Yahweh spoke to Moses that same day, saying, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim, to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is across from Jericho; and see the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel for a possession. Die on the mountain where you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and was gathered to his people; because you trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you didn’t uphold my holiness among the children of Israel. For you shall see the land from a distance; but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel.”
Parallel Translations
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Yahweh spoke to Moses that same day, saying,
“Go up into this mountain of Abarim, to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is across from Jericho; and see the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel for a possession.
Die on the mountain where you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and was gathered to his people;
because you trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you didn’t uphold my holiness among the children of Israel.
For you shall see the land from a distance; but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel.”
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And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,
Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:
And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:
Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.
Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.
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And the LORD spoke unto Moses that selfsame day, saying:
'Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession;
and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people.
Because ye trespassed against Me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribath-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified Me not in the midst of the children of Israel.
For thou shalt see the land afar off; but thou shalt not go thither into the land which I give the children of Israel.'
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (28)
- Numbers 27:14 (v51) because in the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, to honor me as holy at the waters before…
- Numbers 20:11-14 (v51) Moses lifted up his hand, and struck the rock with his rod twice, and water came out abundantly. The congregation and their livestock…
- Genesis 25:8 (v50) Abraham gave up his spirit, and died at a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
- Numbers 20:24 (v51) “Aaron shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you…
- Deuteronomy 3:23-27 (v51) I begged Yahweh at that time, saying, “Lord Yahweh, you have begun to show your servant your greatness, and your strong hand. For what god…
Show all 27 cross-references
- 1 Kings 13:21-26 (v51) and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Yahweh says, ‘Because you have been disobedient to Yahweh’s mouth, and…
- Leviticus 10:3 (v51) Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahweh spoke of, saying, ‘I will show myself holy to those who come near me, and before all the…
- Numbers 33:38 (v50) Aaron the priest went up into Mount Hor at the commandment of Yahweh and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had…
- Deuteronomy 34:1-4 (v52) Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is opposite Jericho. Yahweh showed him all the land of…
- Numbers 27:12 (vv49, 52) Yahweh said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel.
- Genesis 15:15 (v50) but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age.
- Genesis 25:17 (v50) These are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred thirty-seven years. He gave up his spirit and died, and was gathered to his people.
- Genesis 49:33 (v50) When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people.
- Numbers 20:24-29 (v50) “Aaron shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you…
- Deuteronomy 1:37 (v52) Also Yahweh was angry with me for your sakes, saying, “You also shall not go in there.
- Deuteronomy 3:27 (v52) Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift up your eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and see with your eyes; for you…
- Deuteronomy 32:49 (v52) “Go up into this mountain of Abarim, to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is across from Jericho; and see the land of Canaan,…
- Isaiah 8:13 (v51) Yahweh of Armies is who you must respect as holy. He is the one you must fear. He is the one you must dread.
- Daniel 12:13 (v50) “But go your way until the end; for you will rest, and will stand in your inheritance at the end of the days.”
- Hebrews 11:13 (v52) These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they…
- Hebrews 11:39 (v52) These all, having had testimony given to them through their faith, didn’t receive the promise,
- 1 Peter 4:17 (v51) For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God. If it begins first with us, what will happen to those who don’t obey…
- Numbers 27:12-13 (v48) Yahweh said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. When you have…
- Numbers 33:47-48 (v49) They traveled from Almon Diblathaim, and encamped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. They traveled from the mountains of Abarim, and…
- Deuteronomy 34:1-5 (v49) Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is opposite Jericho. Yahweh showed him all the land of…
- Isaiah 33:17 (v49) Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. They will see a distant land.
- 2 Corinthians 5:1 (v49) For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the…
27 distinct cross-references across this passage (28 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (15 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v51 Ye were not earnest and constant to maintain mine…
Ye were not earnest and constant to maintain mine honor.
Or, of strife.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On v49 Nebo was a ridge or top of the mountains…
Nebo was a ridge or top of the mountains of Abarim. See Poole "Num 27:12"; See Poole "Deu 3:27".
