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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Even the exiles, scattered far from home, will return to possess the land from north to south.
What Does Obadiah 1:20 Mean?
The promise reaches the exiles, those carried far away. The displaced of Israel will hold the land as far north as Zarephath near Sidon, and the captives of Jerusalem, scattered to distant Sepharad, will possess the cities of the south. No distance is too great for God to gather His own.
Restoration extends even to those who seemed lost beyond recovery, far from the land and beyond hope of return. The verse assures the reader that no exile places a person past God's reach; He brings home the scattered and gives them a place. The God who gathers the far-off is faithful to restore what seemed irretrievably gone.