What happened to the ten tribes before the Babylonian captivity?
The ten tribes were not lost or assimilated; they had already returned to Judah even before the Babylonian captivity, so all of Israel went into captivity together, and all of Israel was fully represented among those who returned from Babylon.
Les explains that the ten tribes were not lost or assimilated; they had already come back down to Judah even before the Babylonian captivity. Therefore all of Israel went into the Babylonian captivity, and all of Israel was represented in those who came back. By the time of Christ's earthly ministry, Jews from every one of the tribes were living in Israel.