Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah

Sforno on Deuteronomy 31:2/ספורנו על דברים ל״א:ב׳

אבֶּן מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה אָנֹכִי הַיּוֹם. וְאֵין לְהִתְעַצֵּב עַל מִיתָתִי, שֶׁלֹּא הָיִיתִי רָאוּי לִחְיוֹת עוֹד בַּטֶּבַע.
1בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום, Moses mentions his age to remind the people that there is no reason to be sad that someone of his age has to die. According to any life expectancy and law of nature, he was no longer fit to go on living by natural means.
בלֹא אוּכַל עוֹד לָצֵאת וְלָבֹא. וְגַם אִם הָיִיתִי חַי, לֹא הָיִיתִי יָכוֹל לָצֵאת וְלָבֹא לִפְנֵיכֶם בְּזִקְנָתִי.
2לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא, even if I were still able, I would not be able to function physically as a leader should, such as leading you in he conquest of the Land of Israel as I am suffering from symptoms of old age.
גוַה׳ אָמַר אֵלַי לֹא תַעֲבֹר. וְגַם אִם הָיִיתִי יָכוֹל לָצֵאת וְלָבֹא, הִנֵּה ה׳ אָמַר אֵלַי לֹא תַעֲבֹר, וְאִם כֵּן טוֹב לָכֶם שֶׁאָמוּת כְּדֵי שֶׁתּוּכְלוּ לַעֲבֹר.
3וה' אמר אלי לא תעבור, furthermore, G’d had said to me a while ago: “you will not cross;” even if I were physically capable of leading you, the fact that G’d told me that I would not cross the Jordan would have made my leadership pointless. You are therefore better off without me so that you will be able to cross.