In ancient times people were removed from their lands as a consequence of war because it was believed their gods lived on the land. To remove the people meant they were taken from their gods and their culture. It was the surest way to destabilize a nation.

Israel was different. They believed God traveled with the people, so removing them from their land wasn’t a guarantee of that their nation would fall apart. However, time, intermarriage and resettlement of the land of Israel by Assyria, created the circumstances where the ten northern tribes were ‘lost’.