But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land.
Parallel translations
- WEB but I must die in this land. I must not go over the Jordan; but you shall go over, and possess that good land.
- BSB For I will not be crossing the Jordan, because I must die in this land. But you shall cross over and take possession of that good land.
- NKJV But I must die in this land, I must not cross over the Jordan; but you shall cross over and possess that good land.
- NASB For I am going to die in this land; I am not crossing the Jordan, but you are going to cross, and you will take possession of this good land.
- NLT You will cross the Jordan to occupy the land, but I will not. Instead, I will die here on the east side of the river.
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 would die east of the Jordan while Israel crossed to possess the land. It states his coming death plainly.
Overview
Moses accepts that he must die in the Transjordan, leaving the people to enter without him. His acceptance underscores that God's promise to Israel does not depend on any single leader. It points beyond Moses to the One who would lead God's people into their final inheritance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Deut 3:25I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.
- Deut 3:27Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
- Heb 12:6–10For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
- 2 Pet 1:13–15Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
- 1 Kgs 13:21–22And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,
- Amos 3:2You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 4:22 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.