Bible Timeline · Traditional count about 1406 BC

Moses Dies on Mount Nebo

At 120 years old, Moses climbed Mount Nebo, saw the whole Promised Land from the top and died there. God Himself buried him, and no one knows where. Joshua took over, and centuries later Moses appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Read it in the Bible: Deuteronomy 31:1-34:12 Numbers 20:1-13 Jude 1:9 Matthew 17:1-3 Luke 9:28-36

Moses died on Mount Nebo, in what is now Jordan, at the age of 120. God let him see the whole Promised Land from the top of the mountain but told him he would not cross into it. Then Moses died, and God Himself buried him in a valley in Moab. No one knows where the grave is. By the traditional count this was about 1406 BC, at the end of the forty years in the wilderness, or in the 1200s BC on the later Exodus date. Joshua took over, and Israel crossed the Jordan without him. But that was not the last time Moses stood on a mountain with God.

Why Couldn't Moses Enter the Promised Land?

Near the end of the wilderness years, the people had no water at Meribah. God told Moses to speak to a rock. Moses, worn out and angry, called the people rebels and struck the rock twice with his staff, Numbers 20:10 to 11. Water still came out, because God is gracious. But God took it seriously.

But Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” Numbers 20:12

That can seem harsh for one bad moment. But Moses was the leader, and in front of the whole nation he acted as if the power came from him and his staff rather than from God's word. Leaders are held to a higher standard. And as we'll see, God's no was not the end of the story.

What Did Moses Do Before He Died?

The whole book of Deuteronomy is Moses' farewell. Over about two months on the plains of Moab, he retold the law to the new generation, the children of the ones who had left Egypt. He knew his time was short.

he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and Yahweh has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ Deuteronomy 31:2

He did four big things before he died.

He passed the torch to Joshua in front of everyone, Deuteronomy 31:7 to 8.
He wrote down the law and gave it to the priests to read to the people every seven years, Deuteronomy 31:9 to 13.
He taught Israel a song, the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32, so they would remember God's faithfulness and their own tendency to wander.
He blessed each tribe, Deuteronomy 33, ending with one of the most comforting lines in the Bible.

The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

His charge to Joshua is worth reading slowly.

Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that Yahweh swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. Yahweh Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:7 to 8

What Happened on Mount Nebo?

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. Deuteronomy 34:1

God gave him a guided tour of the land from Gilead in the north to the Negev in the south and the sea in the west. Then God reminded him of the promise.

And Yahweh said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.” Deuteronomy 34:4

Then the greatest prophet of the Old Testament died, and the Bible describes his burial in a way it describes no one else's.

So Moses the servant of Yahweh died there in the land of Moab, as Yahweh had said. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab … and no one to this day knows the location of his grave. Deuteronomy 34:5 to 6

Moses was still sharp at the end. His eyes were not weak and his strength had not left him, Deuteronomy 34:7. Israel mourned him for thirty days.

Who Wrote About Moses' Death?

A fair question. If Moses wrote Deuteronomy, how did he write about his own funeral? Jewish tradition in the Talmud says Joshua wrote the last part of chapter 34. That is the traditional view, and it makes good sense. Many modern scholars think most of Deuteronomy took its final shape much later, in the 600s BC. Either way, the chapter reads like a tribute written by someone who loved him.

Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face. Deuteronomy 34:10

What Is the Dispute Over Moses' Body in Jude?

The New Testament adds one mysterious detail.

But even the archangel Michael, when he disputed with the devil over the body of Moses, did not presume to bring a slanderous charge against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Jude 1:9

The Old Testament never mentions this argument. Early church writers like Origen said Jude was drawing on an old Jewish writing about Moses, often called the Assumption of Moses, which survives only in part. Jude's point is about humility, not the details of the fight. Even an archangel left judgment to God. Some have guessed God hid the grave so it would not become a shrine, which fits Israel's later habit of worshiping even Moses' bronze snake. We don't know.

Where Is Mount Nebo Today?

Mount Nebo rises about 817 meters, around 2,680 feet, above sea level in Jordan, west of the town of Madaba. On a clear day you can see the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea and Jericho. Christians built a church there by the 300s AD. The Franciscans bought the site in 1932 and excavated the ruins, and the restored Memorial Church of Moses reopened in 2016. Pope John Paul II began his pilgrimage to the Holy Land there in March 2000.

How Moses Points to Jesus

About fourteen hundred years later, Moses finally stood in the Promised Land. On a mountain with Jesus, Peter, James and John, Moses and Elijah appeared.

Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus. They appeared in glory and spoke about His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Luke 9:30 to 31

The Greek word for departure there is exodos. Moses, who led the first exodus, was talking with Jesus about the greater one, His death and resurrection that would set people free from sin. God's no at Meribah turned into a far better yes.

Moses had also promised that God would send another prophet like him, Deuteronomy 18:15, and Peter said that prophet is Jesus, Acts 3:22. Hebrews puts it this way. Moses was faithful as a servant in God's house, but Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house, Hebrews 3:5 to 6. Moses could lead Israel to the edge of the land. Only Jesus can bring us all the way home. As Moses himself prayed in Psalm 90:12, teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.

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Questions People Ask

How old was Moses when he died?

Moses was 120 years old, Deuteronomy 34:7. The Bible says his eyes were not weak and his strength had not left him.

Why was Moses not allowed into the Promised Land?

At Meribah, God told Moses to speak to a rock for water, but Moses angrily struck it twice instead. God said that because Moses did not trust Him or honor Him as holy before the people, he would not lead Israel into the land, Numbers 20:12.

Where was Moses buried?

Deuteronomy 34:6 says God buried him in a valley in Moab opposite Beth Peor, and no one knows the location of his grave. Mount Nebo, where he died, is in modern Jordan.

Did Moses ever enter the Promised Land?

Not during his lifetime. But in the Gospels Moses appeared with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, talking with Jesus about His coming death in Jerusalem, Matthew 17:3 and Luke 9:30 to 31.

Who wrote the account of Moses' death?

Jewish tradition in the Talmud says Joshua wrote the last verses of Deuteronomy about Moses' death. Many modern scholars think the book reached its final form later, around the 600s BC.

Sources

Mount Nebo, Via Peregrina

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