Deuteronomy 28:68
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The verse highlights a profound reversal: the people who were miraculously delivered from Egypt with God's powerful hand will be forced back there by sea, becoming slaves. This isn't just about losing freedom, but about a complete negation of their identity, bought by the very nation God rescued them from.
And the LORD will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse concludes a long list of severe curses that will fall upon the Israelites if they disobey God's covenant. It depicts a final, devastating consequence: a forced return to Egypt, the very place from which God miraculously delivered them, but this time as enslaved people, to be sold with no buyers found. This profound reversal emphasizes the absolute totality of God's judgment for their persistent disobedience.
Imagine the unimaginable: returning to the very place you were once brutally enslaved, but under even more horrific circumstances.
The curse in Deuteronomy 28:68 doesn't just speak of returning to Egypt; it describes a fate more degrading than the initial bondage.
The Echo of Slavery
God’s people had just experienced a miraculous exodus from Egypt, a sign of their liberation and God's faithfulness. Now, He warns them that their disobedience will lead them back to Egypt, not as a people freed by God, but as slaves to their enemies.
Ships and Shame
The detail of returning 'with ships' is particularly striking. They left Egypt by land, led by God's pillar of cloud and fire. To return by sea, as captives, highlights the complete reversal of their fortunes and the deep shame associated with this forced journey. It’s a grim reminder of God’s power to both deliver and to bring judgment.
What could be worse than being sold into slavery? Being so worthless that no one will even buy you.
The final phrase of Deuteronomy 28:68 delivers a chilling picture of absolute worthlessness and divine abandonment: 'and no man shall buy you.'
The Glutted Market
This isn't just about being enslaved; it's about reaching a point of such desperation and degradation that even the slave markets have no place for them. The sheer number of captives, or perhaps their utter contemptibility in the eyes of their captors, leads to this profound humiliation.
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The Ultimate Rejection
This state of being unsought, unwanted, and unredeemed speaks volumes about the consequences of turning away from God. It signifies a complete loss of status, value, and hope, a stark testament to the curse that follows persistent disobedience.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal, covenantal name of God (YHWH). It reveals His self-existence, eternal nature, and His faithfulness to the covenant He established with His people.
Mitsrayim · Hebrew Proper Noun
Refers to the land of bondage from which God delivered Israel in the Exodus. Symbolically, it often represents a place of slavery, idolatry, and a return to the bondage from which God has redeemed His people.
oyeb · Hebrew Noun
Those who are hostile, opposing, or adversaries to God's people. This term can refer to political, military, or spiritual enemies who seek to oppress the covenant community.
ebed · Hebrew Noun
Individuals forced into servitude, lacking personal freedom and rights. Slavery in the Bible is a condition often associated with judgment, oppression, and the loss of the covenantal inheritance of freedom in the Promised Land.
This verse describes a future return to Egypt, not as deliverd people but as slaves, a stark reversal of their liberation. This prophecy vividly foretells periods of Jewish history where masses of people were captured and sold into slavery, notably after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, fulfilling this chilling prediction.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God miraculously delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt under Moses, promising they will never return there.
c. 1400 BC
Conquest of Canaan
After years in the wilderness, the Israelites enter and conquer the Promised Land of Canaan, establishing their homeland.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern kingdom of Israel, exiling its people and scattering them among foreign lands.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonians conquer the southern kingdom of Judah, destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, and exile the remaining population.
c. AD 70— this verse
Destruction of Second Temple
After a Jewish revolt, the Romans destroy Jerusalem and the Second Temple, leading to widespread dispersion of the Jewish people.
c. AD 135
Bar Kokhba Revolt Crushed
The failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt leads to further Roman oppression and a more severe scattering of Jewish people, with many sold into slavery.
This passage describes a group of Jewish refugees fleeing to Egypt after the destruction of Jerusalem, directly fulfilling the prophecy of being brought back to Egypt, albeit against God's command in this instance, showing the dire consequences of disobedience.
Lamentations 4:19-20This passage speaks of a nation's king being captured and taken to Egypt, highlighting the complete downfall and loss of sovereignty predicted in Deuteronomy, emphasizing the sorrow and exile that comes with God's judgment.
Hosea 8:13Hosea warns Israel that they will return to Egypt, showing that this theme of returning to bondage in Egypt was a recurring prophetic warning for persistent disobedience, reinforcing the severity of the curse.
Jeremiah 5:15-17This prophecy foretells a powerful, foreign nation (Babylon) being brought against Judah, who speak an unknown language, mirroring the description of the enemies in Deuteronomy who would oppress and conquer them, leading to such dire consequences.
calvinDeuteronomy 28:15-68: "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:"
- But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake th…
gillDeuteronomy 28:68: "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."
And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships,.... Either into a state of hard bondage and slavery, like that their fathers were in, in Egypt; or rather, strictly and literally, should be brought into Egypt again, since it is said to be "…
The verse highlights a profound reversal: the people who were miraculously delivered from Egypt with God's powerful hand will be forced back there by sea, becoming slaves. This isn't just about losing freedom, but about a complete negation of their identity, bought by the very nation God rescued them from.
This verse concludes a long list of severe curses that will fall upon the Israelites if they disobey God's covenant. It depicts a final, devastating consequence: a forced return to Egypt, the very place from which God miraculously delivered them, but this time as enslaved people, to be sold with no buyers found. This profound reversal emphasizes the absolute totality of God's judgment for their persistent disobedience.
This verse concludes a long list of severe curses that will fall upon the Israelites if they disobey God's covenant. It depicts a final, devastating consequence: a forced return to Egypt, the very place from which God miraculously delivered them, but this time as enslaved people, to be sold with no buyers found. This profound reversal emphasizes the absolute totality of God's judgment for their persistent disobedience.
"And the LORD will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”" — The verse highlights a profound reversal: the people who were miraculously delivered from Egypt with God's powerful hand will be forced back there by sea, becoming slaves. This isn't just about losin…
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Last reviewed October 2026
