Assyria conquered the ten-tribed Kingdom of Israel in 718 BC, carrying them away to northern Iran, just south of the Caspian Sea, as recorded in II Kings 17:6. The siege of Samaria, Israel's capital, lasted three years, and though Assyria succeeded, she began her decline almost immediately after the conquest. By 650 BC, Assyria was in an advanced state of decline, which allowed some Israelites to become aggressive and mount a guerilla war against their captors, weakening Assyria further. This contributed to the fall of Nineveh, Assyria's capital, to a confederation of Babylonians and Medes in 612 BC. A few decades later, some Israelites banded together to become the Scythians, a fierce and warlike people, who later merged with others to form the Parthians, effectively containing Roman armies at the Euphrates River during the Roman period. However, the majority of Israelites left the Middle East shortly after Assyria's fall, escaping through passes over the Caucasus Mountains, one of which was known as the Pass of Israel. The prophet Amos, in Amos 9:9, describes God sifting the house of Israel among all nations like grain in a sieve, ensuring not the smallest grain falls to the ground, scattering His people while keeping track of every Israelite. God's Word indicates where to look for Israel, stating they migrated north and west into distant islands, and it also speaks of the areas from where He will gather Israel in the last days, principally to the north and west of Jerusalem and in far-off isles.

The mass expulsion of the children of Israel from Canaan by Assyrian and Babylonian kings left the land nearly devoid of Israelites. The theocracy and monarchy ceased to exist, and the people became slaves to Gentile nations as a consequence of their habitual rejection of God's law. God established a specific duration for Israel's punishment, using the phrase "seven times more" in Leviticus 26 to indicate a period of 2,520 years, calculated as seven prophetic years of 360 days each, with each day representing a year. This punishment began with the fall of the Kingdom of Israel in 718 BC and concluded in AD 1802. Despite assertions that the punishment lasted only seven years, historical and scriptural evidence shows Israel remained in captivity long after 711 BC. Daniel, writing around 178 years after the deportation, noted that Israel had not returned. Christ, in about AD 31, referred to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, indicating they were still dispersed. Decades later, the apostle James addressed the twelve tribes scattered abroad, confirming their continued exile more than 750 years after Assyria's conquest. Additional records, such as II Esdras from AD 81 to 96, also affirm that ten-tribed Israel remained in captivity at that time. Scriptures like Ezekiel and Hosea employ a day-for-a-year principle, supporting the extended duration of Israel's punishment as a sign of God's withholding of His promises until the appointed time.

The division of Solomon's kingdom resulted in the formation of the Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam, comprising ten northern tribes, separate from Judah, Benjamin, and Levi under Rehoboam. Jeroboam instituted religious changes that became a sin for Israel, establishing a priesthood loyal to his government and leading to the extermination of his house. His refusal to obey God prevented the fulfillment of God's conditional promise to build him an enduring house. The children of Israel persisted in the sins of Jeroboam, and subsequent kings of the northern kingdom never corrected these errors, angering the Lord, who removed them from His sight. The ultimate consequence was the fall and mass deportation of Israel due to their idolatry. God, through prophets like Hosea, warned Judah not to follow Israel's path of harlotry and idolatry, yet Judah stumbled alongside Israel in their iniquity.