Can you clarify substitutional atonement, Tom? Which OT should Christians use? Northern tribes question

Ask NT Wright Anything

Premier Unbelievable

History, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.8 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2026

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What happened to the “lost tribes” of Israel, and do they matter today?In this episode, Tom Wright explores the mystery of Israel’s northern tribes, the meaning of exile, and how the New Testament reframes restoration.They also dive into the debate around penal substitution, asking whether it truly reflects the biblical story. Finally, Mike and Tom tackle a practical question: which Old Testament should Christians read: the Hebrew Bible or the Septuagint? We hope you find today's episode a deep and clarifying episode on Scripture, history, and theology.Support & Subscribe👉 Support thought-provoking conversations and help keep the show going at www.premierunbelievable.com/geolink/donate💡❓Got a question for Tom? Go to askntwright.com👉 Refer a friend to become a subscriber → They can get 10% off by clicking hereFollow usInstagram: https://instagram.com/premierunbelievableFacebook: https://facebook.com/premierunbelievableTik Tok: https://tiktok.com/@premier.unbelievableX: https://x.com/UnbelievableFE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:36.0	Welcome to this episode of Ask Antiet Anything, the program where we try to answer your questions about Jesus, the Bible and the life of faith.
0:39.9	I'm Mike Bird from Ridley College, and I'm joined with. Tom Wright from Whitcliffe Hall in
0:45.0	Oxford. Tom, we've got a question this week about exile, about the northern tribes who went
0:52.3	into exile 722, taken away by the Babylonian Empire.
0:56.6	Let me ask you, Tom, before we get into it, where would be the best and worst place for you
1:01.5	to be sent into exile? Where would be the place where you go, oh, fine, send me to the
1:07.4	Outer Hebrides, that'd be great. Or like, oh, gosh, please don't send me to
1:13.1	Australia with all the other convicts. Where's the best and worst place to go into exile?
1:18.3	You're reminding me of a famous bishop from a previous day who said that when he was a young
1:24.9	man called to ordination, he said, Lord, I'll go anywhere you like,
1:28.8	but please not Southeast Asia, not the Arctic and not Birmingham. And he said, well, so having then
1:36.7	spent a long time as a missionary in Singapore, now as Bishop of Birmingham, I'm waiting for my call
1:42.2	to the North Pole. In other words, God can take
1:46.3	our plans and turn them around different directions. For me, yeah, the lovely places to be
1:51.6	exiled might be where I am right now sitting here in the Outer Hebrides, or it might be somewhere
1:57.1	lovely like New Zealand, which I know you appreciate, Mike, even though you're
	...

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