The Ten Tribes in Scripture exiled to Egypt as well as to Assyria? (11 March, 2015, 20 Adar, 5775)
Contents:
1. Musri: a Quote from Wikipedia
2. Egypt in Egypt and Egypt (Mitsraim) in the North.
3. Rabbi Chaim Chanon: The TTs and Egypt
4. Remark by Yair and Some Quotes from the Sages:
(1) Three Places of Exile for the TTs
(2) THE OUTCASTS OF ISRAEL are the TTs, whereas THE DISPERSED OF JUDAH are the Jews
(3) One Exile after Another!
(4) TTs in One Place; Jews all over the world!
(5) Building the Temple Precedes the Ingathering of the Exiles
(6) Judah and the Ten Tribes will Unite in the North Country and then Return to the Land
5. Irish and Scottish Traditions
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1. Musri: a Quote from Wikipedia
Quote:
Musri
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Musri (Assyrian: Mu-us-ri), or Muzri, was a small ancient kingdom, in northern areas of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Inscription of Tiglath-Pileser I, King of Assyria
The area is nowadays inhabited by Muzuri (Mussouri) Kurds.
Musri is also a geographical name mentioned in several Neo-Assyrian inscriptions and referring to Egypt, and not to a country in northern Arabia as once believed.[2]
Kenneth Kitchen, The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (1100-650 BC), 1996, Aris & Phillips Limited, Warminster, ISBN 0-85668-298-5, 115 and references therein
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2. Egypt in Egypt and Egypt (Mitsraim) in the North.
We have discussed the subject of the Ten Tribes and Egypt in the Bible previously.
On the whole we found the TTs exiled to places in the north and ALSO TAKEN OVERSEAS TO THE WEST!
Those taken to the north eventually joined those who went westward.
In addition we find different passages indicating an exile of the TTs to Egypt.
The problem is that the word for Egypt in the Hebrew scripture is Mitsraim. This word could also have referred to an area in the north with which Israelites were in contact and to which TTs were taken. Urartu and the neighboring Musasir were probably also known as Mutsri i.e. Mitsraim ] trasnslated as Egypt.
We have discussed this at some length in previous articles.
See:
IS RUSSIA EGYPT?
Does the term "Mitsraim" (translated as Egypt) in the Hebrew Bible in Prophecy Refer to Russia?
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/gis/rusegypt.html
[inlcudes article on the Russian connection to Egypt and Cappadocia [northern Turkey] by Christian Sildan]
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Egypt Who?
The Ten Tribes, Exile, and Mitsraim
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/16/egypt.html
Extract:
Hosea 9:
3 They shall not dwell in the LORD's land,
But Ephraim shall return to Egypt,
And shall eat unclean things in Assyria.
Commentary of the Radak. But Ephraim shall return to Egypt. Scripture said, "For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever" (Exodus 14:13). So too, in the Biblical curses, And the LORD will take you back to Egypt in ships, by the way of which I said to you, You shall never see it again. And there you shall be offered for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you (Deuteronomy 28:68). Even though the Kingdom of Ephraim was exiled by Assyria many of them before the Exile returned to Egypt due to the famine and troubles that were overtaking them in their own land. Also there were survivors from Ephraim together with those of the remnant of Judah and Benjamin [after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians] who went to Egypt despite having been warned in the name of the Almighty not to do so by Jeremiah
Commentary of Abarbanel repeats the words of the Radak and adds:
# So some of Ephraim went back to Egypt the land of their enemies to their great shame and sorrow. Most however were exiled to Assyria and in Assyria ate impure foods in their place of exile under hard masters....#
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3. Rabbi Chaim Chanon: The TTs and Egypt
Rabbi Chaim Chanon ("Chazon Ha-Naviim" [Vision of the Prophets], Jerusalem, 5774) has a short note of interest concerning the TTs and Egypt. As far as he is concerned Mitsraim means Egypt as we know it and nothing else BUT on this point he may be mistaken.
At all events, his notes (p.285 ff) on the matter are of interest.
# In the Book of Kings it is clarified that the Ten Tribes were exiled to Assyria, to Halah, Habor, the river Gozan, and the citirs of the Medes. Additional areas are not recalled but in five passages of the Later prophets it is expressly stated that they were also exiled to Mitsraim [Egypt]. #
In a footnote Chanon discusses the possibility that after being taken tot he north some of the TTs were relocated to Egypt. An Assyrian inscription boasts of the conquest of Egypt and of mixing the populations of Assyria and Egypt together.
Chanon emphasizes:
# This should be made quite clear: In every place in the latter prophets where Exilations to Egypt and Assyria are mentioned, the intention is only to the Ten Tribes... #
Chanon means that the exile to Egypt and Assyria, in the passages quoted, involved the Ten Tribes alone without Judah.
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Hosea 9:
3 They shall not remain in the land of the LORD;
but Ephraim shall return to Egypt,
and in Assyria they shall eat unclean food.
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Hosea 11:
8 How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
....
9 I will not execute my fierce anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
....
10 They shall go after the LORD,
who roars like a lion;
when he roars,
his children shall come trembling from the west.
