My apologies, but in my print version of this article, I have numerous footnote references, which, sadly, don’t come through in this online version. If you need the footnotes, please email me and I’ll send you a pdf of this article with the footnotes. All the footnotes can be found in my longer article (https://hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/migrations.pdf) that includes the following excerpt.

A Brief History Lesson

When the children of Israel exited Egypt, they were one nation composed of twelve tribes. Contrary to popular opinion, the Jews (from the tribe of Judah) were only one-twelfth of that nation — not the whole nation. At Mount Sinai, that nation made a covenant with YHVH Elohim to obey him and keep his commandments with the Torah as the nation’s constitution. In return, YHVH promised to bless and  protect the nation of Israel. Several hundred years later, the nation of Israel began to turn away from its covenantal promises by not adhering to its Torah-constitution and by worshipping pagan deities. The result of this apostasy was that the nation of Israel split in two becoming two nations: the Northern Kingdom (composed of the tribe of Ephraim and nine other tribes) and the Southern Kingdom (composed of Judah and two other tribes more or less). The tribes of the Northern Kingdom never did come back to YHVH or his Torah, but continued to walk in the ways of the heathen nations around them. As punishment for their disobedience and rebellion against him, YHVH allowed the very nations whom the Northern Kingdom “fell in love with” other than YHVH to take them captive. This resulted in the Israelite dispersion among the nations of the world as Moses predicted would happen in the Torah. Sadly, the same thing eventually happened to the Jews of the Southern Kingdom. Even though the Torah predicted this would occur (Gen 49:16; Deut 28:64; 29:25–28; 30:1–5; 32:21–29), it also predicted that YHVH would regather his people from the lands where they had been scattered (Deut 30:1–5). The Hebrew prophets spoke extensively about the exile and eventual return of all the tribes to the land of Israel. Often these prophecies were coupled with end time, Messianic and millennial prophecies. The prophecies about the return of the Israelites to their land was partially fulfilled by the return of a small remnant of Jews and Levites to the Israel during the time of Cyrus, king of Persia and Babylon. But this historical event didn’t fulfill these prophecies totally even in the least. First, Ezra makes it clear that only those from the tribes of Judah and Levi returned to Israel after the Jews’ seventy-year exile in Babylon. None from the Northern Kingdom returned. Second, the Jews only came from one nation of exile (Babylon), and not from many nations around the world — including even the furthest islands — as the Hebrew prophets predicted would happen. So the remnant of Jews who returned to Israel from Babylon was only a partial fulfillment of the biblical prophecies about all twelve tribes eventually returning to the land of Israel. Why did YHVH allow a remnant of Jews to return to Israel? Simply this. Had there been no Jews in the land of Israel, the Messiah couldn’t have been born in Bethlehem. With no Messiah, then the Messianic biblical prophecies couldn’t have been fulfilled making the Bible — the Word of Elohim — a lie. Not only that, as we shall see below, it was the purpose of the Messiah to regather the lost sheep of the house of Israel by sending out spiritual fishermen with the good news message of redemption and salvation for all those who would repent of sin (i.e., Toarhlessness, see 1 John 3:4) and place their faith in the Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah. As we shall also discuss below, the apostolic writers of the Testimony of Yeshua (the New Testament) were very well aware that the twelve tribes were still extant in their day, and the gospel message needed to be taken to them. Not only that, but in Paul’s mind, the Gentiles were, at least in part, to be viewed as the lost the sheep of the house of Israel (i.e., the Northern Kingdom). The gospel message was to be like a net to draw them back into the spiritual fold of nation Israel — back into a spiritual relationship with YHVH Elohim through Yeshua the Messiah. Paul makes this clear in several places (especially in Eph 2:11–19).

What the Jewish Sages Say

For several millennia, many notable Jewish scholars have been aware of the biblical prophecies pertaining to the return of the Israelite exiles (all twelve tribes) from the lands where they were scattered. Even today, Orthodox Jews still pray daily for and look forward to the regathering of the dispersed of Israel from the four corners of the earth. They see this as something to be fulfilled in the end times with the advent of the Messiah. They refer to this event as the final redemption. Here are some quotes from some of these Jewish sages: The late Menachem Schneerson, the head of the Orthodox Jewish Lubivicher Movement, stated that,

The future King Messiah (Messiah Ben [Son of] David) will not only redeem the Jews from exile, but will restore the observance of the Torah-commandments to its complete state, which will only be possible when the Israelites are living in the land of Israel.

At this same time, according Schneerson while referencing the notable rabbinic sage of the Middle Ages, Moses Maimonides also known as the Rambam,

“[T]here will be an ingathering⁵ of the dispersed remnant of Israel. This will make it possible for the Davidic dynasty to be reinstated and for the observance of the Torah and its mitsvot to be restored in its totality.”

Jacob Immanuel Schochet states,

The Jewish [sages] recognize that the ingathering⁵ of the exiles,³ including the Ten Tribes of the Northern Kingdom, will also return, be reunited with Judah and that the whole House of Israel will serve YHVH together (Ezek 20:32–37, 40–42).

Several passages in the Torah serve as the prophetic foundation for the Jewish sages’ belief that all tribes of Israel would be regathered after having been scattered among the nations. In regards to Deuteronomy 32:26 which says, “I said, I would scatter them into the corners,…” (KJV), The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash comments,

“This refers to the exile³ of the Ten Tribes,⁸ who were scattered to an unknown place where they have never been heard from again.

On the phrase in the same verse, “I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men….” (KJV) the same Chumash states, This is a reference to the exile of Judah and Benjamin, the Davidic kingdom from which today’s known Jews are descended.” It goes on to say that though nations would seek to destroy Israel entirely, YHVH would never allow Israel to become extinct or disappear. Israel’s perpetual existence is a constant reminder of YHVH’s plan and eventually Israel will thrive and fulfill YHVH’s intention for it.” S. R. Hirsch (a preeminent Orthodox 19th century Torah scholar) in his commentary on Deuteronomy 32:26 translates the phrase “I would scatter them into the corners, …” (KJV) as follows: “I would relegate them into a corner, …” and then says that the Hebrew here refers to the “extreme end of a surface, the side or corner …” He, too, relates this fate to the ten tribes who would be scattered “to some distant corner of the world, where, left entirely to themselves, they could mature towards serious reflection and ultimate return to Me [YHVH],….” In The ArtScroll Bereishis Genesis Commentary, in its commentary on Genesis 48:19 regarding the house of Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom of Israel or the northern ten tribes of Israel), we read:

“R. Munk explains: ‘while it is true that the dispersion [of the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh] was caused by the unfaithfulness and sinfulness of Ephraim’s descendants (Hos 7:8ff), Jacob’s blessing was not in vain for “they will return to [Elohim]” and will have their share in the world to come ([Talmud] Sanhedrin 110b).’ And R. Eliezer adds: ‘Even the darkness in which the Ten Tribes were lost will one day become as radiant as the day’ (according to the version of Avos d’Rabbi Nosson 36). And in the perspective of history, did not these exiled children of the Patriarchs enlighten the nations among whom they were scattered? They did so by teaching their conquerors the fundamental ideas of the knowledge and love of [Elohim], ideals they had never forsaken. Hence they too have a messianic vocation and their Messiah, the Mashiach ben Yosef, Messiah son of Joseph (Succah 52a), also called Messiah son of Ephraim (Targum Yonasan on Exodus 40:11), will play an essential role in humanity’s redemption, for he will be the precursor of the Mashiach ben David, Messiah Son of David. It is therefore not surprising to find that the prophet Jeremiah (3:12) speaks affectionately of Ephraim. In this light, Jacob’s words, his offspring will fill the nations nation,’ assume the significance of a blessing.”

The above statements of the sages are entirely consistent with numerous prophetic pronouncements made by the ancient biblical prophets concerning the return or regathering of the exiled or “lost” ten tribes of Israel.These same prophecies speak of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (also known as the House of Israel, house of Ephraim or just Ephraim) being reunited with the Southern Kingdom of Israel (also known as the house of Judah) into one nation with Messiah Son of David as the king over both. This glorious and long-awaited event will occur at the coming of Messiah Son of David at the end of our current age just prior to the Messianic Age or Millennium (see Ezek 37:15–28).

Setting the Stage

In Genesis 48:14 and 16 when laying his hands on his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob crossed his arms making a cross and a fish symbol. Then in verse 16 he speaks of the “Angel which redeemed me from evil.” The word “angel” is the Hebrew word malak, which simply denotes “a messenger” and is used in the Tanakh (OT) in reference to angels, prophets and to a mysterious figure known as “the Angel of YHVH/Elohim.” Many, including this author, believe this Messenger of YHVH was none other than an appearance of the Word of YHVH who later become incarnated as Yeshua the Messiah (John 1:1–14). The patriarch Jacob had an encounter with this same individual whom Scripture calls “the Messenger of Elohim” (Gen 31:11). This same Messenger goes on to say of himself, “I am the Elohim of Beth-el.” So in light of all this, what does the crossing of the hands represent in context of Jacob’s referring to this Divine Being as being his Redeemer? Then in verse 16, we find Jacob prophesying that the descendants of his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, would become “a multitude in the midst of the earth.” The ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanakh translates this verse as, “May the angel who redeems me from all evil bless the lads, and may my name be declared upon them, and the names of my forefathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they [Ephraim and Manasseh] proliferate abundantly like fish within the land.” Onkelos, an early Jewish Aramaic translation of this verse renders it: “And like the fish of the sea may they multiply among the children of men on earth.” “The literal translation of vdS [dagah] refers to procreation … [and] the word essentially denotes fish” (emphasis added). What religious group on earth today has spread out across the face of the earth into all nations, has proliferated a message of redemption pertaining to a Messenger of YHVH involving a cross-symbol, and who uses the fish-symbol to identify itself? Christianity, of course. On the phrase found in Genesis 48:18, again pertaining to what would become of the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob prophesies that they would become “a multitude of nations.” What do the Jewish sages say about this prophetic verse pertaining to the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh?

• Ibn Ezra: Many nations will descend from him (i.e., the word TKN [melo], “fullness,” connotes “abundance,” the phrase meaning: And his seed will become the abundance of the nation [Neter; Karnei Or].)
• R. Avraham b. HaRambam states somewhat similarly: The expression denotes abundant profligacy to a point that they will have to inhabit lands of other nations, and it is an allusion to Ephraim’s expansive territory.
• Radak: This refers to the Exile when the lands of others will be filled with his scattered descendants.… See also Hos 7:8: “Ephraim shall be mingled among the nations.

What kind of blessing was this prediction that one day [Jacob’s] descendants—the Ten Tribes—would be scattered among the nations? As we have already noted, R. Munk explains: while it is true that the dispersion was caused by the unfaithfulness and sinfulness of Ephraim’s descendants (Hos 7:8ff), Jacob’s blessing was not in vain for “they will return to God” and will have their share in the world to come ([Talmud] Sanhedrin 110b). And R. Eliezer adds: ‘Even the darkness in which the Ten Tribes were lost will one day become as radiant as the day’ (according to the version of Avos d’Rabbi Nosson 36). And in the perspective of history, did not these exiled children of the Patriarchs enlighten the nations among whom they were scattered? They did so by teaching their conquerors the fundamental ideas of the knowledge and love of God, ideals they had never forsaken. Hence they too have a messianic vocation and their Messiah the … Messiah son of Joseph (Succah 52a), also called Messiah son of Ephraim (Targum Yonasan on Exodus 40:11), will play an essential role in humanity’s redemption, for he will be the precursor of the … Messiah Son of David….

The Ten Tribes of Israel Exiled to Foreign Lands and Lost Among the Gentiles

The prophecy portions of the Scriptures specifically states, in numerous places, that the people of Israel, because of disobedience to YHVH’s commandments, would be deported as slaves and taken into foreign lands. From there they would scatter to the four corners of the earth only to be regathered in the last days by the hand YHVH back to the land YHVH promised to the patriarchs where Messiah will rule over them in his 1000 year-long Messianic Era (Millennial) kingdom. Below are a few of the Scriptures that foretell of this regathering.

• Exiles of Ephraim to Return from the West

I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am El, and not man; the Set-apart One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city. They shall walk after YHVH: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west. (Hos 11:9–10)

• Exiles of Ephraim to Return from the North

In those days the House of Judah shall walk with the House of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. (Jer 3:18) “‘Therefore, behold, the days come,’ says YHVH, ‘that it shall no more be said, YHVH lives, that brought up the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, YHVH lives, that brought up the Children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.’” (Jer 16:14-15) “‘Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travails with child together: a great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.’ Hear the word of YHVH, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.’” (Jer 31:8–10)

• Exiles of Ephraim to Return from the Isles of the Sea

“‘They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.’ Hear the word of YHVH, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.’” (Jer 31:9–10) Wherefore glorify you YHVH in the fires, even the name of YHVH Elohim of Israel in the isles of the sea. (Isa 24:15) He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his Torah. (Isa 42:4) Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a Torah shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust. (Isa 51:4–5)

• Isles of the Sea and the Ships of Tarshish

Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the YHVH thy Elohim, and to the Set-Apart One of Israel, because he has glorified you. (Isa 60:9) According to Talmud Chullin 91b, Tarshish could be a reference to the Atlantic Ocean, since the rabbis state, “we have a tradition that Tarshish is two thousand parasangs long.” A Persian parasang (a measurement of distance, like the English mile) was the distance a horse would walk in one hour (approximately six kilometers or three to four miles). In a footnote to the Soncino Talmud, according to rabbinic tradition, Tarshish is the sea of Africa—probably the Mediterranean Sea. It must be noted that there are several seas (and or oceans) associated with Africa. Furthermore, two thousand parsangs would be six to eight thousand miles across—a distance slightly larger than the width of the Mediterranean Seas, and more likely that of the Atlantic Ocean. America is due west of Persia approximately six to eight thousand miles. What Isaiah is saying here is that the sons of Elohim will return to Zion from these far lands.

• Israel to Inherit the Desolate Heritages and Far Places

“Thus says YHVH, ‘In an acceptable time have I heard you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you: and I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.’” (Isa 49:8; see also 49:6,12)

• Israel Scattered to the Ends of the Earth

The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came. (Isa 41:5) You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called you from the chief men thereof, and said unto you, You are my servant; I have chosen you, and not cast you away. (Isa 41:9) I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. (Isa 43:6) Look unto me, and be you saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am El, and there is none else. (Isa 45:22) YHVH has made bare his set-apart arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our Elohim. (Isa 52:10) “O YHVH, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto you from the ends of the earth, and shall say, ‘Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.’” (Jer 16:19) “For so has YHVH commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light of the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.’” (Acts 13:47)

• Israel to Be Lost Among the Gentiles

And YHVH rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land [Eretz Acheret], as it is this day.” (Deut 29:28) The Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 17a (c. a.d. 500) (Soncino Talmud) states,

“[T]hey had declared them [i.e., the ten tribes of Israel, see rabbinic footnote below]¹⁹ to be perfect heathens [or gentiles]; as it is said in the Scriptures, ‘They have dealt treacherously against YHVH, for they have begotten strange children.²⁰’” A rabbinic footnote on this passage states, (19) ‘The ten tribes; (20) Hos 5:7.’”

The ArtScroll Tanach Series Bereishis/Genesis (an Orthodox Jewish commentary on Genesis) states, regarding Genesis 48:19, quoting Orthodox Jewish sage of the Middle Ages, Ibn Ezra:

“Many nations will descend from him [Ephraim]. That is, the word, fullness, melo, connotes abundance, the phrase meaning: and his seed will become the abundance of the nations (Neter; Karnei Or)” (p. 2121). According to Radak (Dovid Kimchi, a Torah scholar in the Middle Ages), ‘This refers to the Exile when the lands of others will be filled with his scattered descendants.’ See also Hoshea 7:8: Ephraim shall be mingled among the nations” (Ibid.).

Arazreth: Hebrew for Another Land or New World (?) to Which Israel Migrated  The apocryphal book of 2 Esdras 13:40-45 (elsewhere known as The Fourth Book of Ezra; quoted from Lange’s Commentary; bracketed phrases are from an alternate translation by James H. Charlesworth in his book entitled, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha—Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments); Two Esdras is a Jewish work written near the beginning of the Christian era. This book contains the following passage:

[T]hese are the ten tribes, which were carried [led] away prisoners out of their own land [into captivity] in the time of Josia[h] the king, whom Salmanasar king of Assyria led captive, and carried them over the river, and they were brought over into another land. But they took this counsel [formed this plan] amongst themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen [nations], and go forth into a further country [a more distant region], where mankind never dwelt, that they might there keep their own statutes, which they had not kept in their own land. But they entered into Euphrates by the narrow passages of the river; for the Most High then wrought signs for them, and held still the waves [stopped the channels] of the river, till they had passed over. But through that country there was a long journey to make of a year and a half; and the same region is called Azareth [Hebrew for “another land”].

Azareth or “another land” is a reference to the prophecy in Deuteronomy 29:28 which states, “And YHVH rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land [Eretz Acheret], as it is this day.” Acheret in the Hebrew means “another,” but also has the connotation of “new” such as “next year” (or in the “new year,” Gen 17:12), a “another well” (Gen 26:21); “another man” (i.e., a new husband); and so on. Other Hebrew words for “new” include chodesh or chadashah, which can mean either “brand new” or “renewed” such as in “new moon, new heart, or new heaven and new earth”; tiyrowsh, which refers to “new wine” or “new fruits,” which is a unique Hebrew word which specifically describe those things and nothing else; and beriyah, which is used once in Numbers 16:30 to describe the earth opening up to swallow Korah and his malcontents. The point of this brief word study is that Eretz Acheret can justifiably be translated into English as “new earth,” or “new world.” “New World” is a common historical reference to what? North America, of course. It was there that Scripture would seem to indicate that the Israelites would, in part, at least, be scattered and the rabbinic writings of 2 Esdras 13:40-45 make reference to this land or to the New World.

The Jewish Sages on the Regathering of Dispersed Israel (Including the Ten Tribes)

According to the late well-known orthodox Jewish sage, Menachem Schneerson, the future King Messiah (Messiah Ben [Son of] David) will not only redeem the Jews from exile, but will restore the observance of the Torah-commandments to its complete state, which will only be possible when the Israelites are living in the land of Israel. At this same time, Schneerson who is quoting the notable rabbinic sage of the Middle Ages, Moses Maimonides also known as the Rambam, says,

[T]here will be an ingathering of the dispersed remnant of Israel. This will make it possible for the Davidic dynasty to be reinstated and for the observance of the Torah and its mitsvot to be restored in its totality.

The Jewish sages recognize that the ingathering of the exiles, including the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom, will occur and that the whole House of Israel will serve YHVH (Ezek 20:32–37, 40–42). (emphasis added). The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash quoting Samson Raphael Hirsch states in regards to Deuteronomy 32:26 which says, “I said, I would scatter them into the corners …” (KJV),

This refers to the exile of the Ten Tribes, who were scattered to an unknown place where they have never been heard from again.

On the phrase of the same verse, “I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men …” the same Chumash states, “This is a reference to the exile of Judah and Benjamin, the Davidic kingdom from which today’s known Jews are descended.” It goes on to say that though nations would seek to destroy Israel entirely YHVH would never allow Israel to become extinct or disappear. Israel’s perpetual existence is constant reminder of YHVH’s plan and eventually Israel will thrive and fulfill YHVH’s intention for it. Samson Raphael Hirsch in his commentary on the Pentateuch on the same verse translates the phrase, “I would scatter them into the corners …” as, “I would relegate them into a corner … ” and then says that the Hebrew here refers to the “extreme end of a surface, the side or corner …” He, too, relates this fate to the Ten Tribes who would be scattered “to some distant corner of the world, where, left entirely to themselves, they could mature towards serious reflection and ultimate return to Me …” Abraham Cohen in his classic book, Everyman’s Talmud—The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages states with regard to the Messianic Era (Millennial period),

“Another confirmed belief was that the Messiah would effect the reunion of the tribes of Israel. While we find the teaching, ‘The ten tribes will have no share in the World to Come’ (Tosefta Sanh. 13.12), the Talmud usually takes the opposite view. By appealing to such texts as Isaiah 27:13 and Jeremiah 3:12, the [sages] enunciated the doctrine of the return of the lost ten tribes (Sanh. 110b, emphasis added). ‘Great will be the day when the exiles of Israel will be reassembled as the day when heaven and earth were created’ (Pes. 88a). A law of nature will even be miraculously suspended to assist this great reunion. ‘In the present world when the wind blows in the north it does not blow in the south, and vice versa; but in the Hereafter, with reference to the gathering together of the exiles of Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘I will bring a northwest wind into the world which will affect both directions; as it is written, ‘I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back; bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the end of the earth’ (Isa 43:6)” (Midrash to Esther 1:8). “The regathering of the tribes will be preceded by another wondrous event, viz. the restoration of the Holy City. If a man tells you that the scattered exiles of Israel have been gathered together without Jerusalem having been rebuilt, do not believe him, for thus it is written, ‘YHVH doth build up Jerusalem’ (Ps 147:2), and then, ‘He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.’”

Babylonian Talmud Megilah 17b (Soncino Press) states,

What was their reason for mentioning the gathering of the exiles after the blessing of the years?—Because it is written, “But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to your people Israel, for they are at hand to come.”24 [Ezek 34:8] And when the exiles are assembled, judgment will be visited on the wicked, as it says, “And I will turn my hand upon you and purge away your dross as with lye,” and it is written further, “And I will restore your judges as at the first.” And when judgment is visited on the wicked, transgressors cease,27 and presumptuous sinners are included with them, as it is written, “But the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake YHVH shall be consumed.” And when the transgressors have disappeared, the horn of the righteous is exalted, as it is written, “All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.” And “proselytes of righteousness” are included with the righteous, as it says, “you shall rise up before the hoary head and honour the face of the old man,”33 and the text goes on, “And if a stranger sojourn with you. And where is the horn of the righteous exalted?” In Jerusalem, as it says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, may they prosper that love you.” And when Jerusalem is built, David will come, as it says.”

As already seen above, Abraham Cohen in his classic book, Everyman’s Talmud, notes the existence of this debate among early common era rabbis about the future of the ten tribes. He writes, “While we find the teaching, ‘The ten tribes will have no share in the World to Come’ (Tosefta Sanh. 13.12), the Talmud usually takes the opposite view. By appealing to such texts as Isaiah 27:13 and Jeremiah 3:12, the Rabbis enunciated the doctrine of the return of the lost ten tribes (Sahn. 110b).” So according to Cohen, by the time the Talmud was formalized the debate as to the future state of the ten tribes was pretty well fixed: they did have a place in the world to come.

The Final Redemption Is to Occur at the Beginning of and During the Messianic Age or Millennium

The concept of the Messianic Age in Hebraic thought encompasses the concept of the first and final redemptions, which are two separate events. The first redemption occurred when YHVH set the Israelites from their Egyptian captivity. By contrast, the final redemption will occur when the scattered tribes of Israel are regathered from the nations of the world and return to the Promised Land. In Jewish thought, this will occur when the Messiah will come to establish his kingdom on this earth. For believers in Yeshua, this occurs at the his second coming when he will rule for one thousand years in his millennial kingdom. The “final redemption” is a Hebraic concept that is sprinkled throughout rabbinic and earlier Jewish writings and derives from YHVH’s promises to restore to exiled Israel their land and their kingdom. These prophetic promises are based on YHVH’s promise to Israel in Deuteronomy 30:1–10 where he says,

