Ezekiel 7:13
in Ezekiel 7The seller will surely not recover what he sold while both remain alive. For the vision concerning the whole multitude will not be revoked, and because of their iniquity, not one of them will preserve his life.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they be yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, none shall return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.
KJV
For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they were yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, which shall not return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.
⋯
This verse in Ezekiel 7
Commentary
11 notes on this verse(Verse 13.) Because the one who sells will not return to that which he sold. He speaks according to the Hebrew custom. For every sale was returned to the seller in the fiftieth year of remission, which among them is called the Jubilee. Therefore, before the year of remission comes, when possessions return to their previous owners, captivity will come upon them, which will take away all the city's customs.
This site's exposition
The seller will surely not recover what he sold
on Ezekiel 7:13-14
“The seller will surely not recover what he sold while both remain alive,” which sets aside the seller’s right of redemption (Lev 25:14 and following). Exile removes buyer and seller alike from the land.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 13). The one who buys should not rejoice, and the one who sells should not mourn. It is natural to rejoice in the purchase of possessions and mourn in their sale. However, when slavery and captivity are imminent, both joy and sorrow are in vain. Hence, the Apostle says: Time is shortened. Henceforth, those who have wives should live as if they did not have them, those who weep as if they did not weep, those who rejoice as if they did not rejoice, those who buy as if they did not possess, and those who use this world as if they did not make full use of it (I Cor. VII, 29 seqq.). For just as the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24) Because his anger is upon all his people. This is found in the Septuagint. For the word 'people' can also be understood as 'multitude' and 'crowd' according to the Hebrew, for it signifies 'Amona.' And the reason is clear: that the one who buys should not rejoice, and the one who sells should cease mourning, because the anger of God will soon come upon all the multitude of the land of Judah, or Jerusalem. For it is understood from the preceding text, in which it is written: Thus says the Lord God of the land of Israel, etc.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
), the bulk of the common people. The judgments coming shall carry them away by wholesale, and they shall neither secure themselves nor their masters whose creatures and tools they were. God's judgments, when they come with commission, cannot be overpowered by multitudes.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
); the whole body of the nation has become a vessel of wrath, fitted for destruction. God does sometimes in wrath remember mercy, but now he says, My eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Yet alive - For if any should survive the captivity, yet the conqueror wasting and destroying all, would confound all ancient boundaries. Touching - The evils threatened are designed against all the multitude of Israel. Strengthen - Nor shall any one man of them all he able to secure himself, by any sinful contrivance.
For the seller shall not return to that which is sold,....
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
God's word will take place, and then, (1.) Particular persons cannot make their part good against God: No man shall strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life; it will be to no purpose for sinners to set God and his judgments at defiance as they used to do.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
although they were yet alive--although they should live to the year of jubilee. multitude thereof--namely, of the Jews. which shall not return--answering to "the seller shall not return"; not only he, but the whole multitude, shall not return.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
For the seller shall not return - In the sale of all heritages among the Jews, it was always understood that the heritage must return to the family on the year of jubilee, which was every fiftieth year; but in this case the seller should not return to possess it, as it was not likely that he should be alive when the next jubilee should come, and if he were even to live till that time, he could not possess it, as he would then be in captivity. And the reason is particularly given; for the vision - the prophetic declaration of a seventy years’ captivity, regards the whole multitude of the people; and it shall not return, i.e., it will be found to be strictly true, without any abatement.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Although they were yet alive - Though they be yet among the living. Which shall not return ... - He (i. e. the seller) shall not return; and, every man living in his iniquity, they shall gather no strength. Exile being the punishment of iniquity, the exiles were said to “live in their iniquity.”
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
For the seller will not return to that which was sold Once he goes into exile, he will not return and will no longer see the field that he had sold; so why should he mourn?
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
neither will the seller mourn Although one who sells his field usually grieves, he will not grieve because you are destined to go into exile.
They sound the shofar When the enemy comes upon them, they prepare themselves for war, but no one will go out to fight.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֣י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| הַמּוֹכֵ֗ר | hamokher | the seller | H4376 → | 80 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַמִּמְכָּר֙ | hamikar | the thing sold | H4465 → | |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָשׁ֔וּב | yashuv | he will return | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| וְע֥וֹד | veod | and still | H5750 → | 490 times |
| בַּחַיִּ֖ים | bachaiyim | [is] in <the> life | H2416 → | 498 times |
| חַיָּתָ֑ם | chaiyatam | life their | H2416 → | 498 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| חָז֤וֹן | chazon | [the] vision | H2377 → | 35 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | concerning | H413 → | 5510 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הֲמוֹנָהּ֙ | hamonah | multitude its | H1995 → | 83 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָשׁ֔וּב | yashuv | it will turn back | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| וְאִ֧ישׁ | veish | and anyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| בַּעֲוֹנ֛וֹ | baavono | in iniquity his | H5771 → | 233 times |
| חַיָּת֖וֹ | chaiyato | life his | H2416 → | 498 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִתְחַזָּֽקוּ׃ | yitchazaku | they will strengthen themselves | H2388 → | 291 times |
כִּ֣יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
הַמּוֹכֵ֗רthe seller
hamokherH4376 →80 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַמִּמְכָּר֙the thing sold
hamikarH4465 →
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יָשׁ֔וּבhe will return
yashuvH7725 →1056 times
וְע֥וֹדand still
veodH5750 →490 times
בַּחַיִּ֖ים[is] in <the> life
bachaiyimH2416 →498 times
חַיָּתָ֑םlife their
chaiyatamH2416 →498 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
חָז֤וֹן[the] vision
chazonH2377 →35 times
אֶל־concerning
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הֲמוֹנָהּ֙multitude its
hamonahH1995 →83 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יָשׁ֔וּבit will turn back
yashuvH7725 →1056 times
וְאִ֧ישׁand anyone
veishH376 →1663 times
בַּעֲוֹנ֛וֹin iniquity his
baavonoH5771 →233 times
חַיָּת֖וֹlife his
chaiyatoH2416 →498 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יִתְחַזָּֽקוּ׃they will strengthen themselves
yitchazakuH2388 →291 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 52:7“Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 17:5
This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.
- Ecclesiastes 8:8
As no man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has authority over his day of death. As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wickedness will not release…
- Psalms 49:6–20
They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.
- Psalms 73:18–20
Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin.
- Job 31:24–25
If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security,
- Jeremiah 17:5
Through
Ezekiel 13:22Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save their…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 23:14
And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness.…
- Jeremiah 14:13–17
“Ah, Lord GOD!” I replied, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.’”
- Ezekiel 13:16
those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD.’
- Jeremiah 23:14
About Ezekiel
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel.