"Brit-Am Now"-1389. The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel

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Brit-Am Now no. 1389
The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel Movement
18 September 2009, 29 Elul 5769
Contents:
1. Steven Collins defends an Ephraimite
NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS. Brit-Am Reply
2. Walt Baucum and the Dispersion of Israel Before the Exile.
3. Sundries
4. A Short Introduction to Yair Davidiy and Brit-Am
5. David Tempelhoff: Isreal is Gods Inheritance

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1. Steven Collins defends an Ephraimite NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS. Brit-Am Reply
Steve Collins <scollins@sio.midco.net> wrote:
Re: Brit-Am Now no. 1388
http://britam.org/now/1388Now.html
#1. More on A NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS

Shalom Yair,

I've been reading the discussions about the "nation and company of nations" topic, and decided to contribute my viewpoint as well. Although we agree on many other things, I must respectfully disagree with you on this individual issue. I believe the "nation and company of nations" prophecy refers to the tribes of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, not Judah and the other tribes.

When Jacob/Israel blessed his sons and grandsons and made prophesies about them in Genesis 48-49, the ceremony was in two separate stages. The conveyance of the "birthright" blessing is described in Genesis 48, and only Ephraim and Manasseh were present with Jacob/Israel and Joseph when this birthright blessing was conferred on Joseph's sons. Jacob/Israel did not allow Judah and his other sons to be present during the blessing ceremony in Genesis 48, and Jacob/Israel made his prophecy about "a nation" specifically about Manasseh (Genesis 17-19) and his prophecy about "the company of nations" was addressed specifically to Ephraim (verse 19). Since Judah and the other sons of Jacob/Israel were not present at the blessing ceremony were the "nation and company of nations" prophecy was made, I do not see how that prophecy can apply to them. Indeed, verse 17-19 indicates Jacob/Israel had to be addressing the prophecy about "the nation and company of nations" to Manasseh and Ephraim because Jacob's hands were on the heads of Ephraim and Manasseh when he uttered that prophecy.

After the birthright blessings were given to Ephraim and Manasseh in Genesis 48, Jacob/Israel "called unto his [other] sons" and said "gather yourselves together" (Genesis 49:1) as none of the other sons were present when the "nation and company of nations" blessing was conveyed. After all of Jacob/Israel's sons were assembled together in one place (Genesis 49:1-2), the second stage of Jacob/Israel's prophetic utterances took place wherein prophecies about all of Jacob/Israel's sons were given for the latter day period of time.

At least, that is how I read these chapters.

Steve Collins
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Brit-Am Reply:

Note the answer below is in reply to the above letter by Steven Collins and also to a letter from Tessa (from New Zealand) that presented a similar argument.
I accidentally deleted and removed the letter from Tess and so am relying on memory.

Editorial Note: Our Memory Deceived Us! Tessa had actually written very cogently in support of the Brit-Am position! See:
http://britam.org/now/1390Now.html

[People should realize that accidents sometimes happen, even to us.
If you ever wrote a letter and did not receive a reply it was not necessarily
because we did not consider your letter worth the effort.
They say that when one gets older you become more forgetful and lose things etc.
I however have had such a problem since my youth and find if anything that I seem to improve with time.
I would like to add that this applies to other things as well but it may not be so true and doubt that it would sound convincing!]
================================================
See:
Brit-Am Now no. 1387
#4. Does "a nation and a company of nations" refer to Judah and Joseph or just Joseph?
http://britam.org/now/1387Now.html#Does
This note compared two sources.

Source (1) The Almighty blesses Jacob (Israel)
[Genesis 35:11] AND GOD SAID UNTO HIM, I AM GOD ALMIGHTY: BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY; A NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS SHALL BE OF THEE, AND KINGS SHALL COME OUT OF THY LOINS...

Source (2) Genesis 48:4 to Joseph.
[Genesis 48:4] AND SAID UNTO ME, BEHOLD, I WILL MAKE THEE FRUITFUL, AND MULTIPLY THEE, AND I WILL MAKE OF THEE A MULTITUDE OF PEOPLE [Kahal Amim i.e. A Community of Peoples OR A Company of Nations]; AND WILL GIVE THIS LAND TO THY SEED AFTER THEE FOR AN EVERLASTING POSSESSION.