1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations, wherever YHVH your Elohim has driven you, 2 and shall return unto YHVH your Elohim, and shall obey his voice according to all that I command you this day, you and your children, with all your heart, and with all your soul; 3 that then YHVH your Elohim will turn your captivity, and have compassion upon you, and will return and gather you from all the nations, whither YHVH your Elohim has scattered you. 4 If any of you be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will YHVH your Elohim gather you, and from thence will he fetch you: 5 and YHVH your Elohim will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and he will do you good, and multiply you above your fathers. 6 And YHVH your Elohim will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love YHVH your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live. 7 And YHVH your Elohim will put all these curses upon your enemies, and on them that hate you, which persecuted you. 8 And you shall return and obey the voice of YHVH, and do all his commandments which I command you this day. 9 And YHVH your Elohim will make you plenteous in every work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your land, for good: for YHVH will again rejoice over you for good, as he rejoiced over your fathers: 10 If you shall hearken unto the voice of YHVH your Elohim, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the Torah, and if you turn unto YHVH your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul.

The final redemption is an event (or series of events) that occurs at the end of the age prior to the return of Messiah (Yeshua) son of David and at the beginning of the Messianic Age (Millennium). The Jewish sages teach, based on their understanding of the Tanakh, that the following notable events are to occur in conjunction with the final redemption:

• There will be an ingathering of the dispersed remnant of Israelite exiles to the land of Israel including both the exiles of the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom and those of the Southern Kingdom of Israel.
• Messiah Son of David will assume rulership over the earth and the Messianic Age will be established upon this earth for 1000 years.
• The Davidic dynasty (Tabernacle of David) will be reinstated with the observance of the Torah and its commandments (mitzvot) to be restored in its totality.
• The resurrection of the dead will occur just at the coming of the Messiah.

The Restoration of the Tabernacle of David to Occur During The Millennium as Part of the Final Redemption There is much debate as to what is the “tabernacle of David.” It is the opinion this author that this is referring to the “kingdom of David,” which during his reign consisted of his ruling over all twelve tribes of Israel, something he will again do in the Millennium (Ezek 37:24–25). After the death of David’s son, Solomon, the united kingdom of Israel was divided between the Northern and Southern Kingdoms or houses of Israel. They have yet to be reunited to this day, yet there are numerous scriptures in the Tanakh prophesying that a time is to come when they will be reunited in the land of their promised inheritance. The time frame of those prophecies (e.g., Ezek 37) is pre-millennial, which has been the opinion of the Jewish sages for thousands of years as we have seen above. Listed below are the several scriptures pertaining to the raising up of the Tabernacle of David:

And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle [ohel, tent, dwelling, covering, nomad’s tent symbolic of wilderness life] of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. (Isa 16:5) In that day will I raise up the tabernacle [sukkah, Strong’s H5521, tabernacle, booth, pavilion, etc.] of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old. (Amos 9:11) After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle [skene, Strong’s H4633, tent, tabernacle made of green boughs] of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up. (Acts 15:16) “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, ‘Master, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?’ And he said unto them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power. But you shall receive power, after that the Set-Apart Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:6–9)

Yeshua’s words in Acts chapter one were the last words that he spoke on this earth before ascending to heaven. Mark that! Before leaving this earth for two thousand years, he gave to his hand-picked and personally trained disciples their most important commissioning statement—called the Great Commission. He told them to wait in Jerusalem to be filled with the power of the Spirit of Elohim. Why? They needed that supernatural and divine empowerment of the gifts of the spirit so that they would be able to fulfil the great commission to restore the kingdom of Elohim to those who had been scattered to the far corners of the earth. The message they were to preach was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That was the same message that John the Baptist, who had come in the spirit of Elijah the prophet preached, and the same message that Yeshua himself preached (Matt 3:1; 4:17). That same spirit of Elijah, through YHVH’s chosen end time vessels, will go forth in the last days before the great and terrible day of YHVH’s wrath to help turn the hearts of the children back to their spiritual Hebraic fathers (Mal 4:4–6). All this, called the restitution of all things (Acts 3:21), must happen before Yeshua can return again. What are you doing to follow Yeshua’s commissioning command to his disciples to advance the kingdom of Elohim and to help prepare the way for his return by helping to raise up the tabernacle of David?

References in the Testimony of Yeshua to the Regathering of Tribes of Israel

Yeshua himself made several references to the fact that it was his mission to regather the lost sheep (or tribes of Israel). The tribe of Judah (the Jews) was one only of the tribes. There were also eleven others.

