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Deuteronomy 34:8

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 34:8 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended.
Deuteronomy 34:8 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 34

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
5So Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of Jehovah.
6And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.
7And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
8And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended.
9And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as Jehovah commanded Moses.
10And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face,
11in all the signs and the wonders, which Jehovah sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,
← Deuteronomy 34:7Deuteronomy 34:9 →
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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 the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, etc.] According both to Josephus f681 and the Samaritan Chronicle f682, they cried and wept in a very vehement manner, when he signified to them his approaching death, and took his leave of them; and when he was dead they mourned for him, in a public manner, the space of time here mentioned, the time of mourning for his brother Aaron, (<042029>Numbers 20:29); so the days of weeping [and] mourning for Moses were ended; on the eighth of Nisan or March, as says the Targum of Jonathan, and on the “ninth” they prepared their vessels and their cattle for a march, and on the tenth passed over Jordan, and on the “sixteenth”…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“wept for Moses . . . thirty days--Seven days was the usual period of mourning, but for persons in high rank or official eminence, it was extended to thirty (Gen 50:3-10; Num 20:29).”
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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
“Thirty day's - Which was the usual time of mourning for persons of high place and eminency. 'Tis a debt owing to the surviving honour of deceased worthies, to follow them with our tears, as those who loved and valued them, are sensible of the loss, and humbled for the sins which have provoked God to deprive us of them. Deuteronomy 34:9”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“wept for Moses: Gen 50:3, Gen 50:10; Num 20:29; Sa1 25:1; Isa 57:1; Act 8:2 Deuteronomy 34:9”
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Related study paths

Read Deuteronomy 34 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification