Mount Abarim

Biblical References

Mount Abarim appears chiefly in the accounts leading up to the death of Moses.

• Numbers 27:12-14: The LORD commands Moses to go up into Mount Abarim and see the land given to the children of Israel. He then tells Moses that he will die as Aaron did, because of the incident at the waters of Meribah in the wilderness of Zin (Numbers 20:12). The account continues immediately with the appointment of Joshua as Moses' successor (Numbers 27:15-23).
• Numbers 33:47-48: In the list of encampments on the Exodus journey, the Israelites "pitched in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo." From there they moved on to the plains of Moab opposite Jericho.
• Deuteronomy 32:49-52: The LORD commands Moses, "Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho," and there to behold the land of Canaan.
• Jeremiah 22:20: Abarim is mentioned alongside Lebanon and Bashan as a place of crying out, in a poetic expression of judgment against Judah.

The same word also appears in the encampment name "Ije-abarim" in Numbers 21:11 and Numbers 33:44-45.

Name and Geography

The Hebrew word Abarim is a plural noun related to the verb abar, "to cross over," and is commonly interpreted as "the regions beyond." It is understood to refer to the land lying across the Jordan River as seen from Canaan.

Because the name is plural, scholars generally regard Abarim not as a single mountain but as a highland region or mountain range forming the western edge of the Moab plateau. The region overlooks the northeastern end of the Dead Sea, and Mount Nebo and Pisgah are considered peaks or ridges within it. Scholars differ, however, on the precise extent of the range.

Broader Biblical Significance

Mount Abarim stands at the threshold between the end of the forty years in the wilderness and the entry into Canaan. Here Moses saw the Promised Land with his own eyes but was not permitted to enter it. The scene shows both that God's promise is fulfilled and that even a leader is personally accountable for obedience.

The name Abarim does not appear in the New Testament, but interpreters sometimes read this scene in connection with several New Testament passages.

• Hebrews 11:13: This verse states that people of faith did not receive the promises but saw them afar off and embraced them. The passage Hebrews 11:13-16 refers directly to the patriarchs, but it is often read alongside the account of Moses.
• Matthew 17:3: Some interpreters link the Transfiguration, in which Moses appears with Jesus, to the image of Moses at last standing in the Promised Land.

Interpretive Questions

Deuteronomy names the location in different ways. Deuteronomy 32:49 speaks of "this mountain Abarim … mount Nebo," while 34:1 speaks of "the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah." Traditionally, the three names are harmonized by regarding Abarim as the entire range and Nebo and Pisgah as peaks or ridges within it.

Concerning Moses' burial place, Scripture says only that he was buried in a valley over against Beth-peor and that "no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day" (Deuteronomy 34:6). Other traditions should be distinguished from the biblical text.

• 2 Maccabees 2: This chapter relates that Jeremiah hid the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant in a cave on the mountain from which Moses viewed the land. The Catholic Church accepts this book as canonical, whereas Protestants regard it as part of the Apocrypha and exclude it from the canon.
• Jude 1:9: This verse mentions that Michael disputed with the devil over the body of Moses. Early church writers are reported to have traced this story to Jewish literature outside the Bible. The text does not identify the location.