Answers to Questions by Yair Davidiy
What is your opinion on the lost ten tribes of Israel?
Ten Tribes Now!
Contents:
1. History: Getting Lost?
2. Heading Westward!
3. Where are They Today?
4. Contemporary Events
5. Biblical Proofs
6. End Time Predictions
7. A Challenge
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1. History: Getting Lost?
The Bible tells us that 10 out of the 12 original Tribes of Israel got lost [Isaiah 27:13, Hosea 1:9, 7:8 ] ! There were actually 13 Tribes however since Joseph was divided into two.
The Israelite tribes had divided into two sections: Nine Tribes were in the north and east with a 10th Tribe (Simeon) in the far south. These were the Ten Tribes. They were all known as "Israel," or as "Samaria."
In addition there were three Tribes in the south. These are referred to in Scripture as "Judah."
The Ten Tribes were exiled by the Assyrians [2-Kings 17:8]. They did not return in large numbers. They lost consciousness of their origins. They became known as the "Ten Lost Tribes."
The Tribes of Judah in the south remained. They were later exiled by the Babylonians. Some of them later returned to the Land of Judah. Others remained in Exile, in Babylon. They all retained awareness of who they were. These became the Jews as we know them.
There are opinions that the 10 Tribes did return or had moved to Judah. Such notions may however be disregarded.
A close examination of the sources (Bible, Talmud, Midrash, Commentaries, archaeology, legends, etc) shows that even if some members from the Northern Tribes did attach themselves to Judah these were only a minority. (see Nachmanides, "The Book of Redemption ").
The overwhelming import is that the Ten Tribes did get lost and stayed that way!
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2. Heading Westward!
What Actually Happened to the Ten Tribes?
Conventionally the exile of the Ten Tribes occurred around 700 BCE. In reality it may have been somewhat later.
Whatever the case it coincided with an expansion, followed by collapse, of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
We find some of the exiles serving in the Assyrian Armies. Whole corps of specialized troops were of Israelite origin. So too, were some of the senior commanders.
Israelites were also used as slave labor, as colonists, and as artisans.
They retained some degree of cohesion. Internal upheavals and power struggles within the Assyrian Empire enabled the exiles to achieve a degree of independence.
At one stage, together with (or identified as) the Scythians the Ten Tribes became the de-facto rulers over the whole Imperial domain.
This did not last for long and they were driven out and to the north.
Eventually the Ten Tribes moved to the west of Europe and are identifiable as the Cimmerians, Scyths, and Guti (Goths), or as part of them.
That is what happened concerning one portion of the Ten Tribes, who were quite numerous at the time.
In addition to the above,
Another section of the Ten Tribes also moved westward but by Way of the Sea!
The Assyrians had previously attempted to use Phoenician and Philistine (Minoan and Mycenean) proxies to establish colonies and exploit the economic potential of western Europe.
They obtained silver and iron from Spain, tin and copper from Britain, gold from Ireland, grain from Britain, and had settlements in Scandinavia.
Israelites Exiles were also among those used for these projects.
Israelite exiles had been transported overseas in Phoenician and Philistine ships working for the Assyrians (Amos 1:6-10).
Hebrews transported by ship were taken to Spain, Gaul, and Britain. Those taken to Spain later moved northward into Gaul or crossed over to Britain and Ireland.
In the course of time the Israelite exiles in the west who had been taken by sea merged with other Israelites who arrived overland from the north.
They are now to be found among Western Peoples. Most of them are not aware of their ancestry.
The above scenario is not that accepted by conventional historiography. Nevertheless it is consistent with basic facts of archaeology, mythology, and other sources. A sub-stratum in the Welsh, Irish, and even English languages is consistent with Hebrew origins!
All this does not coincide with most of the DNA racial scenarios at present accepted BUT it may yet be shown how DNA to some degree is determined by environment.
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3. Where are They Today?
Descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes are now mainly among Western Peoples.
This is where the Lost Ten Tribes are to be found.
This includes the English-speaking nations who are especially significant in this regard.
People of Hebrew descent in the said nations have played a significant role even though they are unaware of their Israelite ancestry.
There are also others, such as Edomites, Canaanites, etc., of similar origin who settled in the west alongside the Ten Tribes.
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4. Contemporary Events
In our time many are beginning to perceive that the English-speaking peoples and the Jews may have a common destiny. They have mutual values.
The enemies of each are the adversaries of the other.
The survival of each may be dependent on the other.
Despite much fiction and numerous disagreements the State of Israel was established and maintained as a Jewish entity thanks to the ongoing interest of Britain and the USA.
Support for Israel is linked to belief in the God of Israel.
The less belief there is, the less support for Israel exists.
They who support the State of Israel want to believe in the God of Israel and the Bible.
Most people of such inclination in our time live in the West or are offshoots of nations that are there.
