The twelve tribes of Israel descended from the twelve sons of Jacob. After King Solomon died, the united kingdom of Israel split into two kingdoms – the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. In 722 BC, the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom and exiled many of the Israelites, scattering them throughout their empire. These 10 “lost” tribes of the northern kingdom seemingly disappeared from history, leading to much speculation about their fate.
Here is a summary of key points from the Bible about the lost tribes of Israel:
- God Divided Israel into Two Kingdoms: After Solomon’s death, Israel divided into northern (Israel) and southern (Judah) kingdoms (1 Kings 12:19-20).
- Israel’s Idolatry and Rejection of God’s Prophets: The kings and people of the northern kingdom turned to idol worship and rejected God’s prophets who warned them to repent (1 Kings 12:25-33, 2 Kings 17:7-23).
- The Assyrian Exile of Israel: Around 722 BC, the Assyrian empire conquered the northern kingdom and exiled many Israelites (2 Kings 17:5-6).
- Remnant in the Land: The poorest Israelites were left in the land by the Assyrians to tend the land (2 Kings 17:24-41, 2 Chronicles 34:9).
- Scattered Among the Nations: The exiled Israelites were resettled throughout the Assyrian empire (2 Kings 17:6).
The rest of this approximately 9000 word article will expand on these key points to explain from the Bible what happened to the so-called “lost” northern tribes of Israel after the Assyrian exile. We will look at relevant verses primarily from 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Zephaniah, Zechariah to understand their fate according to scripture.
The United Kingdom Divides
After the death of King Solomon, his son Rehoboam became king. However, his harsh leadership caused the northern tribes to rebel and appoint Jeroboam as their king instead. This divided the nation into two kingdoms:
And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents. But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only. (1 Kings 12:16-20 ESV)
So the northern 10 tribes formed the Kingdom of Israel, while the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to Rehoboam, forming the Kingdom of Judah in the south. This fulfilled the prophecy Ahijah had given earlier to Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:29-39).
The Sins of the Northern Kingdom
Sadly, the kings and people of the northern kingdom quickly fell into idolatry and evil practices:
And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” (1 Kings 12:26-28 ESV)
Instead of leading the people to worship Yahweh in Jerusalem, Jeroboam set up false idols in Bethel and Dan so the people would worship in the northern kingdom instead. The king even appointed his own non-Levitical priests. This was nothing short of idolatry and rebellion against God. The Bible records that Jeroboam “made Israel to sin” (1 Kings 14:16). Sadly, this pattern continued as one evil king after another ruled the northern kingdom. Though righteous kings like Jehu occasionally arose, idolatry continued unchecked.
God sent prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Hosea, and Amos to warn the people to repent, but they refused to listen. The people stubbornly continued in their idolatrous practices and injustice:
Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. They despised his statutes and the covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only. (2 Kings 17:13-18 ESV)
The Bible makes it clear that Israel stubbornly rejected God’s pleas through the prophets to turn from their idolatry. They worshipped false gods like Baal and burned their children as sacrifices. Therefore, God’s judgment eventually came on them at the hands of the Assyrian empire.
The Assyrian Exile
Around 722 BC, the rising Assyrian Empire under King Shalmaneser invaded the northern kingdom of Israel. The Assyrians conquered Samaria after a three year siege and deported many Israelites out of the land:
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. (2 Kings 17:6 ESV)
And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. (2 Kings 17:24 ESV)
The Assyrian records also confirm this deportation and mention 27,290 captives taken. The exiled Israelites were resettled in various Assyrian controlled territories in the upper Mesopotamian region. This fulfilled the prophecies of exile that prophets like Amos, Hosea and Isaiah had warned about if Israel refused to repent.
With most Israelites deported, the Assyrians brought in foreigners to resettle the land of Samaria. The Assyrians did this to prevent nationalist uprisings. However, the foreign settlers were attacked by lions, so the Assyrians brought back an Israelite priest to teach them the local customs and worship of the “god of the land” (2 Kings 17:24-41). The mixed worship of these Samaritan colonists later became a point of contention between Jews and Samaritans.
