Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Obadiah 1:20
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel [shall possess] that of the Canaanites, [even] unto Zarephath, etc.] 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, (<111710>1 Kings 17:10); and called Sarepta of Sidon; (see <420426>Luke 4:26). It is mentioned by Pliny f32 along with Sidon, where glass was made; and perhaps this place might have its name from the melting of glass in it, from Prx, which signifies to melt metals, glass, etc. it is called by Josephus f33 Sarephtha; who says it was not far from Sidon and Tyre, and lay between them: according to an Arabic geographer f34, it was twenty miles from Tyre, and ten from Sidon. Here the Prophet Elijah dwelt for a time; and in the times of Jerom f35 was shown a little tower, said to be his habitation, which travellers visited. Mr. Maundrell f36 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 f37; 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 f38 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, (<061520>Joshua 15:20,21). 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 Germ…
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