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Obadiah 1:20

King James Version (KJV)

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Obadiah 1:20

Verse 20 of 21

Scripture focus

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 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Obadiah 1:20

Theological / Devotional

The captivity. The Hebrew of v. 20 is obscure. The KJV, if the supplied words are omitted, gives a fairly literal rendering except that the word for “host,” chel, should probably be rendered “rampart.” But what rampart is referred to is not certain. Reading Chalach for Chel gives the name of the north Mesopotamian town of Halah, to which Israelitic captives were taken (see 2 Kings 17:6; 18:11; 1 Chron. 5:26).

Zarephath. A coastal town of Phoenicia now called Sarafand (see 1 Kings 17:9), about 9 mi. (14.4 km.) south of Sidon and 13½ mi. (21.6 km.) north-northeast of Tyre.

Sepharad. The place is mentioned only here and the location is uncertain. It was a seat of exiles from Jerusalem. Sardis in Asia Minor has been suggested, as well as a place in southwest Media. The LXX reads “Ephratah.”

By SdaBc