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv48–50 And die in the mount whither thou goest up,....…
And die in the mount whither thou goest up,.... Immediately after having taken a view of the land, expect to die, prepare for it, and willingly and cheerfully submit to it:
and be gathered unto thy people; to the spirits of just men made perfect in heaven, his more immediate and more remote ancestors, the souls of good men; for otherwise there were none that died, and were buried here, before him, and therefore can have no respect to the buryingplace of his people:
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as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people; of which Moses was an eyewitness; and which is observed, because there was a great likeness between the death of him, and what Moses was now called to, both as to the place and manner of it; and likewise the cause of it, later mentioned; as also to make death more easy and familiar, and less terrible to him, when he cared to mind how calmly, cheerfully, and comfortably, his brother Aaron died; see Num 20:25.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv48, 49, 51, 52 That self-same day - Now he had finished his…
That self-same day - Now he had finished his work, why should he desire to live a day longer? He had indeed formerly desired and prayed, that he might go over Jordan: but now he is entirely satisfied, and saith no more of that matter.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv49–52 Verse 49. Get thee up into this mountain Abarim]…
Verse 49. Get thee up into this mountain Abarim] The mount of the passages, i. e., of the Israelites when they entered into the promised land. See Clarke on Nu 27:12.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv48, 50, 51 Deu 32:48-49. That self-same day — Now he had…
Deu 32:48-49. That self-same day — Now he had finished his work, why should he desire to live a day longer? He had indeed formerly desired and prayed that he might go over Jordan: but now he is entirely satisfied, and saith no more of that matter. Nebo — A ridge or top of the mountains of Abarim.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv49, 51, 52 Passages. The author of the Vulgate has given this…
Passages. The author of the Vulgate has given this explication of Abarim. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv48, 52 Get thee up . . . and die .…
Get thee up . . . and die . . . Because ye trespassed . . . at Meribah--(See on Num 20:13).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v48 48. That selfsame day — What a close to…
48. That selfsame day — What a close to a day so marked in the history of Israel! The echoes of this grand ode are dying away, the families of Israel are returning to their tents. To Moses, the great leader, comes the divine direction. He is now told, “Get thee up into this mountain;… behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: and die in the mount.” Comp. Num_27:12-14.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv48–52 48. that selfsame day] A standing phrase of P,…
48. that selfsame day] A standing phrase of P, e.g. Gen_7:13; Gen_17:23; Gen_17:26, Exo_12:17. Contr. the deuter. this day and the like. The day is that stated in Deu_1:3, also from P; q.v.
48–52. Moses’ Call to Death
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He is bidden climb Mt Nebo and view Canaan, and die there like Aaron on Mt Hor, because of his trespass against Jehovah at Ḳadesh. He shall see but not enter the Land.—The language (including the place-names) and the reason given for Moses’ failure to enter the Land, are those of P (see notes below). There is a doublet in Num_27:12-14. Which of the two passages is original and which editorial is doubtful. The additions to this one point to its being the later.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv48–50 (48) And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame…
(48) And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day.—The day in which he spake the song in the ears of all Israel.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv48–52 Vers. 48-52. On the day on which Moses rehearsed…
Vers. 48-52. On the day on which Moses rehearsed this song in the hearing of the people, his death was announced to him by God, and the command was again given to him to ascend Mount Nebo, thence to survey the Promised Land, and there to be gathered to his people. The same in substance, the command as given here differs slightly in form and in some minor particulars from that as recorded by Moses himself. (Num_27:12-14)
Vers. 48-52. Death immediately in view.
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The utterance of the sublime song which we have just treated on, was the last recorded public act of Moses. His work is all but done. He receives an intimation that the time is nigh at hand for him to "go up and die." The circumstances which gather round that death are most suggestive. The following passages should be compared together: Num_20:12 Num_27:12-14; Deu_1:37 Deu_3:23-28 Deu_4:21, Deu_4:22; Ps 106. Historically, the following points are indicated in this paragraph:
1. Moses recognized the call to die, as well as the call to work, as from God; ver. 48, "The Lord spake," etc.
2. His joy in death would be checked by the remembrance of faults in life (ver. 51). It is by no means clear to us why so severe a sentence was imposed on Moses for one outburst of temper. Dr. Jameson suggests that there may have been other circumstances, which are unrecorded, to account for it. Possibly, however, the phrases, "for your sakes," "for their sakes," furnish a clue to the reason. The people might need thus to be guarded against presumptuous sin.
3. Visions of the glorious land in store for God"s people would be granted him ere he quitted the earth. His joy would be rich, though not unalloyed (ver. 52).
4. The work which he had thus far carried forward must be completed by other hands. This is implied, and elsewhere expressed.
5. Moses, like the saints of God who went before him, must plunge into the unknown realm. He must "be gathered unto his people," as Aaron had been (ver. 50).
6. He would do so under the eye of the same God whom he so long had served. Till the very last he lives in fellowship with God. At the last he will die in fellowship with him.
No Christian expositor can fail to take note of the different aspect which death has to believers, since "life and incorruption" have been brought to light by Jesus Christ. The believer, at death, enters the invisible world. The names for it are "Sheol" and "Hades." The former is a Hebrew word, the latter Greek. Both mean (practically) the same, though they present the mysterious realm of the departed under different aspects. To the Hebrew it is the all-demanding world. To the Greek, the unknown region. In the New Testament (Revised Version) the word Hades is reproduced. But though the word is reproduced, its meaning is changed. The heathen view of Hades was that of a mysterious under-realm of the dead gloomy and without hope. The Jewish view of Sheol (LXX Hades) was also that of a mysterious under-realm gloomy, but with a hope of glory "in the awaking". (Psa_17:15) The Christian view of Hades is that of an invisible realm of departed souls, who are entirely under the mediatorial administration of the Son of God; a region without gloom, of perfect rest and of glorious hope for the believer. "Absent from the body: at home with the Lord." "Whether we live or die, we continue to be the Lord"s." Let us thankfully make use of this new light which Christ has thrown on the death of believers, in meditating on" Christian dying.
I THE CHRISTIAN IS ABSOLUTELY AT THE DISPOSAL OF HIS LORD, FOR WORK OR FOR REST, FOR LIVING OR FOR DYING. (Rev_14:9; Php_1:20) He will be prepared to say, "Lord, it belongs not to my care, whether I die or live." Work is worth doing only so long as Christ has it for us to do. Life is worth living only as we can serve Christ thereby.
II THE CHRISTIAN"S JOY IN DEATH MUST SURELY BE CHECKED AT THE THOUGHT OF NUMBERLESS DEFECTS, FAILURES, AND FAULTS IN LIFE. Whether or no there have been any such serious outbreaks as that of Moses, there must come rushing into memory so much defective work, so much mixed motive, such an utter lack of anything done or said which rose up to even his own ideal, that he would despair of his future, if it were not for the abounding grace of God; and even then, though this grace keeps him from sinking, and he may feel assured that his sin is forgiven, yet it must bring a shade over his spirit to think there has been so much for which he needed forgiveness!
III ACTIVE WORKERS AND LEADERS IN GOD"S CHURCH OFTEN LAY DOWN THEIR WORK WITH A STRANGE FEELING OF INCOMPLETENESS. Moses had brought the people thus far, just to the verge of the Promised Land I He would gladly have finished the work. But it was well for Moses to feel how entirely the work was of God and not of man. How many a worker would like to see this or that controversy closed, this or that Church settled, this publication completed, this convert a little more-established in the faith! But no. It is as God wills, and that will is best.
IV THOUGH GOD SUFFERS THIS SHADE OVER LIFE"S CLOSING HOURS, YET HE OFTEN CHEERS HIS SERVANTS BY BRIGHT VISIONS OF THE GLORY WHICH IS IN STORE FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD. Ver. 52, "Thou shalt see the land before thee." Yes, and Moses knew that, though he must leave the work incomplete, there was yet a great future for God"s Church, when the wilderness life was over. And so now. However decided may be the sense of unfinished work, with which God"s servants close their earthly career, they have no misgiving as to God"s finding others by whom the work will be carried on, nor have they a doubt as to the future triumphs of Christ and his cause. From the top of faith"s Pisgah, they "see the laud before them," and though it lieth afar off, yet the sight ravishes them. Lo! "a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
V MEANWHILE, THE SAINT MUST BREATHE HIS LAST BREATH, AND QUIT HIS HOLD OF EARTH, ENTER THE "GATES OF HADES", (Mat_16:18, Greek) AND FIND HIS PLACE, TILL THE LORD COMES, IN THE INVISIBLE WORLD. Like Moses, he must be "gathered to his people;" but he knows a great deal more than it is probable Moses did, of what that means. The words in Rev_1:18 are enough for faith, till God reveals the rest.
VI HE WILL DO SO, LIKE MOSES, UNDER THE EYE AND CARE OF THE SAME GOD WHOM HE HAS SERVED IN LIFE. By directions from God, Moses would go up to die. And what he thought thereon may be gathered from the words of his own blessing. "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Moses would not could not fail to take the comfort of all this for himself. We have a like comfort more clearly given. (1Th_5:10) Once Christ"s we are never out of his hands!
Vers. 48-52. Moses" end J.O. (see De 34)
Vers. 48-52. Death a judgment even to the most faithful servants of God.
After the solemn address to the people, God gives a personal address to Moses. It is about his approaching death. He is to see the land, but not to enter it, because he sanctified not the Lord at the waters of Meribah. It raises, therefore, the whole question of death as the portion even of the most faithful servants of God.
I IT IS SURELY REMARKABLE THAT, WHEN SAVED THROUGH THE MERCY OF GOD IN CHRIST, WE DO NOT BECOME IMMORTAL. Salvation seizes on the spirit, it becomes life through the righteousness of Jesus, but the body is still dead (or mortal) because of sin. (Rom_8:10) Why does salvation take our personality in installments? Save spirit first, and leave the body to the repairs of a resurrection? Can the procedure be vindicated? We think it can. For
II IF WE BECAME PHYSICALLY IMMORTAL THROUGH THE RECEPTION OF SALVATION, A MERCENARY ELEMENT WOULD BE INTRODUCED INTO OUR MOTIVES, AND MEN WOULD SEEK SALVATION TO ESCAPE THE PAIN OF DYING. Under the present arrangement, saint as well as sinner has to pass the dark portal. Dying is made the general lot of man, and, if salvation is desired, it is for spiritual purposes. Just as God does not promise immediate success to our efforts or our prayers, lest we should be tempted to live by sight and not by faith.
III IT IS NOT DESIRABLE THAT, WITH PARDON, WE SHOULD ESCAPE ALL SUFFERING FOR OUR SIN. It is a wise arrangement on God"s part, even when forgiving sinners, to take vengeance on our inventions. (Psa_99:8) For suppose that, in praying for pardon, we escaped all physical consequences of our sin, the result would be that pardon would be used as a great physical agent and factor, and the physical escape would be more thought upon than the spiritual. It is better, therefore, that things should take their course so far as the body is concerned, and that, meanwhile, the spirit should be the chief recipient of the benefit. God does not take the seeds of mortality, therefore, out of our bodies: he leaves them there as sin"s own work; and he gives us the earnest of complete redemption in the resurrection and emancipation of our spirits.
IV IT IS A SPLENDID TEST OF OUR FAITH IN GOD TO BE ASKED TO DIE. For up to the hour of death, we have found persons and things to lean upon in a measure; we have not as yet been left to lean on God alone. But when death comes, we are forced to lean on God only, if we are to have any support at all. God says, "Can you trust me, even when I take away your physical life?" "Though he slay me," said Job, "yet will I trust in him." Death brings us all to this test, and happy are we if we reach the same assurance.
The real is but the half of life; it needs The ideal to make a perfect whole; The sphere of sense is incomplete, and pleads The closer union with the sphere of soul.
Then let us, passing o"er life"s fragile arch, Regard it as a means, and not an end; As but the path of faith on which we march To where all glories of our being tend. R.M. E.
Vers. 48-52. Obedient unto death.
In Moses, Faith had achieved one of her most signal triumphs. From early youth to latest manhood, he had acted and "endured as seeing him who is invisible." No earthly or visible honor had ever enchanted his vision. He had lived very simply "in his Great Taskmaster"s eye." Therefore it was that he submitted to be deprived of the earthly Canaan without a murmur, "for he looked for a city which had foundations, whose builder and maker was God." To him death was but a darksome passage to an enduring home.
I THE GODLY MAN DIES AT GOD"S COMMAND. In this respect, Moses was a type of Christ, and has left us an example deserving our imitation. It should be enough for us to know that God requires it. It is no accident no unforeseen event. Every circumstance touching the believer"s death is wisely arranged by God. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Our Elder Brother has passed the dark valley before us, and his presence lights up the once gloomy way. "I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." At the girdle of our Captain hang "the keys of death and of Hades." "He opens, and no man shuts." To the genuine disciple death is no terror. "It is my Father"s voice I hear. I see his beckoning hand. I feel his sustaining arm." "Death is swallowed up in victory.
II THE GODLY MAN"S DEATH IS PARTLY JUDICIAL, PARTLY MERCIFUL. To the full-grown and ripe Christian, earth has little attraction. Its joys pall upon the taste. We aspire after nobler and better things. "I would not live always." A time comes in the good man"s history when he wishes the probation to close, and the real life to begin. The heir longs for his majority and for the ancestral heritage. The believer dies because death is the most convenient portal by which he can enter heaven.
Yet judgment is mingled with the mercy. Moses was on the tiptoe of earthly expectancy on the threshold of a great success, when God required him to relinquish all for heaven. To him it was revealed, in clearest form, that earlier sin required this late correction. For Israel"s sake, for the world"s sake, and for Moses" sake, his trespass must bear fruitage in loss and sorrow. In the very nature of things, it is impossible that men can sin without privation of some kind. We may flatter ourselves, at times, that God has winked at our folly, and that no ill consequence has ensued. But judge not prematurely. Possibly, in our last hours of life, the remembrance of that sin will rob us of our peace, will impose some serious loss. In the moral realm, whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.
III THE GODLY MAN DEPARTS THIS LIFE FROM THE MOUNTAIN-PEAKS OF PERSONAL ATTAINMENT. There were solid reasons in the Divine mind (partly hidden and partly revealed) why Moses should die upon the mount. He might have viewed the magnificent prospects, and then have descended to die. But mountains have often been selected by God as the scene of grand events. On the summit of a mountain we are inspired with a sense of awe. We take in the sense of the infinite. We are constrained to worship. Thence we are already half disposed to mount and soar to heaven. This is suggestive. When through much active energy of faith we have climbed the heights of practical holiness, we feel that the work of life is done. We have finished our course. There has been steady advancement thus far, and now, what next? We feel that the world is beneath our feet; and from this pinnacle of moral elevation we wait the revelation of the future, we prepare for the strange transition.
From such an elevation of faith, too, we clearly discern the scene of the Church"s future conquests. The past is a light which irradiates the prospective triumphs of truth and holiness. Much land remains to be possessed;" but the assurance of success is absolute. Already the foes of God are at our feet. "He must reign.
IV THE GODLY MAN"S DEPARTURE IS NOT TO SOLITUDE, BUT TO SOCIETY. "Thou shalt be gathered unto thy people." Whatever thoughts, or hopes, or fears this language of God suggested to Moses" mind, it suggests to our minds one of the charms of heaven. We love to think of it as a home. Next to the ecstasy which God"s presence shall inspire, is the rapture of reunion with departed friends. "In my Father"s house are many mansions." No question need distress us touching mutual recognition. Moses and Elijah were recognized as such when they came down in glorified state, and conversed with Jesus on the mount. Not a faculty shall be wanting there which we possessed here. "Then shall we know, even as also we are known." If men from distant climes shall "sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God," one main element of honor and of joy would be missed unless these illustrious patriarchs were known. D.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v49 Get thee up into this mountain . . .…
Deu_32:49-52
Get thee up into this mountain . . . and die in the mount.
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Moses commanded to ascend the mount and die
I. The apparently hard providence which befell Moses on this occasion.
1. It was death in the presence of unaccomplished work--a work to which Moses had consecrated his life, for which he had sacrificed much, and to which he had proved preeminently faithful.
