THE DIVIDED KINGDOM: KINGDOMS & TRIBES
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. The Divided Kingdom
a) Over a thousand years has passed since the times of Israel began. We have been through the times of the Promises to Abraham, Bondage in Egypt, Wandering in the Wilderness, Conquest of Canaan, Kingdom of David, and now we have entered the time of the Kingdom Divided.
2. Kingdoms And Tribes
a) The Biblical references to the kingdoms and tribes can be slightly confusing if you are not aware of certain distinctions as explained below.
i) The Kingdoms
@1. Because Samaria is north of Jerusalem, Jeroboam's kingdom is often referred to as the "northern kingdom". The Bible calls the northern kingdom "Israel" and the southern kingdom "Judah". So from this time, the name "Judah" can refer either to the tribe of Judah, or to the two-tribe kingdom. Likewise, the name "Israel" can refer either to all twelve tribes or to the ten-tribe kingdom.
ii) The Tribes
@1. The "two tribes" of the southern kingdom and the "ten tribes" of the northern kingdom refer to territories. The names of the territories do not match the names of the twelve sons of Jacob the fathers of the twelve tribes. There are two reasons for this. First, the territories included two allotments to Joseph in the name of his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Second, the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, was distributed throughout the territories of the other tribes. So when we speak of twelve tribes of Israel, we can speak simply of the twelve sons of Jacob who each fathered a tribe, or we can speak territorial of the twelve land allotments. In the latter case the list of names will not include Joseph and Levi, but will include instead Ephraim and Manasseh.
The End ...
1. The Divided Kingdom a) Over a thousand years has passed since the times of Israel began. We have been through the times of the Promises to Abraham, Bondage in Egypt, Wandering in the Wilderness, Conquest of Canaan, Kingdom of David, and now we have entered the time of the Kingdom Divided.
2. Kingdoms And Tribes
a) The Biblical references to the kingdoms and tribes can be slightly confusing if you are not aware of certain distinctions as explained below.
i) The Kingdoms
@1. Because Samaria is north of Jerusalem, Jeroboam's kingdom is often referred to as the "northern kingdom". The Bible calls the northern kingdom "Israel" and the southern kingdom "Judah". So from this time, the name "Judah" can refer either to the tribe of Judah, or to the two-tribe kingdom. Likewise, the name "Israel" can refer either to all twelve tribes or to the ten-tribe kingdom.
ii) The Tribes
@1. The "two tribes" of the southern kingdom and the "ten tribes" of the northern kingdom refer to territories. The names of the territories do not match the names of the twelve sons of Jacob the fathers of the twelve tribes. There are two reasons for this. First, the territories included two allotments to Joseph in the name of his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Second, the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, was distributed throughout the territories of the other tribes. So when we speak of twelve tribes of Israel, we can speak simply of the twelve sons of Jacob who each fathered a tribe, or we can speak territorial of the twelve land allotments. In the latter case the list of names will not include Joseph and Levi, but will include instead Ephraim and Manasseh.
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