Where are the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel?
An analysis of the doctrine commonly known as "British-Israelism"
What is "British-Israelism"? In brief, British-Israelism is the belief that modern Britain, and the Anglo-Saxon peoples of Canada, the U.S.A., Denmark, Sweden, Holland, France, Germany, and Northwestern European nations comprise the allegedly "lost" ten tribes of Israel. The following points are noteworthy:
The doctrine of British-Israelism contends:
- That the term "Jew" as used in Scripture applies only to the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and not to the "House of Israel"- the ten tribes. The terms "Israelites" and "Jew" are not synonymous in this belief system.
- That the return of the Jews under Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah to Palestine from their captivity in Babylon was limited to the two tribes.
- That David's throne is presently the throne on which Queen Elizabeth sits in London, England.
- That the "stone of Israel" of Genesis 49:24 was the stone used by Jacob as a pillow and was carried by him into the land of Palestine. When Nebuchadnezzar invaded the land of Israel in 606 BC, the daughter of Zedekiah, king of Judah, fled to Egypt with Jeremiah the prophet, taking the stone with her. From Egypt it was shipped by Jews to Ireland, then Scotland and finally found its place in the coronation chair in the Westminster Abby.
Now, let us turn to the One Book that contains the Truth of this matter... the Bible.
In 1 Kings 2:11, we see that at the beginning of the monarchy in Israel it was a united country.
"And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem."
We find that David's son, Solomon, also reigned over a united Israel...
"And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years"(1 Kings 11:42).
So, when did the split between the tribes of Israel occur?
Let's look at verses 29-37 of this same chapter (1 Kings 11). In these verses we read Ahijah's prophecy declaring the dividing of the 12 tribe united Kingdom into two Kingdoms.
"And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: and Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: and he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: (but he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel) because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: but I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have light always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel."
So, we are told here that the kingdom of Israel would be divided at the time Solomon's son took the throne. What would cause such a split? Would you believe taxes?!
1 Kings 12:4,13-15,19-20 - "...spake to Rehoboam saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee... And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's council that they gave him... My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke... So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again (out of exile- see 1Kg.11:40), that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only."
From what we have read so far it seems that there was an even 2 tribe, 10 tribe split. Yet, things are not quite so cut and dried as we may think!
1 Kings 12:16-17,21 - "So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them... And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand (180,000) chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon."
We find in this passage that some of the children of Israel that lived in the cities of Judah stayed where they were. We also find that even after the split between Judah and Israel, Rehoboam was still able to muster a seasoned fighting force of 180,000.
After a short period of time, Jeroboam led Israel into apostasy, but not everyone agreed to follow his wicked ways.
2 Chronicles 11:13-15 - "And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him (Rehoboam, king of Judah) out of all their coasts. For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam (the king of Israel) and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD: and he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils (goat idols: see NIV), and for the calves which he had made."
If we read a little farther, we find that the Levites are not the only ones to leave the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
2 Chronicles 11:16-17 - "And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers. So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon."
Notice the words "out of all the tribes of Israel". The Southern Kingdom of Judah at this point is once again made up of representatives of every tribe. But the story does not end there!
The Israelites continued to migrate south to Judah, but this time it was after a period of about 35 years.
2 Chronicles 15:8-10 - "And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephriam, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa."
Now I would like to point out to you that this is not the only way we see an increase in the southern Kingdom. If we take note of the increase in army size of Judah over the period between the split and the captivity of the Northern Kingdom, we will realize the extent to which Judah increased.
As I pointed out earlier, Rehoboam, at the time of the division between the tribes, was able to gather a fighting force of 180,000 seasoned warriors (1 Kings 12:21), but some 18 years later, Ahijah, the son of Rehoboam, was able to present a standing army of 400,000 (2 Chron.13:3). A few years after this, Asa, the son of Ahijah, had an army of 580,000 (2 Chron.14:8). About 32 years later, Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, mustered a force of 1,160,000 mighty men of valour (2 Chron.17:14-19). For a more detailed account, see the book, "Undesigned Scriptural Coincidences" by J.J. Blunt, available from the Christadelphians, 404 Shaftmoore Lane, Birmingham, England, B28 8SZ.
So depleted was the Northern Kingdom of Israel, that when Sargon II took them captive, there was only 27,290 captives.
Quoting from "The Bible as History" by Werner Keller, pg 246...
"In the first year of my reign, I besieged and conquered Samaria (the capital city of Israel)... I led away into captivity 27,290 people who live there."
This was taken and translated from the cuneiform texts of Sargon II, which were found about 1850 in the area of what used to be known as Assyria.
So we can safely conclude from the Scriptural passages that we have looked at and alluded to, that by the time of the Assyrian captivity of Israel in 723 B.C., the Kingdom of Judah was once again made up of all twelve tribes.
This conclusion would be false IF the New Testament did not show evidence of other tribes in the land of Palestine other than Judah and Benjamin. Also, Jesus says that he was sent "unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). If there were only two tribes in the land of Palestine, and as the Gospel records show, Jesus confined his ministry to Palestine only, then Jesus would have failed in his mission. Let's look into this!
Luke 2:36 - "And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser..."