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5. Biblical Proofs
We have evidence from Scripture that the Lost Ten Tribes would be among Western Peoples, especially the English-speaking nations.
The exiled Israelites were to become one of the most numerous groups of people on earth (Genesis 15:5, 22:17, 24:60, 32:12, Numbers 23:10, Deuteronomy 1:11, Isaiah 10:22, 24:16, 26:15, Hosea 1:10); to be the most powerful (Genesis 27:9, Numbers 24:7, Michah 5:7-9), to be the richest, to possess or control most of the mineral and agricultural resources (Genesis 27:28, 49:25, Deuteronomy 33:13-16, Hosea 2:8), to live in the best places (Isaiah 41:8-9), to be in islands (Isaiah 42:4, 49:1-6, Jeremiah 31:9-10), peninsulas (Jeremiah 31:8), and at continental extremities (Deuteronomy 33:13, Isaiah 24:16, 26:15, 41:8-9, 49:6), to be sea-farers (Isaiah 42;6), to gain control over strategic points regarding their potential adversaries (Genesis 22:16-17 24:60), to be like a lion and unicorn (Numbers 24:8-9), and bald-headed eagle (Micah 1:16), to be in several oceans ("Many Waters," Numbers 24:7). They were also to be largely unaware of their Israelite identity and to practice a non-Jewish religion (Hosea 2:8, 2:13, 2:16, 11:12). Judah at first would not know who they were (Isaiah 49:21). Scripture gives numerous other identifying characteristics that taken as a whole can only apply to the group of peoples of the west.
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This DOES NOT encompass Germany or other Central European nations who are now dominated by non-Israelites. Historically these nations also included Israelites alongside descendants of Edom. Most of the Israelites left in the 1700s and 1800s or shortly after.
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6. End Time Predictions
Most Jews today either dwell among nations wherein the Ten Tribes were historically dominant (e.g. USA, France, UK) or in the Land of Israel.
The Jews were to return to the Land of Israel before the Ten Tribes (Micah 4:8 in Hebrew "hamemshalah haRishonah").
Prophecy tells us that Ephraim, the leading Ten Tribes nation, will unite with Judah. Previous fiction between the two will be forgotten. Together they will defeat their mutual enemies. They shall transfer by air the Palestinians to somewhere in the west, possibly North Africa or Latin America (Isaiah 11:12-14).
The Israelites will be extremely numerous. The Ten Tribes will be acknowledged as belonging to Israel though previously this had not been the case.
cf.
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.
The Ten Tribes will return and take possession of Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan (Zechariah 10:10, Micah 7:14) and part of Samaria (Jeremiah 31:5). They shall re-unite with Judah and become one nation. Even so each separate Tribe will dwell in its own territory (Ezekiel 47:21, 48:29).
The Temple will be rebuilt (Ezekiel 45:4).
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7. A Challenge
Biblical and Historical Proofs exist for all of the above.
It may be claimed that much of it is subjective.
Perhaps the Biblical verses concerning the Ten Tribes do not really pertain to them?
Maybe the interpretation is not as we render it?
In reply we can only say that our interpretation are the literal translations of the original text.
In most cases we can confirm our translations by quoting authoritative Rabbinical sources (Talmud, Midrashim, Onkelos, Yehonatan, Rashi, Radak, Iben Ezra, Malbim, etc) that say as we do.
A key verse to confirming the identity of the Lost Ten Tribes is Obadiah 1:20.
This is how the verse is understood in conventional translation:
Obadiah 1:
20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel
shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
That is what you will find in printed Bibles BUT
This is how it is understandable according to Accepted Mainstream Rabbinical Commentary:
Obadiah 1:
20 AND THIS FIRST EXILE OF THE TEN TRIBES OF ISRAEL [Rashi] WHO DWELL FROM GERMANY [=CANAANITES, Iben Ezra] AND HOLLAND [Jewish sources quoted by Calvin], EVEN UNTO FRANCE [=ZAREPHATH, Rashi, Iben Ezra, Radak, Abarbanel, Daat Sofrim] AND ENGLAND [= ZAREPHATH, Abarbanel] AND THE CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS OF JERUSALEM IN SPAIN [=SEPHARAD, Targum Yehonatan] SHALL POSSESS THE CITIES OF THE SOUTH.
Taking the Classical Rabbinicial Commentators as a whole we see that the Lost Ten Tribes were considered to be in the west, especially in France and Britain.
According to the Geneva Bible of Calvin on Obadiah 1:20:
"By the Canaanites, the Jews mean the Dutchmen, and by Zarephath, France, and by Sepharad, Spain."
At all events Zarephath meant France (Rashi) and the north or France and Britain (Abarbanel) together.
The verse was understood as saying that the Lost Ten Tribes were in Zarephath (Rashi, Nachmanides).
Whether you believe us or not the proofs are there.
You should at least know about them.
It could be important to you and yours some time soon!Â