Sepharad

Sepharad is mentioned once in Obadiah 20 as a place of exile for captives from Jerusalem: "the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south." Its geographic identification is disputed: cuneiform texts associate the name with Sardis in Lydia (Asia Minor), and this remains the most widely accepted scholarly identification. However, in later Jewish tradition Sepharad became the name for Spain, giving rise to the term "Sephardic" for Jews of Spanish origin and their distinctive rite and customs. The passage in Obadiah envisions the exiles' return to occupy the Negev cities of southern Judah.