More Proof from the Bible Identifying the Lost Ten Tribes as Western Peoples.
Contents:
1. Prophesied Kings Over Separate Israelite Tribes.
2. Separation of Judah (and Benjamin) from the Ten Tribes Prophesied from the Beginning!
3. Some Have Kings and Others Do Not, as Indicated by Scripture and Rabbinical Commentary.
4. Don Isaac Abarbanel and Tribes with the Kingly Touch - and without it!
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1. Prophesied Kings Over Separate Israelite Tribes. Aramaic and Onkelos.
re
Kings as Proof
Biblical Prophecy Said the Israelites Would Have Monarchs to Rule Over Them
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/biblical-proof/attributes/rolekings.html
The Almighty spoke to Jacob aka Israel and father of the 12 Tribes of Israel.
Genesis 35 (NIV):
11 And God said to him, 'I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community [in Hebrew, "Kahal"] of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.
It is shown below how (in the light of a great Rabbinical Commentator, the Natziv [Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin,1816 - 1893], on Genesis 28:3, as well as the Talmud (Ketubiot 7;b "Kahal" meaning at least Ten) that Genesis 35:11 is predicting that TWO DIFFERENT ENTITIES would emerge from Jacob. One would be "a Nation" i.e. that of "Judah" (comprising the Tribes of both Judah and Benjamin) and the other would be a "Kahal" of Ten meaning the Ten Tribes who became the Ten Lost Tribes. Each of these Tribes was to become a People in its own right (as indicated by the Aramaic of Onkelos), and some of them would have kings ruling over them. Only the Western Peoples fit the bill. In these peoples we find separate nations each of which may be identified as a separate nations and more than half of whom have kings ruling over them. No other grouping of peoples suits this criteria but these do! Concerning them it was said, "And kings shall come from you."
Abraham had been promised:
Genesis (NIV) 17:
6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.
The Aramaic Translation known as "Onkelos" is worth looking at here. Onkelos (c. 35-120 CE) was born a Roman Gentile and was related to one of the Roman Emperors. He converted to Judaism. After conversion Onkelos learnt with leading Rabbis. At that time the spoken tongue of most Jews in the Middle East was Aramaic. This language is similar to Hebrew and the two tongues share many word-roots. Aramaic words are found throughout the Bible. Most of the Books of Daniel and Ezra are written in Aramaic. The meaning of difficult Hebrew words or Biblical words that have fallen into misuse may often be discerned by comparing them to Aramaic. Before Onkelos appeared it was the custom in the Synagogue to read a portion of the Torah every Shabat in Hebrew out of a Torah Scroll. An interpreter would translate the Hebrew into Aramaic before the congregation. Onkelos took what was the accepted translated rendition and wrote it down under the direction of his Rabbis. This became known as Targum [Translation of] Onkelos. Throughout the centuries, even today, it was an accepted practice for a Religious Jew every week to read through the Weekly Portion twice in the Original Hebrew and once in the Aramaic of Onkelos. [I personally usually do this and have done so for decades. It adds a lot]. Onkelos does not always simply translate the text word for word. Sometimes he adds or paraphrases the text apparently according to what was accepted as the correct meaning in his time. [Another famous "Targum" ["Translation" into Aramaic] is that of Yehonatan who paraphrases the texts and adds a lot of legends and traditions of value].
In Genesis 17:6 above the Aramaic may be understood to say:
# I will make you an Assembly [of peoples] and Kings that rule over peoples will come out of you. # "Kneshin ve-Malacin deShalitin be-amamiya"
ואתננך לכנשין ולמלכין דשליטין בעממיא...
So too, we have a similar passage a little later:
Genesis 17 (NIV):
16 I will bless her [Sarah] and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.
Here a similar translation is used by Onkelos as in Genesis 17:16 (as in 17:6) but with a significant difference.
ואברכינך ותהי לכנעשת מלכין דשליטין בעממי בעממיא.......
Literally this says:
16 I will bless her [Sarah] and will surely give you a son by her, and I will bless her so that an assembly of kings that rule over peoples will come from her.
Tghe NATZIV agrees with this translation but gives it an explanation of his own. He wants to say that it includes the descendants of Esau who also had kings and who also technically were descendants of Abraham and Sarah. This however contradicts an important principle that ALL the blessings given to the fathers applied in the end only to Israel. Other blessings, such as those expressly to Ishmael (Genesis 6:12, 17:20), or to Esau (Genesis 27:39-40), were in a framework of their own and cannot be included as part of the blessings to be inherited by the Chosen Seed. The NATZIV may have been forced to have recourse to such a strained interpretations since he (alone among the Great Commentators) expressly denied a separate existence to the Ten Tribes in the End Times, and this was the only way he could reconcile the blessing to Sarah with the rest of Scripture.
At all events we have here in Onkelos and also according to the simple meaning a message that not only a dynasty (or dynasties) of Kings would come from them but also several kings, ruling over peoples, paralllel to each other!
Kings: Apart from the USA, Ireland, Finland. France, and Switzerland most nations that contain significant numbers of Israelites have a hereditary monarch at their head: Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg all have hereditary kings or queens over them.
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2. Separation of Judah (and Benjamin) from the Ten Tribes Prophesied from the Beginning!
To Jacob it was promised that from his seed would emerge Kings of Nations.:
Genesis 35 (NIV):
11 And God said to him, 'I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.
The Blessing of Isaac to his son Jacob:
# May God Almighty bless you,
And make you fruitful and multiply you,
That you may be an assembly of peoples [Genesis 28:3] #
The word translated above as 'multiply you' also connotes 'make you great.'
What does becoming an 'Assembly of Peoples' mean? A great Rabbinical Commentator, the 'NATZIV,' [Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin,1816 - 1893, "Ha-Emek Davar"] opined, on this verse, that this referred expressly to the Ten Tribes (headed by Joseph) who separated from Judah. He points out that from the Talmud (Ketubot 7;b see Shottenstein) the word "Kahal" means Ten or more.
[So too, Talmud, Beracot 54;b on Psalms 107:32, "Kahal" meaning 10.]
In Hebrew the word "Kahal" translated as "Assembly" can therefore also connote Ten.
cf.
Genesis 35:
10 God said to him,
Your name is Jacob;
You shall no longer be called Jacob,
But Israel shall be your name.
So He called him Israel.
11 God also said to him,
I am God Almighty;
Be fruitful and multiply;
A nation [GOI] and an assembly of nations [Kahal GOIIM] shall come from you,
And kings shall come from you.
Concerning the expression "A nation [GOI] and an assembly of nations [Kahal GOIIM] shall come from you," Commentators noted that Judah and Benjamin were counted in the Bible as ONE Tribe even though numerically there were two of them. [Radak on 1-Kings 11: 13, cf. 1-Kings 11: 32, 36. The Tribes of Judah and Benjamin were united through Jerusalem that straddled both their areas and they did not differ in customs, etc].
TWO DIFFERENT ENTITIES were to emerge from Jacob. One would be "a nation" that of Judah (comprising the Tribes of both Judah and Benjamin) and the other would be a "Kahal" [Assembly] of Ten meaning the Ten Tribes who became the Ten Lost Tribes. Concerning these it was said, "And kings shall come from you."
In light of the above our understanding of Genesis 35:11 may be modified.
Alongside the simple meaning:
Genesis 35 (NIV):
11 And God said to him, 'I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.
The text may be understood to also intimate:
Genesis 35 (Yair):
11 And God said to him, 'I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply. A nation [of Judah and Benjamin together, i.e. Judah] and Ten Peoples will come from you, and kings ruling over part of these peoples will be among your descendants.
The RADAK (Rabbi David Kimchi, 1160-1235) on 1-Kings (NASB) 11:13 explained that Judah and Benjamin together were considered 'One Tribe' since they both participated in Jerusalem the territory of which came from them both.
The expression 'ONE TRIBE' is found again:
1-Kings (NASB) 11: 31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take for yourself ten pieces; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: Behold, I am going to tear the kingdom away from the hand of Solomon and give you TEN TRIBES 32 (but he shall have ONE TRIBE, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the Tribes of Israel)....
Here the RADAK says that Judah and Benjamin were considered ONE TRIBE since they shared their Tribal Inheritance and Jerusalem between them.
We see that it was Prophesied from the BEGINNING that the Israelites would separate into two separate entities:
1. ONE Tribe comprising both Judah and Benjamin.
2. TEN Tribes each of which was to be a separate people in its own right.
cf.
Isaac, the son of Abraham, said to his son Jacob:
Genesis (ESV) 28:3 God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company [Hebrew: "Kahal"] of peoples.
The Commentary of the NATZIV (Genesis 28:3) says:
# An Assembly of Peoples ["Kahal Amim"]: An Assembly [Hebrew, "Kahal"] is ten (Talmud, Ketubot 7;b) ... and Amim [Peoples] denotes peoples who are each recognizable in their individual folk distinctions even though they may be under one government and speak the same language ....
From the Seed of Jacob would emerge Ten Peoples [in addition to the one people of Judaha nd Benjamin]. This means that each Tribe would have its own mannerisms and be a folk in its own right. This is despite them having one Law [Torah] and one king. They would nevertheless be differentiated in their ways of life.
# Only the Tribe of Benjamin and the Tribe of Judah had one mutual mode of living while Levi was encompassed by all the other Tribes.
