Deuteronomy 3:25

25 Let me cross over to see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and the Lebanon."

Deuteronomy 3:25 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 3:25

I pray thee, let me go over and see the good land that is
beyond Jordan
The land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey; a land which he describes as a most excellent one, ( Deuteronomy 8:7 Deuteronomy 8:8 ) . To see this land, he was very desirous of going over the river Jordan, beyond which it lay with respect to the place where he now was:

that goodly mountain, and Lebanon;
or, "that goodly mountain, even Lebanon"; which lay to the north of the land of Canaan, and was famous for cedar and odoriferous trees. But if two distinct mountains are meant, the goodly mountain may design Mount Moriah, on which the temple was afterwards built, and of which Moses might have a foresight; and some by Lebanon think that is meant, which was built of the cedars of Lebanon, and therefore goes by that name, ( Zechariah 11:1 ) and a foreview of this made the mountain so precious to Moses, and desirable to be seen by him. So the Targum of Jonathan;

``that goodly mountain in which is built the city of Jerusalem, and Mount Lebanon, in which the Shechinah shall dwell''

to which agrees the note of Aben Ezra, who interprets the goodly mountain of Jerusalem, and Lebanon of the house of the sanctuary. In the Septuagint it is called Antilibanus. Mount Libanus had its name not from frankincense growing upon it, as some have thought; for it does not appear that any did grow upon it, for that came from Seba in Arabia Felix; but from the whiteness of it, through the continual snows that were on it, just as the Alps have their name for the same reason; and so Jerom says F2 of Lebanon, that the snow never leaves from the tops of it, or is ever so overcome by the heat of the sun as wholly to melt; to the same purpose also Tacitus F3 says, and Mr. Maundrell F4, who was there in May, speaks of deep snow on it, and represents the cedars as standing in snow.


FOOTNOTES:

F2 In Hieremiam, c. 18. 14.
F3 Hist. l. 5. c. 6.
F4 Journey from Aleppo, p. 139, 140.

Deuteronomy 3:25 In-Context

23 At that time, too, I entreated the Lord, saying:
24 "O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your might; what god in heaven or on earth can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours!
25 Let me cross over to see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and the Lebanon."
26 But the Lord was angry with me on your account and would not heed me. The Lord said to me, "Enough from you! Never speak to me of this matter again!
27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and look around you to the west, to the north, to the south, and to the east. Look well, for you shall not cross over this Jordan.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.