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The Greek Septuagint translation of Deuteronomy 34:8 adds the phrase “on the Jordan across from Jericho,” likely to match the account in Numbers. This shows an effort to connect Moses’s death with other themes in the Torah and to harmonize Deuteronomy with the geography and narrative of the earlier books.
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Deuteronomy 34:8
Hebrew Bible
7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, but his eye was not dull nor had his vitality departed. 8 The Israelites mourned for Moses in the rift valley plains of Moab for thirty days; then the days of mourning for Moses ended. 9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had placed his hands on him; and the Israelites listened to him and did just what the Lord had commanded Moses.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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LXX Deuteronomy 34:8
Septuagint
7 And Moses was one hundred and twenty years at his death; his eyes were not dim or ruined. 8 And the sons of Israel wept for Moses at Araboth of Moab, on the Jordan, down from Jericho, for thirty days, and the days of grief of weeping for Moses came to an end. 9 And Joshua son of Nun was filled with a spirit of understanding, for Moses put his hands on him, and the sons of Israel listened to him, and they did as the Lord commanded Moses.
Date: 3rd Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In Deuteronomy 34:8, the Septuagint plus “on the Jordan across from Jericho” has parallels in Numbers 26:3, 63; 31:12; 33:48; and 36:13 and can be understood as an alignment with the stereotyped phrase “in the plains of Moab on the Jordan across from Jericho” in the final third of the book of Numbers. In this case, the LXX of Deuteronomy 34 reflects what could be called a “Pentateuch-oriented variant.” A similar “Pentateuch-oriented variant” is found in verse 9 in the Samaritan Pentateuch ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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