Deuteronomy 34:7

Deu 34:7 And Moses [was] an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

Ver. 7. Nor his natural force {a} abated.] Jerome reads it, Nor his teeth loosed. And the use of manna might be some reason, it being an exquisitely pure kind of food, of an aerial, and not very corruptible substance.

{a} לחה gena, maxilla.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Deu 34:7. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died — But though he lived the full length of human life, and to an age which, in others that live up to it, is accompanied with many diseases and infirmities, yet this had made little or no alteration in him. By a miraculous work of God, in mercy to his church, and for the support of the great cause committed to him, it appears the full vigour of every faculty, both of body and mind, was preserved to him to his dying hour.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

34:7 At age 120, Moses was as strong as ever and in full possession of his faculties. He did not fail to enter Canaan because he died; he died because he failed to enter Canaan.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 7. His eye was not dim] Even at the advanced age of a hundred and twenty; nor his natural force abated - he was a young man even in old age, notwithstanding the unparalleled hardships he had gone through. See the account of his life at the end of this chapter (De 34:10).

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

7. an hundred and twenty years] Dates, we have seen, are characteristic of P; this one is a round number = three full generations (see on Deu_2:7); cp. Exo_7:7.

nor his natural force abated] Lit. nor had his sap fled or ebbed. The phrase cannot be assigned to one source more than another.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died,.... Which age of his may be divided into three equal periods, forty years in Pharaoh's court, forty years in Midian, and forty in the care and government of Israel, in Egypt and in the wilderness; so long he lived, though the common age of man in his time was but threescore years and ten, Psa 90:10; and what is most extraordinary is:

his eyes were not dim; as Isaac's were, and men at such an age, and under, generally be:

nor his natural force abated; neither the rigour of his mind nor the strength of his body; his intellectuals were not decayed, his memory and judgment; nor was his body feeble, and his countenance aged; his "moisture" was not "fled" (m), as it may be rendered, his radical moisture; he did not look withered and wrinkled, but plump and sleek, as if he was a young man in the prime of his days: this may denote the continued use of the ceremonial law then to direct to Christ, and the force of the moral law as in the hands of Christ, requiring obedience and conformity to it, as a rule of walk and conversation, Co1 9:21.

(m) So Ainsworth.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Eye. Hebrew also, "colour." His sight and complexion were as good as in his youth, though he was 120 years old. --- Moved. The rays "of glory never changed," but attended him to the grave. (Chaldean) Hebrew, "his natural force (and vigour) never left him; or his cheeks did not fall in." (Calmet) --- The Roman Martyrology places the death of Moses on the 4th of September, though the Rabbins say he died in the 12th month. (Salien)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

By a miraculous work of God in mercy to his church and people.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

7. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died — What an eventful life he has led since he lay “a weeping boy” in the ark by the river’s brink! Forty years pass, and he is in the prime of manhood, a prince taught in all the learning of the most cultured nation of remote antiquity. Then forty years he spends in the quiet pastoral life of Midian, and forty years in the varied experience of the wilderness wandering. Since he led the people out of Egypt a whole generation has passed away. Of those who crossed the Red Sea how many have left their bones in the desert! How few of those who heard the song of triumph, “I will sing unto Jehovah, for he hath triumphed gloriously,” (Exodus 15,) listened to the “blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death!”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Though Moses had reached the age of a hundred and twenty years, his eye had not become dim, nor were the juices of his body dried. Natural force. The word so rendered (jle) occurs only here; but it is doubtless the subst. connected with the adj. jl moist, fresh (cf. Gen_30:37; Num_6:3) and properly means moisture, freshness. It is used here of the natural juices of the body.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

His eye was not dim - By a miraculous work of God in mercy to his church and people.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Though he died at the age of one hundred and twenty (see at Deu 31:2), Moses' eyes had not become dim, and his freshness had not abated (לח ב̔́נ. כוד., connected with לח in Gen 30:37, signifies freshness). Thus had the Lord preserved the full vital energy of His servant, even till the time of his death. The mourning of the people lasted thirty days, as in the case of Aaron (Num 20:29).

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

one hundred twenty years old ... thirty days

"120 years old ... 30 days" (See: Numbers)

his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated

This means his eyes and body were still strong and healthy.

translationWords

mourn

Moab

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

לא כהתה עינו HIS EYE WAS NOT DIM — even after he had died (Sifrei Devarim 357:34).

ולא נס לחו means, nor did the life-sap that was in him depart (Sifrei Devarim 357:35): decomposition had no power over him (had no effect on his body), and the appearance of his face had not changed.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.