Deuteronomy 34:7

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 34:7 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
Deuteronomy 34:7 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 34

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
7And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Moses [was] an hundred and twenty years old when he died, etc.] Which age of his may be divided into three equal periods, forty years in Pharaoh’s court, forty years in Midian, and forty in the care and government of Israel, in Egypt and in the wilderness; so long he lived, though the common age of man in his time was but threescore years and ten, (<199010>Psalm 90:10); and what is most extraordinary is, his eyes were not dim; as Isaac’s were, and men at such an age, and under, generally be: nor his natural force abated; neither the rigour of his mind nor the strength of his body; his intellectuals were not decayed, his memory and judgment; nor was his body feeble, and his countenance…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“His eye was not dim - By a miraculous work of God in mercy to his church and people. Deuteronomy 34:8”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“34:7 At age 120, Moses was as strong as ever and in full possession of his faculties. He did not fail to enter Canaan because he died; he died because he failed to enter Canaan.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“an hundred: Deu 31:2; Act 7:23, Act 7:30, Act 7:36 his eye: Gen 27:1, Gen 48:10; Jos 14:10, Jos 14:11 natural force abated: Heb. moisture fled Deuteronomy 34:8”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“Though he died at the age of one hundred and twenty (see at Deu 31:2), Moses' eyes had not become dim, and his freshness had not abated (לח ב̔́נ. כוד., connected with לח in Gen 30:37, signifies freshness). Thus had the Lord preserved the full vital energy of His servant, even till the time of his death. The mourning of the people lasted thirty days, as in the case of Aaron ( Num 20:29). Deuteronomy 34:9”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification