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.
(Verse 19) And those who are in the South shall inherit the possessions of Esau, and those in the plains shall inherit the possessions of the Philistines. They shall possess the region of Ephraim and the region of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. LXX: And those in the Negeb shall possess the mountain of Esau, and those in the Shephelah shall possess the foreigners, and they shall possess the mountain of Ephraim and the plain of Samaria, and Benjamin and Gilead. And Judah, who dwelt in the South and possessed the entire region according to the division made by Joshua the son of Nun, which extends toward the Scorpion, that is, toward all the Acrabatene, those who were previously confined to narrow boundaries shall possess the mountain of Esau, that is, the mountains of Seir and the mountains that Edom previously possessed. But those who dwell in Sephela, that is, in the plains, namely Lidda and Emmaus, the city of Diospolis, and Nicopolis, shall possess the Palestinians, five cities of the Palestinians: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, or all that region which is called Sharon in the Acts of the Apostles. Others, however, think that this Sephela, that is, the region around Eleutheropolis, is promised: that they should extend as far as Rhinocolura and the sea, that is, not only hold Eleutheropolis from the tribe of Judah, but also reach the coast, and subject the Philistines to their rule, whom they had not previously subdued. The border of the sons of Judah will also extend to Ephraim, where Neapolis is now, and to the region of Samaria, where Sebaste is founded. But Benjamin, whose borders immediately extend northward from Jerusalem, will possess all of Arabia, which was formerly called Gilead and is now called Gerasa. According to the Septuagint, those who will be in the south will possess Mount Ephraim, the plains of Samaria, Benjamin, and Gilead. Whether this has been fulfilled, God alone knows; it could have been completed in part up until the coming of Christ over a period of five hundred years. As I am absolutely certain, it is being fulfilled daily and confirmed in the kingdom of the Church. For those who dwell in the south, that is, in Negeb, and live in the light, and those who hold the plains and the lowlands, that is, his disciples, to whom he says: Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart (Matt. X, 24), they shall possess the mountain of Esau and the Philistines: whom we can understand in the person of the pagans on account of the pride of their teachings and secular eloquence. So that on the mountain there are teachers, in the Philistines, and foreign disciples, who are led by the authority of the teachers. And not only the mountain of Esau and the strangers, but also the region of Ephraim and Samaria will possess. We often read about Ephraim and Samaria in Hosea, and we have interpreted them in the heresies that divide the Church under the name of Christianity. For it is there that abundance is hoped for, and there they promise to safeguard the faith. Furthermore, Benjamin, the son of the right hand and virtue, will possess Gilead, which is interpreted as the migration of testimony, signifying the carnal Israel: for from them the testimony of the Lord has migrated to us. But Benjamin and Gilead, those who were in the south, will possess it, according to the Septuagint.
“Those in the south” signifies the area where the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem led by Nebuchadnezzar. The entire province of Judea was laid waste, sinking back into misery so that it was reduced to absolute silence and appeared entirely deserted. However, when God will enter into the misery of the captives, he will return them to the land of their ancestors after his wrath has subsided. In their return from Babylon the entire multitude of Israel will possess the region of the nations that is equal to Edom. This is a sign of blessing from God.
[AD 420] Jerome on Obadiah 1:19