The summit of Pisgah is redundant, Pisgah means summit. Opposite of Jericho alright, but I would translate this as the highest summit across from Jericho which seems to sound more understandable. The situation is that Moses is standing on the top of mount Nevo east of the Jordan river across from Jericho.

The western sea is an interesting translation. In the original Hebrew it says haYam HaAcharon which could mean the last sea or more precisely the sea in the back. If you are facing east, which would give you orientation of the sun rising in the east, the compass of ancient times. East in the Bible is called Kedem, the front, so west could be considered the back or acharon and so the translation the western sea would be precise in referring to the Mediterranean Sea which in other places in the Bible might also be referred to as the Yam a Hagadol the great sea.

I have no idea why the translator chose to write Gilead instead of Gilad.

I am not sure why the translator used the word the “plain” of the valley of Jericho for the Hebrew word Kikar, plaza would be a better translation. Maybe at some point we will find the time to investigate the meaning of the scripture in regard to this Kikar.

So again my translation of these verses would be:

Moshe  went up from the plains of Moav to Mount Nevo, to the highest summit, across from Jericho, and the LORD showed him the entire land: Gilad as far as Dan;  all Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasheh; the whole land of Yehuda as far as the Western Sea; the Negev; and the plaza of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar.

Please let me know what your thoughts are.

In our next class we will speak about the 12 physical locations that are mentioned in the above verses and try to visualize them and visualize what Moses saw when he stood on the top of Mount Nevo looking west, north and south into the promised land.

I promised to share some thoughts of inspiration from the passage that we read. I would like to think of Moshe who stood on peek of the mountain looking into the holy land and speaking with God just before his departure from this world knowing that he had completed his mission to bring the nation of Israel out of captivity in Egypt on their way to become a sovereign holy nation in the land of Israel. Let us all take strength from that event to steer us towards fulfilling our own mission and destiny in this world. Amen.

12 physical locations are mentioned in these verses.

The plains of Moav

Mount Nevo

Jericho

Gilad

Dan

Naftali

Efraim

Yehuda

The Western Sea

The Negev

The Plaza of the Valley of Jericho

Zoar