Deuteronomy 3:23
New International Version
At that time I pleaded with the LORD:

New Living Translation
“At that time I pleaded with the LORD and said,

English Standard Version
“And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying,

Berean Standard Bible
At that time I also pleaded with the LORD:

King James Bible
And I besought the LORD at that time, saying,

New King James Version
“Then I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying:

New American Standard Bible
“I also pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying,

NASB 1995
“I also pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying,

NASB 1977
“I also pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying,

Legacy Standard Bible
“I also pleaded with Yahweh at that time, saying,

Amplified Bible
“Then I pleaded with the LORD at that time [for His favor], saying,

Christian Standard Bible
“At that time I begged the LORD:

Holman Christian Standard Bible
At that time I begged the LORD:

American Standard Version
And I besought Jehovah at that time, saying,

Contemporary English Version
At that time I prayed and begged,

English Revised Version
And I besought the LORD at that time, saying,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then I pleaded with the LORD:

Good News Translation
"At that time I earnestly prayed,

International Standard Version
"I pleaded with the LORD at that time,

Majority Standard Bible
At that time I also pleaded with the LORD:

NET Bible
Moreover, at that time I pleaded with the LORD,

New Heart English Bible
I begged the LORD at that time, saying,

Webster's Bible Translation
And I besought the LORD at that time, saying,

World English Bible
I begged Yahweh at that time, saying,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And to YHWH I beg for grace at that time, saying,

Young's Literal Translation
'And I entreat for grace unto Jehovah, at that time, saying,

Smith's Literal Translation
And I shall entreat Jehovah in that time, saying,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I besought the Lord at that time, saying:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I beseeched the Lord at that time, saying:

New American Bible
It was then that I entreated the LORD,

New Revised Standard Version
At that time, too, I entreated the LORD, saying:
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And I besought the LORD at that time, saying,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I begged before LORD JEHOVAH at that time and I said:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And I besought the LORD at that time, saying:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I besought the Lord at that time, saying,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan
23At that time I also pleaded with the LORD: 24“O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your greatness and power to Your servant. For what god in heaven or on earth can perform such works and mighty acts as Yours?…

Cross References
Exodus 32:11-14
But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? / Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people. / Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’” ...

Numbers 20:12
But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”

Numbers 27:12-14
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range and see the land that I have given the Israelites. / After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was; / for when the congregation contended in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against My command to show My holiness in their sight regarding the waters.” Those were the waters of Meribah in Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin.

Deuteronomy 1:37
The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land.

Deuteronomy 4:21-22
The LORD, however, was angry with me on account of you, and He swore that I would not cross the Jordan to enter the good land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. / For I will not be crossing the Jordan, because I must die in this land. But you shall cross over and take possession of that good land.

Deuteronomy 31:2
he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’

Deuteronomy 34:4
And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”

Psalm 106:32-33
At the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them. / For they rebelled against His Spirit, and Moses spoke rashly with his lips.

Matthew 17:1-3
After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. / There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. / Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus.

Mark 9:2-4
After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. / His clothes became radiantly white, brighter than any launderer on earth could bleach them. / And Elijah and Moses appeared before them, talking with Jesus.

Luke 9:28-31
About eight days after Jesus had said these things, He took with Him Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray. / And as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white. / Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus. ...

John 1:17
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Acts 7:35-37
This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. / He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness. / This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’

Romans 8:3-4
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, / so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:7-11
Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory, / will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? / For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness! ...


Treasury of Scripture

And I sought the LORD at that time, saying,

2 Corinthians 12:8,9
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me…

Jump to Previous
Besought Entreat Pleaded Request Time
Jump to Next
Besought Entreat Pleaded Request Time
Deuteronomy 3
1. The conquest of Og, king of Bashan
11. This size of his bed
12. The distribution of his lands to the two tribes and half
23. Moses prays to enter into the land
26. He is permitted to see it














At that time
This phrase situates the verse within a specific historical context. The Israelites are on the brink of entering the Promised Land after years of wandering in the wilderness. "At that time" refers to a pivotal moment in Israel's history, emphasizing the urgency and significance of Moses' plea. Historically, this was a period of transition and anticipation, as the Israelites prepared to claim the land promised to their forefathers. The phrase underscores the immediacy of Moses' request and the critical juncture at which it was made.

I also pleaded
The Hebrew root for "pleaded" is "חָנַן" (chanan), which conveys a sense of seeking favor or grace. Moses, despite his leadership and close relationship with God, approaches with humility and earnestness. This reflects the deep, personal nature of his request and his understanding of God's sovereignty. The act of pleading indicates Moses' recognition of his own limitations and his dependence on God's mercy. It serves as a model for believers, illustrating the importance of approaching God with a humble and contrite heart.

with the LORD
The use of "the LORD" here is significant, as it translates the Hebrew "יהוה" (YHWH), the covenant name of God. This name emphasizes God's eternal, unchanging nature and His faithfulness to His promises. Moses' plea is directed to the covenant-keeping God, highlighting the relational aspect of his appeal. It reminds readers of the personal and intimate relationship that God desires with His people. The invocation of "the LORD" underscores the seriousness of Moses' request and his reliance on God's character and promises.

(23) Here begins the second section according to the Jewish division, called "And I besought" (vaeth channan).

(23-28) And I besought the Lord at that time.--Two things Moses is recorded to have asked for himself in the story of the exodus. The first is written in Exodus 33:18, "I beseech thee shew me thy glory;" the second is before us here. "O Lord GOD (Adonai Jehovah), thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand . . . I pray thee let me go over and see the good land beyond Jordan." It would seem that Moses desired not so much to view the land (which, indeed, was granted him), but to see the greatness of Jehovah manifested in the conquest, as he had seen it in the victories over Og and Sihon. While we cannot allow for a moment that "the old fathers looked only for transitory promises" (see Notes on Deuteronomy 5:16; Deuteronomy 22:7), yet it is impossible not to feel in this prayer of Moses the pressure of the veil which hung over the unseen world before the coming of our Saviour, who "brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel." Moses evidently did not realise that he might see the works of Jehovah and His glory still more clearly in the other world.

Verses 23-29. - Prayer of Moses. Moses knew that he was not to enter the Promised Land with the people; but, reluctant to relinquish the enterprise which he had so far conducted until he should see it successfully finished, he besought the Lord that at least he might be permitted to cross the Jordan, and see the goodly land. This prayer was presented probably just before Moses asked God to set a man over the congregation to be their leader to the promised land (Numbers 27:15-17); for the command to give a charge to Joshua, in that office, follows immediately, as part of God's answer to Moses' request (ver. 28), and the expression "at that time" (ver. 23) points back to the charge of Moses to Joshua, as contemporaneous with the offering of his prayer. In this prayer Moses appeals to what he had already experienced of God's favor to him, in that he had begun to show him his greatness and his mighty power. The reference is to the victories already achieved over the Amorites; these were tokens of the Divine power graciously manifested to Israel, and Moses appeals to them as strengthening his plea for further favors (comp. the pleading, Exodus 33:12, etc.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
At that
הַהִ֖וא (ha·hi·w)
Article | Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

time
בָּעֵ֥ת (bā·‘êṯ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 6256: Time, now, when

I also pleaded
וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן (wā·’eṯ·ḥan·nan)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2603: To bend, stoop in kindness to an inferior, to favor, bestow, to implore

with the LORD:
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 3:23 I begged Yahweh at that time saying (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 3:22
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