Obadiah 1:19 (LSB)

Passage

Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, And those of the Shephelah, the Philistine plain; And they will possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, And Benjamin will possess Gilead.

Nearby Context

Obadiah 1:17 But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape, And it will be holy. And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions.

Obadiah 1:18 Then the house of Jacob will be a fire And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau will be as stubble. And they will set them on fire and consume them So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,” For Yahweh has spoken.

Obadiah 1:19 Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, And those of the Shephelah, the Philistine plain; And they will possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, And Benjamin will possess Gilead.

Obadiah 1:20 And the exiles of this military force 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.

Obadiah 1:21 And the saviors will ascend Mount Zion To judge the mountain of Esau, And the kingdom will belong to Yahweh.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "negev", "possess", "mountain", "esau", "shephelah", "philistine", and "plain". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "negev" and "possess", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Then the house of Jacob will be..." into verse 20's "And the exiles of this military force...", so "negev" and "possess" belong inside that flow. In Obadiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "negev" and "possess" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.