The Lost Israelite tribe of Ephraim: Britain
By Mikkel S. Kragh
WHEN the nation of Israel was created, it consisted of 12 tribes which were descended from Jacob's 12 sons. The 12 tribes of Israel left Egypt during the Exodus and took over the land of Canaan. Under the kings Saul, David and Solomon they united into the United Kingdom of Israel. But because King Solomon in the latter part of his reign worshipped the pagan gods of his numerous wives, the God of Israel let the northern 10 tribes of Israel secede from the Royal House of David and Solomon in Jerusalem.
The 10 northern tribes of Israel formed the Kingdom of Israel, while the Royal House of David in Jerusalem continued with a rump state called the Kingdom of Judah, which consisted of the 2 tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
The 10 northern Israelite tribes in the Kingdom of Israel continued to worship pagan gods, and therefore the God of Israel let them be invaded, conquered and deported by the Assyrian Empire. This took place around 721 BC, and the 10 tribes of Israel were deported to areas in the northern part of the Assyrian Empire. The Jews in the land of Israel did not know what happened to the 10 Israelite tribes, and therefore they became known as the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel. Many Jews today believe that the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel are somewhere in the world distinct from the Jewish people, and that they will one day be united with Jews (Judah).
For example, the American Rabbi Shmuley Boteach – whom Newsweek magazine called “America's most famous rabbi” - wrote:
“An Israelite is someone who is a descendant of Jacob... After the dispersion of the ten tribes, the Israelites were referred to as Jews because the remainder of the Jewish nation, those who today form the bulk of the Jewish people - all stem from the tribe of Judah.” (Shmuley Boteach: Judaism for Everyone, p. 387, my underlining)
But through secular history, Bible prophecy and other sources many people have traced the descendants of the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel to Europe, where they today make up the bulk of the nations of north-western Europe and their descendants across the world. Some of those people who have believed in this are the British King George VI who ruled during WWII and many, or most, of the founders of the Pentecostal movement in America, Britain and Denmark.
Not only can the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel be traced to Europe, but certain of the specific tribes of Israel can also be traced to particular areas and nations in Europe. For example, the tribe of ended up in Denmark and Ireland, the tribe of Zebulon in the Netherlands, the tribe of Benjamin in Iceland, and the tribe of Ephraim in Britain.
In this study we will show some of the many connections between the ancient Israelite tribe of Ephraim and the modern nation of Britain, as well as Britain's daughter nations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, as well the the British South Africans.
Joseph got the birthright
Of Jacob's 12 sons, Joseph got the birthright, even though Joseph was the 11th son, that is the second youngest. The birthright blessing means that you receive a double portion of what the other brothers get. Under ordinary circumstances, Jacob's first-born son Reuben would have gotten the birthright. But Reuben lay with Bilhah, one of Jacob's concubines, and therefore Jacob stripped Reuben of the birthright and gave it to his favorite son, Joseph:
“Now the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel, (for he was the first-born; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler, but the birthright was Joseph's:)” (1 Chronicles 5:1-2)
That the birthright was given to Joseph is fulfilled in Britain and the British Empire, which was the greatest empire in the world from maybe sometime in the middle of the 19th cen. To WWII. It is also fulfilled in the United States of America, which has been the world's greatest empire from WWII until today.
Ephraim the leader of the 10 northern tribes
Joseph had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Again, under ordinary circumstances the birthright would have gone to Manasseh. But when Jacob was on his death bed, he blessed Joseph's two sons and gave the greater blessing to little brother Ephraim instead of Manasseh:
“And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. … And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. 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. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.” (Genesis 48: 13-14, 17-21)
This was fulfilled when Israel departed out of Egypt in the Exodus. In Israel's wanderings in the wilderness, Israel was divided into 4 camps, the Camp of Judah, the Camp of Reuben, the Camp of Ephraim and the Camp of Dan. The leading tribe in the Camp of Ephraim was, of course, the tribe of Ephraim. (Numbers chap. 2)
After Moses passed away, Joshua became the leader of Israel. Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim.
After the United Kingdom of Israel was divided into two kingdoms app. 931 BC, the capital of the 10-tribed northern Kingdom of Israel was in the territory of the tribe of Ephraim. The man who led the revolt against the Royal House of David and Solomon was Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim, and the Ephraimite Jeroboam also became the northern Kingdom of Israel's first king.
