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Why was Moses not allowed to enter Canaan according to biblical tradition?

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Moses and the Ten Commandments — Moses *Moses Showing the Tables of the Law to the People*, oil painting by Rembrandt, 1659; in the Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin.

According to biblical tradition, Moses was prohibited from entering the land of Canaan due to his conduct at Meribah, near Kadesh-barnea.12

When the Israelites complained about a lack of water, God instructed Moses to command a rock to yield water. Instead, Moses, acting out of anger and impatience with the contentious people, struck the rock twice with his rod. Tradition interprets this act as a failure to demonstrate proper confidence in God and a lapse in his duty to represent God’s holiness correctly. Consequently, this incident was cited as the reason why Moses was not permitted to lead the people into the Promised Land.12

Despite this exclusion, Moses was later commanded by God to ascend a vantage point on Mt. Pisgah to view the land before his death.12