In previous blog posts, we saw that, following the exile, Scripture speaks of a single Israel consisting of twelve tribes. We also saw that the majority of the ten tribes did not return to the land but instead assimilated into the nations. Proponents of the “Lost Ten Tribes” doctrine believe that these nations – once Israelite – are in reality still Israel and are present among us today, particularly among Anglo-Saxon peoples.
But how does Scripture actually distinguish between Israel and the nations?
Today, people often think in terms of ancestry, DNA, and genealogy. The Bible, however, places the distinction elsewhere.
The sign of the covenant
When God established His covenant with Abraham, He gave him a visible sign.
Genesis 17 ISA
10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: that every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 And the flesh of your foreskin shall be circumcised; and this shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
(…)
14 And the uncircumcised male, whose foreskin is not circumcised—that soul shall be cut off from his people: he has broken My covenant.
Circumcision was not merely a custom or a religious tradition. It was the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Every male Israelite had to be circumcised. Anyone who remained uncircumcised was cut off from the people.
It is therefore not surprising that, in Scripture, Israel is characterized by circumcision. a foreigner becomes like a native-born Israelite
An Israelite is thus distinguished by circumcision. An uncircumcised person was not counted among the people. But the reverse is also true. A foreigner from the nations could be counted among Israel through circumcision.
Exodus 12 ISA
48 Now when a foreigner resides with you and wishes to celebrate Passover for YAHWEH, all the males belonging to him must be circumcised. Then he may come near to celebrate it. He shall be regarded as someone born in the land.
Here we see that lineage is not the deciding factor. This man is not a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. Yet, after circumcision, he is counted as someone born in the land.
That is remarkable. It shows that Scripture does not define Israel primarily on the basis of lineage, but on the basis of the sign of the covenant: circumcision.
circumcision
In the New Testament, “the circumcision” is frequently used to designate Israel.
Paul writes:
Romans 3 ISA
1 What then is the advantage of the Jew, or what is the benefit of circumcision?
Here, the Jew and the circumcision are practically equated.
Paul makes this distinction in Galatians as well.
Galatians 2 ISA
7 But on the contrary: when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision had been entrusted to me, just as that of the circumcision had been to Peter –
8 for He who worked in Peter for the apostleship of the circumcision also worked in me for the nations –
Here, the circumcision represents Israel. The uncircumcision is a synonym for the nations. This is also evident from what follows.
9 (…) James, Cephas, and John (…) extended the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas: we, indeed, to the nations, and they to the circumcision.
In verse 7, Paul speaks of the uncircumcision and the circumcision. In verse 9, he speaks of the nations and the circumcision. This shows that the uncircumcision and the nations refer to the same group.
nations in the flesh
In Ephesians 2, Paul addresses believers from the nations.
Ephesians 2 ISA
11 Therefore, remember that you once – you, the nations in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by hands –
Here, Paul calls his readers “nations in the flesh.” By origin, they belonged to the Gentile peoples. Furthermore, he states that they were referred to as “uncircumcision” by those known as “circumcision.”
The contrast Paul draws is clear: circumcision versus uncircumcision (the uncircumcised). Or: Israel versus the nations.
It is noteworthy that Paul does not speak of two tribes and ten tribes. Nor does he speak of hidden Israelites who have forgotten their ancestry. He makes a distinction between Israel and the nations.
alienated from the citizenship of Israel
Paul continues:
Ephesians 2 ISA
12 that at that time you were without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
Here, the point becomes even clearer. These people were alienated from the citizenship of Israel. They were strangers to the covenants God had made with Israel.
These are remarkable words if the nations were actually descendants of Israel. Paul does not say that they had forgotten their ancestry. He says that they were strangers to Israel’s covenants.
The word “alienated” does not imply that they once shared in the citizenship of Israel and subsequently lost it. The other times the Greek word apallotrioō appears in the New Testament, it does not carry that meaning either (Eph. 4:18; Col. 1:21). It denotes someone who is a stranger to something, has no share in it, or is excluded from it.
Therefore, Paul does not describe his readers as Israelites who have lost their identity, but as people who had no share in the citizenship of Israel and were strangers to the covenants of promise.
But even if one wishes to read into the word “alienated” the idea that they once shared in the citizenship of Israel, that still does not support the doctrine of the lost ten tribes. After all, Paul does not address them as Israel, but as nations. Whatever their origins may have been, in his argument they are counted among the nations and not among Israel.
absorbed into the nations
In earlier blog posts, we saw that the majority of the ten tribes did not return to the land. They intermingled with other peoples and were absorbed into the nations. That is precisely what Hosea had foretold.
Hosea 1 ISA
9 And He said: Call him Lo-Ammi [not My people], for you are not My people, and I will not be yours.
The people became Lo-Ammi – that is, not My people.
Whoever is absorbed into the nations is no longer designated in Scripture as Israel, but as belonging to the nations. This does not mean that God’s promises to Israel have lapsed. The prophets speak extensively about a future restoration of Israel. However, that does not alter the fact that people living among the nations – and no longer recognizable as Israel – are counted in Scripture among the nations rather than among Israel.
Conclusion
Scripture distinguishes between Israel and the nations by means of circumcision. Israel is characterized by circumcision, the nations by the foreskin. When Paul speaks of the nations, he refers to them as the foreskin (the uncircumcised) – alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise.
Therefore, Scripture provides no grounds for regarding the nations as hidden Israelites. The nations are nations, and Israel is Israel. That is the distinction Scripture itself makes.