The Last Year of Moses and the Preparation for Canaan
| No. | Case | Timeline | Bible Verses | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 166 | Joshua appointed as Moses’ successor | Year 40, Month 10 | Numbers 27:12–23 | God instructs Moses to appoint Joshua publicly before Eleazar the priest and the congregation. Joshua is commissioned as Moses’ successor so that Israel will not remain without leadership after Moses’ death. |
| 167 | Offerings and feast regulations restated | Year 40, Month 10 | Numbers 28:1–31; Numbers 29:1–40 | The regular offerings, Sabbath offerings, monthly offerings, Passover, Weeks, Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles are restated for the new generation. This reinforces covenant worship before entry into the land. |
| 168 | Vows legislation given | Year 40, Month 10 | Numbers 30:1–16 | Moses gives laws about vows, especially regarding how vows made by women in family households were to be confirmed or annulled. The legislation stresses truthfulness, accountability and covenant order. |
| 169 | War against Midian | Year 40, Month 10 | Numbers 31:1–24 | Israel carries out divine judgement against Midian because of Midian’s role in leading Israel into sin at Baal-Peor. The campaign is both military and moral, showing that covenant corruption must be addressed before settlement in Canaan. |
| 170 | Balaam killed | Year 40, Month 10 | Numbers 31:8, 16 | Balaam, who had earlier blessed Israel but later counselled corruption through Midianite influence, is killed in the war against Midian. His death closes a major episode of spiritual threat against Israel. |
| 171 | Reuben and Gad request land east of Jordan | Year 40, Month 10 | Numbers 32:1–5 | The tribes of Reuben and Gad ask for the pastureland east of the Jordan because it is suitable for their livestock. Their request raises concern because it could appear as a refusal to enter the promised land properly. |
| 172 | Half-tribe of Manasseh joins east side | Year 40, Month 10 | Numbers 32:33, 39–42 | In addition to Reuben and Gad, part of Manasseh receives territory east of the Jordan after victories over Sihon and Og. This shapes Israel’s first territorial settlement before the Jordan crossing. |
| 173 | Summary of wilderness stages recorded | Year 40, Month 10 | Numbers 33:1–49 | Moses records the stages of Israel’s journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab. This summary functions as an official historical record of divine guidance, rebellion, judgement and preservation. |
| 174 | Boundaries of Canaan defined | Year 40, Months 10–11 | Numbers 34:1–15 | God defines the boundaries of the land west of the Jordan that Israel is to inherit. The land is presented not as undefined expansion, but as a measured inheritance assigned by divine authority. |
| 175 | Cities of refuge established in principle | Year 40, Months 10–11 | Numbers 35:9–15 | Moses gives instructions for cities of refuge where those guilty of accidental killing may flee for protection until proper judgement. This introduces an ordered legal framework for justice in the land. |
| 176 | Levitical cities assigned in principle | Year 40, Months 10–11 | Numbers 35:1–8 | The Levites are assigned towns and surrounding pasturelands among the tribes. This ensures that priestly and teaching functions are distributed throughout Israel rather than concentrated in one tribal territory. |
| 177 | Moses begins farewell speeches | Year 40, Month 11 | Deuteronomy 1:1–5; Deuteronomy 1:3 | Moses begins addressing Israel in the plains of Moab in the fortieth year, first day of the eleventh month. These speeches prepare the new generation spiritually, morally and legally for entry into the land. |
| 178 | Review of the wilderness journey | Year 40, Month 11 | Deuteronomy 1:6–46; Deuteronomy 2:1–25 | Moses reviews Israel’s journey from Horeb through Kadesh-barnea and the wilderness years. The review highlights disobedience, divine judgement and the passing of the old generation. |
| 179 | Rehearsal of the law | Year 40, Month 11 | Deuteronomy 4:1–49; Deuteronomy 5:1–33 | Moses restates and applies the covenant law for the new generation. This is not a new covenant, but a renewed covenant understanding for those about to enter Canaan. |
| 180 | The Shema proclaimed | Year 40, Month 11 | Deuteronomy 6:4–9 | Moses proclaims Israel’s central confession: the Lord is one, and Israel must love Him wholly. The Shema becomes one of the defining theological statements in biblical faith and identity. |
| 181 | Warnings against idolatry | Year 40, Month 11 | Deuteronomy 7:1–26; Deuteronomy 8:11–20; Deuteronomy 12:29–31 | Moses warns Israel not to adopt the gods, practices or pride of the nations in Canaan. These warnings are crucial because covenant success depends on loyalty to the Lord alone. |
| 182 | Blessings and curses declared | Year 40, Month 11 | Deuteronomy 27:11–26; Deuteronomy 28:1–68 | Moses sets before Israel the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. This section presents covenant life in moral and historical terms, linking conduct with national outcome. |