2. It was a death amid shattered plans and unfulfilled hopes.
3. It came to Moses when, although old, he was yet vigorous.
II. But it was also a wise and loving providence.
1. It was the assertion of Divine impartiality.
2. It was a striking illustration of a mans sin following him in its results even when the sin itself has been forgiven.
3. It supplied a proof of the Divine adaptation of means towards the desired end.
4. It taught men that God was not dependent even upon the greatest and most honoured of His servants for the final triumph of His cause. (D. Davies.)
The scene and circumstances of Moses death
I. The loneliness of the death on Nebo. Moses was strong in faith, and its strength was tested here. It had often been tried before, and had stood the trial. In battles, in contentions with his people, it had been tested, and had stood the test. But what is death, when the blood is heated and the passions up, compared with death alone, apart from friends and friendly sympathy, with no kindly eyes and no sounds of loving words! There was great courage here. You have read of men who, in the excitement of battle, when death was strewing the red plain with human clay, rejoiced with a joy that knew no fear, and through the hell of carnage hewed their way to victory. In such cases death was met with great courage; but it was met with greater in the case of him who, with eye undimmed and natural force unabated, quitted a high post of command, abandoned an enterprise when on the eve of accomplishment, without understanding the why or wherefore, and with life vigorous and strong within him, alone, unaccompanied, and by human eye unseen, calmly awaited death.
II. The Nebo mystery--one sows and another reaps. Have you never known a man whose youth and early manhood have been industriously spent in preparation for the serious work of life, in whose breast noble aspirations burned, of whom it was evident that the world would be the better for him, and who, with extensive acquirements, mature culture, confirmed principles, and thorough training, was about to step thus equipped into the arena of life, resolved to leave his mark for good on his age and time, when the command came, Get thee up into the mountain, and die there, etc.? And the magnificent prospect of his life passed; the tree that many a sun had ripened and many influences of earth and sky had cherished, fell as its mass of blossom was passing into fruit. Have you never known a mother who, after a long and faithful training of her children, after patient watch and ward for many a year, during which she has considered no labour too great, no struggle too hard, no suffering and pinch too severe to equip them for the competition of life--as she is about to enter into the reward of her long and patient work, and to see in the success and gratitude of her children the recompense of many an anxious day and sleepless night, hears the command, sharp and sudden, from the Master of life, Get thee up, etc.? Have you never known a merchant who, after many a year of ceaseless toil, during which, by shrewdness and patience, he had amassed fortune enough to give him ease and comfort for the remainder of his life, when about to enter his Canaan of rest, is suddenly struck down, the command having come, Get thee up, etc.?
III. The ingredient of joy that was mingled in the cup. Be gathered unto thy people. These words imply a social heaven--not heaven as a dim, vague, ethereal scene,--but as a communion, a fellowship. Were it not so, our whole nature and instincts would require to be changed on entering it. As Aaron thy brother died. Why this allusion, if not to give comfort to the old man? if not to intimate that his death would be meeting with his brother? This prospect must have taken at least one pang from death, and infused at least one drop of joy into the bitter cup he was called to drink.
IV. The scene and prospect which Moses was permitted to enjoy. (John Stuart, D. D.)
The sin and punishment of Moses
It is a remarkable circumstance, not without an obvious moral, that the greatest favourites of the Almighty have been among the persons most severely dealt with by His providence. Not to mention our Saviour Himself--the only sinless, yet the most grievously afflicted of men--Abraham, the friend of God, was put to a trial; the afflictions of Jacob were also great; Jobs are proverbial; the painful vicissitudes of Davids life outnumber its successes; and St. Paul, the most heroic servant of God in New Testament times, was subject to a long course of calamities. The real cause of the affliction is always sin. If it be asked--How can this be consistent with the fact that the sufferings of the most distinguished instruments of Gods glory have been severe beyond the common lot of mortals? the answer is--that either we may observe in such persons great crimes set against signal virtues; or, at least, sin against peculiar light, and in spite of unusual grace: moreover, such are to be raised to remarkable heights of perfection; and this is not to be done but by means of chastisement and the stern discipline of affliction. Pass we, however, from general considerations to the individual instance before us.
