The Biblical Jews | Les VersetsBibliques

House of Israel

and House of Judah

Here are some biblical and historical facts about Israelites and Jews that we find very hard to challenge. And, since our main objective has always been to expose the truth, we will present it to you without any bias and without adding our personal viewpoint, but only in the light of the Word of God, the characters involved and historical data. It's up to you to do your own research.

Israelites and Jews according to the Bible and Scriptures

Jacob-Israel, son of Isaac, begat 12 sons, one of whom was Judah, from whom the Jews are descended.

People tend to confuse these terms, but the words "Hebrew", "Jew", "the House of Israel" and "the House of Judah" have never designated the same people or nation.

Bishop J. A. Allen of California, speaking of this modern confusion wrote:

""For ecclesiastical writers to ignore the representative national and racial Israelite names of Joseph, Ephraim and Samaria (the name of the ancient capital of Israel, as used in history and prophecy) and substitute for them by the term "the Jews," either as a name or as a people, calling them the sole representatives of the race of Israel, is not only the height of ignorance, but the great ecclesiastical crime of the years. It is truly an enemy who has done this".

We read in Ezekiel 37, that the two "pieces of wood" which are now separated, but are to be reunited, represent, on the one hand, Judah (son of Leah), and on the other, Joseph (son of Rachel) and the rest of the house of Israel associated with him. Leah and Rachel (Jacob's wives), are identified as "the two families whom the Lord chose to build the House of Israel". The promise of the birthright covenant was given to Joseph, son of Rachel, and the kingship was given to Judah, son of Leah.

Jeremiah 33:24 "Have you not noticed what these people are saying: ‘The LORD has rejected the two families He had chosen’? So they despise My people and no longer regard them as a nation."
Ruth 4:11 “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel.”

However, the Bible never uses the word "Jew" as a collective term for all the nations descended from Jacob-Israel.

The House of Israel and the House of Judah went into captivity separately, at different times and by different nations: Israel was taken captive by the Assyrians, while Judah was later taken captive by the Babylonians. Scripture also asserts that the House of Israel and the House of Judah do not all inhabit the same country, territory, region or continent, but their nations were scattered across the four corners of the earth, and will only be reunited after the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom.

Therefore, those who preach or teach that the Jewish nation and the nation of Israel have already been reunited and they are occupying present-day State of Israel, are propagating a false and deceiving narrative that is not substantiated in the Bible. To this end, the Reverend Canon Faucett M.A. states in his "Critical and Expository Bible Encyclopedia": "The idea that the House of Israel has been amalgamated and incorporated with the "Jews," is one of the most amazing errors in Biblical History."

Differences between a Hebrew, an Israelite and a Jew

Before continuing, it's important to understand the difference between the terms Hebrew, Israelite and Jew.

Hebrew: Heber/Eber, Abraham's ancestor, was the 4th generation after Shem; and only Heber's descendants are Hebrews. Abraham is a Hebrew, but not an Israelite, as this term only designates the descendants of Jacob. Abraham is also not a Jew, for this term only applies to the descendants of Judah (Yehuda), son of Jacob, initially called Judeans, but renamed Jews around the year 1275.

Israelite: All descendants of the 12 tribes of Jacob are Hebrew Israelites.

Jew: Yehuda is the fourth son of Jacob and Leah, his first wife. Only Yehuda's descendants are Hebrew Israelites Jews.

Who is Yehuda (Judah) and why is he separated from the other tribes of Israel?

Yehuda grew up with his brothers, working in the family business as a cattle and sheep herder. In time, he and his brothers became jealous and envious of their younger brother Joseph. Hatred intensified to the point where his brothers wanted to kill Joseph, but Reuben, the eldest, stepped in to stop them. Joseph was thrown into a pit and, while Reuben was away, it was Judah's idea to sell Joseph to Midianite merchants for 20 shekels of silver. We may speculate that it was Yehuda's suggestion that led to the enslavement of his descendants.

Later, however, he lacked wisdom by having sexual relations with Shua the Canaanite (Middle Eastern woman) under the influence of alcohol, and he was compelled to marry her, even though he had been formally forbidden to do so. He married the Canaanite woman and had three sons with her: Er, Onan and Shelah. He gave his eldest son Er a wife, whose name was Tamar. When Er died, Tamar became Onan's wife. However, ELOHIM had put Er and Onan to death because they only had sodomite intercourse with Tamar, so as to prevent her from becoming pregnant. As a result, Tamar remained a virgin after the death of the two brothers.

After Shua's death, Judah acted shamefully when, under the influence of alcohol, he mistook Tamar, his daughter-in-law, for a prostitute, had sexual relations with her and impregnated her, for which he repented at length. According to the texts, one day, having learned that her father-in-law was going to shear his sheep, Tamar took off her widow's clothes and dressed as a prostitute went to sit by the side of the road that Judah was taking. The latter did not recognise her because of his alcohol, and made advances towards her. She demanded his staff, belt and royal headband as collateral, and they became intimate. When it was discovered that Tamar was pregnant, Judah threatened to kill her. In order to save her life, she presented the items belonging to Judah and said: ‘I am pregnant by the man to whom they belong’ (Genesis 38:18, 24-26). The Twins she bore were Zerah and Phares, from whom descended King David, ancestor of Joseph, the legal father of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 7:14 "For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood."
Revelations 5:5 "Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The Bible doesn't say why the royal scepter was bestowed on Yehuda, or why divine kingship was to be born in his bloodline. But we can assume that his ability to take a leadership position over his older brothers predisposed him to kingship, notably when he opposed Joseph's murder, negotiated with his father Joseph's request to take Benjamin to Egypt, and pleaded with Joseph after the latter had concealed a silver cup in Benjamin's sack.

Genesis 49:9-10 "Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?. The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his."
Psalm 78:68 "But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved."

However, in the Testament of Judah (a document classified as apocryphal) it is written that, in his youth, he showed irreproachable obedience to his father Jacob and unfailing respect for his mother. Moreover, he was endowed with impressive strength and fought fiercely against the Canaanites, enemies of ELOHIM. Later, however, he lacked wisdom by having sexual relations with Shua the Canaanite under the influence of alcohol, and was forced to marry her, although this was formally forbidden to him. After Shua's death, he acted shamefully when, under the influence of alcohol, he mistook Tamar, his daughter-in-law, for a prostitute, had sexual relations with her and impregnated her, a deed for which he repented at length. |The Testament of Judah|

How to identify Jews according to the Bible

Born in the 7th century B.C. (650-570), the prophet Jeremiah lived through the disintegration of the kingdom and witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. He spent the last forty years of his life in the kingdom south of Egypt. The book that bears his name and contains a wealth of information on the period of the Old Testament is a long exhortation to "The House of Israel" and "The House of Judah".

If you carefully read the Testament in its entirety, you will realize that the nations of "The House of Israel" and "The House of Judah" are under the yoke of a divine curse that makes their living conditions globally charged with hardship, challenges and psychological distress, for they were handed over to dominant and powerful nations on account of their unfaithfulness and idolatrous practices, which the Lord abhors.

Jeremiah 44:8-26 Why are you provoking Me to anger by the work of your hands by burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to reside? As a result, you will be cut off and will become an object of cursing and reproach among all the nations of the earth.? ... Nevertheless, hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah living in Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by My great name, says the LORD, that never again will any man of Judah living in the land of Egypt invoke My name or say, ‘As surely as the Lord GOD lives.’"

The Scriptures are very clear on the fact that the nations of Israel and Judah are sister nations, and they will be clearly identified through the similarity of the curses to which they have been subjected.

Jeremiah 50:33 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go."

Here's a list of verses that mention the curses weighing on Judah and Israel.

► They will feel jealous, irritated and envious of other nations.

Deuteronomy 32:21 "They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation."
Romans 10:19 "But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation."
Romans 11:11 "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles."

► They will lack basic essential resources.

Isaiah 3:1 "For behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: the whole supply of food and water."
Jeremiah 14:2-3 “Judah mourns and her gates languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads."

► They will become the laughingstock of all nations and the subject of mockery.

Jeremiah 24:8-9 "But like the bad figs, so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem—those remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt. I will make them a horror and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace and an object of scorn, ridicule, and cursing wherever I have banished them."
Jeremiah 29:17-18 "this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I will send against them sword and famine and plague, and I will make them like rotten figs, so bad they cannot be eaten. I will pursue them with sword and famine and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse, a desolation, and an object of scorn and reproach among all the nations to which I banish them."
Jeremiah 44:12 "I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to come to the land of Egypt to live, and they shall all be consumed. In the land of Egypt they shall fall; by the sword and by famine they shall be consumed. From the least to the greatest, they shall die by the sword and by famine, and they shall become an oath, a horror, a curse, and a taunt."

► Cannibalism will become a common practice in various cities of Judah.