The Discussion has widened and other sources have been quoted.
We now have 3 different verses to consider:
Steven Collins and Tess have in effect brought forward one more verse:

Jacob in blessing Ephraim and Manasseh:
Source (3) [Genesis 48:19] AND HIS FATHER REFUSED, AND SAID, I KNOW IT, MY SON, I KNOW IT: HE ALSO SHALL BECOME A PEOPLE, AND HE ALSO SHALL BE GREAT: BUT TRULY HIS YOUNGER BROTHER SHALL BE GREATER THAN HE, AND HIS SEED SHALL BECOME A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS.
This last verse in its English Translation would seem to be associating A PEOPLE with Manasseh and A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS with Ephraim.
This is what Steven Collins and Tess have taken to parallel the blessing given to Jacob: A NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS.
The parallelism inn Hebrew however is not so obvious, as shown below:

OK.
Considering the verses from the beginning:
Source (1) Is from God to Jacob and as far as we can see concerns ALL Israel.
To say otherwise needs more proof.
A NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS must come out of the entire Israelite Nation.
Judah and the Ten Tribes are the most logical answers especially in line with our over-all Brit-Am Commentary.
[In Biblical Thought, prototypical examples, and historical developments we do have several separations that could be considered, i.e.
Joseph versus all the Other Tribes. OR
Within Joseph, Ephraim versus Manasseh. OR
Judah versus the Ten Tribes represented by Joseph.
We consider the latter possibility to be the correct one in this case.

Source (2) Joseph is told:
AND I WILL MAKE OF THEE A MULTITUDE OF PEOPLE [Kahal Amim i.e. in Hebrew, A Company of Nations].
We have the blessings (1) A NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS and (2) A Company of Nations applied to Joseph.
It follows that:
A NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS when applied to all Israel must mean one entity (A NATION) alongside Joseph (A COMPANY OF NATIONS).
The only two possibilities are:
(a) Joseph versus the other Tribes but in this case Joseph would not be referred to as A COMPANY OF NATIONS with all the other Tribes being called one NATION.
(b) Joseph (representing all the Ten Tribes as we find elsewhere in Scripture) as A COMPANY OF NATIONS and Judah as a nation!
The Nation must therefore be Judah.
This is the most logical explanation and fits the verses best of all!

Let us now consider Genesis 48:19 which seemed to strengthen the case of Steven Collins and Tess:

Source (3): Within this verse [Genesis 48:19] we find two references we need to consider:
(a) To Manasseh: HE ALSO SHALL BECOME A PEOPLE.
and
(b) to Ephraim: (as rendered in the KJV) HIS SEED SHALL BECOME A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS.
Put (b) to the side for one minute.

Concerning (a) Joseph has been told that he would become a Company of Nations.
He is then told that Manasseh would be a nation and Ephraim would be greater than him.
Taking this on its own it could simply be taken to mean that Joseph would become a Company of Nations out of which Manasseh would be one of them and Ephraim the rest.

If we are to take (b) into consideration with Ephraim being A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS whereas Manasseh in one nation we may perhaps have a case for considering the blessing to Israel, A NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS, to apply to Ephraim and Manasseh.
This apparently is what Steven Collins and Tess based their argument upon.

It may also be why the Translators of the Bible in the KJV version rendered the Hebrew Malo-GaGoyim as A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS [Genesis 48:19].
This however is not its meaning.

http://britam.org/Genesis/Gen47to50VaYechi.html
"HIS SEED SHALL BECOME A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS": In Hebrew "malo hagoim" or literally the fullness of nations.
Onkelos translates this as saying that his seed will rule over the nations.
Yehonatan ben Uziel as they will be great among the nations.
Iben Ezra says it means that many peoples will emerge from him.
Brit-Am understands the expression to mean that other nations will be dependent upon him for their very existence.
We also however understand this explanation to be interwoven with those above i.e. His seed will be both numerous and important in its own right and at the international level all other nations somehow be dependent on him.
In Hebrew the word "Malo" (or "Malay") meaning "fullness" also connotes "completion" and "enabling", "giving power to".
The other peoples of the world will owe their very existence to Ephraim!

The expression Mao-HaGoim [the fullness of the nations] has therefore an entirely different application from Kahal Goyuim (Company of nations) and is not an extension of A NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS in Genesis 35:11.

So that is how we understand the question.

A NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS in Genesis 35:11 is a promise given to Jacob i.e. to all Israel.

Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) were to become A COMPANY OF NATIONS (or Peoples in Hebrew "amim") in [Genesis 48:4] meaning according to our understanding that he was to head the Lost Ten Tribes as distinct from Judah who remained a Nation.

We feel this distinction and the answer to this question has philosophical implications and influences our Biblical understanding in general.

There is another possibility.
In Biblical Exegesis there are general rules and the possibility that more than one explanation may be correct even when at a superficial level they may appear to contradict each other.
Nevertheless in this case we prefer to leave things as they are and be satisfied with understanding the expression according to its contextual meaning in the Hebrew and as we have explained it.

