Deuteronomy 28:68 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The chapter ends where Israel's national deliverance began. Egypt represents bondage from which the LORD had freed His people. Returning there by ship turns covenant rebellion into a complete undoing of security, freedom, and the expected path into the land.
The covenant curses culminate in a tragic reversal of the exodus, with Israel carried toward Egypt, offered into bondage, and left without rescue or refuge.
The Context of Deuteronomy 28:68
Deuteronomy 28 belongs to Moses' covenant address before Israel enters Canaan. Blessings for diligent hearing occupy the opening verses, followed by a long description of reversals if the people refuse the LORD. The warnings move through failed harvests, disease, defeat, oppression, family separation, invasion, siege, diminished population, and removal from the land. Verses 64-67 picture scattering among nations, idolatry, unrest, sorrow, and continual fear. Verse 68 closes the chapter with a return toward Egypt by ships and an attempt to sell the people into servitude. The image reverses the exodus liberation that formed Israel as the LORD's redeemed covenant people.
What Does Deuteronomy 28:68 Mean?
'Into Egypt again' is theological geography as well as a destination. The LORD had brought Israel out of the house of bondage and told the people they would no longer see the Egyptians in the same threatening way. Moses now warns of a journey back along a forbidden path, this time by ships. Freedom, land, and settled belonging unravel into transport by enemies. The verse's movement exposes the deepest direction of covenant rebellion: service to false gods eventually returns a people toward the slavery from which grace had delivered them.
Being sold as male and female slaves is presented as horror and curse. The text gives no approval to trafficking or ownership of human beings. 'No man shall buy you' intensifies abandonment: even the terrible prospect of purchase into an enemy household offers no stable endpoint or deliverance. The people are pictured as rejected, unwanted, and without ordinary rescuer. Readers should avoid turning a verse about Israel's threatened enslavement into an accusation against later enslaved peoples. The revealed warning belongs to this covenant setting and calls forth compassion for everyone subjected to trafficking.
The biblical story continues beyond this curse. Prophets promise a new gathering, and Jesus announces release to captives while accomplishing a greater exodus from slavery to sin and death. Redemption restores people to God's service and frees them for faithful life. Christian readers therefore hear both warning and vocation: returning to a former bondage is genuinely possible, and the Redeemer continues to call captives toward freedom. His people can embody that freedom by opposing trafficking, welcoming displaced neighbors, and refusing every economy that turns human beings into merchandise.
Bible Verses Related to Deuteronomy 28:68
“And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”
- Exodus 14:13
“But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.”
- Deuteronomy 17:16
“They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.”
- Hosea 8:13
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,”
- Luke 4:18
Where Deuteronomy 28:68 Echoes in Scripture
Hosea 8:13 warns that rebellious Israel will return to Egypt, using the exodus destination as an image of covenant reversal. Both passages portray false worship as a road back toward bondage, while Hosea's wider message still preserves God's compassion and future healing.
How to Apply Deuteronomy 28:68 Today
Support anti-trafficking work that combines prevention, survivor-led care, legal accountability, safe housing, and long-term economic support. Learn warning signs without confronting suspected traffickers in ways that endanger victims. Welcome refugees and displaced people with language help, employment access, and respect for agency. In personal discipleship, identify former bondages that still invite return and build accountable practices around freedom. Never use suffering or enslavement as evidence that victims deserved their condition. The chapter's final horror should strengthen resistance to every system that buys, sells, rejects, or abandons human beings.
Reflection & Prayer
What former bondage still presents itself as a route of escape or security? Pray: LORD who brought Israel out of Egypt, keep us in the freedom You give. Rescue trafficked people, expose those who profit, and make us faithful companions in restoration. Amen.