Deuteronomy 28:68 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 28:68 Commentary: Reversal and Abandonment
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
This verse prophesies Israel's return to Egypt in ships and their desperate slavery with no buyer.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The curse of covenant breaking leads to the reversal of salvation and utter rejection.
- Key words: return (shuv, H7725), sell yourself (hit.mak.kar, H4376), ships (o.ni.yot, H0591), buyer (ko.Neh, H7069).
- Main debate: Whether the fulfillment is exclusively Roman or also includes earlier returns to Egypt.
- Theological theme: God’s sovereign judgment and the seriousness of sin, His redemption can be revoked by persistent rebellion.
- Best use: A sobering warning for believers to remain faithful, and a reason to cling to the new covenant sealed by Christ.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The LORD will return you to Egypt in ships by a route that I said you should never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
Yahweh will bring you into Egypt again with ships, by the way of which I told you that you would never see it again. There you will offer yourselves to your enemies for male and female slaves, and nobody will buy you.
KJV King James Version 1769
And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And Jehovah will bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I said unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and for bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`And Jehovah hath brought thee back to Egypt with ships, by a way of which I said to thee, Thou dost not add any more to see it, and ye have sold yourselves there to thine enemies, for men-servants and for maid-servants, and there is no buyer.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And Jehovah will bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I said unto thee, Thou shalt see it again no more; and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and there shall be no man to buy [you].
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The Lord shall bring thee again with ships into Egypt, by the way whereof he said to thee that thou shouldst see it no more. There shalt thou be set to sale to thy enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y Jehová te hará tornar á Egipto en navíos por el camino del cual te ha dicho: Nunca más volveréis: y allí seréis vendidos á vuestros enemigos por esclavos y por esclavas, y no habrá quien os compre.
E o SENHOR te fará voltar ao Egito em navios pelo caminho do qual te disse: Nunca mais voltareis: e ali sereis vendidos a vossos inimigos por escravos e por escravas, e não haverá quem vos compre.
Et l’ Éternel te ramènera sur des navires en Égypte, et tu feras ce chemin dont je t’ avais dit: Tu ne le reverras plus! Là, vous vous offrirez en vente à vos ennemis, comme esclaves et comme servantes; et il n’ y aura personne pour vous acheter.
Und der HERR wird dich mit Schiffen wieder nach Ägypten führen, den Weg, davon ich gesagt habe: Du sollst ihn nicht mehr sehen. Und ihr werdet daselbst euren Feinden zu Knechten und Mägden verkauft werden, und wird kein Käufer dasein.
En de HEERE zal u naar Egypte doen wederkeren in schepen, door een weg, waarvan ik u gezegd heb: Gij zult dien niet meer zien; en aldaar zult gij u aan uw vijanden willen verkopen tot dienstknechten en tot dienstmaagden; maar er zal geen koper zijn.
E l’Eterno ti farà tornare in Egitto su delle navi, per la via della quale t’avevo detto: “Non la rivedrai mai più!” E là sarete offerti in vendita ai vostri nemici come schiavi e come schiave, e mancherà il compratore!
I wróci cię Pan do Egiptu w okrętach, drogą, o którejmci powiedział: Nie oglądasz jej więcej; a tam zaprzedawać się będziecie nieprzyjaciołom swoim za niewolniki, i za niewolnice, a nie będzie kto by was kupił.
и возвратит тебя Господь в Египет на кораблях тем путем, о котором я сказал тебе: "ты более не увидишь его"; и там будете продаваться врагам вашим в рабов и в рабынь, и не будет покупающего.
耶和華 必使你坐船 回 埃及去，走我曾 告訴 你 不得 再 見 的路；在那裡 你必賣己身 與仇敵 作奴 婢，卻無人 買。」
And the Lord will take you back to Egypt again in ships, by the way of which I said to you, You will never see it again: there you will be offering yourselves as men-servants and women-servants to your haters for a price, and no man will take you.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 28:68
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Most commentators read this verse as the climactic curse of Deuteronomy 28: the complete reversal of the Exodus. The Hebrew verb form ve.he.shi.ve.Kha is a causative Hiphil, God himself orchestrates the return to Egypt. The reflexive Hithpael ve.hit.ma.kar.Tem means “you will sell yourselves,” suggesting desperation so deep that the people offer themselves for slavery. The final phrase “nobody will buy you” (ve.ein ko.Neh) intensifies the horror: they are not even worth owning.
