The National tribune., 1891-05-14
SUNDAY MEDITATION.

IhE CAPTIVITY Ob 4-hAEL.
1. Data.
There Is but one account, that appointed for
our lesson. 1t is supposed Ezra compiled the
Books Of the Kings With this lesson one
should compare the prophecies Of Hosea and
Micah, for both foretoid the captivity Of Israel.
(See Hos, 10 SIS; Is: 10; Mic, 81 In
general way God predicted tho very results
suffered by the people Of Israel. See Law,
26: 81, 80; Deu., p: SO, Ga; 20: p, 25.l
2. Time.
We date B. c. 723 as the time when the sie9s
OF Samaria began. The siege lasted three years.
7:5) The date of the captivity is B. G. ~.
lt is we'll thoroughly TO memories This date As
fixing grand historic event, O sJr. Of chrome
logic peg. About 20 years before our lesson
Hosea prophecied the ruin Of the Kingdom Of
Israel. and 80 years before Micah forcto.d the
fate Of Samaria's throne. We are carried back
for over 1900 years. Israel separated from
judah gT5 b. C., or Pa years before our lesson.
Thus We find the duration Of the Kingdom Of
the Ten Tribes was 254 years. The Captivity
Of Israel took place about midway between
the Exodus and the birth Of Christ; 90 wit, 10
after the Exodus and 72l before the Incarna-
ton. From verse we find the Captivity &C.
CURED in the ninth year Of the reign Of the
King Of Israel, named Hoshea-
3. Places.
l. AAsyEiA- " d. lDaL country was eh5b Oh
the Tigris River. Armenia was on the north;
susanna and Chaldea south; Media northeast
The main city was Ninoveh. Many references
to Assyria are found in the Scriptures. All Will
recall Jonah's mission thithor
2. Samaria. ". 81 That was the Capital Of
the Kingdom Of Israel IL Is - miles north Of
Jerusalem. IL was named after Shemer. Il
XII, l6: %, Pa The Romans called it Sebasts.
Under Roman government one OF the four
uravincps in IN ~ hich paIaatne vvoa ivided WA
Samaria.
3. Halah. CV.6) 1t is also written Helah.
IL was the same rs Calah. 10 was on the east
bank Of the Tigris, north Of Nineveh By about
one days journey, near the Laycus or LAB
River.
4. Habor ~ o. That was the same as the
Chabor. now called the Khabour. IL Is river
rising from the foot Of Mount Habor, above
Hallmark, flowing southwest toward the
Tigris.
5. Gozan. Cv.6) Same as the Zozan. A
river OF Assyria.
s. Media, or country Of the Medes. (V. 6.)
In Asia, northeast Of Assyria. winding around
the southern end Of the Caspian Sea.
z. Land Of Egypt. (V.7.) The children Of
Israel had been slaves there for 2l5 years.
They escaped 1891 h. g., or seven to eight cen
turtles before our lesson. They had occupied
mainly the land OF Goshen in Egypt. The
King was Pharaoh and their deliverer Moses.
5. Tower of the watehmen to the fenced
city. (Y. o. Fenced is the same as deleueed.
The word is shortened at the beginning by the
chronological figure Of apheresis. To fence an
inclOsure has no reference 20 material employ
ed. 10 may be stone. So fenced city" (V.
81 means city surrounded by stone walls for
the purpose Of defense. Shepherds IN tho East
have little structures erected at elevated points
for keeping watch over their hocks. These
were ali over the rural parts Of the Kingdom
oil Israel. High places ". 81 we're spOts
outOf-dOOrs On hiilccks composed often Of piles
Of stone arranged eireu!arly and iEcIosug idols.
The people constructed such eOnvenieuces for
the worship Of idols and images q" from the
tower Of the watchmen % the fenced city" 70
wit in cities and surrounding country, within
walled cities and ali through the rural regions
The intention Of the author is 10 assert that
idolatry became universal, urbane, and rustic,
commercial aud buc0lic, affecting tradesmen
and agriculturalists, ramiiyiug all branches Of
society.
4. Persons
l. The King Of Assyria who carried of into
captivity the Ten Tribes was Shalmaneser.
The spelling I'm Hos 10 II, is Shalmau. We
find the orthography also Psalmonassar.
2. The King Of Israel at the time Of the
captivity was Hushea. lie was the son Of Elah.
q Hi, 10: 30) lie secured the throne by the
assassination Of Pckah. His downfall occurred
last King Of Israel. The first was JerobOam.
While IiOshea WAS King of Israel Jotham son
Of Uzziah, was King Of judah. q XII, 10: D.
5. The Ten TRIES
The Kingdom Of Israel was composed Of all
the tribes Of Jacobs race except Judah and
Benjamin. The last two were practically one,
and constituted the Kingdom Of Judah All
IL constituted one Kingdom until the death
of Solomon, when the two Kingdoms Of Judah
L 2 l. 4 4
siti0n Of the Ten Tribes is not matter of any
question. Where 10 find their descendants
now is q more difficult problem. The learned
are not at one the subject. One thing We
know the Ten Tribes never again reorgaa-
lied, never again nationalized, but become lost
and apparently merged more or less with their
eaptors. We notice several views.
!. The Rypsies represent the said Ten Tribes
or that portion which survives absorption
among Modes and Assyrians, etc. The suppo-
sition the sypsies descended from the Ten
/ Tribes is made probably as much in effort to
account for the gypsies as TO discover
the remnants Of lost Israel. We know Of
/ the gypsies without understanding their
/ origin aud we know OF the Ten Tribes without
4 being able 10 discover their fate. Some scholars
\ try TO combine these facts in the theory that
/ the gypsies correspond with the race for which
/ We search.
/ 2 The North American Indians are the de-
scendants Of the Ten Tribes. Those who main
/ tain this theory are happy in the fact they also
/ account for the origin OF said Indians.
| 3. The Ten Tribes have no representatives as
such to-day. They were completely absorbed
| in the Assyrian and kindred natiOnalites
| Their history shows they we're not much at
/ tached 10 the laws and customs peculiar TO the
| Hebrew race, and they could hence easily be
merged into the peoples of the country that
| conquered them.
1. A people on the coast Of Guinea has been
| found, with certain peculiarities and claims
/ which have supported a superstition they may
| be the descendants Of the Ten Tribes.
| s. Persian historians declare the Afghans are
\ the true remnants Of the Ten Tribes. 10 is a
/ fact such opinion exists by tradition among
| the Afghans Jewish names are found to-day
among that people. The Afghan language is
/ kindred in many respects TO the Chaldaic. Sir
| Wm. Jones leaned 10 this view, and DIR. Adam
! Clarke believed il quite probable.
6. A Russian traveller, w. j. Remirowitch-
| Dantscheriko thinks he found the lost tribes on
the mountains OF Daghestan lin the Caucasus)
| lie says:
They are warlke aud resemble the CossaCks I'm
appearance. but they follow the old Mosaic law as
/ IL existed before the time OF Ezra and the second
building of the temple. without any knowledge Of
Talmudie traditions and FORMS and they claim to
have lived where they now ever since the time
/ of Psalmonassar.
/ z The Anglo Israel Ensign is a religious news
/ paper organ Of the theory We are 10 identify
/ the Lost Ten Tribes with the British Nation.
| An interesting literature is growing up around