The Jews are Judah
(but also Edom)
by Mikkel S. Kragh
There is approx. 15 mil. Jews in the world today, and another app. 5 mil. who consider themselves partly Jewish. 85% of all Jews today live in the State of Israel and the U.S.
The Jewish people trace their origin back to the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Judah and in particular the tribe of Judah. Many people have converted to Judaism and become a part of the Jewish people, but the bulk of the Jews of today are descended from the Jews of the days of the New Testament and of the Kingdom of Judah.
The Jews is the only part of the 12 tribes of Israel which is not a part of the Lost Tribes. When it comes to their ethnic identity, the Jews (Judah) are the “known tribe of Israel”, because the Jews themselves and the world in general view them as descendants of ancient Judah.
For most people, both Christians and non-Christians, it is a self-evident fact that the Jews are descended from the ancient Israelites. But among students of the Lost Tribes there are a lot who believe that the Jewish people have absorbed so many non-Israelite converts that the modern Jewish people in effect is a non-Israelite people.
The three most common objections against the Jews being Judah are 1) the conversion of the people of Edom in the 2nd cen. BC, 2) the conversion of the Khazars in the 9th cen. AD, and 3) the fact that the Jews as a people did not receive Christ and for the most part still do not.
We will start with comparing Biblical prophecies about Judah with the modern Jewish people. Afterwards we will discuss Edom and the Khazars.
Jeremiah: Judah would not accept the New Covenant
One of the most well-known prophecies about the New Covenant is found in Jeremiah chap. 31. It is also quoted in the Epistle to the Hebrews chap. 8:
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jer 31:31-33)
Jeremiah prophesied that God would make a New Covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, i.e., all 12 tribes. But in the second part of the prophecy, only the House of Israel is mentioned. That is because God offered the New Covenant to both the House of Judah (the Jews), who rejected it, and to the House of Israel, who accepted it. God therefore ended up making the New Covenant only with the House of Israel, and not the House of Judah (the Jews).
Gospel of John: Judah rejected Christ
John wrote concerning Christ: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” (John 1:11)
Who was it who did not receive Christ? According to the four gospels it was the Jews who rejected Christ: “... and he [Pontius Pilate] saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.” (John 19:14-15)
Christ was therefore rejected by “his own”. Of what tribe was Christ? Judah. Who rejected Christ? The Jews. Of what tribe were most Jews of Christ's day? Judah!
There are quite a few students of the Lost Tribes who claim that most Jews at the time of Christ were Edomites, and that their Edomite ancestry was the reason they rejected Him. But according to St John it was “Christ's own” who received Him not. If it was only Jews of Edomite ancestry who rejected Christ, it means Christ was an Edomite, which He, of course, was not.
Zechariah: After the Crucifixion, Judah and Israel would no longer have a fraternal relationship
Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot for 30 pieces of silver. This was prophesied by the prophet Zechariah approx. 520 BC. However, a part of the prophecy says that when Judas would betray Jesus, the brotherhood between Judah and Israel would be broken:
“And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD. Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.” (Zech 11:12-14)
Since the peoples of north-western Europe became Christians, have they had a brotherly relationship with the Jews? Not exactly.
Isaiah: Judah and Ephraim-Israel would have a strained relationship until the 2nd Coming
Isaiah also prophesied that Judah and Ephraim (another name for the House of Israel) would have a strained relationship, but that this would end at the 2nd Coming of Christ: “The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” (Isa 11:11-13)
This means that there would be “envy, adversity and vexation” between Judah and the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel until the 2nd Coming of Christ. Does that sound like the relationship between Jews and the Christian nations of north-western Europe? It sure does!
Judas Iscariot: a type of Judah
The 12 apostles were types of the 12 tribes of Israel. If all 12 tribes of Israel had rejected Christ, it would mean that all the 12 apostles would have betrayed Him. But only Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ. Why? Because Judas Iscariot was a type of the tribe of Judah.
Judas's name also confirms his identity with Judah. Judas is, of course, the Greek version of the Hebrew Judah (Yehudah). Iscariot is derived from the Hebrew “ish Kerioth” (“a man from Kerioth”). Kerioth was a town south of Hebron in the territory of Judah. Judas Iscariot was in fact the only apostle who was from the territory of Judah. The 11 other apostles were from the Galilee.