Jeremiah 19:8-9 "I will make this city a desolation and an object of scorn. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff at all her wounds. I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and distress inflicted on them by their enemies who seek their lives."

► Their leaders will govern in a state of cabegie, caring mostly for their personal well-being, they will be like little kids, unable to protect and care for their populations.

Isaiah 3:4 "I will make mere lads their leaders, and children will rule over them."
Isaiah 1:23 "Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them."
Ezekiel 34:8 "As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead"
Hosea 3:4 "For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince"

► They will be subjected to servitude and slavery, and worship other Gods.

Lamentations 1:3 "Judah has gone into exile under affliction and harsh slavery; she dwells among the nations but finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of her distress."
Isaiah 20:4 "so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame."
Jeremiah 16:13 "So I will cast you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor."
Jeremiah 13:19-20 "The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive? Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?"

► They will be handed over to violent, and ruthless nations they've never seen before: namely, the Peoples of the Septentrion (The Great North).

Deuteronomy 28:49-50 "The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle— a nation whose language you will not understand, a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young."
Deuteronomy 28:36 "The LORD will bring you and the king you appoint to a nation neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone."
Jeremiah 1:15 "For I am about to summon all the clans and kingdoms of the north,” declares the LORD. “Their kings will come and set up their thrones at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack all her surrounding walls and all the other cities of Judah."
Jeremiah 4:6-7 "Raise a signal flag toward Zion. Seek refuge! Do not delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, and terrible destruction. A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his lair to lay waste your land. Your cities will be reduced to ruins and lie uninhabited."
Jeremiah 5:15-16 "Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand. Their quivers are like open graves; they are all mighty men."
Jeremiah 6:22-23 "This is what the LORD says: “Behold, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is stirred up from the ends of the earth. They grasp the bow and spear; they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O Daughter of Zion.”
Jeremiah 10:22 "Listen! The sound of a report is coming—a great commotion from the land to the north. The cities of Judah will be made a desolation, a haunt for jackals."
2 Kings 24:2 "And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets."

► They will be scattered all over the earth in boats.

Ezekiel 30:23 "And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries."
Ezekiel 30:9 "On that day messengers will go out from Me in ships to frighten Cush out of complacency. Anguish will come upon them on the day of Egypt’s doom. For it is indeed coming."
Deuteronomy 28:64 "Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known."
Deuteronomy 28:68 "And the LORD will take you back to Egypt in ships, by the way of which I said to you, ‘You shall never see it again.’ And there you shall be offered for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you."

► Their lands will be devastated, and their wealth plundered.

Daniel 11:40-43 "At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships, invading many countries and sweeping through them like a flood ... He will extend his power over many countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt, and the Libyans and Cushites will also submit to him."
Jeremiah 15:13-14 "Your wealth and your treasures I will give up as plunder, without charge for all your sins within all your borders. Then I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for My anger will kindle a fire that will burn against you."
Isaiah 1:7 "Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you—a desolation demolished by strangers"

In Joel 3:1-6, the Lord says that the nations of Judah and Israel were scattered and sold to the sons of Javan, who carried them away from their homeland.

Joel 3:1-6 "Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore Judah and Jerusalem from captivity, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning My people, My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations as they divided up My land. They cast lots for My people; they bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink. Now what do you have against Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering against Me a recompense? If you retaliate against Me, I will swiftly and speedily return your recompense upon your heads. For you took My silver and gold and carried off My finest treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,d to send them far from their homeland.

According to some theologians and scholars, this passage refers to the division of the land of Canaan in Israel between the 12 Israelite tribes. However, if the ‘sons of Javan’ represent the Greeks as well as many European nations such as the Romans, the British, the Germanic peoples, the Spanish, the Germans... then it is clear that this division does not refer to the Land of Canaan, since there is no historical account of any such a division in Israel among these European nations. Now, if we go back in history, this passage seems more like a prophecy echoing the Berlin Conference concerning the division of Africa!

Berlin Conference?

During this conference, fourteen northern countries divided Africa among themselves. The countries represented at the time were Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway, Turkey and the United States of America. The end result was a hodgepodge of geometric borders that divided Africa into 50 irregular countries. This new map of the continent was imposed on the 1000 indigenous cultures and regions. The new countries were devoid of sense and logic, as they divided homogeneous groups of people and merged disparate groups who didn't get along at all.

► They will be subjected to violence and oppression wherever they go.

