Moses mentions his own denial from the Land on three separate occasions: 1:34-40, 3:21-29, and 4:21-22. In all of them, the fact of his denial is set at the center of the sections of texts in which they appear in Deuteronomy.
1:34-40
A. Yahweh's Response: "When Yahweh heard what you said, he was angry" v34
B. Decision on the Past Generation: "Not one of this evil generation shall see the good land" v35
C. Decision on One Faithful Scout: "Caleb . . . will see it" v36
D. Decision on Moses: "Even with me Yahweh was angry . . . 'You too shall not enter it'" v37
C'. Decision on another Faithful Scout: "Joshua . . . will enter it" v38
B'. Decision on the Next Generation: "Your children . . . who do not know good and evil . . . they will enter it" v.39
A'. Yahweh's Response: "As for you, turn around . . ."v40
3:21-29
A. Moses Commands Joshua Not to Fear, vv21-22 : ". . . I commanded Joshua, 'You have seen . . . over there where you are crossing over to'"
B. Moses' Plea to Yahweh, vv23-25 : ". . . Let me cross and see the good land . . . beyond the Jordan"
C. Yahweh's Anger with Moses, v26
B'. Moses' Plea is Denied, vv26-27: "See . . . for you are not going across this Jordan"
A'. Moses' Commission to Joshua, vv28-29: ". . . command Joshua . . . for he will cross over ahead of this people . . . he will cause them to inherit the land that you will see"
4:1-40
A. Summon to Obedience, vv.1-2
B. Israel's witness to Yahweh's deeds, vv.3-4
C. Israel unique among the nations, vv.5-8
D. Warning against Idolatry, vv.9-20
E. Denial of Moses from the land, vv.21-22
D'. Warning against Idolatry, vv.23-31
C'. Israel unique among the nations, vv.32-34
B'. Israel's witness to Yahweh's deeds, vv.35-38.
A'. Summon to Obedience, vv.39-40
This last passage is especially poignant for the particularly close verbal parallels with which Moses frames his denial as the center-piece of his challenge to GenB to obey the requirements of Yahweh:
"Hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. . . so that you may live . . . the land that Yahweh . . . is giving you," v.1.
"You saw what Yahweh did . . ." v.3.
"What nation is so great . . .? v.8.
"Be careful . . . lest you forget . . . in the land you are crossing to possess, . . . lest you become corrupt and make . . . an idol of any form," v.9, 14, & 16.
"I will not cross the Jordan . . the good land," v.21.
"" I will die in this land," v.22a.
"I will not cross the Jordan . . . the good land," v.22b.
"Be careful . . . lest you forget . . . become corrupt and make any kind of idol . . . you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing . . . to possess ," v.23 & 26.
"Has anything so great like this ever happened . . . ?" v.32.
"You were shown [passive from of 'you saw' in v3 above] things so that you might know that Yahweh is God . . ." v.35.
"Keep his decrees and commands I am commanding you. . . so that you may live long in the land Yahweh . . . is giving you," v.40.
Low Chai Hok
©Alberith, rev., 2021.