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Obadiah 1:20
ESV The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
NIV This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess the land as far as Zarephath; the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev.
NASB And the exiles of this army of the sons of Israel, Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad, Will possess the cities of the Negev.
CSB The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah and who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath as well as the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev.
NLT The exiles of Israel will return to their land and occupy the Phoenician coast as far north as Zarephath. The captives from Jerusalem exiled in the north will return home and resettle the towns of the Negev.
KJV 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.
NKJV And the captives of this host of the children of Israel Shall possess the land of the Canaanites As far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad Shall possess the cities of the South.

What does Obadiah 1:20 mean?

Part of Edom's judgment was shame. Despite all of their arrogance, Edom was tricked by its allies and ruined. According to Obadiah, Edom will not only be shamed and destroyed, but their territory will be occupied by the very people they hated. To the ancient Middle Eastern mindset, this adds insult to injury. Verses 19 and 20 give some details on these occupations. While the ruin of Edom occurred not long after Obadiah gave this prophecy, some aspects of this prediction will not happen until the end times.

Verse 19 alluded to other rival nations, such as the Philistines. In verse 20, the Canaanites are mentioned as another nation whose territory will be taken by someone else.

While the Negeb is mentioned in other parts of the Bible (Joshua 10:40), the exiles in Sepharad are not as easily identified. The strongest possibility is the city of Sardis, whose name in the Akkadian language sounds very much like "Sepharad."
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