Ephraim “a multitude of nations”
When Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh, he foretold of Ephraim that “his seed shall become a multitude of nations.” (Genesis 48:19)
This prophecy was to some extent fulfilled in the northern Kingdom of Israel of the 10 tribes, because the Bible sometimes refers to it as Ephraim and the House of Ephraim. But this prophecy is fulfilled in its entirety in Britain, which is numerous ways is and has been “a multitude of nations”.
In 1603 the Kingdom of England – which consisted of England and Wales – entered a personal union with the Kingdom of Scotland under King James of Scotland, who also gave his name to the King James Bible. At the same time King James was King of Ireland. Thus since 1603 the King of Britain was the king of four nations, England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
In 1707 the kingdoms of England (incl. Wales) and Scotland united into the Kingdom of Great Britain. The King of Great Britain was at the same time King of Ireland and Prince-Elector of Hannover. In 1714 the Prince-Elector George of Hannover became the King of Great Britain. Along with him came the famous composer George Frederick Handel (German: Georg Friedrich Händel), whose operetto The Messiah is probably the most famous Christian work of classical music. Thus since 1707/1714 the King of Britain was king of five nations, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Hannover.
In 1801 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged into the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was in this merger that the present Union Jack flag was created. The 'Union Jack' means the 'Union of Jacob', because Jack is shortform for Jacob. From 1801 the King of Britain was king of of the four British nations, but also over the emerging British colonies in Canada, India, various places in Africa, Australia and Central America, whereas the 13 British colonies in North America had seceded to form the United States, which primarily is of the tribe of Manasseh.
Through the 19th century the British Colonial Empire expanded to embrace one quarter of the world's population. In 1926 the British colonies with predominantly British populations were granted the status of Dominions, which meant they were equals with Great Britain in the British Empire. These were the Dominions of Canada, New Foundland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.
After World War II, the British Empire was gradually dismantled and replaced by the Commonwealth of Nations. The head of the Commonwealth of Nations is the King of the United Kingdom, currently King Charles III, even though many of the member states are republics.
Today the United Kingdom is in itself a small 'multitude of nations' in that the UK consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This history of Britain as a multitude of nations rather than just one nation or one ethnic group is the fulfilment of Jacob's prophetic blessing to Ephraim that he would become “a multitude of nations”.
To those who believe the Jews are all the 12 tribes of Israel, it makes no sense whatsoever that Ephraim was to become “a multitude of nations”.
2520 years of punishment fulfilled in America and Britain
In Leviticus 26:12-28 God told Israel that if persisted in worshipping other gods, He would punish them “seven times”. After those “seven times” had expired, Israel was losed from the punishment from God. In Biblical terminology “a time” means 360 days or 360 years. 7 x 360 years = 2520 years. If we calculate the date of the conquest and deportation of the individual tribes, we should therefore arrive at the year when they were losed from God's punishment.
The tribe of Manasseh in Bashan was conquered by Assyria in 745 BC. 2520 years later we end up in AD 1776, the year the United States of America was founded by the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th.
The tribe of Ephraim was conquered and deported by Assyria in 721 BC. 2520 later we end up in AD 1801, which was the year the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed.
By calculating the 2520 years of punishment on Israel we can thereby confirm that Britain is Ephraim and the USA is Manasseh (in Bashan).
The Union Jack & Jacob's blessing
The fact that Jacob crossed his arms when he blessed Manasseh and Ephraim is fulfilled in the flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Jack, where we find a combination of two flags on top of each other. A flag of St George – from the flag of England – and a diagonal St Andrew's Cross – from the flag of Scotland. The diagonal St Andrew's cross is peculiar among the flags of the world. And that is because it a fulfilment of the prophecy which Jacob gave to Ephraim and Manasseh 3,200 years ago, where Jacob crossed his arms in a diagonal cross. Just like the flag of Scotland and the Union Jack.
Jacob's blessing to Ephraim was greater than his blessing to Manasseh. But we also find the diagonal cross, with which Jacob blessed Epraim and Manasseh, in the United States. The flag of the United States of America, the Star Spangled Banner, does not contain a diagonal cross. But the flag of the Confederate States of America which tried to secede in the 1860's does contain the diagonal cross, with which Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob gave the greater blessing to Ephraim, and therefore the diagonal cross is still found in the flag of Ephraim – the Union Jack. And Jacob gave the lesser blessing to Manasseh, and therefore the diagonal cross is only found in a part of America which has ceased to exist.
The Union Jack & Joseph's coat of many colors
Joseph was Jacob's favorite son, and therefore Jacob made Joseph a coat of many colors. Joseph's coat of many colors is reflected in the national flags of Joseph even to this day.
The nations which serious Bible students identify with the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel have a variety of flag. Generally speaking, they can be divided into three groups:
the cross flags of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland and Switzerland
the tricolor flags of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Republic of Ireland
and the flags of many colors of the English-speaking nations of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.A.
People who study the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel almost all identify Ephraim with the British nations of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and Manasseh with the United States of America. All these nations have flags which are more colorful than the other western nations which the same people identify with the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel.
That is because the English-speaking nations are descended from the Israelite tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph, who was given a coat of many colors by his father Jacob. Joseph did lose his coat of many colors, but his descendants still have it to this day!
Ephraim and bulls
The tribe of Ephraim had a special connection with bulls. And so does Britain. When Moses blessed the 12 tribes, he said of Joseph – which included the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh:
“His glory is like the firstling of his bullock” (Deuteronomy 33:17)
When the Ephraimite Jeroboam led the revolt of the 10 tribes against the Royal House of David in Jerusalem, Jeroboam set up two golden calves, which would become the new gods to be worshipped in the northern Kingdom of Israel.
Likewise Britain is personified by John Bull, like America is personified by Uncle Sam (i.e. Uncle Samuel, the name of the last judge of Israel).
Joseph would “push the people to the end of the earth”
Continuing with Moses's blessing to Joseph:
“and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” (Deuteronomy 33:17)
In the historical accounts of the Old Testament we read nothing about the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh pushing “the people together to the ends of the earth”. Either the blessing of Moses to Ephraim and Manasseh did not come true, or it did come true, but only under the New Christian Covenant, not while Ephraim and Manasseh were under the Mosaic Covenant.
Because this blessing is very much fulfilled in especially the Britain and America. The Industrial Revolution started in Britain in the mid-18th century and gave Britain a technological and economic edge over the rest of Europe and the world. After World War II Britain passed on the baton of being the most important nation in the world to America. Since then America has been the the most important nation in the world, even though that position now (2024) is being severaly challenged.
The British Empire sent its fleets to just about every inhabited and uninhabited part of the world, and co-erced and battled the local peoples, and set up colonies and pushed the natives out of the land they had formerly inhabited. Just think of the British colonization of India, Africa and the Middle East, the Opium Wars against China, the conquest of Australia and New Zealand, the Falkland Islands War, etc, etc. Whether you think this was good or bad, it IS a fulfilment of Moses's prophecy to Joseph, and in particular “the ten thousands of Ephraim”.
Moses's prophecy is also fulfilled in America since the end of WWII, where the U.S. basically turned from being a great nation to become an Empire. Today American military bases are all across the globe, much like Britain's colonies were spread all across the globe. Just like the former British Empire, the American Empire has “pushed the people together to the ends of the earth” through numerous wars, proxy wars and covert operations, such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the two invasions of Iraq, the war against Serbia and Montenegro in 2008, the bombardment of Libya in 2011, the bombardments of Syria in 2013 and the continuing effort to depose Syrian president Assad, the present proxy war against Russia in the Ukraine, the present conflict in the Middle East where the U.S. and Britain and allies are bombarding Yemen, Syria and Iraq, etc, etc, etc. You may agree or disagree with these American interventions around the world, but nonetheless they are the fulfilment of the words which the man Jacob pronounced over the two sons of Joseph app. 3,200 years ago.
Ephraim & Joseph are like bulls and aurochs
Moses's prophecy said that Joseph's horns are “like the horns of unicorns”. This is fulfilled in the heraldry of the Royal House of Britain, where we find a lion and a unicorn. Unicorns, of course, never existed. The Hebrew word rem which is translated into “unicorn” in the King James Version, actually means “wild bull” (according to Strong's Concordance), which must refer to the aurochs. The aurochs is the wild ancestor of modern domesticated cattle.
The aurochs was very different from modern cattle. Contrary to domesticated modern cattle, the aurochs was a ferocious beast which retreated from no-one. The body of the bulls had an average height of almst 2 meters, the height of a tall modern male. When Julius Cæsar met them in Gaul, he described them as being almost the size of elephants and just as ferocious. (Messiah ben Joseph)
The description of the great and ferocious nature of the aurochs fits much better with the nature of the former British Empire and the modern “American Empire”. They were both great, and pushed other “people to the ends of earth”, and bowed down to no man. This is important to understand. Joseph was not prophesied to be like some kind of “my little pony” unicorn, but like an aurochs who would have tremendous power.
