Numbers 27:12-14
The LORD said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This command comes right after the daughters of Zelophehad are granted their inheritance, highlighting the bittersweet reality that while their future is secured in the land, Moses, the faithful lawgiver, will only get to see it from a distance. It’s a profound, and perhaps often overlooked, moment that underscores the absolute sovereignty of God's commands, even for His most beloved servants.
Just after settling inheritance matters for the daughters of Zelophehad, ensuring their place in the promised land, God directs Moses to ascend the Abarim mountain range. While Moses himself is forbidden from entering Canaan due to his past rebellion at the waters of Meribah, he is granted the bittersweet privilege of seeing the land he led Israel toward. This view from Mount Nebo serves as a final, poignant glimpse before his life's work concludes.
Imagine standing on the precipice of the greatest inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey, after 40 years of wandering. For Moses, this moment was both a privilege and a profound sorrow.
God calls Moses to ascend Mount Abarim, a mountain range on the eastern side of the Jordan River, to simply see the land He has promised to Israel. This isn't a command to enter, but to behold.
A Leader's Legacy
This command comes right after God has settled the inheritance for Zelophehad's daughters, a situation that highlighted the need for clear succession plans. It's a tender moment where God allows Moses, the man who led Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness, one last, breathtaking view of the destination he would not personally enter.
The Reason for Exclusion
While we don't get the full story here, the context from earlier in Numbers (and elaborated in Deuteronomy) reveals Moses' exclusion was due to his disobedience at the waters of Meribah. His sin, meant to be a moment of sanctifying God's name, became a point of rebellion. It’s a stark reminder that even leaders are not exempt from consequences.
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God's grace often extends beyond our immediate reach. Moses, the faithful servant, is granted a vision of the future he won't fully inhabit.
Mount Abarim, and specifically its peak Pisgah or Nebo, offers a vantage point. From here, Moses can gaze across the Jordan River into the fertile lands of Canaan. It’s a visual confirmation of God’s faithfulness to His promises, even for a generation that would be replaced.
Beyond the Physical Eye
This act of 'seeing' can be understood as more than just a physical sight. It’s a spiritual perception, a faith-filled glimpse of God’s enduring plan. Even though Moses, like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, wouldn't personally reside in the land, he could see it as a reality because God declared it so. This vision serves as a testament to the enduring nature of God’s covenant, a legacy that transcends individual lifetimes.
A Heavenly Echo
While Moses was excluded from Canaan, his story doesn't end in disappointment. His eventual presence with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, conversing with Jesus, suggests a profound heavenly perspective that dwarfs any earthly exclusion. His final view of the promised land becomes a powerful symbol of seeing God's ultimate kingdom.
Understand the original words
asaph · Hebrew Verb
A euphemism for death, reflecting the ancient Israelite view that death was a transition to join one's ancestors in the afterlife or Sheol, emphasizing the communal nature of life even after death.
marah · Hebrew Verb
An act of willful defiance or resistance against divine authority or instructions. It signifies a breaking of the relationship and trust established by God.
edah · Hebrew Noun
A collective body of God's people summoned for a specific purpose, often emphasizing their status as a unified covenant community before the Lord.
qadash · Hebrew Verb
To treat as set apart, distinct, or uniquely divine; failing to uphold this means to treat God as common or to diminish His singular majesty and authority in the sight of others.
This command to Moses comes at the very end of his life, shortly before his death. It highlights the profound sorrow of his exclusion from the land due to his disobedience, even as he's granted the consolation of seeing it from afar.
c. 1406 BC
Israelites enter Kadesh Barnea
After 40 years of wandering, the Israelites arrive at Kadesh Barnea in the wilderness of Zin. This marks the beginning of the final phase of their journey to the Promised Land.
c. 1406 BC
Moses strikes the rock at Meribah
At Meribah, when the people complained of thirst, Moses, in anger and disobedience to God's command to speak to the rock, struck it twice. This act resulted in God forbidding him from entering the Promised Land.
c. 1406 BC
Moses' request to enter Canaan denied
Moses pleads with God to be allowed to enter the Promised Land, but the decision stands due to his sin at Meribah.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
Moses appointed to see the land
God instructs Moses to ascend the mountains of Abarim to see the land He has given to Israel, though he will not enter it.
c. 1406 BC
Moses ascends Mount Nebo
Moses ascends Mount Nebo, likely a peak within the Abarim range, and surveys the Promised Land from a distance as instructed.
c. 1406 BC
Moses dies
Moses dies in the land of Moab at the age of 120, with no one knowing the exact place of his burial, as the Israelites mourn him for thirty days.
This passage directly echoes the command given to Moses, specifying Mount Nebo (part of the Abarim range) and reiterating the reason: to see the promised land before his death.
Deuteronomy 34:1This verse describes the fulfillment of the command, showing Moses ascending Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and God allowing him to see the entire land.
Hebrews 11:13This New Testament passage uses figures like Abraham to illustrate that many saw the promises of God from afar, much like Moses was granted the vision of the land he would not enter.
Psalm 78:15This psalm recounts God providing for Israel in the wilderness by parting rocks to give water, highlighting God's power to enable passage and provision, which is a parallel to Moses seeing the land after facing his own prohibition due to past disobedience at a water source (Meribah).
Matthew 17:3This event shows Moses, though barred from the earthly promised land, appearing with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, symbolizing a vision and foretaste of the heavenly kingdom he ultimately entered.
bensonNumbers 27:12: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel."
Numbers 27:12 . Abarim — The whole tract of mountains was called Abarim, whereof one of the highest was called Nebo, and the top of that Pisgah.
calvinNumbers 27:12-14: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel."
For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.
Quandoquidem rebelles fuistis ori meo in deserto Sin, in jurgio congregationls, ut sanctificaretis me in aquis coram oculis eorum.…
This command comes right after the daughters of Zelophehad are granted their inheritance, highlighting the bittersweet reality that while their future is secured in the land, Moses, the faithful lawgiver, will only get to see it from a distance. It’s a profound, and perhaps often overlooked, moment that underscores the absolute sovereignty of God's commands, even for His most beloved servants.
Just after settling inheritance matters for the daughters of Zelophehad, ensuring their place in the promised land, God directs Moses to ascend the Abarim mountain range. While Moses himself is forbidden from entering Canaan due to his past rebellion at the waters of Meribah, he is granted the bittersweet privilege of seeing the land he led Israel toward. This view from Mount Nebo serves as a final, poignant glimpse before his life's work concludes.
Just after settling inheritance matters for the daughters of Zelophehad, ensuring their place in the promised land, God directs Moses to ascend the Abarim mountain range. While Moses himself is forbidden from entering Canaan due to his past rebellion at the waters of Meribah, he is granted the bittersweet privilege of seeing the land he led Israel toward. This view from Mount Nebo serves as a final, poignant glimpse before his life's work concludes.
"The LORD said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, because you rebelled again…" — This command comes right after the daughters of Zelophehad are granted their inheritance, highlighting the bittersweet reality that while their future is secured in the land, Moses, the faithful lawg…
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