Ever heard of someone from 2 tribes?

[jwood]

Yes I know of people with the lineage of 2 tribes. Its no more surprising that having the bood of 2 races within you. Please note that not all 'Africans' are of a Negro heritage. Technically Egyptians are also Africans as are Moroccans and Libyians. Also there are few of a pure race or lineage in these times.

[Copperboat]

I've never had any problem believing that we are actually descended from the tribes. The population of Israel must have been segnificant at the time of the scattering into the surrounding nations and, given the time that has elapsed since then (27 centuries) most of the world's population could have some trace of Israelite or Judaean blood - particularly if God intended it that way! In fact the probability is that most of us have descent from more than one tribe. The only real exceptions would be populations that have been completely isolated from outside contact and how many parts of the world really escaped some colonial influence? If you go back far enough I reckon everybody will have some connection to everyone else. Indeed this is probably the whole point.

Just to give an example (and you can play this game with just about any part of the world where invasions or migrations have taken place ) I'm conscious that large military contingents from the middle east (Syrians, Nabataean Arabs, Egyptians etc) were stationed in Britain during Roman times in areas later overrun by Anglo-Saxons and then later still by Scandinavians. Marriages would have taken place, slaves would have been carried off - ultimately we all get thoroughly mixed up. Wholesale emigration to the Americas, Australia and so on then just takes the process a step further. Leaven in the dough to help it rise!

Ultimately I'm not sure the fine details matter much but it seems to me that the lineage part of the Patriarchal Blessing gives us the assurance of a specific personal connection with Biblical Israel. This knowledge then helps us connect more intimately with the scriptures we read and helps to move us spiritually forward.