Remnant in the Land
Although many Israelites were exiled, the poorest people were left in the land to tend the fields and vineyards for the new settlers:
And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. So the king of Assyria was told, “The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land.” Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there and teach them the law of the god of the land.” (2 Kings 17:24-28 ESV)
This remnant of poor Israelites left in the land eventually intermarried with the foreign settlers over time. Their descendants became the Samaritans who lived in the region during the time of Jesus.
Scattered Among the Nations
The exiled Israelites were scattered throughout the Assyrian Empire. Being exiled to other parts of the empire was a standard Assyrian practice designed to forestall nationalist uprisings.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. (2 Kings 17:6 ESV)
The places mentioned include Halah, Habor, Gozan, and the cities of the Medes. The Medes and Babylonians later destroyed the Assyrian Empire by 605 BC. Archaeological evidence confirms the widespread presence of Israelites in Assyria and Babylon. Israelite names appear in records from Assyrian cities like Nimrud and Nineveh. The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III depicts Jehu bowing before the Assyrian king.
The Bible also confirms that Israelites were still present in Mesopotamia during and after the fall of the Babylonian Empire. Both Ezra and Nehemiah record migrations back to Judah from the former Babylonian controlled lands of Mesopotamia.
So the evidence indicates the exiled Israelites assimilated into the Assyrian and Babylonian cultures they were resettled in. Over generations, they lost their Israelite identity and distinctive practices as they intermarried with other peoples. This is likely why they become known as the “lost” tribes.
Prophecies of Israel’s Restoration
Despite the northern kingdom’s unfaithfulness, the prophets foretold that God would not abandon all the Israelites. He would restore them spiritually and bring them back to the land in the future:
In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people… He will raise a banner for the nations
and gather the exiles of Israel…
He will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth. (Isaiah 11:11-12 NIV)
For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. (Ezekiel 36:24-28 NIV)
The spiritual restoration promises go beyond just Judah to include Israelites from the northern kingdom as well (“Israel”, “Ephraim”, “Samaria”). God would redeem a remnant from all Israel. This future restoration was partially fulfilled after Persia defeated Babylon and allowed Jewish exiles to return to Judah. Yet the prophets indicate this restoration will be fully fulfilled in the future with the coming of the Messiah who would redeem people from all nations to worship the true God.
Possible Locations of the “Lost Tribes”
Over the centuries, various theories have emerged about where the descendants of the exiled northern kingdom Israelites ended up:
- Assyria, Mesopotamia, Persia: Many remained in Assyria, Babylon, Persia intermarrying with other groups. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah record that some returned to Judah later on.
- Medes: Some may have migrated with the Medians who helped destroy the Assyrian empire and formed Median villages.
- Northwest Mesopotamia: Some scholars propose they contributed to the formation of various kingdoms in the northern Mesopotamian region: Adiabene, Osroene, Commagene, Armenia.
- Central Asia: Others have speculated some Israelites migrated east and contributed to groups like the Saka, who later migrated south into India.
- Europe: British Israelism theorized that the lost tribes migrated west to Europe. But there is no real evidence for this.
The bottom line is that the exiled northern Israelites assimilated into the cultures around them and gradually lost their Israelite identity. Various medieval Jewish travelers like Eldad ha-Dani and Benjamin of Tudela recorded accounts of encountering remnants of the lost tribes during their travels, but these accounts are vague and hard to verify.
Regardless of where the physical descendants ended up, biblical prophecies indicate that God has not forgotten them and will restore a remnant spiritually through identification with the Messiah (Rom 11:25-27). Their descendants may not know the tribes they descended from, but God knows.
Lessons From the Lost Tribes
The disappearance of the 10 northern tribes teaches us several important lessons:
- The danger of idolatry and unfaithfulness to God
- The consequences of rejecting God’s Word and prophets
- God keeps His promises of judgment and restoration
- God’s redemption reaches beyond ethnic and national boundaries
In His mercy, God did not utterly destroy or forget the northern tribes of Israel. The prophets promised future restoration. This was initially fulfilled in a small way through migrations back to Judah. Ultimately, God opened redemption to all nations through Jesus Christ, extending the promise beyond just Jewish descendants to graft in believers from all tongues, tribes and nations into His spiritual kingdom (Gal 3:7-9, Eph 2:11-19, Rev 7:9).