Well, we have evidence of at least one from another tribe.
Acts 26:6-7 - "And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come..."
This is the Apostle Paul speaking to Herod Agrippa, puppet king of Israel under the Romans. He told him that all twelve tribes were there in the land worshipping God.
We can say one thing. Jesus accomplished his mission, because all twelve tribes of Israel were in the land of Palestine during his ministry.
Points to Consider
Now, let's consider the four points I brought out at the beginning of this article...
1. The terms "Israelites" and "Jew" are not synonymous in this belief system.
The Apostle Paul, in two separate places in the New Testament, uses the terms Jew and Israelite to describe himself.
Acts 22:3 - "I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, yet brought up in this city (Jerusalem) at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the Law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day."
Romans 11:1 - "I say then, Hath God cast off his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin."
2. That the return of the Jews under Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah to Palistine from their captivity in Babylon was limited to the two tribes.
If we turn to Nehemiah 5:1,8,17 and compare it with chapter 7:73 and 9:1 we find that this statement by the British-Israelites is incorrect.
Nehemiah 5:1,8,17 - "And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews... And I said unto them, We, after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen... Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers..."
Nehemiah 7:73
- "So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities; and when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities."Nehemiah 9:1 - "Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them."
We can state with conviction that those that returned to the land of Palestine and continued to dwell there were representatives of all the tribes of Israel.
3. That the "stone of Israel" of Genesis 49:24 was the stone used by Jacob as a pillow and was carried by him into the land of Palestine. When Nebuchadnezzar invaded the land of Israel in 606 B.C., the daughter of Zedekiah, king of Judah, fled to Egypt with Jeremiah the prophet, taking the stone with her. From Egypt it was shipped by Jews to Ireland, then Scotland and finally found its place in the coronation chair in the Westminster Abby.
Now, what of this claim? Again let's turn to the Bible, and see that the Bible has the answer to this as well.
Genesis 28:18-22 - "And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee."
We see from this passage that the stone never left the place that Jacob set it for a pillar.
For interest sake, one might note that the coronation chair at Westminster Abby is made of RED SANDSTONE, and the stones that are found in the area of Bethel are WHITE LIMESTONE.
4. That David's throne is presently the throne on which Queen Elizabeth sits in London, England.
This claim brings up a few questions.
1 Kings 2:11 - "And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem."
To answer this, I will quote the same verse from three different translations.
Ezekiel 21:27 - "I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him." (KJV)
"A ruin,ruin, ruin I will make it; there shall be no trace of it until he comes whose right it is; and to him will I give it." (RSV)
"A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until he comes to whom it rightfully belongs; to him I will give it." (NIV)
The answer is clear. The throne of David was to cease to exist until the one who is called "he whose right it is" should come.
This leads us to a third question, containing two parts.
To answer the second part first, we are told that Jesus Christ is the one who will reign from "the throne of David".
Isaiah 9:6-7 - "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God (Heb. el gibbor), the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will perform this."
2 Samuel 7:12, 13 & 16 - "And when thy (David) days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever... And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever."
Luke 1:31-33 - "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
Jesus Christ is the one to whom the throne of David belongs, and he will reign from it. The remaining question is:
Again the Bible is very clear. Jesus taught his disciples to pray,
"Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven..." Matthew 6:9-10
Throughout his ministry, Jesus taught the disciples about the Kingdom of God (see Matt.4:23; 9:35; Luke 9:1-6; Acts 1:3). The disciples were convinced that Jesus would immediately set up the Kingdom (Acts 1:6), and that was only because of the "infallible proofs" that Jesus presented to them concerning the Kingdom.
Some of these proofs were no doubt from passages such as Isaiah 2:2-4; Jeremiah 3:17; Psalm 2:6-12; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Isaiah 24:23. These passages would have given them a hope for a better time, and a better life. Let's look at a few of these passages.
Isaiah 2:2-4 - "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations..."
Jeremiah 3:17 - "At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart."
Psalm 2:6-12 - "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are they that put their trust in him."
Jeremiah 23:5 - "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth."
This final Kingdom will have its headquarters in Jerusalem, as we have seen in these passages. Also mentioned is the fact that it will include the entire world. This is re-enforced by the prophet Daniel in Daniel 2:34, 35 & 44 and Daniel 7:13, 14 & 27.
"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.... And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." Daniel 2:34, 35 & 44
Daniel 7:13, 14 & 27 - "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed...And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him."
The Lord Jesus Christ also mentioned during his ministry that Jerusalem "is the city of the great King", and that the "meek shall inherit the earth" (see Matt.5:5, 35). Revelation 11:15 says that "the kingdoms of this world" are to become the kingdoms of God and his Christ.
From what we have looked at throughout this article, we can confidently say the following...
We see then, that this British-Israelite doctrine leads us away from Bible truth, and disregards the prophecies given by God about His people Israel, and their return to the land of Palestine as a sign of the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ to this earth to set up the Kingdom of God centered in Jerusalem.
If you have any questions concerning this topic or any other Bible topic, please do not hesitate to email me.
Last Updated:
Copyright © 2000 - 2001 Matthew D. Smith