11 They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria;
and I will return them to their homes, says the LORD.
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Zechariah 10:
7 Then the people of Ephraim shall become like warriors,
and their hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and rejoice,
their hearts shall exult in the LORD.
8 I will signal for them and gather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and they shall be as numerous as they were before.
9 Though I scattered them among the nations,
yet in far countries they shall remember me,
and they shall rear their children and return.
10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
and gather them from Assyria;
I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
until there is no room for them.
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Chanon remarks:
# In these passages it has been made clear to us that the exiles to Egypt and Assyria concern the Ten Tribes. The passages speak of the Ten Tribes and Egypt and Assyria are recalled in them. From this we may learn that two passages in Isaiah mentioning Egypt and Assyria are also referring to the Ten Tribes. #
Isaiah 27:
13And on that day a great trumpet [shofar] will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
Isaiah 11:
11 On that day the LORD will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia [Cush], from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands [Isles] of the Sea [Yam i.e. west].
Chanon cautions :
# Their main exile however was to Assyria, as it says:
2-Kings 17:
23 until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had foretold through all his servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria until this day.
# They were also exiled to Egypt, as it says:
Hosea 9:
3 They shall not remain in the land of the LORD;
but Ephraim shall return to Egypt,
and in Assyria they shall eat unclean food.
# And too, they were exiled all over the world, as it says:
Amos 9:
9 For lo, I will command,
and shake the house of Israel among all the nations
as one shakes with a sieve,
but no pebble shall fall to the ground.
#Amos prophesied mainly concerning the Ten Tribes.
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4. Remark by Yair and Some Quotes from the Sages:
We are reserved about the last point made by Chanon in which he says the TTs were also exiled all over the world.
We shall deal with this issue elsewhere.
At all events the main thrust of scripture according to Chanon and ourselves and numerous others better than us is that the Ten Tribes were mainly exiled to one or two main points.
This is also what the Sages said:
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(1) Three Places of Exile for the TTs
The Midrash (Numbers Rabah 1;6, Eichah Rabah 2;9, Jerusalemi Sanhedrin ch.17, L.6,29) comments:
~Rabbi Berachiah and Rabbi Chelbo in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: To three places was Israel exiled, one to beyond the Sambation River, one to Daphneh of Antiochia, and one to where the Clouds came down and covered them; in the same way that they [i.e.the northern Israelites west of the Jordan River] were exiled to three places, so too were the Tribes [east of the Jordan River] of Reuben, Gad, and half Menasseh, exiled to three places. When they shall return so too will Reuben, Gad, and half Menasseh return with them. How do we know all this?
~` From the verse, "Say to the prisoners go forth" (Isaiah 49;9):
These are those exiled beyond the Sambation River.
"To them that are in darkness, shew yourselves" (Isaiah 49;9): These are those whom the cloud descended upon and covered.
"They shall feed in the ways, and in all high places their pastures" (Isaiah 49;9): These are those who were exiled to Daphne of Antiochea.~'
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(2) THE OUTCASTS OF ISRAEL are the TTs, whereas THE DISPERSED OF JUDAH are the Jews
The Jews were scattered all over the world whereas the Lost Ten Tribes were cast out as a group to a few areas, e.g.
[Isaiah 11:12] HE WILL RAISE AN ENSIGN FOR THE NATIONS, AND WILL ASSEMBLE THE OUTCASTS OF ISRAEL, AND GATHER THE DISPERSED OF JUDAH FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH.
OUTCASTS OF ISRAEL, = The Lost Ten Tribes who will be found gathered together in specific areas [Midrtash Tehillim, Schocher Tov, 147] [Malbim] .
THE DISPERSED OF JUDAH i.e. the Jews who are scattered all over the world.
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(3) One Exile after Another!
Deuteronomy 11:
17.... then you will perish quickly from the good land that the LORD is giving you.
# Exile after exile. So one finds with the Ten tribes, exile after exile. So too is found with the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin, exile after exile # (Sifri, Akev, 11;17).
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(4) TTs in One Place; Jews all over the world!
# Said Rabbi Yehudah bar Rabbi Simon, Not to the place where the Ten Tribes were exiled were the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin exiled. The Ten Tribes were exiled beyond the River Sambation. The Tribes of Judah and Benjamin are scattered all over the world. #
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(5) Building the Temple Precedes the Ingathering of the Exiles (Zohar, Midrash haNe-elam)
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(6) Judah and the Ten Tribes will Unite in the North Country and then Return to the Land (Midrash Yalkut Shimeoni, 1;940).
Sources for Quotes from the Sages: Rabbi Eliyahy Avichail, "Shivtei Yisrael", Jerusalem, 5747.
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5. Irish and Scottish Traditions
The main group of people who settled in Ireland were the Milesians . These were also known as Scotti, Hiberi, and Ghoidel (Gails). They also settled in Scotland. Their Chronicles said that originally they had been Scythians, included Israelites amongst them, and that before coming westward they had sojourned in Egypt.
perhaps there is correspondence here with the above indications concerning not only an area to northern areas of the Assyrian Empire but also a secondary exile to Egypt?