In the introduction, I already mentioned the division of Israel into two kingdoms and how one of those two—the ten-tribe kingdom—largely disappeared among the nations. In this blog post, I would like to elaborate on this and cite the relevant Scripture passages.
Two kingdoms
David once passed on God’s words to his son Solomon, stating that if he served Him, his throne would be established (1 Kings 2:4). However, towards the end of his life, Solomon’s many wives enticed him into idolatry. This is described in detail in 1 Kings 11. Consequently, Solomon was told that his kingdom would be divided (1 Kings 11:11).
Torn away
In that same chapter, we read how the prophet Ahijah tells Jeroboam that he will receive ten tribes of the kingdom, while two tribes will remain for the kingdom of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam (1 Kings 11:30 ff.). Ahijah demonstrates this by tearing his cloak into twelve pieces and giving ten of them to Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:30–31). The ten tribes are torn away from the two tribes: Judah and Benjamin.
Judah and Israel
From that moment on, Scripture speaks of two kingdoms, usually referred to as Judah and Israel (the two-tribe and ten-tribe kingdoms, respectively). The remainder of the books of 1 and 2 Kings describes the various kings who ruled over these two kingdoms of Israel. Among the kings of Judah—the kingdom of the two tribes—there were occasionally kings who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord; however, regarding the kingdom of the ten tribes, it is said of every single king that he did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.
Carried away from the land
2 Kings 17 recounts how the kingdom of the ten tribes and its capital, Samaria, were conquered by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser—due to their disobedience and idolatry—and how the people were deported to Assyria (2 Kings 17:6). The majority never returned from this Assyrian exile; the kingdom of the ten tribes largely merged into the surrounding nations. They assimilated and, in doing so, lost their Israelite identity.
Samaritans
The second part of 2 Kings 17 (starting at verse 24) describes how the king of Assyria sent non-Israelites to settle in the region of Samaria, the former territory of the ten tribes. These Gentiles intermarried with the Israelites who had remained behind, giving rise to the people group known as the Samaritans.
New Testament
More than 700 years elapsed between the events of 2 Kings 17—the deportation of the ten tribes—and the history recorded in the New Testament Gospels. In the time of the New Testament, the Samaritans were despised by the Jewish people. Consequently, Jews would take a wide detour to avoid passing through Samaria, and Jesus was once reviled by being called a Samaritan (John 8:48). It is also significant that the Lord told the people a parable about a Good Samaritan (Luke 10).
The Samaritans can be viewed as the heirs of the ten tribes. They lived on their former territory and were once Israel, but—due to intermingling—had become Gentiles.
For the most part, the ten tribes were absorbed into the nations and never returned to their original homeland, which was by then inhabited by the Samaritans. They lost their Israelite identity. But does this mean they still possess that identity and are located somewhere on earth as “the lost ten tribes of Israel”? More on this in a future blog post.