2. Walt Baucum and the Dispersion of Israel Before the Exile.
Re Brit-Am Now no. 1387
#7. The Revision of Ancient Historical Chronology and its Pertinence to Brit-Am
http://britam.org/now/1387Now.html#The

http://www.britam.org/
baucumcover.html

Hebrews in
Scandinavia We received recently and in the past queries as to the possible dispersion of Israelites even before the Exile of the Lost Ten Tribes by the Assyrians.
Walter Baucum has written extensively on this subject and anyone interested in the issue should read his work.

Bronze Age Atlantis
The International Nautical Empire of the Sea Peoples
by Walter Baucum

3. Sundries
(a) NO Weekly Torah Portion.

This Shabat and the Day after it are Rosh HaShanah or the Hebrew New Year.
There is no Torah portion this week.

(b) Torah Readings for Rosh HaShana

Day One (Shabat) Genesis (B'reishit) 21:1-34
http://britam.org/Genesis/Gen18to22VaYera.html
Haftara, 1-Samuel 1:1-2:10
http://britam.org/samuel-1.html
http://britam.org/samuel-2.html

Day Two (Sunday) Genesis (B'reishit) 22:1-24
http://britam.org/Genesis/Gen18to22VaYera.html
In addition on both days at the end of the reading there is an additional reading of Numbers 29:1-6.
Haftara- Jermeiah 31:2-20
http://www.britam.org/Jeremiah29to32.html

(c) Support for Brit-Am and the Brit-Am Message.
Support for Brit-Am helps us as well as furthering the Brit-Am Ten Tribes Message.
This is to the advantage of all Israelites.

(d) An Annual New Opportunity is Now Upon Us ALL!
Rosha HaShanah (the Hebrew New Year) for us means a new beginning
and new opportunity for ourselves and for all the world.
It is true that every day, every moment, if one wishes one can start again, repair what was impaired and do better.
Nevertheless some times are better than others.
Rosha HaShana is one of the better times.
Let us all pray, resolve to improve ourselves, and ask the Almighty to guide us.

4. A Short Introduction to Yair Davidiy and Brit-Am

Note:
The entry below was prepared at the request of another party for other reasons.
It is taken from different articles and notices on our site.
A More detailed account is present on our site:
The History of Brit-Am
http://www.britam.org/BAhistory.html

Most of you will probably be familiar with what is said below but some of you may not be and may find it of interest.
Yair Davidiy was born in Sydney, Australia.
The mother of Yair was born in London of Jewish parents.
His father was from Wales but possibly of Irish descent.
In Australia Yair became acquainted with British Israel Literature and with the writings of Herbert Armstrong and his group.
After attempting at an early stage to conduct his own research and not getting far Yair put aside the question as to whether the Lost Ten Tribes were amongst Western Peoples or not. Having been born Jewish according to Jewish Law, Yair began to study Judaism whilst still in Australia.
In 1974 Yair moved to Israel. He served in the IDF as well as learning in various Yeshivot and Rabbinical programs. During his Rabbinical Studies he came across sources indicating that there may be something to the belief that the Lost Ten Tribes were to be found amongst Western Peoples. Gradually an overwhelming urge developed to resolve the issue once and for all.
After undertaking an intensive research program on the subject Yair was convinced that the concept was indeed a true one and answered Biblical questions.
There followed many years of research, discussion, and learning on the subject. This resulted in the manuscripts for several books as well as a large quantity of research notes part of which was destined to also be published. With the help of learned Orthodox Jews and Rabbis "The Tribes" was published in 1993.
This work was followed over the years by at least nine other books, magazines, radio interviews and broadcasts, a large active e-mail discussion list and a web-site that receives from 1000 to 1500 visits per day.

Brit-Am has its own membership, magazine, and meetings.
Brit-Am believes that Descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes are today found amongst Western Nations according to the Bible and Rabbinical Commentary supplemented by historical and related studies. It is in these countries that Israelite Tribes realized their Destined Ancestral Expression.
The USA especially (along with related nations) has an obligation as Israelite Nations to fulfill their destiny. The USA, UK, and their kinfolk are obligated by the Bible to be great nations, uplift humanity, internalize Biblical Consciousness, maintain Biblical values, and look after their own citizens.
They should also identify with the Jews and the State of Israel.

Brit-Am has three main aims:
Research -finding where the Lost Ten Tribes went to.
Recognition -Bringing the Results of our Research to Public attention.
Reconciliation - Working towards the eventual re-unification of Joseph and Judah.

5. David Tempelhoff: Isreal is Gods Inheritance
Yair,
Isreal is Gods Inheritance out of all the nations on the earth. (Deut 32).
There seems to be to much fear swirling around.
We are not to put our confidence in man.
Cheers,
David

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