Historical Outline and Biblical Demographics (13 May, 2014, 13 Iyar, 5774)
1. Query: Were the Ten Tribes Really Separate from Judah?
2. Answer to Query: In their Places of Exile the Israelites were to increase and multiply manifold.
3. Beginnings: The 12 Tribe Quorum and 70 Clans
4. The 600,000 plus who Came out of Egypt
5. An Outline of the History of the Divided Kingdoms with Attention paid to Population Numbers.
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1. Query: Were the Ten Tribes Really Separate from Judah?
Janet Mayfield wrote:
Dear Mr. Davidy,
I had a Bible teacher say that the fact that the number of army members from the northern tribes of Israel kept decreasing in Kings and Chronicles that it proves the northern tribes were absorbed into Judah, as the number of soldiers increased in Judah.
from Janet Mayfield
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2. Answer to Query: In their Places of Exile the Israelites were to increase and multiply manifold.
Shalom,
Without more details we cannot relate directly to what your Bible Teacher said.
We have written in the past on the Demographics of Israel at the time of Exile.
Demographic Reality. How Many Israelites (from the Ten Tribes) Really Were Exiled?
http://www.britam.org/NumberExiles.html
See Also:
The Completeness of the Exile
http://www.britam.org/CompleteExile.html
THE EXILE OF THE LOST TEN TRIBES
http://britam.org/Exile2.html
The Stages of Exile
http://www.britam.org/isaiah/Isaiah6to10.html#Stages
What Spake Zarathustra?
http://britam.org/zarathustra.html
As a result of your query we have prepared the following essay. It more or less gives a very scanty outline of some of the History of the Israelite Kingdoms.
Figures reflected something of the demographics of Israel have been paid attention to.
[We looked for something on the web concerning Demographics in the Bible but surprisingly could not find very much.]
There really were two separate kingdoms.
The Kingdom of Israel in the north was usually the more powerful and assumedly was the most populous.
Sources indicate that more than 10% of the northern Tribes were absorbed into Judah. This led to about 20% of the Kingdom of Judah consisting of refugees from the Northern Tribes.
Nevertheless the majority of Israelites from the Ten Tribes were exiled. Not only that but, as pointed out by Nachmanides, the Ten Tribes were to receive their Tribal expression amongst those who went into Exile. They who stayed with Judah became subsidiary to Judah.
In history Demographic changes do take place. Certain groups increase and multiply whereas others diminish. The changes may be very significant but may go unnoticed by historians.
Theoretically, it could be that due to immorality, infanticide, human sacrifice, wars, exiles, famine, etc, not that many Israelites from the Ten Tribes were left.
It might be suggested that the Assyrians did not have that much work to do in order to exile those who remained?
We DO NOT think that such was the case but who knows?
Nevertheless, peoples, such as the Cimmerians and Scythians etc, whom we identify in history as at least in part derived from the Ten Tribes were quite large.
Scripture is the source we mainly rely upon.
Scripture says all of the Ten tribes were exiled as so they were.
The Bible says that in their Places of Exile, the Ten Tribes would increase greatly.
[Hosea 1:10]
YET THE NUMBER OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL BE AS THE SAND OF THE SEA, WHICH CANNOT BE MEASURED NOR NUMBERED; AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID UNTO THEM, YE ARE NOT MY PEOPLE, THERE IT SHALL BE SAID UNTO THEM, YE ARE THE SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.
See:
Immense Multitudes. Biblical Locations of the Lost Ten Tribes
http://www.britam.org/Proof/Blessings/blessNumbers.html
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3. Beginnings: The 12 Tribe Quorum and 70 Clans
There were Twelve Tribes of Israel. The Tribe of Joseph could be counted as two separate Tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:5). Joseph had other sons in addition to Ephraim and Manasseh. These additional sons were absorbed amongst Ephraim and Manasseh,
see Commentary to Genesis 48:6
http://britam.org/Genesis/Gen47to50VaYechi.html
There were therefore 13 tribes BUT a quorum of 12 is maintained by either counting Ephraim AND Manasseh as the one Tribe of Joseph (Genesis 49, Exodus 29:21, Deuteronomy 27, Joshua 13-21, 1-Chronicles 1. Ezekiel 48:31-34) OR by not counting Levi (Numbers 1[2 times], 2, 7, 10,13, 26). Levi was to be scattered amongst the other tribes. In the Wilderness Levi was encamped around the Tabernacle (Numbers 1:53) and in the end times will be concentrated around the Temple Area (Ezekiel 48:11-18) in the center of the other Tribes. Levi is therefore sometimes treated as a separate case. Ezekiel 48:1-29 describes the future division of the Land. Ezekiel here divides the Land into 14 sections with Ephraim and Manasseh listed as separate tribes. The two central sections in Ezekiel however are treated separately from the others: One goes to the Levites and the other to the Ruler. The other 12 Tribes, excluding Levi, have been divided into two sections of 6 tribes each.
In one instance (Deuteronomy 32) Simeon is not counted but assumedly on that occasion is counted as part of Judah. Here Levi is counted as one Tribe. Here too, Joseph is also numbered as one Tribe and not two. This would give us only 11 Tribes but since we have been told (Genesis 48:5) that the sons of Joseph would each be counted separately then we may assume that a quorum of 12 is intended.
The Twelve Tribes went down to Egypt. The number of the males numbered at that time was 70 (Genesis 46:26). These became the heads of tribal Clans within the Tribes (Numbers 26).
When the Israelites came out of Egypt they numbered, as shown below, more than 600,000 males between the ages of 20 to 60. In addition there were also women, children, the aged, and the Tribe of Levi who were not numbered amongst the others.
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4. The 600,000 plus who Came out of Egypt
Numbers 1:
18... They registered themselves in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upwards, individually
20-21 Reuben 46,500
23 Simeon 59,300
25 Gad 45,650
27 Judah 74,600
29 Issachar 44,400
31 Zebulun 57,400
32 The descendants of Joseph, namely, the descendants of Ephraim, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upwards, everyone able to go to war:
33 Ephraim 40,500
35 Manasseh 32,200
37 Benjamin 35,400
39 Dan 62,700
41 Asher 41,500
43 Naphtali 53,400
44 These are those who were enrolled, whom Moses and Aaron enrolled with the help of the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each representing his ancestral house. 45 So the whole number of the Israelites, by their ancestral houses, from twenty years old and upwards, everyone able to go to war in Israel.
46 603,550
When the Children of Israel came out of Egypt and wandered in the Wilderness they held two Census counts, one near the beginning of their sojourn and the other about forty years later close to the end of their Wandering.
Compare the following points from the First Census with the Second Census
First Census
Simeon
[Numbers 1:23] THOSE THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THEM, EVEN OF THE TRIBE OF SIMEON, WERE FIFTY AND NINE THOUSAND AND THREE HUNDRED.
Manasseh
[Numbers 1:35] THOSE THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THEM, EVEN OF THE TRIBE OF MANASSEH, WERE THIRTY AND TWO THOUSAND AND TWO HUNDRED.
Total:
[Numbers 1:46] EVEN ALL THEY THAT WERE NUMBERED WERE SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND AND THREE THOUSAND AND FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY.
Second Census
Simeon
[Numbers 26:14] THESE ARE THE FAMILIES OF THE SIMEONITES, TWENTY AND TWO THOUSAND AND TWO HUNDRED.
Manasseh
[Numbers 26:34] THESE ARE THE FAMILIES OF MANASSEH, AND THOSE THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THEM, FIFTY AND TWO THOUSAND AND SEVEN HUNDRED.
Total:
[Numbers 26:51] THESE WERE THE NUMBERED OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND AND A THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY.
In the First Census the total Population was 603,550 and in the Second Census 601,730.
The total Population had slightly decreased.
The population of Manasseh had increased from 32,200 to 52,700.
The population of Simeon had decreased from 59,300 to 22,200.
Numbers 25:9 says that 24,000 died in a plague that had been incurred as punishment for coupling with foreign women.
Since Zimri a prince of Simeon [Numbers 25:14] was the chief culprit in this matter Commentators have assumed that most of the casualties were Simeonites.
The Tribe of Manasseh greatly increased between the two numberings.
[Numbers 1:35] THOSE THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THEM, EVEN OF THE TRIBE OF MANASSEH, WERE THIRTY AND TWO THOUSAND AND TWO HUNDRED.
Manasseh = 32,200. In this census Ephraim (40,500) outnumbered Manasseh (32,200) but later Manasseh outnumbered Ephraim, cf. Numbers 26:34 Manasseh = 52,700 versus Ephraim = 32,500 (Numbers 26:37).
It was as if Manasseh had received part of what Simeon had lost.
See:
Manasseh
in Rabbinical Sources-Continued
http://britam.org/manasseh/menasseh2.html
Includes discussion of members of the Ten Tribes being found amongst the population of Judah.
Dan (with 62,700) had the second highest number after Judah who had 74,600.
If Ephraim (40,500) and Manasseh (32,200) were to be counted together as the one tribe of Joseph they would have 72,700 which is more than Dan but less than Judah.
Total Number of Israelites:
603,550 in the Book of Numbers 1, 2
601,730 in Numbers 26.
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5. An Outline of the History of the Divided Kingdoms with Attention paid to Population Numbers.
King David
2-Samuel 24:9
Judah 500,000
Israel 800,000
David was followed by Solomon.
In the time of Rehoboam son of Solomon, the Kingdom split into two sections:
The Kingdom of Israel in the north was headed by Jeroboam son of Nebat from the Tribe of Ephraim.
In the time of Jeroboam, the Prophet Ahijah from Shiloh prophesied that the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Israel would be exiled and scattered beyond the Euphrates River (1-Kings 14:15).
In the south was the Kingdom of Judah ruled by the Rehoboam from the House of David.
Rehoboam assembled an army from the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin that numbered 180,000 (2-Kings 12:21).
Abijah (Abijam) the son of Rehoboam with 400,000 warriors waged war against Jeroboam who had 800,000 (2-Chronicles 13:3).
Jeroboam with 800, 000 warriors (2-Chronicles 13:3) attacked Judah and was defeated, 500,000 of his men were killed (2-Chronicles 13:17) .
Those killed were males, the females remained so since polygamy was permitted at that time we may assume that the population of Israel returned to what it had been.
In the Kingdom of Israel Jeroboam was followed by Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, and Omri.
In the Kingdom of Judah, Asa the son of Abijah had 300,000 warriors from Judah and 280,000 from Benjamin (2-Chronicles 14:8).
1-Kings 15:
11 Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David had done.
12 He put away the Sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his ancestors had made.
Asa warred against Baasha king of Israel. Asa induced ben Hadad of Damascus to attack Israel. Dan, Napthtali and cities in the north were smitten (1-Kings 15:20).
Damascus in Scripture usually means an area in north Syria near the Caucasus and not the Damascus of today.
See:
"Brit-Am Now"- 402.
#3. The NORTHERN BORDERS of Biblical Israel
http://britam.org/now/now402.html
In the kingdom of Israel, Omri was followed by Ahab who married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians (1-Kings 16:13). Sidon was a major city of the Phoenicians. The term Sidonian (or Zidonian) however mean Phoenician in general and not necessarily someone from the city Sidon. The city of Ethbaal was not Sidon but rather Tyre.
Jehoshaphat, son of Asa had 300,000 warriors led by Adnah from Judah (2-Chronicles 17:14); plus 280, 000 under Jehohanan from Judah (2-Chronicles 17:15); plus 200,000 under Amasiah from Judah (2-Chronicles 17:16); plus 200,000 under Eliada from Benjamin (2-Chronicles 17:17); plus 180,00 under Jehoazabad (2-Chronicles 17:18).
This gives us 780,000 from Judah and 380,000 from Benjamin. Altogether the Kingdom of Judah had 1,160,000.
Jehoshaphat King of Judah married Athalia daughter of Ahab of Israel. Jehoshaphat was allied with Ahab King of Israel (2-Chronicles 18:1) and after that with Ahaziah king of Israel (2-Chronicles 20:35-37). The impression is that the Kings of Israel were the senior partners and therefore may have had a more populous domain.
In the Kingdom of Israel Ahab had been followed by Ahaziah and he by Joram (Jehoram). Then came Jehu.
In the Kingdom of Judah, Jehoshaphat was followed by Jehoram followed by Jehoiahaz (2-Chronicles 21:17), followed by his brother, Ahaziah (2-Chronicles 22:2).
The mother of Ahaziah was Athalia daughter of Ahab king of Israel.