I. The circumstances which gave occasion to the Divine decree against Moses--that he should not live to enter the promised land (see Num_20:1-29). The ground of the whole transgression seems to have been a hasty yielding to carnal passions; which in this case, as it ever does, shut out faith and reliance on God, and substituted distrust and self-confidence. And the criminality of this conduct was doubtless increased by the eminent dignity and great endowments of the offenders. It was for the head and legislator, and for the anointed High Priest, to set an example to the people of meekness and patient confidence.
II. The doctrinal and spiritual meaning, and results, of this event.
1. The inclination of the Israelites to idolatrous worship, imbibed chiefly in that nursery of superstitions, Egypt, was strong at all early periods of their history. Profound, also, must have been their veneration for that man of wonderful gifts, who had brought them with the arm of God out of the house of bondage, and for forty years had led them in the wilderness. Hence if Moses had finished his great work in his own person, and, together with the Israelites of this generation, the children and grandchildren of his early contemporaries, had taken possession of Canaan as the design and completion of the enterprise, it is most probable that he would, in spite of himself, have been deified by his superstitious countrymen; and either substituted for, or confounded with, the Divine Liberator, whose vicegerent he was.
2. That the commission to lead into Canaan the children of the people whom Moses by the Divine power had freed from Egypt, now devolved upon Joshua--or, as he is called in the New Testament, Jesus--is an instance which I cannot wholly pass by in silence, of the typical character of all Bible history. Moses was a type of Christ, in his office and character, as the deliverer, leader, and pastor of Gods flock, through the mingled trials and mercies of the wilderness; but Joshua was more remarkably so, in prefiguring our Lords going before His people into heaven, at His ascension, to take possession for and with them of the celestial inheritance.
3. There is an obvious and sublime sense, in the fact of Moses, the giver of the Law--the administrator of that imperfect and temporary dispensation, not going over into the Promised Land. His work was now done--his function was at an end. The conducting of the people was now handed over to another--to Joshua, the type of Christ as ascending up on high and entering into His rest; the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
III. This severity of God towards His servant Moses, so favoured and faithful in all His house, presents a very affecting circumstance. It admonishes us, how much of the good consequences of a life may be defeated by one act of prevarication and disobedience. It admonishes us to be careful how we finish our course, lest we lose these things which we have wrought, even within sight of the prize of our high calling. (R. Cattermole, B. D.)
What dying is
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to meet and mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says: There! shes gone! Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all. She is just as large in the mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side, and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of her destination. Her diminished size is in me, and not in her. And just at that moment, when someone at my side says, There! shes gone! there are other eyes that are watching for her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, There she comes! And that is--dying. (Episcopal Recorder.)
Yet thou shalt see the land before thee.--
Good cheer frown God
I. A message for Christian workers. Seed we have sown shall bear fruit when the hand that scattered it is at rest. Behind every Christian worker is God. Much of the work is hidden as yet, as Moses could not see the homesteads of the land, the divisions of the tribes, etc., but he could see the land. So can we by faith see in broad outlines the goal to which the Christian Church is travelling year by year. The evening of life shall be better than the morning.
II. A message to the Christian in his pilgrimage. The Jews could not think without regret of their life. Nor can we. What sublime mercy on Gods part! Gratitude itself grows dumb in silent wonder. We can only say, Forgive. But look forward now--what do you see? Many a failure, etc., yet the steady growth of the will of God in you--therefore the future shall be better than the past. Life ripening like harvest under the summer sun. At evening tide it shall be light--and lighter still when the veil of flesh is torn from the spirit.
III. A message to those who are not Christians. The people sitting in darkness have seen a great light,--it is turned upon you that you may see the land before you. (R. Betts.)
The happy people: who and why
We are wont to note the sayings of dying men. The testimony both of the godly and the ungodly is more valuable and reliable at such a time. Moses was specially fitted to give an estimate of Israels past experience and future prospects. He had been intimately connected with them for a lengthened period.
I. Who is Israel?
1. A perverse people. They are often rebellious, they murmur often, they bring upon themselves punishment because of their obstinacy. They are slow to learn and obey. The type and the antitype correspond. The people of God are often so; and the world often sees it. Their leader and they do not always agree.
2. A peculiar people. They are different from the nations around them.
3. A pilgrim people. They were yet in the wilderness when Moses spoke of them.
4. A protesting people. They were raised up for this very purpose. Ye are My witnesses.
5. A persecuted people. They were met by the Amalekites almost as soon as they had crossed the Red Sea. They had to encounter enmity and opposition all the way.
II. Wherein, then, consists Israels happiness? Not certainly in their worldly, external, visible circumstances. There is nothing in these to draw forth the rapturous enthusiasm of Moses. No; but his vision and his voice extend beyond things seen and temporal. Their happiness arises out of their relation to God, the only true God.
1. They are chosen by His grace. Underneath them are the everlasting arms.
2. They are redeemed by His ann.
3. They are guided by His eye. He goes before them; He is their reward.
4. They are kept by His power. He is their refuge and their strength. Jehovah-nissi: the Lord is my banner.
5. They are cheered by His presence, His promise, and His purpose.
III. There is no happiness like Israels.
1. Because none comes from so good a source. With Thee is the Fountain of Life. From this fountain flows the river of the water of life. Other sources fail; they are broken cisterns.
2. Because none can be enjoyed with so much security. The promise of God is the best security which we can possibly possess.
3. Because none is so satisfactory in its own character. Out of Christ there is no happiness to be enjoyed worthy of the nature with which we are endowed.
4. Because none is so beneficial in its effects. The world, with its pleasures and pursuits, degrades and hardens the heart that is engrossed with them.
5. Because none is so permanent in its duration. That knave, Death, as John Knox said, will take it all away--will mar the beauty, spoil the treasure, and bring the tenure to an end. (J. Smith, M. A.)
The happy people
I. Happy in their name. Israel signifies--
1. That God has chosen and prepared them to be His people.
2. That tie has privileged them with communion with Himself.
II. Happy in their salvation. Delivered from Satans yoke and dominion, etc.
III. Happy in their Divine help.
1. Protection.
2. Security.
3. Strength.
IV. Happy in the prospect of a complete conquest over all their enemies.
V. Happy in their ultimate arrival in the land of Canaan. (Homilist.)
Thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee.
The devil a liar
That arch-enemy, the devil, is a liar from the beginning; but he is so very plausible that, like mother Eve, we are led to believe him. Yet in our experience we shall prove him a liar.
1. He says that we shall fall from grace, dishonour our profession, and perish with the doom of apostates; but trusting in the Lord Jesus, we shall hold on our way and prove that Jesus loses none whom His Father gave Him.
2. He tells us that our bread will fail, and we shall starve with our children; yet the Feeder of the ravens has not forgotten us yet, and He will never do so, but will prepare us a table in the presence of our enemies.
3. He whispers that the Lord will not deliver us out of the trial which is looming in the distance, and he threatens that the last ounce will break the camels back. What a liar he is! For the Lord will never leave us, nor forsake us. Let Him deliver him now! cries the false fiend; but the Lord will silence him by coming to our rescue. He takes great delight in telling us that death will prove too much for us. How wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? But there also lie shall prove a liar unto us, and we shall pass through the river singing psalms of glory. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv48, 50 mountains of Abarim
mountains of Abarim
This is the name of a mountain range in Moab. (See: How to Translate Names)
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Abarim, up Mount Nebo
"Abarim and climb up Mount Nebo"
Mount Nebo
This is the highest place in the Abarim Mountains. (See: How to Translate Names)
opposite Jericho
"on the other side of the river from Jericho"
translationWords
Yahweh
Moses
Moab
Jericho
Canaan
Israel
possess
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv49–51 32:49 The mountains east of the river are a…
32:49 The mountains east of the river are a range of mountains overlooking the Jordan Valley. Mount Nebo, a prominent peak in this range, was the point from which Moses could view Canaan to the west and was also where he died (32:50; see 3:17).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.