This is the meaning of an Assembly of Peoples [Kahal Amim]. #
Judah and Benjamin became the one people of Judah while Levi was scattered among all the Tribes. This leaves us with 10 Tribes (i.e. 10 out of 13 when Levi is counted and Joseph is reckoned as two, Ephraim and Manasseh). That means we had one People of Judah (i.e. the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin joined together) on one side and Ten Tribes on the other. The Ten Tribes according to the Bible (as clarified by Onkelos) each were to become separate nations in their own right, every one distinguished in its characteristics from the other.
Genesies 28 above continues:
Genesis (NASB 1995) 28:
4. May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.
The Natziv points out that the expression above, "the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham," refers to the original 10 Nations whose lands Abraham had been promised (Genesies 15:21). This include addtional lands distinct from the Land of Canaan. The Hatam Sofer (Rabbi Moses Schreiber, 1762-1839) is quoted as believing that the reference is to areas of Western Europe. These places are now inhabited by descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes. The Ten Tribes are now in the lands promised them, see Predicted Hebrew Islands. Were the British Isles and North America Promised to Become Israelite? In the future the Ten Tribes when they return and re-unite with Judah will also receve areas in the Middle East (Ezekiel 37, Zechariah 10:10, Micah 7:14, Jeremiah 31:5).
Other Proofs:
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 the most 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). 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 in the End Times would not know who they were (Isaiah 49:21). Scripture gives numerous other identifying characteristics that taken as a whole can only fit THE one group of people that were to be found in Western Europe especially in Britain and its offshoots in North America, etc.
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3. Some Have Kings and Others Do Not, as Indicated by Scripture and Rabbinical Commentary.
From the above we see that each one of the separate Ten Tribes was prophesied to become a SEPARATE NATION in its own right!
Among these we would find Kings. Not all the Tribes would be of a monarchical disposition but some of them would.
Peoples we identify as from the Tribe of Ephraim are associated with Britain and the British Monarch.
These include Britain (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland), Canada, Australia, New Zealand. They all recognize the reigning British Monarch as the official head of their government.
This has ceremonial and symbolic significance and in time of crisis could be of great political importance.
Sweden, Tribe of Gad, has a monarch.
Norway, Tribe of Naphtali, has a monarch.
Denmark, Tribe of Dan, has a monarch.
Netherlands, Tribe of Zebulon, has a monarch.
Luxembourg has a monarch.
Belgium, Tribe of Benjamin, has a monarch.
Taking Britain and its offshoots as one entity (Ephraim), and including Luxembourg despite its small size (about 600,000 people), we find 7 Israelite polities with "Kings" ruling over them.
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4. Don Isaac Abarbanel and Tribes with the Kingly Touch - and without it!
Let us consider the Israelite nations of "Republican" Inclination: Israelite Nations without Monarchs included USA, Finland, France, Switzerland, Ireland, South Africa.
The USA is identifiable as Manasseh. The very name "Manasseh" in Hebrew connotes (as explained by Rabbi Samsaon Rafael Hirsch) Responsible Representation. Similarly Rabbi S. R. Slanger noted that in Biblical Times leaders from Manaaseh were, unlike those from Ephraim, appointed only for specific purposes and limited in their powers. They were more like American Presidents and even referred to as 'Sar" (i.e. Prince, cf. "Sire") rather than King.
Don Isaac Abarbanel (1437-1508) was himself once a Governmental Minister and an advisor to the Kings of Portugal, Spain, Naples (southern Italy), and the Republic of Venice. He himself considered the Republican form of government superior to that of Kings. In his commentary to Genesis, Abarbanel analyses each of the Tribes and comments on their proclivity to bring forth Kings.
We identify France with Reuben.
Abarbanel opines that Reuben due to his inner constitution is not suited to be monarchical. This may come as a surprise to many since historically France had many great and glorious kings and two Great Emperors (Charlemagne and Napoloeon) as well. Nevertheless the opinion of Abarbanel suits the present situation.
He says the same about Issachar and this suits the cases of both Finland and Switzerland both of whom we identify with Issachar. [In fact both Switzerland and Finland (along out of the Israelite nations) never seem to have had Kings of their own. Neither did they had an aristocracy to speak of. There are other similarities betweent h two states].
We find Dan in Denmark and as a minority in Ireland which is dominated by Asher. Abarbanel hesitates over Dan but seems to resolves the case that he too will have royalty of his own. Asher on the other hand, says Abarbanel, lacks the kingly touch and this suits Ireland in its present state.
Abarbanel is also doubtful about Naphtali but we find Norway with its own monarch.
He also doubts that Zebulon would have the monarchical aspect but we identify the Netherlands with Zebulon and they do have a monarch.
South Africa is an Israelite Nation in so far as that part of its population is of Dutch and British but these are now in a minority and subject to the rule of others.
Despite the discrepancies the observations of Abarbanel accord with our identifications to some degree.
In other words:
According to Scripture and the Rabbinical Commentators the Ten Tribes are each to become a separate nation. Some of them are to be ruled by monarchs or have monarchs as part of their governmental structure. Some are not.
This is what we find.