In the previous blog post, we saw that 1 Kings 11 foretells the splitting of the kingdom of Israel. This division is described in 1 Kings 12. From that moment on, there is no longer a single kingdom of twelve tribes; instead, a distinction is made between Judah (the two-tribe kingdom) and Israel (the ten-tribe kingdom).
Some conclude from this that, both in New Testament times and today, a “Jew” is someone belonging to the two tribes (Judah and Benjamin), while the term “Israel” is reserved for the ten tribes. After all, that was the situation when the split occurred. But is this view correct?
Exile
In 2 Kings 17, we read how Israel—the ten-tribe kingdom—is conquered due to idolatry and carried off into exile in Assyria.
2 Kings 24 and 25 and 2 Chronicles 36 describe how Judah—the two-tribe kingdom—is conquered and carried off into exile in Babylon.
There is a gap of nearly 150 years between the deportation of the ten tribes and that of the two tribes. Regarding the exile of Judah, it is foretold and recorded that it would last 70 years (Jer. 25:11; 29:10; 2 Chron. 36:21; Dan. 9:2).
Return
At the end of 2 Chronicles 36, we read that King Cyrus of Persia calls upon the people to return to the land of Judah and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus had received this commission from YAHWEH, the God of heaven (2 Chron. 36:23).
2 Chronicles does not state how he received this commission. However, we do find the prediction of it in the words of the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 44:28). Isaiah lived more than 150 years before Cyrus and prophesied long in advance that a man named Cyrus would rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the temple.
Who drew Cyrus’s attention to this prophecy by Isaiah? We read that the prophet Daniel was present at Cyrus’s court during the time of the exile. Could Daniel have shown Cyrus that his name had been mentioned by the prophet Isaiah more than 150 years earlier? Scripture does not explicitly say so, but it is highly plausible.
the entire people
All the kingdoms of the earth had been given to Cyrus, and the call to return to the land went out across his entire kingdom, addressed to the whole people (2 Chron. 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1–4). The ten tribes in Assyria were also included in this call (Ezra 6:22).
Ezra and Nehemiah
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah discuss at length the return of the people to the land of Judah. The number of returning exiles is recorded with great precision: 49,942 people (Ezra 2:64; Neh. 7:66–67).
Regarding the people, terms such as the following are used:
– all Israel (Ezra 2:70, 10:5; Neh. 7:73)
– sons of Israel (Ezra 3:1; Neh. 1:6).
But they are also referred to as:
– people of Judah (Ezra 4:4)
– sons of Judah (Neh. 13:16)
– Jews (Ezra 5:1; Neh. 2:16, 4:1, 2, 12; 5:1, 8, 17; 6:6).
Moreover, at the dedication of the rebuilt temple, sacrifices are offered for all twelve tribes:
Ezra 6 HSV
17 (…) and as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel.
all twelve tribes
The returned exiles are members of all twelve tribes of Israel who settled in the region of Judah after the exile. Within this restored community, Scripture refers to them using terms such as “Jews” (=of Judah) and “Israel.” From this, we can conclude that, from this point on, these terms function as synonyms.
It is noteworthy that this restoration is not accompanied by a redistribution of the land according to the original tribal boundaries. The identity of the tribes remains intact in principle, yet their area of settlement is concentrated within the region of Judah. In this sense, the ten tribes are also included, even though they do not return to their former territories. The returned people represent a continuation not merely of the two tribes, but of all Israel.
Jew and Israelite in the New Testament
When we turn to the New Testament, we find confirmation of the idea that both the terms “Jews” and “Israelites” are used to address all of Israel.
For instance, the apostle Peter, in his speech on the Day of Pentecost, addresses his listeners as “men of Judea” (Acts 2:14)—or literally “Jewish men”—but moments later addresses them as “men of Israel” (Acts 2:22). He concludes his speech with the words:
Acts 2 ISA
36 Therefore let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
For Peter, these are not distinct groups, but different designations for the same people.
We see Paul using these terms interchangeably as well. In the same passage, he speaks of Jews (Rom. 9:24) but also of Israel (Rom. 9:6, 27, 31).
Moreover, Paul describes himself as follows:
Romans 11 ISA
1 (…) For I am also an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
For Paul, there is no contradiction between being an Israelite, a Jew, and a member of a specific tribe.
the twelve tribes
It is striking that, even in the days of the New Testament, the twelve tribes are still spoken of as a single entity.
When Paul defends himself before King Agrippa, he says:
Acts 26 NBG
7 which our twelve tribes hope to attain, by serving God earnestly night and day (…)
Here, Paul speaks of the twelve tribes as a single whole—a religious unity that serves God and awaits His promises.
James also writes:
James 1 ISA
1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are in the Dispersion: Rejoice!
Furthermore, we read about Anna:
Luke 2 ISA
36 And there was Anna, a prophetess (…) of the tribe of Asher.
Thus, in the New Testament, we find not only members from Judah and Benjamin but also from a tribe of the former ten-tribe kingdom. Yet, her lineage was still known in the days of the Lord Jesus.
All this is difficult to reconcile with the idea that the ten tribes disappeared as a distinct people and continue to exist somewhere else on earth. The apostles still speak of twelve tribes as a single whole.
assimilated
The ten-tribe kingdom as a whole never returned to the land. Only a small portion returned, while the vast majority merged into the nations. Consequently, they are no longer “near” but “far off”— terms Paul uses to describe the nations (Eph. 2:12-13).
no lost two tribes?
Fewer than 50,000 people from all twelve tribes returned to the land. The majority of these came from the two tribes, yet even among them, only a fraction returned.
The greater part remained abroad, and while some retained their Jewish identity, others assimilated into their surroundings and intermingled with other peoples.
Yet, this group is never referred to as “the lost two tribes.”
One people, two names
From the time of the return from exile onwards, Scripture once again speaks of one Israel. That people is referred to as both ‘Israel’ and ‘Jews’. From that point on, the name ‘Jew’ no longer refers solely to the tribe of Judah, but to the entire people of Israel.
Conclusion
Only a small portion of the people returned to the land in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. Nevertheless, Scripture regards this return as a restoration of all Israel.
It was Israelites from all twelve tribes who went to live in the region of Judah. And that is why they were called Jews – associated with the region of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. From the time of the return from exile onwards, Scripture uses the terms ‘Jews’ and ‘Israel’ to refer to the same people. The apostles use both terms interchangeably.
The New Testament also continues to speak of the twelve tribes as a single entity. Scripture does not recognize a separate existence of ten tribes alongside Judah; rather, it consistently speaks of one Israel, comprising twelve tribes. From the time of the return from exile, they are referred to as both Israelites and Jews.
From the return under Cyrus onwards, Scripture once again speaks of one Israel.