Traditional Rabbinical Commentaries and the Lost Ten Tribes
We understand Rashi and other leading Rabbinical Commentators to says that the Lost Ten Tribes are in France, or in France and England together (Abarbanel), or in France and Germany or areas bordering on it.
This is an interesting subject and of great importance to us.
Rashi understands Obadiah 1:20 to say, AND THIS FIRST EXILE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WHO ARE FROM THE LAND OF CANAANITES UP TO TSEREFAT. Rashi understantds the expression WHO ARE FROM THE LAND OF CANAANITES UP TO TSEREFAT refers to THIS FIRST EXILE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL meaning the first of the Israelites to be exiled, i.e. the Lost Ten Tribes who were exiled by the Assyrians.
Among the Jewish translations the only available version (The Complete Bible) to us did not understand the verse as Rashi did. Using the Bible Hub and Bible Gateway we compared more than 100 different translations.
Only 3 of them understood the verse as Rashi does.
(1) One was Smith's Literal Translation (SLT).
"Smith's Literal Translation" refers to the unique, word-for-word Bible translation by Julia Evelina Smith (often called the Julia Smith Bible) from the 1870s, known for its extreme literalism in rendering Hebrew and Greek into awkward English, aiming for absolute accuracy over readability, a project she undertook after Millerite predictions failed, seeking deeper meaning from original texts.
Obadiah (SLT)
20 AND THE CAPTIVITY OF THIS BEGINNING TO THE SONS OF ISRAEL, THAT OF THE CANAANITES EVEN TO ZAREPHATH; AND THE CAPTIVITY OF JERUSALEM WHICH IS IN SEPHARAD SHALL POSSESS THE CITIES OF THE SOUTH.
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(2) Another was:
Lamsa Bible (LB)
"The Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern Manuscripts (commonly called the Lamsa Bible) was published by George M. Lamsa in 1933. It was derived, both Old and New Testaments, from the Syriac Peshitta, the Bible used by the Assyrian Church of the East and other Syriac Christian traditions."
Obadiah (LB) 1:20 THE FIRST EXILES, THAT IS, OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, SHALL POSSESS THE LANDS FROM CANAAN AS FAR AS ZAREPATH; AND THE EXILES OF JERUSALEM WHO ARE IN SPAIN SHALL POSSESS THE CITIES OF THE SOUTH.
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and
(3) Peshitta Holy Bible Translated (PHB)
The Peshitta (Classical Syriac) is the standard Syriac (Aramaic) edition of the Bible for the Syriac churches and traditions that follow the liturgy of the Syriac rites.
Obadiah (PHB) 1:
20 AND THIS FIRST CAPTIVITY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THAT IS FROM CANAAN, AND UNTO TSAREPTA AND THE CAPTIVITY OF JERUSALEM WHO ARE IN ESPANIA, THEY SHALL INHERIT THE CITIES OF THE SOUTH.
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Here is how a modern Orthodox Jewish translation renders the verse:
Obadiah (TCB)
20 AND THIS EXILED HOST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WHO ARE [WITH] THE CANAANITES AS FAR AS ZAREPHATH AND THE EXILE OF JERUSALEM WHICH IS IN SEPHARAD SHALL INHERIT THE CITIES OF THE SOUTHLAND.
21 AND SAVIORS SHALL ASCEND MT. ZION TO JUDGE THE MOUNTAIN OF ESAU, AND THE LORD SHALL HAVE THE KINGDOM.
Here is the King James Version:
Obadiah (KJV) 1:
20 AND THE CAPTIVITY OF THIS HOST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL POSSESS THAT OF THE CANAANITES, EVEN UNTO ZAREPHATH; AND THE CAPTIVITY OF JERUSALEM, WHICH IS IN SEPHARAD, SHALL POSSESS THE CITIES OF THE SOUTH.
Our understanding is that Rashi is correct and that the initial expression really is applicable to "THIS FIRST EXILE." Other Jewish Commentaries in the past INDICATE that they agreed with him.
Nevertheless, it is not indispensable that these versions be accepted to appreciate what Rashi is saying.
Here is the relevant commentary of Rashi on continuation of the verse in question:
"THAT OF THE CANAANITES, EVEN UNTO ZAREPHATH. The Exile of the Children of Israel who were exiled from the Ten Tribes to the Land of the Canaanites unto Tzerefat... The Exegetes says that Tserefat is the Kingdom they call France in their own language."
In Medieval Times the term "Canaan" was often applied to Bohemia (Czechia) but Iben Ezra and the Radak say it means Germany. The CAPTIVITY OF JERUSALEM, WHICH IS IN SEPHARAD is taken to mean "Espamia" i.e. Spain.
Rabbi David Kimchi (Radak, 1160-1235) does not relate this passage to the LTTs BUT he says "THAT OF THE CANAANITES" applies to the Germans: According to tradition people of the Land of Allemania ("Allemagne" in French, i.e. Germany) were Canaanites. "For when the Canaanites fled from Joshua son of Nun they went to the areas of Allemania and Ashkeloniah which names are given to the area of Ashkenaz (i.e. Germany), and even today they are referred to as Canaanites."
Rabbi Abraham Iben Ezra (1089-1167) also identified the Canaanites with Germany:
THAT OF THE CANAANITES. We have heard from Great Men that the Land of Allemagne (Germany) are Canaanites who fled from before the Children of Israel when they entered the Land. So too, Tserefat is France.
Taking these sources together we see the LTTs described as groups who moved to France and to Germany (or bordering on Germany).
The term 'Tserefat' was used in Jewish Writings as applying to Northern France or to France in General.
Later sources identify the peoples of France and Germany as descended from Esau i.e. Edom.
Ramban (Nachmanides, Rabbi Mosheh ben Nachman, 1194-1270, Spain; from "The Book of Redemption", chapter 1.):
"THE VISION OF OBADIAH ..THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH REFERS TO THE TEN TRIBES ...WHO WERE EXILED AND STILL ARE IN THEIR PLACE OF EXILE, THE EXILE OF ZAREPHATH AND CANAAN WHICH ARE IN THE FARTHEST NORTH..."
Abarbanel says that 'Tserefat' applies to both France and England together.
Don Isaac ben Yehudah Abarbanel, (1437-1508 CE) adds:
"ZERAPHATH IS FRANCE AND SO TOO THE EXILE OF SEPHARAD IS SPAIN... AND LET YOU NOT ERR JUST BECAUSE ZERAPHATH [I.E. FRANCE] IS SPOKEN OF AND ANGLETERRE [i.e. England] IS NOT RECALLED, FOR THERE TOO DID THE EXILES GO, FOR LO AND BEHOLD, THAT ISLAND IS CONSIDERED A PART OF ZAREPHATH AND IN THE BEGINNING BELONGED TO IT AND IN THEIR ANCIENT BOOKS THEY CALL IT THE ISLE OF ZAREPHATH [I.E. OF FRANCE] EVEN THOUGH IT LATER SEPARATED ITSELF FROM ZAREPHATH [FRANCE] AND BECAME A KINGDOM IN ITS OWN RIGHT" (Abarbanel on Obadiah).
Computer Codes above show the name Tserefath (France) in Hebrew) encased by the Clan Names of Reuben. Statistically this (and hundreds - or thousands - of other such phenomen like it) cannot be by chance.
