Moses ascends Mount Nebo where the Lord shows him the entire promised land from Gilead to the Negeb, saying this is the land sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses dies there in Moab at 120 years, his eye undimmed and vigor unabated, and God buries him in an unknown location. Israel mourns thirty days, Joshua succeeds him filled with the spirit of wisdom, and no prophet has since arisen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.
Read Deuteronomy Chapter 34 Summary
Characters in This Chapter

Faithful servant of God who delivers his final addresses to Israel before his death

Successor to Moses, commissioned to lead Israel into the Promised Land

King of Judah who Repented

Son of Jacob, Ancestor of David and Christ

Father of Many Nations

Son of Abraham

Father of the Twelve Tribes of Israel

First High Priest of the Second Temple

Ruler of Egypt during the Exodus
Places in This Chapter

Mount Sinai (Horeb), where God gave the law, referenced throughout Moses' addresses

Jericho, one of the oldest cities in the world, was the first Canaanite city conquered by the Israelites after crossing the Jordan River. Its walls famously fell after the Israelites marched around it for seven days as commanded by God through Joshua. Jesus later passed through Jericho, healing blind Bartimaeus and dining with the tax collector Zacchaeus.

Gilead was a mountainous region east of the Jordan River, known for its healing balm and rich pastures. It was home to the prophet Elijah and the judge Jephthah. Jacob and Laban made their covenant at a cairn of stones they named Galeed (Gilead). The region was allocated to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh.

Moab was a region east of the Dead Sea, inhabited by the descendants of Lot's son Moab. Ruth was a Moabite who famously left her homeland to follow Naomi to Bethlehem. Israel often had conflict with Moab, though King David entrusted his parents to the king of Moab for protection.

Egypt plays a significant role throughout the Bible, from the time of Abraham to the flight of the Holy Family. Joseph was sold into slavery there and rose to become second to Pharaoh, saving his family during famine. The Israelites were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years before God delivered them through Moses in the Exodus. Jesus' family fled to Egypt to escape King Herod, fulfilling the prophecy "Out of Egypt I called my son."
Position in Book
Joshua commissioned, the Song of Moses, Moses' blessing on the tribes, and Moses' death on Mount Nebo.
Bible Bites
Who Wrote About Moses' Death?
Deuteronomy 34 records Moses' death and burial, raising the question: who wrote it? Tradition suggests Joshua or another prophet completed this final chapter, as Moses could not describe his own death.
Deuteronomy 34

