won’t go over there.”

And so Moses, the servant of Jehovah, died in the land of Moab, according to the will of Jehovah.  Jehovah buried him in Moab in a valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows the exact location.  Moses was 120 years old when he died, but neither his eyesight nor his vitality had diminished.  The Israelites grieved for Moses on the plains of Moab for 30 days, until the customary period of mourning had ended.

Joshua son of Nun was now instilled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid hands on him.  So the Israelites now obeyed him as Jehovah had commanded Moses they should do.

There has not arisen in Israel a prophet to compare with Moses, whom Jehovah knew personally.  Jehovah sent him to perform miracles and wonders in Egypt against the Pharaoh, his officials, and the entire country.  And with his awesome power Moses wrought these horrific acts of terror before the eyes of all Israel.

Notes
1. Moses was apparently in good health when he died.  He needed to be, in order to be able to climb Mount Nebo, which is well over 2000 feet above the Jordan Valley.  Of what then did Moses die?  Did Jehovah, finished with him, simply put him down like an aged family pet?

2. While the text insists that Moses was 120 years old when he died, we have seen that the Books of Moses consistently give preposterously, if not impossibly long life spans for the Hebrew forefathers.  The chronology of events and mere common sense suggest that Moses would have been many decades younger, even granted that the Israelites did wander as much as 40 years in the desert.  The time between Moses’ exile from Egypt and his return as Jehovah’s emissary and the Israelites’ spokesman could not have been more than a few years, not the many decades suggested in the biblical text.  If Moses had been 120 years old, he would have been 80 years older than any of the people he led (excepting Joshua and Caleb).

3. The view from Mount Nebo remains impressive, south to the Dead Sea, west to Jericho and even the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem.  However, the entire land can by no means be seen, irrespective of atmospheric conditions.  If Moses could see the Mediterranean and the territory of Dan, he must have been granted superhuman vision.
 
4. Moses is unique among biblical figures in that his burial place was purposely kept secret.  Apparently Jehovah buried him himself so that none of the Israelites would know the location of the grave.  (Did the Israelite god use a shovel?)  The only explanation for this would be to prevent the grave site from becoming a site of idolatrous veneration.

5. Joshua becomes the new leader of the Israelites.  He is, after Moses’ death, inspired in some way because Moses put his hands on him.  Was this merely ceremonial, or was something real, some power, some  wisdom, some aptitude for divine communion conveyed to him by Moses’ touch?

6. Moses would be the last prophet that Jehovah would know personally.  Is this due to Jehovah’s unwillingness to have direct relations with any of Moses’ successors or to Jehovah’s physical absence from the earth?