| 183 | Covenant renewed in Moab | Year 40, Month 11 | Deuteronomy 29:1–29; Deuteronomy 30:1–20 | The covenant is renewed in Moab for the new generation. Moses calls Israel to choose life, obedience and covenant faithfulness before entering the land. |
| 184 | Joshua publicly commissioned | Year 40, Month 11 | Deuteronomy 31:1–8, 14–23 | Joshua is strengthened before all Israel and charged to lead the people into the land. The commission confirms continuity of leadership under divine authority after Moses. |
| 185 | Song of Moses taught to Israel | Year 40, Month 11 | Deuteronomy 31:19–22, 30; Deuteronomy 32:1–47 | Moses is instructed to teach Israel a song that will stand as a witness. The song summarises God’s faithfulness, Israel’s future unfaithfulness and the justice of divine judgement. |
| 186 | Moses blesses the tribes | Year 40, Months 11–12 | Deuteronomy 33:1–29 | Before his death, Moses pronounces blessings over the tribes of Israel. The blessing serves as a final prophetic and pastoral act over the covenant people. |
| 187 | Zelophehad’s daughters marriage resolution | Year 40, Months 11–12 | Numbers 36:1–13 | The inheritance issue raised by Zelophehad’s daughters is resolved by requiring marriage within their tribal group so that land inheritance remains within the tribe. This protects both justice and tribal order. |
| 188 | Moses views the land from Mount Nebo | Year 40, Month 12 | Deuteronomy 34:1–4 | God shows Moses the promised land from Mount Nebo. Moses is allowed to see the inheritance, though not to enter it, because of his earlier disobedience at Meribah. |
| 189 | Death of Moses | Year 40, Month 12 | Deuteronomy 34:5–8 | Moses dies in the land of Moab according to the word of the Lord. His death marks the end of the wilderness era and the final transition to Joshua’s leadership. |
Explanation of the table
This section of the timeline is one of the most important turning points in the whole Exodus–wilderness narrative because it records the final preparation of the new generation before entry into Canaan. The emphasis shifts from wandering to settlement, from judgement to inheritance, and from Moses’ leadership to Joshua’s. The appointment of Joshua in Numbers 27 is especially significant because it secures continuity of leadership at the very point when Israel is about to cross from the wilderness period into conquest and possession. Without this transfer of authority, the nation would have entered the land at its most vulnerable moment without a recognised covenant leader.
Another major breakthrough in this table is the movement from military victory to legal and covenant order. The war against Midian, the death of Balaam, and the settlement of the east-Jordan tribes show that Israel is no longer merely surviving in the wilderness. They are already beginning to function as a people preparing for territorial inheritance. At the same time, the boundaries of Canaan, the cities of refuge, the Levitical cities and the resolution of Zelophehad’s daughters’ inheritance issue show that the future land is not treated simply as conquered territory. It is presented as a morally ordered covenant inheritance under God’s authority, with justice, worship and tribal stability built into its structure.
The farewell speeches of Moses are the theological centre of this table. Deuteronomy does not merely repeat earlier law; it interprets Israel’s past and sets the terms for its future. The review of the wilderness journey reminds the people of failure, the rehearsal of the law renews covenant understanding, the Shema states the heart of Israel’s faith, and the blessings and curses declare the moral consequences of obedience and disobedience. The covenant renewed in Moab is therefore a decisive national reset for the generation that will actually enter the land.
The closing entries are deeply significant because they bring together inheritance, warning, blessing and transition. Moses blesses the tribes, views the land, and then dies without entering it. This ending is both solemn and powerful. It confirms God’s faithfulness in bringing Israel to the threshold of promise, while also showing that covenant leaders remain accountable to God’s holiness. Overall, this table captures the final movement from the wilderness generation to the inheritance generation. It is the bridge between the Pentateuch and Joshua, between preparation and possession, and between Moses’ completed mission and Joshua’s beginning.
References
Ashley, T. R. (1993) The Book of Numbers. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Craigie, P. C. (1976) The Book of Deuteronomy. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Merrill, E. H. (1994) Deuteronomy. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman.
Olson, D. T. (1996) Numbers. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Thompson, J. A. (1974) Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press.
The Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version (1989) London: HarperCollins.