lost tribes

noun

1. (in the Bible) the members of the ten tribes of ancient Israel who were taken into captivity in 722 b.c. by Sargon II of Assyria and are believed never to have returned to ancient Palestine.

lost tribes

plural noun

1. the lost tribes
   Old Testament the ten tribes deported from the N kingdom of Israel in 721 bc and believed never to have returned to Palestine

Example Sentences

Even National Geographic, the film’s distributor, isn’t absolved of its historical role promoting an exoticized portrait of “lost tribes” that westerners want to believe are ready for their closeup.

From Los Angeles Times

They trace their Jewish roots to a variety of sources: the 10 lost tribes that were dispersed by the Assyrian conquest of the Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C.E.; the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions, which, starting in the late 15th century, scattered thousands of Jews in far-off lands, where many practiced their religion in secret; century-old conversions by communal leaders more attracted to the Old Testament than the teachings of Christian missionaries.

From New York Times

In unaired footage from West’s two-part interview with Carlson, he told the Fox News host that Planned Parenthood was founded “to control the Jew population. … When I say Jew, I mean the 12 lost tribes of Judah, the blood of Christ, who the people known as the race Black really are. This is who our people are. The blood of Christ.”

From Los Angeles Times

Vice published leaked footage in which West claimed that Planned Parenthood was founded “to control the Jew population. … When I say Jew, I mean the 12 lost tribes of Judah, the blood of Christ, who the people known as the race Black really are. This is who our people are. The blood of Christ. This, as a Christian, is my belief.”

From Los Angeles Times

"When I say Jew, I mean the 12 lost tribes of Judah... who the people know as the race Black really are," he told host Tucker Carlson, referring to a claim, unsupported by historical evidence, that Black people are the "real" Jewish race, and that Jews are attempting to "steal" their birthright.

From BBC