The prophet Jeremiah likens Ephraim to a bullock (Jer 31:18), and the Hebrew word Jeremiah uses is 'êgel (according to Strong's Concordance). This Hebrew word is similar to Angle, the name of one of the Germanic-speaking tribes from northern Germany which invaded Great Britain in the 6th century and from whom the name England is derived. The name of the homeland of the Angles is Anglia (English), Angeln (German), Angel (Danish) or Engel (Old English).
The Camp of Ephraim to the West
When Israel was wandering in the desert of Sinai, the 12 tribes were divided into 4 camps with 3 tribes each. The camp on the west was the Camp of Ephraim, which consisted of the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin.
We would there expect these 3 tribes to also settle west of the other tribes in their exile.
This is fulfilled in Britain (Ephraim), the United States (Manasseh) and Iceland (Benjamin) which are to the west of the other Israelite nations on the European continent.
Ephraim small in territory
When Israel settled in the Holy Land, the northern 10 Tribes were also referred to as the House of Ephraim, because Ephraim was their leading tribe. Despite that the territory of the tribe of Ephraim was not particularly large. Manasseh got two territories, one west of the Jordan and one east of the Jordan in Bashan, which were much larger than Ephraim's territory, even though Ephraim was the leading tribe.
This is similar to Britain, especially England, which is rather small in size but densely populated. The United States, on the other hand is much larger.
Ephraim and the silent letter H
In the Book of Judges chap. 11-12 we read about the judge Jephthah from the land of Gilead, which would be the territory of Manasseh in Bashan. Jephthah defeated the Ammonites who were about to invade Israel. But the Ephraimites complained to Jephthah that he had not asked them to send men to the battle, and said that they would kill Jephthah and his house. In this story we find several parallels to Britain-Ephraim and America-Manasseh.
First, the Ephraimites said to Jephthah and to the Gileadites that they were fugitives from Ephraim:
“Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.” (Judges 12:4)
This is similar to the American Revolution, where the British in the 13 American colonies rebelled, and the English viewed them as “fugitives” and illegal separatists from England. And like Jephthah and the Gileadites defeated Ephraim, so did the 13 American colonies defeat England.
After the defeat the Ephraimites tried to get back to the territory of Ephraim but were stopped at the Jordan by the Gileadites. In order to ascertain who were Ephraimites and who were not, the Gileadites told the men to pronounce the word “shibboleth”. But the Ephraimites could not pronounce the H in the word and pronounced it “sibboleth”:
”And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephramite? If he said, Nay; Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right.” (Judges 12:5-6)
This silent H is also found in English spoken in England. An example is from the musical My Fair Lady, where the English Eliza says: “In 'artford, 'ereford, and 'ampshire, 'urricanes 'ardly ever 'appen.” The dropping of the H in English-English may originate from the Norman Conquest, because in French the letter H is very often silent. (https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/23396/is-the-history-of-h-dropping-in-english-in-any-way-related-to-the-silent-h-of-fr)
King Jeroboam and Cecil Rhodes
A man who was the cause of one of the greatest sins recorded in the Bible is King Jeroboam. After King Solomon died, the leaders of Israel went to Solomon's son King Rehoboam and asked him to reduce the tax burden. Rehoboam refused, and therefore the 10 Tribes led by Jeroboam seceded from the House of David. Jeroboam reasoned that if the 10 Tribes continued to worship the God of Israel, they would go to the Temple in Jerusalem, and would eventually return to the House of David. Therefore Jeroboam decided to let go of the God of Israel and set up two golden calves, one in Bethel in Ephraim and one in Dan and made them the new gods of the 10 Tribes (1 Kings 12:12-26). Jeroboam was of the tribe of Ephraim.
Many of the events recorded in the Bible are not just historical events, but also types or hidden prophecies, even though the Bible does not specifically say that they are. We shall therefore look for a personage from Ephraim-Britain who started the political aspect of the Western nations' rebellion against Christ. (The causes of the Great Falling Away from the Christian Faith are manifold, including the Occult societies and Mystery Religions – such as the Freemasons, the Rosicrucians and the Illuminati - which trace their origins back to ancient Egypt and Babylon. But here we are focusing on the political aspect of the Great Falling Away.)
