Devarim 34:3

3 And the Negev, and the plain of the valley of Yericho, the Ir Hatemarim (City of Date Palms), unto Tzoar.

Devarim 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.

Devarim 34:3 In-Context

1 4 And Moshe went up from the plains of Moav unto Mt Nevo to the top of Pisgah, that is, over against Yericho. And Hashem showed him all Eretz Gil`ad, unto Dan,

2 And all Naphtali, and Eretz Ephrayim, and Menasheh, and all Eretz Yehudah, unto the Western [Mediterranean] Sea,

3 And the Negev, and the plain of the valley of Yericho, the Ir Hatemarim (City of Date Palms), unto Tzoar.

4 And Hashem said unto him, This is HaAretz which I swore unto Avraham, unto Yitzchak, and unto Ya’akov, saying, I will give it unto thy zera; I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

5 So Moshe Eved Hashem died there in Eretz Moav, as Hashem had said.