Obadiah 1 · Verse 20

Obadiah 1:20

And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

Obadiah 1:20, King James Version

Obadiah 1:20 in other translations

BSB	And the exiles of this host of the Israelites will possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath; and the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev.
WEB	The captives of this army of the children of Israel, who are among the Canaanites, will possess even to Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev.
ASV	And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, shall possess even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, that are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South.
YLT	And the removed of this force of the sons of Israel, That is with the Canaanites unto Zarephat, And the removed of Jerusalem that is with the Sepharad, Possess the cities of the south.
DARBY	and the captives of this host of the children of Israel shall possess what belonged to the Canaanites, unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, who were in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.
BBE	And those of the children of Israel who were the first to be taken away as prisoners, will have their heritage among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath; and those who were taken away from Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will have the towns of the South.
Webster	And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even to Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

What does Obadiah 1:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

20. the captivity of this host--that is, the captives of this multitude of Israelites. shall possess that of the Canaanites--Maurer translates, "the captives ... whom the Canaanites (carried away captive into Phoenicia) even unto Zarephath, shall possess the south," namely, Idumea as well as the south (Ob 19). Henderson, similarly, "the captives that are among the Canaanites," &c. But the corresponding clauses of the parallelism are better balanced in English Version, "the ten tribes of Israel shall possess the territory of the Canaanites," namely, Western Palestine and Phoenicia (Jud 3:3). "And the captives of Jerusalem (and Judah) shall possess the southern cities," namely, Edom, &c. Each has the region respectively adjoining assigned to it; Israel has the western Canaanite region; Judah, the southern. even unto Zarephath--near Zidon; called Sarepta in Lu 4:26. The name implies it was a place for smelting metals. From this quarter came the "woman of Canaan" (Mt 15:21, 22). Captives of the Jews had been carried into the coasts of Palestine or Canaan, about Tyre and Zidon (Joe 3:3, 4; Am 1:9). The Jews when restored shall possess the territory of their ancient oppressors. in Sepharad--that is, the Bosphorus [Jerome, from his Hebrew Instructor]. Sephar, according to others (Ge 10:30). Palæography confirms Jerome. In the cuneiform inscription containing a list of the tribes of Persia [Niebuhr, Tab. 31.1], before Ionia and Greece, and after Cappadocia, comes the name CPaRaD. It was therefore a district of Western Asia Minor, about Lydia, and near the Bosphorus. It is made an appellative by Maurer. "The Jerusalem captives of the dispersion" (compare Jas 1:1), wherever they be dispersed, shall return and possess the southern cities. Sepharad, though literally the district near the Bosphorus, represents the Jews' far and wide dispersion. Jerome says the name in Assyrian means a boundary, that is, "the Jews scattered in all boundaries and regions."

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 20 Zarephath - Sarepta, a city of the Sidonians, 1Kgs 17:9. That is, they should possess the whole city of Phoenicia, called here that of the Canaanites. Which is in Sepharad - This is a difficult word. Some think the Bosphorus is meant; others, Spain; others, France; others, the Euphrates; others, some district in Chaldea; for there was a city called Siphora, in Mesopotamia, above the division of the Euphrates. Dr. Lightfoot says it was a part of Edom. Those who were captives among the Canaanites should possess the country of the Canaanites; and those whom the Edomites had enslaved should possess the cities of their masters. See Newcome and Lowth.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Obadiah 1:17-21

There should be deliverance and holiness at Jerusalem, and the house of Jacob would again occupy their possessions. Much of this prophecy was fulfilled when the Jews returned to their own land. But the salvation and holiness of the gospel, its spread, and the conversion of the Gentiles, seem also to be intended, especially the restoration of Israel, the destruction of antichrist, and the prosperous state of the…

Read the full comment on Obadiah 1:17-21 →

Obadiah 1:20 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְגָלֻ֣תve.ga.Lutand [the] exile[s] ofH1546

הַֽחֵל\־ha.chel-the fortressH2426

הַ֠זֶּהHa.zeh<the> thisH2088

לִבְנֵ֨יliv.Neiof [the] people ofH1121

יִשְׂרָאֵ֤לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

אֲשֶֽׁר\־'a.Sher-whoH834

כְּנַעֲנִים֙ke.na.'a.Nim[will be] CanaanitesH3669

עַד\־'ad-toH5704

צָ֣רְפַ֔תtza.re.FatZarephathH6886

וְגָלֻ֥תve.ga.Lutand [the] exile[s] ofH1546

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖םye.ru.sha.LimJerusalemH3389

אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.SherwhoH834

בִּסְפָרַ֑דbis.fa.Rad[are] in SepharadH5614

יִֽרְשׁ֕וּyir.Shuthey will take possession ofH3423

אֵ֖ת'et<obj.>H853

עָרֵ֥י'a.Rei[the] cities ofH5892

הַנֶּֽגֶב\׃ha.Ne.gevthe NegevH5045

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Obadiah 1:20

1 Kings 17:9-10
Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
Luke 4:26
But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
Jeremiah 33:13
In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 32:44
Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the Lord.
Zechariah 10:6-10
And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the Lord their God, and will hear them. And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the Lord. I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased. And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again. …
Jeremiah 13:19
The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.
Jeremiah 3:18
In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
Jeremiah 33:26
Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.
Ezekiel 34:12-13
As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
Hosea 1:10-11
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
Amos 9:14-15
And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

the captivity of this.
Jer 3:18; 33:26; Eze 34:12,13; Ho 1:10,11; Am 9:14,15; Zec 10:6-10
Zarephath.
1Ki 17:9,10; Lu 4:26
Sarepta. which is in Sepharad, shall possess. or, shallpossess that which is in Sepharad, they shall possess.
Jer 13:19; 32:44; 33:13

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Obadiah 1:19
And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
Obadiah 1:20
And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.
Obadiah 1:21
And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

Read all of Obadiah 1

Obadiah 1:20 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y los cautivos de aqueste ejército de los hijos de Israel poseerán lo de los Cananeos hasta Sarepta; y los cautivos de Jerusalem, que están en Sepharad, poseerán las ciudades del mediodía.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et les captifs de cette armée des fils d’Israël posséderont ce qui appartenait aux Cananéens jusqu’à Sarepta, et les captifs de Jérusalem, qui avaient été à Sepharad, posséderont les villes du midi.
German Elberfelder 1871	und die Weggeführten dieses Heeres der Kinder Israel werden in Besitz nehmen, was den Kanaanitern gehört bis nach Zarpath hin; und die Weggeführten von Jerusalem, welche in Sepharad sind, die Städte des Südens.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et transmigratio exercitus hujus filiorum Israël, omnia loca Chananæorum usque ad Sareptam: et transmigratio Jerusalem, quæ in Bosphoro est, possidebit civitates austri.