Deuteronomy 34:5
in Deuteronomy 34So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
So Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of Jehovah.
KJV
So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 34
Commentary
9 notes on this verseAnd therefore, we do not read about him as we do about others, because he died in a state of deficiency: but he died through the word of God (Deuteronomy 34:5). For God neither experiences defection or diminution, nor does he undergo addition. Hence, the Scripture also adds: 'For no one knows his burial place until this day' (ibid. 6), so that you understand it as a translation rather than his demise. For death is a certain separation of the soul and body.
This site's exposition
So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab
on Deuteronomy 34:5-6
The title “the servant of the LORD” appears here for the first time in Scripture, in the sentence that records Moses' death. Joshua 24:29 gives it to Joshua at his.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Moses' death is recorded to have been even more sublime than his life. He died on a mountain peak and left behind neither trace nor memorial of his earthly burden in life. The impress of beauty was not altered by time but remained unchangeable in the changeable nature.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
So Moses the servant of the Lord died - He is called the servant of the Lord, not only as a good man, (all such are his servants) but as a man eminently useful, who had served God's counsels in bringing Israel out of Egypt, and leading them thro' the wilderness. And it was more his honour, to be the servant of the Lord, than to be king in Jeshurun.
So Moses the servant of the Lord died there, in the land of Moab,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
According to the word of the Lord - It denotes that Moses died, not because his vital powers were exhausted, but by the sentence of God, and as a punishment for his sin. Compare Deu 32:51.
WHAT an honorable title! Moses is distinguished as "the servant of Jehovah." He was this of choice, for he willed to be the servant of God rather than to be great in the land of the Pharaohs. Such he was most perseveringly throughout the whole of his life. Such he was most intensely, for he waited upon God for his directions, as a servant waits upon his master, and he endeavored to do all things according to the pattern which was shown him in the holy mountain.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
WHAT an honorable title! Moses is distinguished as "the servant of Jehovah." He was this of choice, for he willed to be the servant of God rather than to be great in the land of the Pharaohs. Such he was most perseveringly throughout the whole of his life. Such he was most intensely, for he waited upon God for his directions, as a servant waits upon his master, and he endeavored to do all things according to the pattern which was shown him in the holy mountain. Though he was king in Jeshurun, he never acted on his own authority, but was the lowly instrument of the Divine will. Moses was faithful to God in all his house, as a servant. You neither see him overstepping his office nor neglecting it. His reverence for the Lord's name was deep, his devotion to the Lord's cause was complete and his confidence in the Lord's Word was constant. He was a true servant of God from the time when he was appointed at the burning bush until the hour when he surrendered his keys of office to his successor and climbed the appointed mountain to die. Oh that you and I may so live as to prove ourselves servants of God! Unto as many as have received Him, our Lord Jesus has given power to become the sons of God and this is our great joy! But as sons we aspire to serve our Father, even as His great first-born Son has done, who took upon Himself the form of a Servant that He might accomplish His Father's good pleasure for His Church. Let us with good will do service unto our Father who is in Heaven, seeing it is but our reasonable service that we should lay out ourselves for Him who has made us His sons and daughters. Redeemed from the slavery of sin, let us, as the Lord's freemen, cry unto Him henceforth, "O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant and the son of Your handmaid: You have loosed my bonds." But servant of God as Moses was, he must die. It is the common lot of men.
So Moses - died - according to the word of the Lord - על פי יהוה al pi Yehovah, at the mouth of Jehovah; i. e., by the especial command and authority of the Lord; but it is possible that what is here said refers only to the sentence of his exclusion from the promised land, when he offended at the waters of Meribah.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּ֨מָת | vaiyamot | and he died | H4191 → | 839 times |
| שָׁ֜ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֧ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| עֶֽבֶד־ | ʾeved- | [the] servant of | H5650 → | 799 times |
| יְהוָ֛ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בְּאֶ֥רֶץ | beeretz | in [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מוֹאָ֖ב | moav | Moab | H4124 → | 181 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| פִּ֥י | pi | [the] mouth of | H6310 → | 498 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיָּ֨מָתand he died
vaiyamotH4191 →839 times
שָׁ֜םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
מֹשֶׁ֧הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
עֶֽבֶד־[the] servant of
ʾeved-H5650 →799 times
יְהוָ֛הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בְּאֶ֥רֶץin [the] land of
beeretzH776 →2504 times
מוֹאָ֖בMoab
moavH4124 →181 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
פִּ֥י[the] mouth of
piH6310 →498 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 15:3and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and wonderful are Your works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations!
it leads to
- Psalms 111:2
Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
- Exodus 15:1–18
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.
- Psalms 139:14
I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.
- Revelation 5:9–13
And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and…
- Psalms 145:17
The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.
- Psalms 111:2
Through
2 Peter 1:1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
it leads to
- Titus 2:13
as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
- Romans 3:21–26
But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.
- 2 Corinthians 4:13
And in keeping with what is written: “I believed, therefore I have spoken,” we who have the same spirit of faith also believe and therefore speak,
- Titus 2:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies11
About Deuteronomy
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, On Cain and Abel, Book 1, Chapter 2, Section 8; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1966: “The Death of Moses” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Gregory of Nyssa, INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS 1.56; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.