A major cause for the Great Falling Away from the Christian Faith and for turning the Western nations into multi-ethnic and multi-religious states is the so-called globalists. Globalism is anything but an organic grassroot movement, but has from its inception been led and supported, politically and financially, by a part of the Western elite. The Western globalist elite are organized into a number of organizations, most of which keep a low profile but are not real secret societies. All scholars who have studied the history of the Western globalist elites – both those who are against it and those who are sympathetic to it - trace their origin back to one man: the English Imperialist Cecil Rhodes.
One scholar who wrote about the Western globalist elite was the Irish-American Carroll Quickley. Quickley studied history at Harvard University, taught at Princeton University, Harvard University and Georgetown University, and worked as advisor to the U.S. Defense Department, the U.S. Navy and the Smithsonian Institution. One of Quickley's students was Bill Clinton. When Clinton was nominated as the Democratic candidate for the 1992 election, Clinton mentioned two men as his great inspirations: John F. Kennedy and Carroll Quickley. In other words, Quickley was a highly respected mainstream historian.
People within the Western globalist elite – whom Quickley called the Network - granted Quickley access to their archives so he could write sympathetic books, which he did: Tragedy and Hope (1966) and The Anglo-American Establishment (1981). Even though Quickley was sympathetic to the Network, he wrote about a number of things he was not supposed to write about. For this reason the Network made the publisher stop printing the book, even though it was a best-seller.
In his books Quickley writes about the existence of this semi-secret network which was formed to bring “all habitable portions of the world” under its control. (Carroll Quickley: Tragedy and Hope, p. 131) Quickley wrote:
“I know of the operations of this network because I have studied it for twenty years and was permitted for two years, in the early 1960's, to examine its papers and secret records. I have no aversion to it or to most of its aims and have, for much of my life, been close to it and to many of its instruments. I have objected, both in the past and recently, to a few of its policies... but in general my chief difference of opinion is that it wishes to remain unknown, and I believe its role in history is significant enough to be known.” (ibid, p. 950)
To get back to King Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim, who was the political culprit for making the 10 Tribes stop following the God of Israel: Quickley traced the origins of the Network back to the English Imperialist Cecil Rhodes. Rhodes became filthy rich through borrowing money from the Rotschild family to buy South African gold mines, including the DeBeers mining company. Rhodes used his money and influence to start a secret society with the aim of bringing the world under British domination. Rhodes's political “heir” - Rhodes was a homosexual and had no children - was Lord Alfred Milner, who started the Royal Institute of International Affairs in Britain and the Council of Foreign Relations in America. Since then, these two organizations have had a tremendous influence on British and American foreign policy, always with the aim of eroding borders and make the Anglo-American globalist elite more powerful.
The same circle of influential Westerners have since then started the Bilderberg Club (1954), the Trilateral Commission (1973) and the World Economic Forum (1971). Their aim is, besides enriching and empowering themselves, to erode borders in order to bring about a One World Government. Controlled by themselves, of course.
They are the origin of what you today call globalism. And it all started with the English-man Cecil Rhodes.
Joseph's brothers throw him in a well and the Napoleonic Wars, WWI and WWII
After Joseph had brought an evil report about the 4 sons of the handmaidens, and had told of his two dreams to his parents and brothers, his brothers conspired to kill Joseph by throwing him into a well to die, but decided instead to sell him as a slave. According to Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg (1785-1865), who lived in Posen, Germany, it was the 6 sons of Leah, and not the 4 sons of the handmaidens, who decided to first kill and then sell Joseph. (According to Yair Davidiy: The Needed Humility of Joseph (2024), who refers to Rabbi Mecklenburg: Yakketav Yehakabbalah (1839): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo7_DK0lUC8)
This has a parallel to the Napoleonic Wars, World War I and World War II. Generally speaking, the modern nations of Joseph are the English-speaking nations, the nations of the sons of Leah are the nations on the north-western part of the European continent, and the nations of the sons of the handmaidens are the Nordic nations. There are many parallels between the Napoleonic Wars and the two World Wars. One of them is that, generally speaking, it was the nations of continental Europe (France and Germany) which tried to invade and defeat England. Those three giant wars also ended with England and the English-speaking nations dominating continental Europe. Also during those three wars, Scandinavia was most of the time not involved in those wars.