Jeremiah 20:7-8 "You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.! For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long."
Jeremiah 30:12-14 "For this is what the LORD says: “Your injury is incurable; your wound is grievous. There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sores, no recovery for you. Tous ceux qui t'aimaient t'oublient, Aucun ne prend souci de toi; Car je t'ai frappée comme frappe un ennemi, Je t'ai châtiée avec violenceAll your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer seek you, for I have struck you as an enemy would, with the discipline of someone cruel, because of your great iniquity and your numerous sins."

► All the other nations of the earth will reject them with the same zeal, and will neither conceive nor tolerate them as being the true Jews and Israelites

Psalm 83:5-8 "For with one mind they plot together, they form an alliance against You, the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, of Philistia with the people of Tyre, Even Assyria has joined them, lending strength to the sons of Lot."
Psalm 83:3-4 "With cunning they scheme against Your people and conspire against those You cherish, saying, “Come, let us erase them as a nation; may the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

► They will not know their true identity. In other words, Israelites and Jews don't know who they are, and don't consider themselves as such.

Isaiah 1:3 "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.”
Isaiah 44:18 "They do not comprehend or discern, for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see and closed their minds so they cannot understand."
Revelations 2:9 "I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews"

Bearing in mind that certain narratives are created with the sole purpose of distorting biblical prophecy and leading people to believe that the Word of ELOHIM is devoid of power, it then becomes critical to always question any narrative that does not align with biblical prophecy. Now ask yourself the following question: Do the above curses precisely align with the prevailing conditions in modern Israel?

Below is an ancient map produced by Livio Sanuto and published posthumously by his brother Giulio in 1588.

Livio Sanuto (c. 1520-1576), son of Senator Francesco Sanuto of Venice, was a cosmographer, mathematician and maker of globes. He was a member of the Lafreri school of engravers, whose work marked the transition between Ptolemy's maps and those of Mercator and Ortelius. Livio and his brother Giulio planned a massive and comprehensive atlas comprising maps and descriptions of the whole world, which they believed to be more accurate than any previously published atlas. Seeing that Africa was imperfectly described, he set to work on a book containing 12 large maps drawn by himself and engraved by his brother. For the compilation of his African maps, Sanuto relied on Gastaldi's map of 1564 and on Portuguese nautical charts for coastal mapping and information on the interior, using the accounts of Duarte Barbosa and João de Barros.

In books 10 and 12, Livio describes the manners and customs of Africa and provides the names of all the peoples of Ethiopia and Lower Ethiopia, referring to their territory as Judeorum Terra, meaning the Land of the Jews. It is important to remember that Ethiopia today is not the same as the Ethiopia mentioned in the Bible. According to the geography of the biblical era, Ethiopia was predominantly understood to be the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.

Interestingly, Amos 9:7 seems to allude to an equality between The Israelites and the Ethiopians. Would the nations of the House of Judah be the populations that once inhabited the region formerly known as Ethiopia in ancient times?

Amos 9:7 “Are you not like the people of Ethiopia to Me, O children of Israel?” says the LORD.

To find out more about biblical Ethiopia, click on the icon below

Les Éthiopiens Bibliques

Comfort for Israel and Judah

However, we must not forget that ELOHIM always applies equity in his judgement; what he bestows on some, he also renders to others, but in a different context. Although this terrible yoke was imposed on the ‘House of Israel’ and the ‘House of Judah’, these nations are not destined for eternal destruction unlike the others.

Jeremiah 30:16-17 "Nevertheless, all who devour you will be devoured, and all your adversaries—every one of them—will go off into exile. Those who plundered you will be plundered, and all who raided you will be raided. But I will restore your health and heal your wounds, declares the LORD, because they call you an outcast, Zion, for whom no one cares."

To find out more about Mount Zion, click on the icon below

Mount Zion

For if divine graces were to be extended only to those other dominant nations who also collectively, just like Israel and Judah, committed idolatry and great transgressions against ELOHIM, and if Israel and Judah's fate were to be nothing but humiliation, oppression and physical and moral distress without any form of redemption or comfort, then ELOHIM would not have kept his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and can never be called righteous and merciful.

► The House of Israel and the House of Judah will be saved

Jeremiah 23:6 "In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
Romans 11:26-28 "And so all Israel will be saved, as it has been written: "The One Delivering will come out of Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins."
Jeremiah 30:10-11 "As for you, O Jacob My servant, do not be afraid, declares the LORD, and do not be dismayed, O Israel. For I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return to quiet and ease, with no one to make him afraid. For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD. Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have scattered you, I will not completely destroy you. Yet I will discipline you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished.”

We encourage you to do your own research and may the Holy Spirit guide you in understanding this message.

​