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 1:20KJV
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Obadiah 1:20 (KJV)

What does Obadiah 1:20 mean?

Obadiah 1:20 describes a future in which Israelites taken away from their homeland come to possess land again. The verse names two groups of displaced people and places where they will settle, extending from the northern coast to the southern region.

The verse speaks of “the captivity” as people, not as a period of imprisonment. It also distinguishes the children of Israel from those taken away from Jerusalem. Zarephath was a coastal town north of Israel, while the location of Sepharad is uncertain.

The Hebrew behind Obadiah 1:20

  • “captivity” — גָּלוּת (galut): This word can mean exile or the people who have been taken away. Here it points to groups living away from their homeland, rather than to captivity as an abstract condition.
  • “south” — נֶגֶב (negev): This word can mean “south” or refer to the dry southern region known as the Negev. “The cities of the south” points to settlements in that region.

Why Obadiah 1:20 matters

  • The verse reaches beyond people still living in the land. Its mention of “the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad” brings a distant group into the picture.
  • The named places mark a wide geographical range. “Even unto Zarephath” points north along the coast, while “the cities of the south” points in the opposite direction.
  • The verse belongs to a passage about land being held by Israelite groups. Verse 19 also names regions they will possess, and verse 20 adds people who had been taken away.

Where else these words appear

“Zarephath” Hebrew H6886 · used in 3 verses

  • 1 Kings 17:9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
  • 1 Kings 17:10 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.

“host” Hebrew H2426 · used in 10 verses

  • 2 Samuel 20:15 And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.
  • Psalms 10:10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
  • Isaiah 36:2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.

“captivity” Hebrew H1546 · used in 14 verses

  • 2 Kings 25:27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;
  • Jeremiah 28:4 And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
  • Ezekiel 1:2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

“Canaanites” Hebrew H3669 · used in 71 verses

  • Genesis 10:18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
  • Numbers 14:45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
  • Judges 1:3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.