Epiphany · The Transfiguration of Our Lord (Last Sunday after the Epiphany) · Year C
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
The Death of Moses
February 27, 2028
Overview & Insights
“The Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I promised… I have let you see it with your eyes.’” (Deuteronomy 34:4)
The Last Mountain: The Blessing and Death of Moses · The speeches have been made, the sermon has been preached, the song has been sung. All that remains is for Moses to bid farewell and leave the stage, which he does in typical fashion (typical of him, and typical in another sense of his great successor), by climbing a mountain. Just before the final ascent, however, comes his parting blessing on the tribes of Israel. There is something beautiful in the fact that after all the dark chapters of curses, challenge, warning, and melancholic prediction, these last words are so rich in warmth, hope, and comfort. More than beautiful, it is the abiding theological truth of Deuteronomy, this monumental exposition of covenantal realities, that its final words acclaim the God who eternally loves God’s people and a people eternally saved by their God (33:27–29).
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Commentary
BibleHub: Commentaries on Deuteronomy 34:1 BibleHub
Gathers classic commentaries on Moses' final view of the land and his death.
Enduring Word: Deuteronomy 34 Enduring Word · David Guzik
Verse-by-verse notes on the death of Moses and his unmatched calling.
Precept Austin: Deuteronomy 34 Commentary Precept Austin
Word studies and gathered quotations on Moses' burial and legacy.
Working Preacher: Commentary on Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Working Preacher
Lutheran exegesis on God personally overseeing the good death of Moses.
CEP: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Center for Excellence in Preaching
Reformed preaching commentary comparing Moses' mountain face-to-face encounters at Sinai and Nebo.
Background & Word Study
BibleHub Interlinear: Deuteronomy 34:1 BibleHub
Hebrew text with parsing for the land Moses is shown and his death and burial.
Sefaria: Deuteronomy 34 (Hebrew) Sefaria
Hebrew text with English and classical Jewish commentary on the chapter.
Enter the Bible: Deuteronomy Enter the Bible
Luther Seminary's scholarly introduction to Deuteronomy as Moses' farewell discourse.
BibleProject: Book of Deuteronomy Overview BibleProject
Animated overview of Deuteronomy's shape as Moses' final words to Israel.
Questions preachers ask
How does Moses die?
From Mount Nebo, Moses views the promised land he will not enter, and dies there; God buries him, and “no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses” (Deuteronomy 34). The Torah ends on the threshold of the promise.
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