Deuteronomy 34:3

3 and the south part, and the breadth of the field of Jericho, of the city of Palms, till to Zoar. (and the south part, or the Negeb, and the breadth of the plain of Jericho, yea, from the City of Palms, unto Zoar.)

Deuteronomy 34:3 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 34:3

And the south
The southern part of the land, even all of it; and having shown him that, he is directed eastward to take a view of

the plain of the valley of Jericho;
which lay before him, a delightful plain; see ( Joshua 5:10 ) ;

the city of palm trees;
so Jericho was called, because of the multitude of palm trees which grew there, and which Josephus not only testifies {r}, who speaks of it as a plain planted with palm trees, and from whence balsam comes; but several Heathen writers: Pliny says ^F19 Jericho was set with palm trees; Diodorus Siculus ^F20 speaks of the country about Jericho as abounding with palm trees, and in a certain valley, meaning the vale or plains of Jericho, is produced that which is called balsam; so Strabo says ^F21, Jericho is a plain surrounded with mountains abounding with palm trees, where there is a plantation of palm trees, with other fruit trees, the space of a hundred furlongs:

unto Zoar;
near the salt sea; see ( Genesis 19:22 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 De Bello Jud. l. 1. c. 18. sect. 5. & l. 4. c. 8. sect. 2.
F19 Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 14.
F20 Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 132.
F21 Geograph. l. 16. p. 525.

Deuteronomy 34:3 In-Context

1 Therefore Moses went up from the field places of Moab upon the hill of Nebo, into the top of Pisgah, (over) against Jericho. And the Lord showed to him all the land of Gilead, till to Dan, (And so Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, and then to the top of Mount Pisgah, opposite, or east of, Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,)

2 and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and of Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the last, or furtherest, sea; (and all of Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and of Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, as far west as the Great Sea, or the Mediterranean Sea;)

3 and the south part, and the breadth of the field of Jericho, of the city of Palms, till to Zoar. (and the south part, or the Negeb, and the breadth of the plain of Jericho, yea, from the City of Palms, unto Zoar.)

4 And the Lord said to him, This is the land for which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I said, I shall give it to thy seed; (now) thou hast seen it with thine eyes, and thou shalt not pass to it (but thou shalt not cross over to it).

5 And Moses, the servant of the Lord, was dead there, in the land of Moab, for the Lord commanded. (And then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there, in the land of Moab, as the Lord had said.)