Did the Northern Kingdom of Israel return from captivity in Assyria?
The northern Kingdom of Israel, also known as the Kingdom of Samaria, was conquered and destroyed by the Assyrian Empire in 722 BCE, leading to the exile of a large portion of its population to various parts of the Assyrian empire. The Bible makes no mention of a return from captivity for the northern Kingdom specifically, but it does refer to a significant return from exile in Babylon for the people of Judah (the southern kingdom) following their conquest and captivity by the Babylonians in 587 BCE. This event is typically referred to as the "Babylonian exile" and the subsequent return as the "Babylonian Return."