Although you shall see from a distance the land that I am giving the Israelites, you shall not enter it.”
Parallel translations
- WEB For you shall see the land from a distance; but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel.”
- KJV Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.
- NKJV Yet you shall see the land before you, though you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving to the children of Israel.”
- NASB For you will see the land at a distance but you will not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.”
- NLT So you will see the land from a distance, but you may not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Moses will see the land from a distance but not enter it. The promise is shown to him, yet entry is withheld as the consequence of his sin.
Overview
God tempers discipline with grace, granting Moses sight of Canaan though not possession. There is real loss here, yet also mercy in letting him glimpse the fulfillment of God's covenant promise. The tension between seeing and not entering anticipates the New Testament hope: where Moses could not lead Israel in, Joshua (a name sharing the root of "Jesus") would, and Christ leads His people into the true rest (Heb. 4:8-9).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Deut 34:1–4Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan,
- Deut 32:49“Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab across from Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites as their own possession.
- Heb 11:13All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
- Deut 1:37The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land.
- Num 27:12Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range and see the land that I have given the Israelites.
- Deut 3:27Go to the top of Pisgah and look to the west and north and south and east. See the land with your own eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan.
- Heb 11:39These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 32:52 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.