Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Obadiah 1:20

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Obadiah 1:20. Zarephath — Sarepta, a city of the Sidonians, 1 Kings 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.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

The day of the Lord (15-21)

In the day of the Lord, God will intervene in human affairs and punish sinners according to their sins. The Edomites celebrated their plunder of Jerusalem by holding wild drinking parties among the ruins of the temple on Mt Zion. They, as well as Jerusalem’s other enemies, will now be drunk in a different way. They will drink the cup of God’s wrath until, unable to stand any longer, they will stagger and fall (15-16).
Having punished Jerusalem’s enemies, God will release his people from captivity and bring them back to their homeland. He will restore holiness to Mt Zion, but send a fitting judgment upon Edom. He will destroy Edom as a fire burns up a field of dry grass (17-18).

From Jerusalem the re-established Israelite nation will expand south into Edomite territory, west over Philistine territory, north over its own territory that the Philistines had seized, and east across Jordan to retake former territory there (19; cf. Amos 9:12). Captives will be taken from various camps in foreign countries and resettled permanently in their own land, from Phoenicia in the north to the Negeb in the south (20). Israel will then rule over former enemies, showing clearly to everyone that God controls all history. Sovereign rule belongs to him (21).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"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."

This is a continuation of the thought of the preceding verses; and the captives mentioned are not, in any sense, those carried away by the Assyrians or the Babylonians, but those who were captives of sin and rebellion against God. It is here prophesied that at the time of the release of such sin-captives their possession of other nations will occur. And when was that? The first sermon that Jesus ever preached in his home town of Nazareth made it abundantly plain:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor:
He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovering of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty them that are bruised,
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18).

Despite the fact of Jesus having indeed opened the eyes of those physically blind (even blind from birth), it was of the spiritually blind that he principally spoke. Likewise, the "captives" were those in captivity to sin. It is not recorded that Jesus ever got anybody out of jail, not even his friend John the Baptist! The great tragedy of Christianity, even as understood by many present-day believers, is that of making it more a matter of social and economic gains than it is a matter of salvation from sin. For the disastrous consequences of such error, one need not look any further than the fleshly Israel.

"That are among the Canaanites" Who could these be except the worshippers of Baal in Ephraim? People today who worship sex, gold, money, power, fame, etc., are "among the Canaanites" no less than they.

This brief but beautiful prophecy is a promise of release of such captives from the pursuit of sin and debauchery, and the promise that the redeemed host which they shall become after their release shall indeed take the world.

This is evident enough in the rich and abundant blessing of God upon those nations where his name is known and honored (however, incompletely); but it will be far more evident upon the arrival of that great "day of Jehovah" which is yet appointed by God Himself as the occasion when the moral judgment upon humanity, in all the terrible fullness of that judgment, shall make it starkly visible to all people that only "the meek shall inherit the earth."

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel - , (it must, I believe, be rendered,) “which are among the Canaanites, as far as Zarephath, and the captivity of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South.” Obadiah had described how the two tribes, whose were the promises to the house of David, should spread abroad on all sides. Here he represents how Judah should, in its turn, receive into its bosom those now carried away from them; so should all again be one fold.

Zarephath - (probably “smelting-house,” and so a place of slave-labor, pronounced Sarepta in Luke) Luke 4:26. belonged to Sidon 1 Kings 17:9, lying on the sea about halfway between it and Tyre. . These were then, probably, captives, placed by Tyrians for the time in safe keeping in the narrow plain between Lebanon and the sea, intercepted by Tyre itself from their home, and awaiting to be transported to a more distant slavery. These, with those already sold to the Grecians and in slavery at Sardis, formed one whole. They stand as representatives of all who, whatever their lot, had been rent off from the Lord’s land, and had been outwardly severed from His heritage.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

