In the Footsteps of the Lost Tribes of Israel

The Fate of Lost Tribes Belongs to the Secrets of the Bible

As the sun dipped behind Jerusalem, the lost tribes bid their homeland a silent farewell. With each step away, they vanished into the unknown, as the destiny of their journey is never destined to be known by any human....

The term "Lost Tribes" refers to the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel that vanished completely from the face of the earth after the Assyrian conquest. These tribes include Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, and Zebulun.

In contrast, the Southern Kingdom, made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, continued to thrive.

The fate of the ten tribes remains unknown, and their disappearance is shrouded in various speculations. Although the Bible mentions them, it doesn't provide a definitive account of their fate. So the mystery remains: What really happened to them?

Background

After Solomom reign, The Kingdom of Israel split into two separate parts, the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah). The Northern Kingdom, with its capital city in Samaria, faced internal conflicts and external threats.

In 721 BCE, Assyrian King Sargon II launched a military campaign against the weakened Northern Kingdom. The Assyrians besieged and ultimately captured Samaria, marking the end of the Kingdom.

Warlike King Sargon Conquered Northern Kingdom in 721 BCE

The Assyrians followed a policy of relocating conquered peoples to prevent rebellions and control newly acquired territories. After capturing Samaria, Sargon II therefore deported a significant portion of the population elsewhere.

According to an inscription by Sargon himself, exactly 27,290 people together with the last king Hoshea were taken into captivity. The fate of these people has since remained a puzzling mystery

Lost Tribes in the Bible

The second book of Kings mentions that in the seventh century BCE, these people resided in Mesopotamia and Persia. Josephus Flavius, the Jewish historian from the first century BCE, describes them as an innumerable multitude living to the east of the Euphrates River.

According to the second book of Ezra, these tribes journeyed across the Euphrates to a land called Arsareth. However, in Hebrew, this term simply means another land and doesn't denote any specific location.

The Talmud abstains from speculating on this matter and instead expresses the hope that the lost tribes will one day return.

In Legendary Tales

One of the most well-known medieval legends about the Lost Tribes revolves around Prester John, a mythical Christian king believed to rule over a vast and wealthy kingdom. In some versions of the myth, Prester John is thought to be a descendant of the Lost Tribes of Israel. His kingdom was often placed in distant and unexplored regions, sometimes linked with Ethiopia, India, or even somewhere in Central Asia, connecting him with the mysterious myth of Shambala.

Last Mentions of Lost Tribes Are Coming From Somewhere Near the Euphrates River

In Jewish tradition, there are vague reports about individuals from the lost tribes, including a man named Eldad, who supposedly showed up suddenly in Europe during medieval times. He claimed that the tribe of Dan had built a powerful and prosperous kingdom beyond the rivers of the Nile, in today's Nubia.

Another legend mentions the Sambation or the Sabbath River, where the sons of Moses are said to be hiding untill the end of the world. People searched unsuccessfully for this mythical river from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century in Tibet, China, Japan, India, Africa, and Spain.

In some versions of Arthurian legends, a connection is drawn between the Lost Tribes and the quest for the Holy Grail. The guardian of the Grail, is portrayed as a descendant of the Lost Tribes.

Several more theories exist about what happened to the lost tribes, with one particularly interesting idea suggesting that they went to America long before Columbus. This version of events is strongly believed and spread by Mormons, who mainly live in the southwest part of the USA, in the region, characterized by deserts and rocky mountains, strongly resembling the landscape of the Holy Land.

Conclusion

Biblical scholars assert that with highest probability, when the lost tribes scattered in foreign lands, they gradually lost their distinct identity and assimilated into the local population. Contemporary discoveries suggest that only a fraction of the population was taken into exile, and those who remained eventually became the ancestors of the Samaritans.

Whether true or not, the ultimate fate of these lost tribes represents a lasting enigma in today's world and belongs to the unexplained secrets of the Bible.