Moses’ Prayer to Enter the Land

Deuteronomy Rabbah’s expansion of Moses’ prayer to enter the promised land is based on its interpretation of Exodus 33:19: “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy” (NRSV). In the midrash’s interpretation, God bestows “mercy” on those who have earned a reward and “grace” on those who have not. Although God refuses Moses’ initial request to enter the land (Deuteronomy 3:25–26), Moses appeals to God again, saying that he does not claim to be deserving but that his request should nonetheless be granted on the basis of God’s self-proclaimed attribute of grace. The midrash derives this second prayer from Deuteronomy 3:23, “and I sought grace from the Lord.”