He afterwards adds, And the migrations of this host of the children of Israel, etc. There is here an obscurity in the words. The Hebrews by Canaan mean the Illyrians as well as Germans, and also the Gauls: for they say, that the migration, which shall be dispersed in Gaul, and in Germany, and in these far regions, shall possess the southern cities. Now by Zarephath they understand Spain. But we know, as we have elsewhere said, that the Jews are very bold in their glosses: for they are not ashamed to trifle and to blend frivolous things; and they assert this as though it were evident from history, and easily found out. Thus they prattle about things unknown to them, and this they do without any reason or discrimination. The Prophet, I doubt not, means here that all those territories, which had been formerly promised to the children of Abraham, would come into their possession when the Lord would send his Christ, not only to restore what had fallen, but also to render the state of the people in every way blessed. The import of the whole then is, that the Jews shall not only recover what they had lost, but what had not hitherto been given them to possess: all this the Lord would bestow on them when Christ came. It follows —

Smith's Bible Commentary

Tonight shall we turn now to Obadiah.

Who Obadiah was, or where he came from, when he prophesied, nobody knows for sure. There have been a lot of guesses as to who Obadiah actually was, but they are all just guesses.

It is amazing how much men can say whenever the Bible is silent on a subject. And it seems to just be a take-off place for guys to develop theories and to write theme papers or doctrinal dissertations on some area where the Bible is silent. But at best, when God's Word is silent, all we can do is offer conjecture, and at best, our conjecture is worthless. So I prefer not to make any conjecture. The Bible is silent; we'll remain silent. All I can tell you is that the name Obadiah means "worshiper of God," or "worshiper of Jehovah," more literally, or Yahweh. And thus, it is a very beautiful name.

Some believe that he prophesied just before Joel, but again, that isn't important. What is important is what he prophesied. And Obadiah directed his prophecy against the Edomites.

Now the Edomites were descendents of Esau the brother of Jacob. And you remember when Jacob, through the advice and counsel of his mother Rebekah, disguised himself and went in and deceived his aged father, receiving the birthright, blessing, from his father Isaac, that Esau hated his brother Jacob and he vowed to kill him. Well, they did patch up their differences in years to come. However, that animosity that seemed to exist between the brothers, Esau and Jacob, did continue on through the years. And the Edomites became the perennial enemies of Israel. They had a very vicious nature that caused them every time Israel had any problem with any enemy, every time that Israel was invaded from either from Egypt or by the Syrians or by the Assyrians, whatever, whenever Israel was pressed in battle, Edom would always attack them also from the south. They took advantage of every situation. And many times when Jerusalem was being overthrown by the Babylonians and all, as the Israelites would seek to flee to Edom, the Edomites would block their borders and turn them back to their enemies, and thus, they were the perennial enemies of Israel, but always taking advantage. So there is that psalm in which the psalmist asked God to take vengeance upon the Edomites who, while Jerusalem was being destroyed, encouraged the destroyer saying, "Raise it, raise it."

Obadiah prophesies against the Edomites, and it is because of this perennial attitude of hatred against God's people Israel that God brings Edom into judgment. Edom was once a great kingdom. The people carved great cities out of the cliffs. The city of Petra today is one of the cities of the Edomites. All we have, of course, today are the ruins of Petra, but it testifies of the grandeur of the Edomite Kingdom. These great palaces and all that were carved right out of the rock. Sort of cliff dwellers, but you don't want to think of them in terms of cavemen. When you see these marvelous really dwelling places, palaces and all that were carved right out of the rock there in Petra. They were the Edomites.

So this is the vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom ( Obadiah 1:1 );

So the prophecy immediately is directed by God against Edom.

