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Deuteronomy

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Chapter 34

1 Then Moses ascended from the rift valley plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. The Lord showed him the whole land—Gilead⁠ to Dan, 2 and all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the distant sea, 3 the Negev, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of date palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’⁠ I have let you see it, but you will not cross over there.” 5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab⁠ as the Lord had said.⁠ 6 He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab⁠ near Beth Peor, but no one knows his exact burial place to this very day.⁠ 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. 10 No prophet ever again arose in Israel like Moses,⁠ who knew the Lord face to face.⁠ 11 He did all the signs and wonders the Lord had sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, all his servants, and the whole land,⁠ 12 and he displayed great power and awesome might in view of all Israel.

Texts in conversation

Compare Exodus 33:11 and Deuteronomy 34:10

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Exodus 33 describes Moses in the tent speaking to God face to face, unlike the dreams and visions given to other prophets. Deuteronomy echoes this tradition and says that no prophet has known God in the same way, describing Moses as uniquely privileged.

Passages

Exodus 33:11

Hebrew Bible
9 And whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people, each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise and worship. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, the way a person speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent. 12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name, and also you have found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your way, that I may know you, that I may continue to find favor in your sight. And see that this nation is your people.”
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Exodus

Deuteronomy 34:10

Hebrew Bible
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. 10 No prophet ever again arose in Israel like Moses, who knew the Lord face to face. 11 He did all the signs and wonders the Lord had sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, all his servants, and the whole land, 12 and he displayed great power and awesome might in view of all Israel.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Deuteronomy

References

"... The prophetic role of Moses is underscored in all of these traditions, from the language chosen in the judiciary tradition to depict Moses inquiring of God to the explicit use of the word “prophet” in Numbers 11:29, 12:6, and Deuteronomy 34:10. Yet assigning Moses the unqualified title “prophet” undercuts the way Numbers 12:6–8 privileges Moses’s prophetic office, calling it one of a kind. Other prophets, it is said, receive divine communication mediated through dreams and visions (Numbers 12:6). Such mediation is implied in two of the key terms for “seers” used throughout the Hebrew Bible’s prophetic corpus. In contrast, Moses’ prophetic office is one mediated by direct auditory communication with the divine. Visions and dreams require interpretation, unlike direct speech from God. Here the auditory clearly trumps the visual. And yet Moses receives direct visual communication too, as he sees God’s “form” directly rather than in the mediated dreamlike visions of lesser prophets. Levine speaks of Moses as being “the sole person with oracular access to God ... There is nothing intervening between God and Moses in the transmission of God’s voice.” For Levine, phenomenologically, the Tent of Meeting in Exodus 33:7-11 is “an oraculum.” Were one to blend in the tradition of Numbers 12:8, one would conclude that even this oraculum is like no other, for Moses sees as well as hears the divine. Adding in the even later tradition of Deuteronomy 34:10 provides a “knowing” intimacy that is unparalleled ..."
Theodore J. Lewis, The Origin and Character of God: Ancient Israelite Religion through the Lens of Divinity (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020), 562–563.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Exodus 33:11 and Deuteronomy 34:10

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