This is a very interesting, but suppressed, aspect of the scriptures and history.
The term "jew" originates from Judah, who was one of the twelve sons or tribes of Israel. The term "jew" is not used to refer to all of the other 11 (or 12, technically) tribes of Israel.
Here is a very brief summation or chronology of the history of the Israelites. They came into the promised land in about 1400 BC. The Israelites were ruled by the judges for around 350 years, and then had their first king, Saul, in about 1050 BC. Then, after King Solomon's death, around 930 BC, the Israelites split or divided into two kingdoms, or two different nations ruled by different kings. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin (and part of the tribe of Levi) formed a nation called the "Kingdom of Judah" in the southern part of the land, with its capital at Jerusalem. The other 10 tribes in the north formed a nation that was referred to as "The Kingdom of Israel", with its capital in Samaria. This is clearly laid out in the Old Testament, with God recognizing the distinction between these two nations, and wars being fought between the two nations over the following centuries.
Around 700 BC, the northern kingdom of "Israel" was conquered by Assyria, and much of its inhabitants carried away into captivity and settled in different lands in the northern and eastern part of the Assyrian empire. Many of the Israelites fled the land (via ships or over land) in the years just prior to being conquered by Assyria, in order to avoid being taken captive. At this time, this 10-tribed northern nation of "Israel" consisted of millions of people (approximately 3 or 4 million). They are never recorded in the Bible to have returned to the Promised Land in modern-day Palestine.
Around 600 BC, the southern kingdom of "Judah" was conquered by Babylon, and its inhabitants carried away into captivity in Babylon. At this time, the nation of Judah consisted of a few million people as well (approximately 2 million). The Babylonian exile lasted 70 years. Around 530 BC, a small remnant of the these Israelites returned to Jerusalem and the Promised Land. As recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, only around 50,000 Israelites returned to the Promised Land.
When the Israelites left Egypt (around 1450 BC), they were around 2 million people total. Exodus 12:37 records that they had 600,000 men at that time.
So....of the total of Israelites who were taken away into captivity (or otherwise fled from the Promised Land) after being conquered by Assyria and Babylon, say at least 5 million...only a very small remnant of 50,000 (about 1%) returned to the Promised Land. Where did the other 99% of the Israelites go? Many historians don't know, and refer to them as the "lost tribes of Israel", and say they were "lost" to history. We can be confidant that they did not cease to exist as a people, as there are prophecies in the Bible that the twelve tribes of Israel would continue to exist even until the "end times", and would go on to found many great nations of people.
After their captivities in Assyria and Babylon ended, over the next several centuries the vast majority of the Israelites migrated north and west into Europe. This can be proven by a great amount of archaelogical evidence, linguistics, and historical accounts of the migrations of these peoples.
At the time the Messiah was on the earth, the vast majority of the descendants of the Israelites lived outside of Judea/Palestine. The Messiah told his disciples to take his message to these dispersed Israelites.
When the Messiah was interacting with a Canaanite woman who wanted him to heal her daughter, he said to his disciples the following:
Matthew 15:22-24 - "A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly."Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
James addressed his book/letter to the twelve tribes of Israel, which he said were "scattered abroad" in many lands around the world -- ie, outside of the land of Judah or modern-day Palestine.
James 1:1 - "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting."
The term "jew" originates from Judah, who was one of the twelve sons or tribes of Israel. The term "jew" is not used to refer to all of the other 11 (or 12, technically) tribes of Israel.
Here is a very brief summation or chronology of the history of the Israelites. They came into the promised land in about 1400 BC. The Israelites were ruled by the judges for around 350 years, and then had their first king, Saul, in about 1050 BC. Then, after King Solomon's death, around 930 BC, the Israelites split or divided into two kingdoms, or two different nations ruled by different kings. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin (and part of the tribe of Levi) formed a nation called the "Kingdom of Judah" in the southern part of the land, with its capital at Jerusalem. The other 10 tribes in the north formed a nation that was referred to as "The Kingdom of Israel", with its capital in Samaria. This is clearly laid out in the Old Testament, with God recognizing the distinction between these two nations, and wars being fought between the two nations over the following centuries.
Around 700 BC, the northern kingdom of "Israel" was conquered by Assyria, and much of its inhabitants carried away into captivity and settled in different lands in the northern and eastern part of the Assyrian empire. Many of the Israelites fled the land (via ships or over land) in the years just prior to being conquered by Assyria, in order to avoid being taken captive. At this time, this 10-tribed northern nation of "Israel" consisted of millions of people (approximately 3 or 4 million). They are never recorded in the Bible to have returned to the Promised Land in modern-day Palestine.
Around 600 BC, the southern kingdom of "Judah" was conquered by Babylon, and its inhabitants carried away into captivity in Babylon. At this time, the nation of Judah consisted of a few million people as well (approximately 2 million). The Babylonian exile lasted 70 years. Around 530 BC, a small remnant of the these Israelites returned to Jerusalem and the Promised Land. As recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, only around 50,000 Israelites returned to the Promised Land.
When the Israelites left Egypt (around 1450 BC), they were around 2 million people total. Exodus 12:37 records that they had 600,000 men at that time.
So....of the total of Israelites who were taken away into captivity (or otherwise fled from the Promised Land) after being conquered by Assyria and Babylon, say at least 5 million...only a very small remnant of 50,000 (about 1%) returned to the Promised Land. Where did the other 99% of the Israelites go? Many historians don't know, and refer to them as the "lost tribes of Israel", and say they were "lost" to history. We can be confidant that they did not cease to exist as a people, as there are prophecies in the Bible that the twelve tribes of Israel would continue to exist even until the "end times", and would go on to found many great nations of people.
After their captivities in Assyria and Babylon ended, over the next several centuries the vast majority of the Israelites migrated north and west into Europe. This can be proven by a great amount of archaelogical evidence, linguistics, and historical accounts of the migrations of these peoples.
At the time the Messiah was on the earth, the vast majority of the descendants of the Israelites lived outside of Judea/Palestine. The Messiah told his disciples to take his message to these dispersed Israelites.
When the Messiah was interacting with a Canaanite woman who wanted him to heal her daughter, he said to his disciples the following:
Matthew 15:22-24 - "A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly."Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
James addressed his book/letter to the twelve tribes of Israel, which he said were "scattered abroad" in many lands around the world -- ie, outside of the land of Judah or modern-day Palestine.
James 1:1 - "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting."