How then, do you reconcile [II Kings 16:1-6]? 1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 2 Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father. 3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. 5 Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. 6 At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.
As you can see by this scripture the Jews are at war against Syria......and Israel. Does this mean, in your opinion, that the Jewish Judaites are at war with the Jewish Israelites.....or just how do you reconcile this?
[II Chronicles 11:1] And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
The Southern Kingdom of Judah consisted of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and most of Levi. You can read about their return from Babylon in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. You will not find one mention in those books of any other tribe of Israel as they had been exiled to Assyria about 125 years earlier. It was the writers of the books after the Babylonian Captivity who coined the term Jew....as someone belonging to the Tribe of Judah. You will not find in scripture any tribe of the Northern Kingdom being referred to as a Jew. They were Israelites! Jews were also Israelites, but not all Israelites were Jews.
You’re probably right
Read the book of Esther. All of Israel in the many dispersions under Assyria, Syria or Chaldea are referred to as Jews since Persia controlled the entire middle east including Greece and Egypt. Ahaseurus’ edict took days to get to the farthest part of the kingdom so they extended the time for retribution. It was not just Judah, Benjamin and Levi that they were looking for but all of Israel in exile and they were called Jews.
Apollos born in Alexandria was called a Jew. Aquilla born in Pontus was a Jew. Sceva born in Ephesus was a Jew as were the vagabonds. John calls the Passover and the feast of tabernacles “Jewish” feast and the religion of the temple and synagogues, “Jewish”. It is utter nonsense to make any difference between the tribes in the new covenant since their is no distinction between Jew and gentile until the end times when god makes a differentiation by calling out 12,000 from each tribe of Israel.
“It was the writers of the books after the Babylonian Captivity who coined the term Jew....as someone belonging to the Tribe of Judah.”
Along with Esther perhaps one should read Jeremiah 40:11-12, “Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan; Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits very much.”
This was written before the return from exile and the dispersions were under the Assyrians since Chaldea took the exiles to Babylon.