Are the Lemba a Lost Tribe of Israel?

Like other Jewish people groups that Jewish Voice Ministries International connects with, the Lemba have a deep conviction that they originated somewhere far from where they now live.

Who Are the Lemba?

The Lemba assert that they originally came from Israel and are descendants of the priestly line, the Tribe of Levi. In recent decades, DNA testing has affirmed their claims. According to a New York Times article, test results showed that over 50 percent of the men from a particular clan of Lemba carry the genetic makeup of Israel's priests, or kohanim.

Jewish Voice recorded a brief interview with two Lemba men who shared the oral history of their people. They explained that when their ancestors returned to Israel from the Babylonian Captivity, Ezra, the Jewish priest sent from captivity in Babylon to lead a portion of the exiles in returning to Israel, was troubled that some had inter-married with other people groups. He told them they must separate from their foreign wives. Some of the Israelites did so while others objected, the Lemba included.

Not wanting to forsake their families, the Lemba left Israel and traveled first to Yemen. When persecution assailed them, these peaceful people moved on to Africa, making their way through the centuries into Tanzania, Mozambique and eventually Zimbabwe, Zambia and other southern African countries.

Today, the Lemba people keep Jewish traditions outlined in the Bible, including no longer marrying outside the Lemba. They follow the practice of circumcision and adhere to the Bible's dietary laws, having their own kosher butchers.

Many people among the Lemba believe in Yeshua (Jesus) but found themselves uncomfortably caught between two religious worlds. Judaism wants them to abandon Jesus, while Christianity tends to urge or expect them to forsake their Jewish identity, neither of which they are willing to do. When Jewish Voice met them and assured them that they didn't have to do either, they were thrilled to find in Messianic Judaism a worship expression that fit who they were.

The question remains: If they have clear ties to the Tribe of Levi, are the Lemba a Lost Tribe of Israel?

Who Are the Lost Tribes of Israel?

Technically, the Lost Tribes of Israel are descendants of the 10 Northern Tribes of Israel. After King Solomon reigned over a united Israel, the nation split into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Ten tribes comprised Israel - Reuben, Simeon, Manasseh, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim, Dan, Asher, Naphtali and Gad. The remaining two tribes - Judah and Benjamin - formed the nation of Judah.

When the Assyrians conquered Israel, the 10 tribes scattered throughout the world. Some were taken captive to various parts of the Assyrian Empire while others fled. Subsequently, the recorded history of these tribes, as Israel, ceased. Thus, they appeared lost, hopelessly intermingled with the people and assimilated into the cultures of their new residences.

However, they were not lost to themselves or God. They continued to practice the faith of their fathers, generation after generation, until this very day. In many places, they had to do so secretly to avoid persecution, but they never lost their identity. Through the centuries, they knew they were members of God's Chosen People.

If you notice, the Tribe of Levi is not listed among the Kingdoms of Israel or Judah. Where does that leave the Lemba, who have clear ties to the Levites?

Are the Lemba a Lost Tribe of Israel?

God designated the Tribe of Levi, from which many of today's Lemba people are descended, to serve Him as priests. He assigned them the job of dismantling the Tabernacle in the wilderness whenever His pillar of cloud or fire signaled the camp to move. They transported all its components and assembled them in the new location. Later, when the Temple was built, they carried out its various duties and also served the people throughout the Land in synagogues.

As other tribes received from the Lord an “inheritance” of land in which to dwell together, the Levites did not. Instead, they served the Lord and the people throughout, first, the united nation of Israel and then both Israel and Judah after the division.

Levites lived among the Northern Tribes when Assyria invaded. Levites also lived in Judah then and later when Babylon conquered that Southern Kingdom. As a result of both conquests, Levites were among the deported, enslaved and exiled Jewish people scattered throughout the world.

While the Tribe of Levi isn't technically considered a Lost Tribe because it isn't listed among the 10 Northern Tribes, the experience of Levi's descendants is much the same as those from the Northern and Southern Tribes whose inheritances comprised the geographical land promised to the Israelites. The Levites, too, appeared “lost” as a distinct tribe of Jewish people, having scattered far into the known world and seemingly evaporating from history's record. But they, too, maintained their identities and faith, recognizing themselves as belonging to the people and God of Israel.

So, No - And Yes

Are the Lemba - who are descendants of the Tribe of Levi and living in Africa today - a Lost Tribe of Israel? Technically, no, but practically and experientially, yes. The Lemba are most certainly a scattered Jewish community, and their history and destiny are wrapped up with the people of Israel.

Here at Jewish Voice Ministries, God has called us to reach all the unreached Jewish communities we can with the Good News of Jesus, the Messiah. We consider the Lost Tribes of Israel to be the physical descendants of Israel (Jacob) who, through expulsion, captivity, or migration, have become disassociated from the generally recognized worldwide Jewish community. This can include both the tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel taken into captivity by the Assyrians and the Southern Kingdom of Judah that have been scattered throughout the nations of the world throughout history. We also include Jews expelled during the Inquisition and those maintaining a historical link to the people of Israel in isolated communities around the world.

We want every Jewish person to know that God's plan for them, as Jewish people, includes Jesus the Messiah. And we are convinced that no Jewish person is too far away, either spiritually or geographically, to experience God's hope and salvation.