France and Germany are not non-Israelite nations because they attacked England during these wars. They attacked England because they ARE Israelite nations of the sons of Leah!
Ephraim: a cosmopolitan company of nation
Ephraim and Manasseh were born in Egypt as the sons of the prime minister of Egypt, Joseph, and an Egyptian mother Asenath. In the eyes of the Egyptians and the rest of the world, Ephraim and Manasseh were Egyptians, even though they were actually Israelites. Likewise when the 10 sons of Jacob came to Egypt to buy corn and met Joseph, they thought Joseph was an Egyptian (Gen 42).
The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh were therefore going to be more cosmopolitan than the other Israelite tribes, which are to become more tribal. Ephraim and Manasseh are going to resemble the non-Israelite nations of the world more than the other Israelite tribes.
This cosmopolitan characteristic is fulfilled in the English-speaking nations of the world. When immigrants move into the English-speaking nations, whether it's the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, they are not expected to give up their identity, but are welcomed to be a part of a multi-ethnic nation founded by white Brits. Whether you think this is or is not a good idea, it is a reflections of how Joseph of old viewed the world when he was the prime minister of Egypt.
In continental Europe and Scandinavia, where the bulk of the non-Josephite tribes of Israelite tribes reside, immigrants are, on the other hand, expected to integrate or assimilate into the nation they settle in. Danes, for example, expect immigrants to assume the identity, the language and the cultural and political values of Denmark. Many Muslim immigrants in Denmark refuse to do that, and that is why there is a great deal of opposition to Islamic immigration in Denmark.
In the United Kingdom and in the United States, Muslim immigrants are, on the other hand, welcome to live in “Muslim ghettos” and retain their Muslim and ethnic identity. This is different than in Denmark, where the government goes to great lengths to integrate and assimilate immigrants and to make sure that there arises no ethnic or Muslim ghettos. This is just one more example of how the descendants of Joseph are more cosmopolitan and multi-ethnic in their consciousness, whereas the descendants of the other Israelite tribes are more tribal in their consciousness.
Joseph-Ephraim: a tribe separated from his brothers
In Genesis Joseph was separated from his brothers, because they sold him as a slave and he ended up in Egypt. In Moses's blessing on the tribes, he also specifically blesses Joseph as him who was separated from his brethren: “let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.” (Deu 33:16)
This is fulfilled in Britain which is likewise separated from the other tribes of Israel on the European continent and the Jews in the State of Israel. Britain is separated from the other Western nations in Europe geographically by the the fact that the British live on the British Isles. Canada, Australia and New Zealand are even more separated geographically, in that they are on different continents.
Although the British Isles are a part of Europe in a strict geographical sense, the British often do not consider themselves Europeans. The French General and later President Charles de Gaulle said on the eve of D-Day in 1944 that if the British were ever to choose between Europe and the open seas, they would choose the latter. A British business website which specializes in understanding different cultures in order to optimize the success of international businessmen, writes:
“The British have always survived on myths. The most pernicious of them find expression internationally in a sense of feeling different from their European neighbors (partly justified!) and domestically in awareness of class distinctions. Other key features include a love of tradition, a distaste for regulation, and the cult of the amateur…
Jane Kramer, perhaps the most perceptive transatlantic observer of the Old World, says this in her book, Europeans: 'The English produced the most class-ridden society in Europe, and in some ways, the most aggressively self-deluded – and for centuries managed to hold it together by pretending that responsible social cooperation was a natural expression of Englishness, rather than the protective accommodation of citizens to one another in a free country.'” (https://culturematters.com/is-england-britain-part-of-europe/)
The British business website writes that this mentality originates from the Norman Conquest in 1066, where the Normans became the land-owning class and the Anglo-Saxons became the plebs. But this mentality is in fact much older. It goes all the way back to Joseph of old, who was separated from his brethren.
In Canada, Australia and New Zealand the geographical separation is even more pronounced, because they are situated in other continents. The class distinction mentality, however, is not as pronounced as in Britain.
Conclusion
Britain's tribal identity as Ephraim is generally agreed upon by students of the Lost Tribes. Other tribes' whose tribal identity is generally agreed upon are Denmark (Dan), the Netherlands (Zebulon), the U.S. (Manasseh), Iceland (Benjamin) and France (Reuben). The other tribes are more disputed.
March 2024