Clarke cites Josephus to show that after Titus captured Jerusalem, captives over seventeen were sent to Egyptian mines. Gill adds that under Hadrian, so many Jews were sold that buyers could not be found. Wesley notes the bitter irony: at the Exodus Israel crossed the sea without ships, but now they return by ship into bondage. The verse thus stands as the ultimate warning against covenant breaking, God’s greatest deliverance is overturned, and His people are abandoned to a fate worse than slavery.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal historical view (majority): Points to Roman transport of prisoners to Egypt under Titus and Hadrian, recorded by Josephus.
- Symbolic/ongoing view: Interprets the curse as a recurring pattern for any generation that abandons the covenant.
- Route-debate view: Debates whether 'ships' and 'the way' refer to a specific geographical path (the Red Sea crossing) or a general mode of exile.
What is clear: This verse describes a curse of reversal, abandonment, and utter hopelessness as the consequence of persistent covenant breaking.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Historical fulfillment | Most commentators see a primary fulfillment in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70 and the Bar Kokhba revolt). | Some see earlier partial fulfillments, such as the flight of Judean refugees to Egypt after the murder of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 43) or the Ptolemaic period. |
| The function of ships | Ships emphasize the contrast with the dry crossing of the Red Sea at the Exodus. | Some take ships as literal Roman transport vessels; others see a more symbolic reference to the mode of exile. |
| No buyer | This clause points to extreme degradation and worthlessness. | Does it mean literally no one would purchase them (market glut), or that the Romans found them so loathsome they refused to own them? |
| Reflexive 'sell yourselves' | The Hithpael stem indicates an action the people perform on themselves. | Does it reflect active desperation (they offer themselves) or passive compliance (they allow themselves to be sold)? |
Historical & Cultural Context
The book of Deuteronomy structures itself as a covenant between Yahweh and Israel, modeled on ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaties. Deuteronomy 28 lists blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, escalating in severity. Verse 68 is the final curse, intended to leave the reader with no hope apart from repentance.
The reference to Egypt carries enormous weight. God had declared in Exodus 20:2 that He brought Israel out of the house of bondage. Returning to Egypt undoes that redemption. Deuteronomy 17:16 explicitly commands the king not to make the people return to Egypt. Now God himself will drive them back. The mention of ships is striking: the normal route from Canaan to Egypt was by land along the coastal plain or through the Negev. Ships imply a longer sea voyage, likely across the Mediterranean to the Nile Delta, the route Roman conquerors used for transporting prisoners of war.
Historically, the prophecy found its most vivid fulfillment in the Roman campaigns of AD 70 under Titus and AD 132, 135 under Hadrian. Josephus records that after the fall of Jerusalem, thousands of Jews were sent to the works in Egypt. Gill mentions that later, under Hadrian, the market was so flooded with Jewish slaves that no one would buy them. Clarke notes that the Romans considered it a reproach to have a Jew as a slave. There is also a partial fulfillment in the flight of Judean refugees to Egypt after the murder of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 43:7), but that was against God’s command. Ships also recall the Exodus miracle: Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry land. Now they go by ship, a stark reversal. The “way” (de.rekh) God said they would never see again is likely the path through the sea or the entire Exodus route.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Masoretic Text is consistent across manuscripts. Minor spelling differences (such as the presence or absence of a final heh in li.r.o.Tah) do not affect the meaning.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, this verse has been cited for centuries as a prophecy of ongoing exile and suffering. Medieval commentators like Rashi connected it to the Roman destruction and the continued dispersion. In Christian history, early church writers like Jerome referenced the verse as fulfilled in the Roman campaigns. During the Reformation, Calvin and Luther used it to warn against apostasy. Later interpreters, including many from the Protestant tradition, saw in it a demonstration of God’s justice and a call to covenant faithfulness. Today the verse is often read as a sobering backdrop to the hope of restoration found in the New Covenant in Christ.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Unthinkable Return. God brings His people back to Egypt, the place of their former bondage. The causative verb shows He is acting in judgment, reversing the greatest act of salvation in the Old Testament.
- The Desperate Sale. The reflexive “you will sell yourselves” indicates a people so broken that they offer themselves to slavery hoping for survival. They are willing to be slaves just to live.
- The Final Rejection. “Nobody will buy you.” This is the deepest humiliation: even slaves have value, but Israel has become worthless in their captors’ eyes. Utter rejection.
Five-point outline
- The Agent: Yahweh himself brings them back (causative Hiphil).
- The Route: Ships, a humiliating contrast to the dry road through the sea.
- The Destination: Egypt, the house of bondage, completing the reversal of the Exodus.
- The Act: They sell themselves, desperate to survive, they offer their bodies.
- The Tragedy: No buyer exists. The market rejects them. They are left in limbo, without even the status of property.
Illustration hooks
- A person returning to an abusive relationship because they see no other option, the pull of an old bondage.