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matt 10:6) But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matt 15:24) And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:16) Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. (John 11:50)

The apostles made several references to the scattered Israelite tribes as well. If these tribes weren’t still viable and relevant to the spreading of the gospel and the fulfillment of the biblical prophecies, then why would the apostles have mentioned them?

Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. (Acts 26:7) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia… (1Pet 1:1) For ye were as sheep going astray ; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. (1 Pet 2:25; Ezek 34; cp. Matt 10:6) James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. (Jas 1:1)

All twelve tribes of Israel (not just the Jews from the tribe of Judah) will be present during the future millennial reign of Yeshua and will continue to be relevant even into the  era of the New Jerusalem on the New Earth.

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matt 19:28) That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:30) And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. (Rev 21:12)

The apostolic writers made several references to the northern tribes of Israel. In their minds, the Gentiles who were coming to faith in Messiah were somehow related to the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom (or Ephraim) and to the Old Testament prophecies about the Gentiles coming to faith in Yeshua the Messiah. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1 Pet 2:10 cp. Hos 1:9, 10; 2:23 and Rom 9:25)

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh [Dan 9:7; 1 Kgs 8:46] by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one [Ezek 37:15ff], and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God. (Eph 2:11–19) For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:39) For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles [Gen 48:19] be come in. (Rom 11:25) Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1 Pet 2:10  cp. Hos 1:9–10 and Deut 32:21) As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. (Rom 9:25 cp. Hos 2:23)

The Testimony of Yeshua contains other allusions to the tribes of Israel being regathered as well. For example, the Tanakh likens Israel metaphorically to an olive (Jer 11:10, 17), and to the Gentiles, who in the past had been broken off of that olive tree to being grafted back into it (Rom 11:13–24). If the Gentiles somehow weren’t related to the northern kingdom of Israel in Paul’s mind, then his analogy would have been specious and meaningless. The Tanakh also likens lost and scattered Israel to fish in the midst of the seas of humanity (Gen 48:16). Jeremiah prophesied that YHVH would send fishermen to regather these “fish” (Jer 16:15–16). Interestingly, Yeshua chose a number of fishermen to be his disciples to help gather in the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He also made Capernaum — a fishing village located on the Sea of Galilee —  the headquarters of his ministry. When calling some of these fishermen to be his disciples, he proclaimed,

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matt 4:19) And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. (Mark 1:17)

When the northern tribes of Israel broke off from the southern tribes, a breach was formed in the nation of Israel (1 Kgs 11:13, 29–50; 12:1–20). Several Old Testament prophets predicted that in the future this breach would be repaired and the two nations would again become one (Isa 58:12; Amos 9:11). The reuniting of the nation Israel was the foremost thing on the apostles’ minds just prior to the final ascension of Yeshua (Acts 1:6). The restoration of the nation of Israel is to occur at the second coming of Yeshua (Acts 3:21). Paul viewed the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles as helping to repair that breach (or breaking down the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles, so that the Gentiles could become part of the nation of Israel (Eph 2:11–19). The repairing of this breach is called the building up again of the tabernacle of David (Acts 15:16) or “the restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21 cp. Acts 1:6). Moreover, in Romans 9:22–29, Paul links the Gentiles coming to faith in Yeshua to two prophecies in the Tanakh,which were made in relationship to Ephraim or the lost and scattered children of Israel (Hos 1:10; 2:23; Isa 10:22, 23). Additionally, when the Gentiles come to faith in Messiah, according to Paul, the apostle, they become the actual seed or offspring of Abraham (Gal 3:29). When Yeshua returns, he will finalize his New Covenant with these regathered Israelites who are from both the house of Judah (the Jews) and the house of Israel (all the tribes other than the tribe of Judah; Heb 8:8 cp. Jer 31:31, 33).

For a deeper dive into this subject with additional biblical, historical and secular scholarly information, you can read my longer dissertation entitled “Scripture Prophesies the Return of the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel—What Scriptural, Linguistic, Secular Historical & Rabbinic Sources Reveal on the Subject: https://hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/migrations.pdf