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NASB | Jude 1:9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Jude 1:9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil (Satan), and arguing about the body of Moses, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him, but [simply] said, "The Lord rebuke you!" [Deut 34:5, 6; Zech 3:2] |
Bible Question: What was the dispute over Moses' body between Michael and Satan? |
Bible Answer: Greetings prayon! Excellent question! The MacArthur NKJV Study Bible states, "'Michael...archangel.' The chief angel of God who especially watches over Israel (Dan. 10:13,21; 12:1) and leads the holy angels (Rev. 12:7). Nowhere else in Scripture is this struggle over the body of Moses mentioned. Michael had to fight with Satan to do God's bidding, as he did on another occasion in Dan. 10:13. 'body of Moses.' Moses died on Mt. Nebo in Moab without having entered the Promised Land and was secretly buried in a place not known to man (Deut. 34:5-6). It would likely be that this confrontation took place as Michael buried Moses to prevent Satan from using Moses' body for some diabolical purpose not stated. Perhaps Satan wanted to use it as an idol, an object of worship for Israel. God sent Michael, however, to be certain it was buried. This account was recorded in the pseudepigraphal Assumption of Moses.." The Bible Knowledge Commentary (NIV) NT Edition 2 states, "v. 9. The archangel Michael was sent to bury Moses’ body, but according to Jewish tradition (the pseudepigraphical book, The Assumption of Moses), the devil argued with the angel about the body, apparently claiming the right to dispose of it. But Michael, though powerful and authoritative, did not dare dispute with Satan, so he left the matter in God’s hands, saying, The Lord rebuke you! The false teachers Jude spoke of had no respect for authority or for angels. The apostates’ slandering of celestial beings (v. 8) stands in arrogant contrast to the chief angelic being, Michael, who would not dare slander Satan, chief of the fallen angels." We are sure that the dispute was over the body of Moses and that Michael opposed Satan regarding the destination or burial of it, but we cannot obtain a 'concrete' answer concerning the overall importance or magnitude of this situation, even though I believe that The Bible Knowledge Commentary and the MacArthur Study Bible have provided us with some great insights here. Nolan! |