The fact that Judas Iscariot was a type of the tribe of Judah confirms that it was the tribe of Judah that rejected Christ. It was not all 12 tribes of Israel that rejected Christ, and whether or not the Jews of Edomite ancestry rejected Christ is irrelevant in this context.
The fact that Judas Iscariot is a type of the tribe of Judah therefore confirms that Judah would be a non-Christian people.
Samson: a type of Christ taken captive by Judah
The judge Samson is a type or foreshadow of Christ. Christ was taken captive by the temple guards of the Jewish leaders, and likewise Samson was taken captive by 3,000 men of Judah. Like Christ willingly let Himself be taken captive by the Jewish temple guards in the Garden of Gethsemane, so did Samson willingly let himself be taken captive by the 3,000 men of Judah at the top of the rock Etam. Like the Jews were ruled by Gentiles (Romans) at the time of Christ, so the Israelites were ruled by Gentiles (Philistines) at the time of Samson:
“The three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.” (Judg 15:11)
At Samson's time all 12 tribes were living in the land of Israel, and yet it was only the tribe of Judah that took Samson captive and delivered him to the Philistines. Since Samson is a type of Christ, Samson's example affirms that it was only the tribe of Judah that rejected Christ.
Zephaniah: Prior to the Day of the Lord, Judah would ethnically cleanse the land of the 'Philistines'
Zephaniah prophesied approx. 641-612 BC, shortly before the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. Zephaniah prophesied that Judah would one day return to the coastal areas of the land of the 'Philistines' and wreak havoc and drive out many of the 'Philistines':
“Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be for dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. And the coast shall be for the remnant of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the house of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.” (Zeph 2:5-7)
This has not been fulfilled 100% literally, because the Philistines disappeared as an ethnic group in the 5th century BC. Neither was this fulfilled in the Hasmonean Kingdom of Judaea (2nd-1st century BC), which was centered around Jerusalem.
The Jewish settlement of Palestine in the 19th and 20th centuries and the founding of the Jewish State of Israel do, however, fulfill this prophecy. The vast majority of Jewish immigrants in the 19th and early 20th century settled in the coastal areas of Israel. That is also where the great majority of modern Israel Jews live.
Modern Arab Palestinians refer to themselves Filastini, which simply is Arabic for 'Philistines'. Zephaniah's words that in “the land of the Philistines... there shall be no inhabitant” even resembles the title of the Jewish-Israeli historian Ilan Pappé's book The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (2006), even though they are written from entirely different perspectives and separated by 2,500 years in time.
Finally, it is important to notice that it is the Lord who “brings back the captivity of the remnant of Judah”, which is another way of saying that their exile is going to come to an end. That raises the question: Since the 12 tribes of Israel are only going to be regathered to the land of Israel at the 2nd Coming of Christ, why has God brought a remnant of Judah to the land of Israel prior to the 2nd Coming? And why is it the same remnant of Judah that rejected Christ 2,000 years earlier?
Acts: Jesus will return like he departed
When the 11 apostles were looking at Jesus ascending from the Mount of Olives, two angels told them that Jesus was going to return in the same way as He left:
“And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11)
This is usually interpreted to mean that since Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives, He is also going to descend to the Mount of Olives at the 2nd Coming, because that is exactly what Zechariah writes He will do (Zech 14:4) But it means more than that. There are going to be more similarities between the departure and return of Jesus.
When Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives, 1) Judah, but not Israel, lived in the land of Israel, and 2) Judah was ruled by Jews of Edomite descent, and 3) Judah lived under the occupation of a Gentile world empire (Rome). Likewise, when Jesus descends to the Mount of Olives at the 2nd Coming, 1) Judah (Jews), but not the 10 Tribes, are going to live in the land of Israel, and 2) Judah (Jews) are going to be ruled by Jews of Edomite descent, and 3) Judah is going to be under the occupation of a Gentile world empire (the future One World Government).
The first two similarities already exist. We now just need a One World Government to come into existence for the last similarity to come true as well.
Zechariah: Judah, but not Israel, will be in Jerusalem at the 2nd Coming
Right now (2024) the Jews are in firm control of Jerusalem and the land of Israel. But according to the prophet Zechariah that will change, because at the 2nd Coming of Christ, the Jews (Judah) will have lost control of Jerusalem and live under occupation:
“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east... And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem...” (Zech 14:1-4, 14)
The remnant of Judah (the Jews) will get a second chance to repent
2,000 years ago, the Jews rejected Christ. When they did that, the Kingdom of God was taken away from them because they had rejected God. But Jesus told them that they (i.e., their descendants) would one day repent and accept Him as the true Messiah:
“The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. … Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (Matt 21:43, 23:38-39)
Conclusion: Are the Jews Judah?
There are many people, including many students of the Lost Tribes, who believe that the Jews are NOT Judah, but that they are either Edomite or Khazarian converts or both. Many of the people who believe the Jews are not Judah do not like Jews in general, but that bias should not prevent us from examining their arguments.
To look at the other side of the coin, many of the people who say that the Jews are Judah are equally biased because they have a Zionist or pro-Jewish bias. But just because people have a bias does not mean they are right or wrong.
There is a well-documented and universally recognized historical connection from the ancient Kingdom of Judah to the Jewish people of today. The Jewish people also fit the Biblical prophecies about Judah like a glove. The modern Jewish people therefore ARE Judah.
The 'Jews are Edom' myth debunked
Both the 'Jews are Edom' and the 'Jews are Khazars' theories are based on the idea that Edomites and Khazars, respectively, became a part of the Jewish people to such an extent that the modern Jewish people have little, if any, genetical connection with Judah of the Bible. It is an undeniable fact that many non-Israelites have become a part of the Jewish people. But that is true for every larger ethnic group, including all European peoples.
From its very inception the nation of Israel was commanded to accept foreigners as equals, as long as they followed the God of Israel: “But the stranger that dwelleth among you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” (Lev 19:34)
In the Biblical narrative it is specifically mentioned that many leading Israelites married foreign women. Joseph married the Egyptian Asenath and Moses married a Midianite woman and an Ethiopian woman. There was nothing wrong about that, and the Bible specifically points out that King David – and thus the Lord Jesus Christ – were descended from at least two non-Israelite women, the Canaanitess Rahab of Jericho and Ruth the Moabitess.
Later in the 5th cen. BC many non-Israelite individuals also became a part of Judah (the Jews). For example, in the book of Esther it is mentioned that many individuals of the Medo-Persian Empire became Jews (Est 8:17).
Prior to Christ, many non-Jewish individuals of the Roman Empire appear to have converted to Judaism, no doubt because Judaism as a monotheistic religion was more rational than the polytheistic pagan religions. Historians estimate that at the time of Christ, Jews made up approx. 10% of the Roman population. This was a much higher percentage than Israelites made up of the population of the same area centuries before. There is nothing which indicates that the Jews were more fertile than other ethnic groups in the area which became the Roman Empire. But there is plenty of evidence that many non-Israelites converted to Judaism.
For example, in the Acts of the Apostles non-Israelite converts to Judaism are mentioned several times: “When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.” (Acts 13:43 NIV, see also Acts 14:1, 17:1-4, 12)
Edom becomes a part of the Jewish people
But one major conversion stands out. Approx. 126 BC the King of Judaea John Hyrcanus subdued the entire nation of Edom and forcibly converted the Edomites to Judaism. From that point in time the Edomites were an integrated part of the Jewish people.
In mainstream history it is an undisputed fact that the Edomites became a part of the Jewish people. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote in the 1st century AD:
“Hyrcanus also took Dora and Marissa, cities of Idumea [Greek for Edom], and subdued all the Idumeans, and permitted them to stay in that country, if they would circumcise their genitals, and make use of the laws of the Jews … at which time therefore this befell them, that they were hereafter no other than Jews.” (Flavius Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, XIII, IX, 1, The Complete Works of Josephus, p. 279)
The authoritative Jewish Encyclopedia confirms that Edom became a part of the Jewish people:
“They [the Edomites] were again subdued by John Hyrcanus (c. 125 B.C.), by whom they were forced to observe Jewish rites and laws (ib. xiii. 9, § 1; xiv. 4, § 4). They were then incorporated with the Jewish nation, and their country was called by the Greeks and Romans 'Idumea' (Mark iii. 8; Ptolemy, 'Geography,' v. 16). With Antipater began the Idumean dynasty that ruled over Judea till its conquest by the Romans. Immediately before the siege of Jerusalem 20,000 Idumeans, under the leadership of John, Simeon, Phinehas, and Jacob, appeared before Jerusalem to fight on behalf of the Zealots who were besieged in the Temple (Josephus, "B. J." iv. 4, § 5). From this time the Idumeans ceased to be a separate people, though the name 'Idumea' still existed in the time of Jerome.” (The Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. V, p. 41, article “Edom/Idumea”)
The Jewish Virtual Library also confirms this: “The Edomites were later forcibly converted into Judaism by John Hyrcanus, and then became an active part of the Jewish people.” (Jewish Virtual Library: “Ancient Jewish History: The Edomites”: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-edomites)
When the Edomites became a part of the Jewish people, the Edomites were much fewer in number than the people of Judah. The descendants of Edom therefore make up only a minority of the modern Jewish people. The Jewish people as a whole are Judah.