We have heard a rumor from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us go up against her in battle. [So the Lord said concerning Edom,] Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock ( Obadiah 1:1-3 ),

No doubt a reference to Petra and the other cities that the Edomites had carved out of the rocks.

whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? ( Obadiah 1:3 )

They felt very safe and secure in these cities such as Petra. To get to Petra you have to go back through this narrow canyon that is only wide enough for one horse and a rider to pass through single file, and then you break out sort of into this wider area when you get to Petra. And there these large caves that are dug out of the sandstone rock and it opens up and you see the vastness which was once the great city of Petra. But because of the narrow entry in, dwelling high in the rocks, they felt very secure. They could stop the enemy very easily who tried to make their way up these narrow canyons by just being up on the ledges and tossing rocks down on them. And they dwelt very secure and they felt very secure there within their dwellings. And so God speaks of the pride of their heart as they dwelt in these high cliffs and just felt so secure, saying, "Who shall bring us down to the ground?"

But though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, from there will I bring thee down, saith the LORD. If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? ( Obadiah 1:4-5 )

In other words, they wouldn't completely destroy you. They would take from you, but they would also leave some.

if the grape gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes? How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up! All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him. Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and the understanding out of the mount of Esau? And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter ( Obadiah 1:5-9 ).

So God predicts that though they feel very secure, exalted in their position, that God is going to utterly cut them off, every one of them will be cut off. The question, "Where is thy wise men?" and the mention of Teman.

Now you will remember that when Job had his affliction and his friends came to comfort him, one of the friends that came to comfort Job was Eliphaz the Temanite. Teman was one of the major cities of Edom, and Edom was known for its wise counselors. And, of course, as Eliphaz counsels Job, he expresses the wisdom and the philosophy of the world. And so the Lord makes reference to the understanding of Mount Esau. "And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter." So God predicts the total eradication of the Edomites.

Now do you know any Edomites today? Then God's Word must indeed be true. God did what He said. He cut off all the Edomites. In fact, historically the last of the Edomites was the family of Herod. From there they disappear from history. Herod the Great was from Idumea, or he was an Edomite. At his death his sons reigned in his stead. But with the dynasty of Herod and the end of that dynasty comes historically the end of the Edomites, and they became lost into the other nations at that time. So God's Word was fulfilled, the Edomites had been cut off from being a people.

Now God gives the reason why Edom was to be cut off. At the time that Obadiah prophesied they were a very powerful kingdom, dwelling smugly, filled with pride.

For thy violence against thy brother Jacob ( Obadiah 1:10 )

Remember Esau and Jacob were brothers, and so there was a close relationship, and yet their violence against them.

You remember when Moses was bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt to the Promise Land, he came to Edom and the king of Edom came out and met him at the borders, and Moses said, "Look, we would like to pass through your land. We will not eat your bread, nor will we even drink your water. We just want passage through the land." And the king of Edom forbade Moses passage through the land so that Moses and the children of Israel meekly turn and circumvented Edom going way out and around. So Edom was the perennial foe to Israel, though in the beginning they were brothers, Jacob and Esau. And so, "For thy violence against thy brother Jacob,"

shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. In the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and the foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even you were as one of them ( Obadiah 1:10-11 ).

And as I said, they would always take advantage whenever Jerusalem was under a siege by their enemies. Edom would always send their troops up there to join in the battle. Edom was finally conquered by David and became sort of a vassal state for a time, but under Rehoboam, actually, is when the Edomites began to rebel against the kingdom of Israel and then began to join their enemies in every attack.

But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither should you have spoken proudly in the day of his distress ( Obadiah 1:12 ).

So this was the sin of Edom, was rejoicing in the judgment of God against the nation of Israel.

Now God, like a father, reserves the right to punish His own children, but don't let anybody else enter in or interfere. And this is exactly the situation. God was chastising His own children, but Edom was there cheering Him. God said, "I don't need any cheering section when I'm chastising My people." And the fact that they were rejoicing in the chastisement of God upon the nation is the very thing that God is using as His indictment against them.

You should not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity ( Obadiah 1:13 );

Edom would enter in and take what spoil they could. They would rip them off every chance they had.

yes, you should not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity; Neither should you have stood in the crossway, to cut off those that did escape; neither should you have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress ( Obadiah 1:13-14 ).

So they would stand at the borders, turn the children of Israel back. If any of them escaped, they would turn them over to their enemies. And so God said this was wrong. You should not have done it. And for this cause Edom was to be totally destroyed.

Now the Lord declares,

For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: and as you have done, it shall be done unto thee ( Obadiah 1:15 ):

Here is one of those basic truths that we find also expressed in the New Testament, "As a man soweth, that shall he also reap" ( Galatians 6:7 ). As you have done, so shall it be done unto thee.

thy reward [for that which you have done] will return on your own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all of the heathen drink continually; yes, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been ( Obadiah 1:15-16 ).

Though Edom is to be destroyed, yet God promises that His people who were being chastised, and Edom was rejoicing in it, they are to be preserved and remain. And so He pronounces the judgment: Edom is to be destroyed.

But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions ( Obadiah 1:17 ).

Now that is one thing the house of Jacob has never yet done.

You remember when God was bringing the children of Israel into the land and Joshua was leading them in the conquest of the land. Several times over in Joshua you read, "But they did not possess all of the land." There was a failure to go in and to possess all of their possessions. Now God had promised them the land from the great river in Egypt even to the Euphrates. That is what God had promised to Israel. They have never in all of their history possessed all of that land that God had promised to them. When Joshua was leading the children of Israel into the land that God had promised, God said to Joshua, "Behold, I have given you the land. I'll go before you. I'll drive out the inhabitants, but I'm not going to drive them all out at once. I'll drive them out only as you go in and possess. If I drove them out all at once then the wild beasts and all would come in and you'd have that problem when you arrived. The land would become overgrown and desolate. So I will drive them out little by little before you and every place you put your foot I have given it to you for a possession." In other words, "It's all there, Joshua. It's all yours. All you have to do is go in and lay your foot down on it and say, 'Hey, this is mine.' You have to go in and claim your possession. You have to go in and take by faith that which I have given you and possess the land."

But the sad story of Joshua is the failure of the children of Israel to possess all that God has given to them. The city of the Jebusites was not taken until the time of David, and much of the land of the Philistines was not taken until the time of David. I think of how God has to given to us, as Peter said, "Exceeding rich and precious promises, that by these we might become the partakers of the divine nature" ( 2 Peter 1:4 ). And yet, how we fail to possess all that God has given to us. There is so much more that God has for us that we have not yet obtained because of our own failure to possess our possessions. It is ours by divine gift. God has promised us these things. But yet, as with the children of Israel, through our lack of faith we're not stepping in and laying claim to that which God has promised to us. Yet the same principle is true; every place you place your foot God has given it. Not, "I will give it to you," but, "I have given it to you." It's already given; all you have to do is go in and lay claim to it and these glorious promises of God. What we need to do is to just go in and lay claim. "All right, Lord, You've promised it and I claim it," and begin to possess our possessions.

Now here is the prophecy that the day will come, the day of the Lord is going to come, in which there in Mount Zion will be deliverance. This deliverance in Mount Zion is prophesied in other passages of the Old Testament and is made reference to by Paul in the book of Hebrews when God removes the blindness from the nation of Israel and begins to deal with Israel once again. Romans, chapter 11, "For blindness has happened to Israel in part until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in, and then all Israel shall be saved as saith the scripture. There shall be a deliverer in Zion." So a reference to this passage and other parallel passages in the prophets as God speaks of that last day revival of the Jewish people when God claims them again. God takes back His bride Israel and bestows again His blessing and His favor upon it; the deliverer in Zion. And there shall be holiness, and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. Their borders will be expanded to those territories that God promised unto Abraham and also unto Jacob and then unto Moses.

And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it ( Obadiah 1:18 ).

So Esau is to be destroyed, none remaining, and Jacob, Joseph, shall the tribes of Israel possess.

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. 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. And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be Jehovah's [or Yahweh's] ( Obadiah 1:19-21 ).

So the prophecy of Obadiah, basically addressed against Edom, but going into the day of the Lord when God blesses Israel once again when the deliverer is in Zion and the Lord reigns. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

III. THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL’S SOVEREIGNTY Obadiah 1:15-21

As is true of many of the prophetical books, this one also ends with a promise of Israel’s restoration in the future.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Obadiah predicted that Jews living in various parts of Israel would possess parts of the Promised Land that other nations formerly occupied (cf. Isaiah 66:8; Zechariah 12:10 to Zechariah 13:1; Zechariah 14:1-9). These parts included Mt. Seir (Edom), Philistia, and territories to the north of Judah, including Ephraim and Samaria (the Northern Kingdom), and Transjordan (Gilead). Formerly exiled Israelites living to the north near Zarephath (in modern Lebanon) and in Sepharad (perhaps Sardis in modern Turkey or a territory in Media or Spain [Note: See The New Bible Dictionary, s.v. "Sepharad," by D. J. Wiseman; and Watts, p. 64.] ) would return and occupy the southern portions of the land, the Negev. The location of Sepharad remains a mystery. Israel would again conquer the land, but this time she would subdue it completely and occupy all the territory God had promised Abraham (cf. Genesis 13:14-17; Genesis 26:2-5; Genesis 28:13-15; Deuteronomy 1:7).

"Was Obadiah’s prophecy fulfilled? By Malachi’s time (approximately 450 B.C.), Edom had suffered a devastating defeat (see Malachi 1:1-4), though not of the magnitude envisioned by Obadiah. Obadiah’s description of Edom’s judgment is probably to some degree stylized and exaggerated. However, the cosmic dimension of the prophecy transcends historical developments and points to an end-time judgment of worldwide proportions. When viewed in this larger eschatological context, Edom serves as an archetype for all God’s enemies, who will be crushed by his angry judgment (see also Isaiah 34 and Isaiah 63:1-6)." [Note: Chisholm, Handbook on . . ., p. 406.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

B. The Occupation of Edom by Israel Obadiah 1:19-21

This pericope (section of text), as the former one, also has a framing phrase: "the mountain of Esau" (Obadiah 1:19; Obadiah 1:21). This mountain, of course, contrasts with the Lord’s holy mountain, Zion (Obadiah 1:16-17).

Gann's Commentary on the Bible

Obadiah 1:20

See RSV v.20

Zarephath -- is between Tyre and Sidom. (City of the Phoecian widow that gave food to Elijah.)

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel [shall possess] that of the Canaanites, [even] unto Zarephath,.... That is, the host or army, the great number of the children of Israel, that have been carried captive, upon their return shall possess that part of the land of Israel which was inhabited formerly by the Canaanites, even as far as to Zarephath, said to belong to Zidon,

1 Kings 17:10; and called Sarepta of Sidon; see Luke 4:26. It is mentioned by Pliny h along with Sidon, where glass was made; and perhaps this place might have its name from the melting of glass in it, from צרף, which signifies to melt metals, glass, c. it is called by Josephus i Sarephtha who says it was not far from Sidon and Tyre, and lay between them: according to an Arabic geographer k, it was twenty miles from Tyre, and ten from Sidon. Here the Prophet Elijah dwelt for a time; and in the times of Jerom l was shown a little tower, said to be his habitation, which travellers visited. Mr. Maundrell m speaks of this place as three hours' journey from Sidon, and is now called

"Sarphan, supposed (he says) to be the ancient Sarephath, or Sarepta, so famous for the residence and miracles of the Prophet Elijah; the place shown us for this city consisted of only a few houses on the tops of the mountains, within about half a mile of the sea; but it is more probable the principal part of, the city stood below, in the space between the hills and the sea, there being ruins still to be seen in that place, of a considerable extent?''

It was once a place very famous for wine; the wine of Sarepta is often made mention of by writers n; perhaps vines might grow upon the hills and mountains about it; and this being a city of Phoenicia, on the northern border of the land of Israel, is very fitly observed as the limit of the possession of the Israelites this way;

and the captivity of Jerusalem, which [is] in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south; the Jews, who were carried captive into Babylon, to Sepharad; some place, though unknown, perhaps in the land of Babylon. Calmet o conjectures it may be Sippara or Sipparat, in Mesopotamia, a little above the division of the Euphrates: and the Septuagint version renders it Ephratha; which perhaps is a corruption, of the Euphrates in the present copies: the Vulgate Latin version translates it Bosphorus; and so Jerom, who says that the Hebrew that taught him assured him that Bosphorus was called Sepharad; whither Adrian is said to carry the Jews captive. Kimchi and Aben Ezra interpret it of the present captivity of theirs by Titus, who upon their return to their land shall possess the, southern part of it, which originally belonged to the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:20. If Sepharad, in the Assyrian language, signifies a border, as Jerom says it does, it denotes, as some think, that part of Arabia which borders on the south of Judea, that shall be inhabited by the Jews. Some render the words, "the captivity of Jerusalem shall possess that which is in Sepharad, and the cities of the south": but this is contrary to the accents, unless the words "shall possess" be repeated, and so two clauses made, "the captivity of Jerusalem [shall possess] that which is in Sepharad; they shall possess the cities of the south". The Targum and Syriac version, instead of Sepharad, have Spain; and so the Jewish writers generally interpret it. By the Canaanites they think are meant the Germans, and the country of Germany; by Zarephath, France; and by Sepharad, Spain; so Aben Ezra, Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, fancying that they who are now captives in these countries shall one day possess them: but the prophecy only respects their settlement in their own land, and some parts adjacent to it; or rather the enlargement of the church of Christ in the world. A late learned writer p, is of opinion that some respect may be had to this passage in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, in which the former makes mention of "five brethren" that he had, Luke 16:28; and are by the said writer thus reckoned:

1. the house of Jacob; 2. the house of Joseph, which are said to possess the south, with the mountains of Esau, and the plain; 3. Benjamin, which shall possess Gilead; 4. the captives from the Assyrian captivity; 5. the captives from the Jerusalem captivity, namely, by Titus Vespasian, who shall possess the cities of the south.

h Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19. i Antiqu. l. 8. c. 13. sect. 2. k Scherif Ibn Idris apud Reland. Palestina Illustrata, tom. 2. l. 3. p. 935. l Epitaph. Paulae, fol. 51. M. m Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 48. Ed. 7. n Vid. Roland. ut supra. o Dictionary, in the word "Sepharad". p Teelmanni Specimen, & Explic. Parabol. p. 517.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.   18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.   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.   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.   21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.

      After the destruction of the church's enemies is threatened, which will be completely accomplished in the great day of recompence, and that judgment for which Christ came once, and will come again, into this world, here follow precious promises of the salvation of the church, with which this prophecy concludes, and those of Joel and Amos did, which, however they might be in part fulfilled in the return of the Jews out of Babylon notwithstanding the triumphs of Edom in their captivity, as if it were perpetual, are yet, doubtless, to have their full accomplishment in that great salvation wrought out by Jesus Christ, to which all the prophets bore witness. It is promised here,

      I. That there shall be salvation upon Mount Zion, that holy hill where God sets his anointed King (Psalms 2:6): Upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance,Obadiah 1:17; Obadiah 1:17. There shall be those that escape; so the margin. A remnant of Israel, upon the holy mountain shall be saved, Obadiah 1:16; Obadiah 1:16. Christ said, Salvation is of the Jews,John 4:22. God wrought deliverances for the Jews, typical of our redemption by Christ. But Mount Zion is the gospel-church, from which the New-Testament law went forth,Isaiah 2:3. There salvation shall be preached and prayed for; to the gospel-church those are added who shall be saved; and for those who come in faith and hope to this Mount Zion deliverance shall be wrought from wrath and the curse, from sin, and death, and hell, while those who continue afar off shall be left to perish.

      II. That, where there is salvation, there shall be sanctification in order to it: And there shall be holiness, to prepare and qualify the children of Zion for this deliverance; for wherever God designs glory he gives grace. Temporal deliverances are indeed wrought for us in mercy when with them there is holiness, when there is wrought in us a disposition to receive them with love and gratitude to God; when we are sanctified, they are sanctified to us. Holiness is itself a great deliverance, and an earnest of that eternal salvation which we look for. There, upon Mount Zion, in the gospel-church, shall be holiness; for that is it which becomes God's house for ever, and the great design of the gospel, and its grace, is to plant and promote holiness. There shall be the Holy Spirit, the holy ordinances, the holy Jesus, and a select remnant of holy souls, in whom, and among whom, the holy God will delight to dwell. Note, Where there is holiness there shall be deliverance.

      III. That this salvation and sanctification shall spread, and prevail, and get ground in the world: The house of Jacob, even this Mount Zion, with the deliverance and their holiness there wrought, shall possess their possessions; that is, the gospel-church shall be set up among the heathen, and shall replenish the earth; the apostles of Christ by their preaching shall gain possession of the hearts of men for him whose messengers and ministers they are, and when they possess their hearts they shall possess their possessions, for those who have given up themselves to the Lord give up all they have to him. When Lydia's heart was opened to Christ her house was opened to his ministers. When the Gentile nations became nations of those that were saved, were disciplined, walked in the light of the Lord, and brought their glory and honour into the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:24), then the house of Jacob possessed their possessions. This is the part fulfilled by the planting of the Christian religion in the world, and shall be fulfilled yet more and more by the setting up of Christ's throne where Satan's seat is, and the erecting of trophies of his victory upon the ruins of the devil's kingdom. Now here is foretold,

      1. How this possession shall be gained, and the opposition given to it got over (Obadiah 1:18; Obadiah 1:18): The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, for their God is, and will be, a consuming fire; and the house of Esau shall be for stubble, easily devoured and consumed by this fire. This is fulfilled, (1.) In the conversion of multitudes by the grace of Christ; the gospel, preached in the house of Jacob and Joseph, and there owned and professed, shall be as a fire and a flame to melt and to soften hard hearts, to burn up the dross of sin and corruption, that they may be purified and refined with the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning. Christ, when he comes, shall be as a refiner's fire,Malachi 3:1; Malachi 3:2. (2.) In the confusion of all the impenitent implacable enemies of the gospel of Christ, that oppose it and do all they can to hinder the setting up of the kingdom of the Messiah by it. The gospel day is a day that burns like an oven, in which all the proud, and all that do wickedly, shall be a stubble,Malachi 4:1. Jacob and Joseph shall be as a fire and a flame; for those that meddle with them, to do them hurt, will find that they do so at their peril; they shall be to them as a torch of fire in a sheaf,Zechariah 12:6. The word of God in the mouth of his ministers is said to be like fire, and the people as wood to be devoured by it, Jeremiah 5:14. And the man of sin is to be consumed by the breath of Christ's mouth,2 Thessalonians 2:8. Those that are not refined as gold by fire of the gospel shall be consumed as dross by it; for it will be a savour either of life or of death. When idols and idolatry were abolished, and the wealth and power of nations were brought into the service of Christ and his gospel, and the spoils of the strong man armed were divided by him that was stronger than he, then the house of Jacob and Joseph devoured the house of Esau, so that there was none of them left remaining. This the Lord spoke by his prophets, and this he did by his apostles.

      2. How far this possession shall extend, Obadiah 1:19; Obadiah 1:20. This is described in Jewish language, which speaks the accession made to the land of Israel, after the return out of captivity into Babylon. The captivity of this host of Israel, that is, this host of Israel that have been so long in captivity and now they have come back are still called the children of the captivity, these shall not only recover their own land, but shall gain ground upon their neighbours adjoining to them, some of whom shall become proselytes and shall incorporate with the Jews, who, by possessing them in a holy communion, possess their land. We must reckon ourselves truly enriched by the conversion of our neighbours to the fear of God and the faith of Christ, and their coming to join with us in the worship of God. Such an accession to our Christian communion we must reckon to be more our wealth and strength than an accession to our estates. Or, The ancient inhabitants of those lands that were carried away into captivity being lost, and never returning to their estates, the children of Israel shall take possession of that which lies next them; for their numbers shall so increase that their own land shall be too strait for them, and their neighbours' estates shall escheat to them ob defectum sanguinis--through default of heirs. They shall enter upon that which is adjoining to them. The country of Esau shall be possessed by those of the south parts of Canaan, for to them it lies contiguous. Those of the plain, on the west of Canaan, which was a champaign country, shall enter upon the land of the Philistines, their neighbours. Those of Judah, which was the chief of the two returning tribes, shall possess the field of Ephraim and Samaria, which before belonged to the ten tribes; and Benjamin, the other tribe, shall possess Gilead on the other side of Jordan, which had belonged to the two tribes and a half. The kingdom of Israel shall join with that of Judah both in civil and sacred interests, and, as friends and brethren, shall mutually possess and enjoy one another; and both together shall possess the Canaanites, even to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon; and Jerusalem shall possess the cities of the south, even to Sepharad. Thus did the Jews enlarge their borders on all sides. The modern rabbin teach their scholars by Zarephath and Sepharad to understand France and Spain, grounding upon this a foolish groundless expectation that some time or other the Jews shall be masters of those countries; and they call and count the Christians Edomites, over whom they are to have dominion. But the promise here, no doubt, has a spiritual signification, and had its accomplishment in the setting up of the Christian church, the gospel-Israel, in the world, and shall have its accomplishment more and more in the enlargement of it and the additions made to it, till the mystical body is completed. When ministers and Christians prevail with their neighbours to come to Christ, to yield themselves to the Lord, they possess them. The converts that Abraham had are said to be the souls that he had gotten,Genesis 12:5. The possession is gained, not vi et armis--by force and arms; for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual; it is by the preaching of the gospel, and the power of divine grace going along with it, that this possession is got and kept.

      IV. That the kingdom of the Redeemer shall be erected and maintained, to the comfort of his loyal subjects and the terror and shame of all his enemies (Obadiah 1:21; Obadiah 1:21): The kingdom shall be the Lord's, the Lord Christ's. God shall give it to him, by putting all things into his hand, all power both in heaven and in earth; men shall give it to him, by resigning themselves to him as his willing people, and appointing him their head. Now the work of kings is to protect their subjects and suppress their enemies; and this Christ will do; he will both reward and punish. 1. The mountain of Zion shall be saved; on it saviours shall come, the preachers of the gospel, who are called saviours, because their business is to save themselves and those that hear them; and in this they are workers together with Christ, but to little purpose if he by his grace did not work together with them. 2. The mountain of Esau shall be judged; and the same that come as saviours on Mount Zion shall judge the mountain of Esau; for the word of the gospel in their mouth, that saves believers, judges unbelievers, convinces and condemns them. Christ's ministers are saviours on Mount Zion when they preach that he that believes shall be saved; but they judge the mount of Esau when they preach that he that believeth not shall be damned, which they are not only commissioned, but commanded to do, Mark 16:16. And in the course of God's providence his scripture is fulfilled; when God raises up friends to the church in her distress (as he raised up judges to deliver Israel of old, Judges 2:16), then saviours come on Mount Zion, to save it from being sunk and ruined; and when the enemies of the church are brought down, and their power broken, then is the mount of Esau judged; and this shall be done in every age in such a way as God thinks best; we may depend upon it that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church, but the church shall prevail against them; for the kingdom shall be the Lord's; the kingdoms of the world shall become his, and he has taken, and will take, to himself his great power and reign.