< 1 Nephi 22 >

v. 4 ... Yea, the more part of all the tribes have been led away; and they are scattered to and fro upon the isles of the sea; 

Historical Background

• United Kingdom: Under Saul, David, Solomon, all 12 tribes were one kingdom.
• Divided Kingdom (≈ 930 BC): After Solomon, the kingdom split:Northern Kingdom (Israel, 10 tribes) with Samaria as its capital.Southern Kingdom (Judah + Benjamin, plus Levites) centered in Jerusalem.
• Assyrian Conquest (≈ 722 BC): The Northern Kingdom (10 tribes) was conquered, and most were carried away into captivity / scattered (2 Kings 17). These are often called the “lost ten tribes.”
• Judah Remained: The Southern Kingdom continued until the Babylonian exile (≈ 586 BC).

Nephi’s Timing

• Lehi’s family left Jerusalem around 600 BC,  just before Babylon destroyed it.
• By then:The Northern Kingdom was long gone — scattered by Assyria ~120 years earlier.Judah was weakened, and Babylonian captivity was looming.
•  Israel was already fractured when Nephi wrote, and more scattering was about to happen.

1 Nephi 22:3–5
Nephi explains Isaiah by saying:

• The house of Israel “hath been broken off and scattered upon all the face of the earth.”
• This scattering is because they hardened their hearts against the Holy One of Israel.
• But the Lord would “raise up a mighty nation” among the Gentiles (prophecy of America) and use them in the last days to help gather scattered Israel.