Deuteronomy 34:8

8 And the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were fulfilled.

Deuteronomy 34:8 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 34:8

And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of
Moab thirty days
According both to Josephus F14 and the Samaritan Chronicle F15, 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, ( 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" the manna ceased, according to the said paraphrase.


FOOTNOTES:

F14 Ut supra. (De Bello Jud. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 49.)
F15 Apud Hottinger, p. 456.

Deuteronomy 34:8 In-Context

6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor, but no one knows of his sepulchre unto this day.
7 And Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
8 And the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were fulfilled.
9 And Joshua, the son of Nun, was full of the Spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him; and the sons of Israel hearkened unto him and did as the LORD commanded Moses.
10 And there never arose a prophet since in Israel like Moses, who had known the LORD face to face,
The Jubilee Bible (from the Scriptures of the Reformation), edited by Russell M. Stendal, Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2010