Ahazaiah was allied with Jehoram of Israel who was his cousin. Both were killed by Jehu who rebelled against Jehoram and became King of israel in his stead. Athalia on learning of the death of her son Ahaziah killed all of her grandchildren apart from Joah who was hidden. Athaliah then took over the rulership over Judah.
Joash was hidden in the Temple precints. When Joash was 7 years old the High Priest, Jehoiada, led a coup against Athalia who was killed.
King Joash son of Jehoram of Judah was followed by Amaziah.
King Amaziah of Judah had 300,000 warriors from Judah and Benjamin (2-Chronicles 25:5).
Amaziah of Judah also hired 100,000 Israelite Mercenaries from Samaria (2-Chronicles 25:6).
In the time of Jehu king of Israel Hazael of Damascus attacked and conquered all the eastern areas of Israel (2-Kings 10:32-33).
Jehoahaz followed Jehu and he was succeeded by Jehoash (Joash).
Amazaiah went to war against King Joash son of Jehoahaz of Israel and was defeated (2-Chronicles 25:22).
Joash took some of the Temple treasures back to Samaria as booty (2-Chronicles 25:24).
Uzziah (also known as Azariah) succeeded Amaziah.
Uzziah of Judah had an army 307,500 warriors (2-Chronicles 26:13).
In Israel, Zechariah followed Jeroboam-2, then came Shallum, then Menachem, then Pekahiah then Pekah son of Ramaliah.
In the Kingdom of Judah, Jotham ruled after Uzziah. Jotham was followed by Ahaz.
Jotham warred against the Kingdom of Israel ruled by Pekah son of Ramaliah. Jotham was defeated and 120,000 of his men were killed (2-Chronicles 28:6).
The Israelites took back to Samaria 200,000 women and children from Judah as captives. Oded the Prophet reproved the Israelites so the captives were released and sent back to Judah (2-Chronicles 28:15).
King Joash of Israel was followed by Jeroboam (i.e. Jeroboam-2).
In the Kingdom of Israel, under the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah the Assyrians led by Tiglathpileser (2-Kings 15:29) took the inhabitants of northern Israel into captivity.
# In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried the people captive to Assyria # (2-Kings 15:29).
Probably some time before that, the Assyrians had already deported the tribes east of the Jordan.
1-Chronicles 5:
26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of King Pul of Assyria, the spirit of King Tilgath-pilneser of Assyria, and he carried them away, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan, to this day.
King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel was replaced by Hoshea son of Elah.
In Judah, Jotham was followed by Ahaz, then Hezekiah.
The remaining inhabitants of the Kingdom of Israel were ruled by Hoshea. The kingdom was centered around the city and province of Samaria.
The Assyrians besieged Samaria and took all of its inhabitants away. That was the end of the Kingdom of Israel.
2-Kings 17:
5 Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria; for three years he besieged it. 6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria; he carried the Israelites away to Assyria. He placed them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
In the early years of the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah the exile of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Israel to Assyria had been completed.
They became the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.
Hezekiah was followed by Manasseh, then Amon, then Josiah son of Amon.
Meanwhile the Ten Tribes in their places of exile had shaken free of the yoke of Assyria. They had become part of the Cimmerian and Scythian Confederations.
King Josiah together with the prophet Jeremiah attempted to unite with them. The Scythians took over the Assyrian Empire. Beth Shean in the former territory of Manasseh in the north of Israel was made their temporary center. Small groups attempted to re-settle in the Land. These efforts failed. The Scythians helped the Medes and Babylonians to finally destroy Assyria. They were however betrayed and in stages pushed out of the Middle East. Their feeble attempts at re-colonization in the Land of Israel were abandoned. King josiah was killed in battle against the Egyptians who had taken the side of Assyria against the Medes, Babylonians, and Scythians.
See:
Assyrians, Scythians, and the Ten Tribes.
The Almighty As a Husband to Israel.
http://www.britam.org/Josiah3.html
After Josiah came his son Jehoiahaz, then Jehoiakim brother of Jehoiahaz, then Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim.
Jehoiachin was replaced by his brother Zedekiah. Meanwhile the Babylonians had begun to exile the Jews to Babylonia.
This was completed under Nebuchadnessar in the time of Zedekiah.
The Jews began the return from Babylon under Zerubabel from the house of David.
Zerubabel was the son of Shealtial and grandson of King Jehoiachin of Judah (Haggai 1:1).