As we just read, the Law of Moses commands that Israel should look upon foreigners who live among them and follow the God of Israel as their equals. There is even a specific law in the Law of Moses about Edomites becoming a part of Israel:
“Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land. The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.” (Deu 23:7-8)
The descendants of Edomites who become a part of Israel are therefore to be looked upon as Israelites after the third generation. Since Edom was converted to Judaism approx. 126 BC, the descendants of the Edomites were therefore to be viewed as a part of Judah many decades before the birth of Christ. As we just read in the Jewish Encyclopedia the Edomites continued to be seen as Edomite Jews until the Fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, but after that their Edomite identity vanished.
All Jews should therefore be looked upon as Israelites, whether they are of Edomite ancestry of not. At the same time, it is important to know who the descendants of Edom are, because the many prophecies about Edom are, of course, going to be fulfilled in the descendants of Edom and not in anyone else.
The 'Jews are Khazars' myth debunked
Another major conversion of non-Jews to Judaism is that of the Khazars. The Khazars were a Turkic people that had a huge empire in southern Russia in the 8th century. Some sources indicate that the Khazars as an entire people became Jews. The Ashkenazi Jews, which used to live in Eastern Europe and make up 90% of today's Jews, are sometimes claimed to entirely descend from the Khazars.
The Khazar Empire reached its peak AD 650-965 when it ruled over the steppes of southern Russia and most of pre-2022 Ukraine. At that time, it was one of the largest empires in Europe and served as a buffer state between the East Roman Empire and the Islamic caliphates. The ethnic Khazars made up only the ruling elite of the empire. The subjects of the Khazars belonged to numerous ethnic groups, Iranians, other Turkic tribes, Slavs, Greeks, Goths, etc.
When the Khazar king and his people converted to Judaism, they did not force any of their subjected peoples to do the same. It was therefore only the ruling elite of ethnic Khazars that became Jews. The vast majority of the population of the Khazar Empire did not convert to Judaism.
After the fall of the Khazar Empire, the Jewish Khazars began to speak East Slavic (which later evolved into Russian, Ukrainian and Belarussian). At least some of the Jewish Khazars lived in the Kievan Rus Kingdom in the 11th to 13th centuries. It was also at this time that large numbers of Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews from Germany and Central Europe migrated to Eastern Europe where they soon outnumbered the Khazarian Jews. The Ashkenazi Jews and the Khazarian Jews intermarried and their offspring became known as Ashkenazim, while the Khazarian identity vanished.
If the bulk of Ashkenazi Jews were descended from the Khazars, they would have spoken Khazarian, which is a Turkic language. They would not have spoken Yiddish, which is a Germanic language based on Old German, which the Jews living in Medieval Germany developed. If a larger group of Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews intermarried with a smaller group of Khazarian or East Slavic- speaking Jews, the likely outcome would have been that their descendants ended up speaking the language of the larger group: Yiddish. On the other hand, if the Khazar Jews had made up the larger element and the German Jews the smaller, their descendants would likely have spoken the language of the Khazars (Khazarian or East Slavic). That did not happen.
DNA analyses of modern Jews have shown that a small minority have DNA similar to the Khazars, but most Jews are genetically closer to peoples of the Middle East and Europe.
The Khazars were a Turkic people who spoke a language related to the languages of the Kazakh, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz people and Uyghurs. These Turkic people physically look similar to Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. The Khazars must therefore also have had a north-east Asian physical appearance. Do modern Jews look like East Asians? Or do they look like Europeans and Middle Easterners? They look much more like Europeans and Middle Easterners.
Kevin Alan Brook on the Khazars
Kevin Alan Brook is an American historian of Sephardic Jewish ancestry who has written the book The Jews of Khazaria (1999) and runs the website Khazaria.com. He has a properly balanced understanding of the Khazars and summarizes his studies:
“Are all Jews around the world descended from the Khazars? Certainly not. East European Jewish ancestry originates substantially from ancient Judea, and the same is true of most other modern Jewish populations (with the exception of groups like Ethiopian Jews). But, it is rational to conclude that some Jews also have some Khazar ancestors.” (Kevin Alan Brook: “Are Russian Jews descended from the Khazars?” http://www.khazaria.com/khazar-diaspora.html)
Conclusion: Are the Jews Khazars?
It was only the upper stratum of the Khazar Empire that converted to Judaism and became a part of the Ashkenazi Jews. As a group the Ashkenazi Jews are descended from ancient Judah. Only a minority are of Khazar ancestry.
Why is the Jewish state called Israel and not Judea?
When the Jewish state was founded in May 1948 it was called the State of Israel. This has caused many people erroneously to jump to the conclusion that the present State of Israel is a continuation of the 12-tribed Kingdom of Israel of the Old Testament.
The early Zionists, however, identified themselves with ancient Judea, not ancient Israel. For example, the first armed group of Zionist Jews in Jaffa was a group of ten men called the Bar-Giora, which was “Named after the last Jewish defender of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., it was a secret underground watchmen’s organization whose members took the oath, ‘In blood and fire Judea fell and in blood and fire Judea shall arise’!” (Stephen E. Jones: The Struggle for the Birthright, p. 122)
After the Balfour Declaration in 1917, where the British government promised to facilitate the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, the Zionist leadership did not know what to call their future state. Most expected that it would be called Judea. But because all of the suggested names for the new Jewish state were unpopular, the name Israel, which was also unpopular among Zionists, was finally chosen.
The Jewish-American historian Martin Kramer wrote the article “Why Israel Is Called Israel and Not Judea: The name Israel came by a process of elimination, because there wasn’t time to come up with anything better” in the Jewish online Mosaic Magazine in 2021. Kramer explained that most people expected that the Jewish state would be called Judea, named after the Jewish people. But because Judea is also a geographical area that belonged to the ancient tribe of Judah, and that almost all of this area was expected to become a part of an Arab state, Judea was rejected.
Another suggestion was Zion, named after the hill 'Mount Zion' in the southern part of the old city of Jerusalem. But this name was rejected for the same reason, that Mount Zion was expected to become a part of an Arab state.
Another suggestion was Ever, meaning 'Hebrew' in the Hebrew language. No one liked it.
Yet another suggestion was Eretz-Israel (Land of Israel). This was rejected because during the British mandate that name had been the Hebrew name for all of Palestine. That name could therefore have suggested that the new Jewish state laid claim to all of Palestine.
After all these names had been rejected, David ben Gurion, who became the first president of the Jewish state, finally suggested the name Israel. “It seemed strange at first, and the proposal was received coolly,” cabinet secretary Zeev Sharef wrote in his 1962 book Three Days. “Most were unenthusiastic, but there were only 48 hours left and much urgent work to be done, and the matter was put to a vote. Seven of the ten members present voted for Israel.”
We therefore see that the name the 'State of Israel' was not chosen because the Zionist leadership saw their new state as a continuation of the 12 tribe Kingdom of Israel of the Old Testament, but simply because of lack of a better name. (Martin Kramer: “Why Israel Is Called Israel and Not Judea: The name Israel came by a process of elimination, because there wasn’t time to come up with anything better”: https://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/israel-zionism/2021/06/why-israel-is-called-israel-and-not-judea/)
Bibliography
Flavius Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, XIII, IX, 1, The Complete Works of Josephus, p. 279
The Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. V, p. 41, article “Edom/Idumea”
Jewish Virtual Library: “Ancient Jewish History: The Edomites”: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-edomites
Stephen E. Jones: The Struggle for the Birthright, p. 122
Martin Kramer: “Why Israel Is Called Israel and Not Judea: The name Israel came by a process of elimination, because there wasn’t time to come up with anything better”: https://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/israel-zionism/2021/06/why-israel-is-called-israel-and-not-judea/