In the terrible judgments brought upon the ten tribes the Lord had a wise and merciful purpose. That which He could no longer do through them in the land of their fathers He would seek to accomplish by scattering them among the heathen. His plan for the salvation of all who should choose to avail themselves of pardon through the Saviour of the human race must yet be fulfilled; and in the afflictions brought upon Israel, He was preparing the way for His glory to be revealed to the nations of earth. Not all who were carried captive were impenitent. Among them were some who had remained true to God, and others who had humbled themselves before Him. Through these, "the sons of the living God" (Hosea 1:10), He would bring multitudes in the Assyrian realm to a knowledge of the attributes of His character and the beneficence of His law.

Der lå både visdom og barmhjertighed bag Herrens beslutning om at straffe de ti stammer så hårdt. Ved at sprede dem blandt hedningerne ville han forsøge at opnå den hensigt med dem, som han ikke kunne opnå i deres fædres land. Det var hans vilje at frelse alle dem, der ville tage imod benådning ved troen på menneskehedens frelser, og denne plan skulle gennemføres. Gennem Israels lidelser blev der skabt forudsætning for, at Herrens herlighed kunne åbenbares blandt jordens befolkning. Det var ikke alle de tilfangetagne, der var ubodfærdige. Nogle af dem havde hele tiden været tro imod Gud, og andre ydmygede sig over for ham. Ved hjælp af disse "den levende Guds børn" (Hos. 1,10) ville han gøre et stort antal mennesker i assyrerriget bekendt med sin karakter og sin gode lov.