מָכַר (ma.khar)

The Hebrew verb maḵar means to sell, covering transactions that range from ordinary commerce to profound personal surrender. In its most common form, it describes the exchange of goods for a price, as seen when Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery in Genesis 37:28 or when landowners redeemed property in Leviticus 25. The word captures the legal reality of transferring ownership, whether dealing with merchandise, slaves, or even a daughter in marriage.

Its meaning extends significantly beyond simple trade. In the Niphal stem, it describes being sold or surrendering oneself to slavery, highlighting human vulnerability. Most strikingly, when applied to God, maḵar takes on a theological weight: He "sells" His people into the hands of their enemies as an act of judgment, a usage found in Judges 4:2 and Deuteronomy 32:30. This figurative sense portrays divine discipline not merely as punishment, but as a deliberate handing over to consequences.

Translators typically render maḵar as "sell," though the context often reveals deeper stakes. The verb’s flexibility allows it to bridge the mundane and the spiritual, describing both the sale of a garment and the tragic loss of freedom. Its root conveys a decisive transfer, reminding readers that in biblical thought, selling is never just a business deal—it involves identity, covenant, and fate.