- Trying to sell a broken item at a garage sale; even at a dollar no one wants it. The feeling of being disposable.
- Refugees arriving in a foreign land only to find closed borders and no country willing to take them in.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is this curse still in effect for the Jewish people today, or did it end with their modern restoration?
- What does this verse say about God’s character, does He abandon His people forever?
- How does this apply to Christians under the new covenant, when judgment for sin is covered by Christ?
Leading a Discussion
This verse is difficult. It shows the severity of covenant breaking. But understanding it helps us grasp the weight of sin and the wonder of grace. The curse is not the final word for those who turn back to God.
Discussion questions
- What does the phrase “by the way of which I told you that you would never see it again” refer to? (Observation, note Exodus 20:2, Deuteronomy 17:16)
- Why is a return to Egypt such a powerful curse? What does it say about God’s salvation?
- What does “you will sell yourselves” (Hithpael reflexive) tell us about the people’s state of mind?
- What does “no buyer” add to the curse? Why is that detail so devastating?
- How does this verse connect to the New Testament teaching on judgment (e.g., Hebrews 10:26-31)?
- In what ways might a Christian today be tempted to return to a “former Egypt”, a sin or lifestyle from which Christ redeemed them?
- How does this passage help us appreciate the depth of Christ’s redemption? Where do we find hope after such a curse?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 20:2 | “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. |
| Deuteronomy 17:16 | Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; because Yahweh has said to you, “You shall not go back that way again.” |
| Nehemiah 5:8 | I said to them, “We, after our ability, have redeemed our brothers the Jews that were sold to the nations; and would you even sell your brothers, and should they be sold to us?” Then they held their peace, and found not a word to say. |
| Esther 7:4 | For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for male and female slaves, I would have held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king’s loss.” |
| Jeremiah 43:7 | They came into the land of Egypt, for they didn’t obey Yahweh’s voice; and they came to Tahpanhes. |
| Jeremiah 44:12 | I will take the remnant of Judah that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to live there, and they will all be consumed. They will fall in the land of Egypt. They will be consumed by the sword and by the famine. They will die, from the least even to the greatest, by the sword and by the famine. They will be an object of horror, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach. |
| Hosea 8:13 | As for the sacrifices of my offerings, they sacrifice meat and eat it, but Yahweh doesn’t accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity, and punish their sins. They will return to Egypt. |
| Hosea 9:3 | They won’t dwell in Yahweh’s land; but Ephraim will return to Egypt, and they will eat unclean food in Assyria. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke sees this verse as a prophecy of Israel's return to a bondage resembling Egypt, where they would desperately offer themselves as slaves yet find no buyers. He notes the Romans considered Jewish slaves such a reproach that even in their desperation no one would purchase them, a fulfillment he ties to captives sent to Egypt after Jerusalem's fall.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin sees the threatened return to Egypt by ship as a deliberate reversal of the exodus: the same sea that parted for their escape would now carry them back into bondage. For him, such a journey would effectively undo the grace of redemption itself.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary highlights the return to Egypt as a shocking but fitting climax, one that naturally grows out of Deuteronomy's frequent reminder of Israel's past slavery. It also notes that some phrasing in this section may come
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the grim reversal: Israel, once rescued from Egypt, will be brought back there in ships and will try to sell themselves as slaves, but no one will buy them. This final curse shows total rejection, leaving them without even the value of bondage.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues this curse was literally fulfilled when the Romans transported captured Jews to Egypt by ship after Jerusalem's destruction. So many were sold as slaves that the market was glutted, and some offered themselves for sale but found no buyers, a just return for their rejection of Christ.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB emphasizes that this curse was literally fulfilled when the Romans under Titus shipped multitudes of Jewish captives to Egypt and sold them as slaves. He calls this a stunning proof of Moses' divine authority, a prophecy given millennia earlier that came to pass in documented history.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the exhaustive listing of every blessing and curse as deliberate—it proves that nothing in life is accident or human achievement, but God directly rules every particular. For him religion here is not knowledge or worship but daily experience, one day teaching another. This moral framing strips earthly prosperity of its attraction and gives suffering its purpose toward repentance.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry points out that Israel's punishment was a precise reversal of their sin. Because they refused to serve God with joyful hearts while enjoying every good thing, they would be forced to serve merciless enemies in desperate lack. The curses were not random but reflected the exact failure of their gratitude.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights the stark contrast between the miraculous exodus from Egypt without ships and the future judgment when the people will be carried there in ships as slaves. He interprets "by the way" as meaning the land of Egypt itself, where they will see it no more. The prediction that no one will buy them emphasizes their hopeless condition, fulfilled when the market was glutted or they became contemptible, as Josephus recorded.