Is France REUBEN?
The Hebrew people, when forced into exile by a foreign power, referred to themselves as "the Exile" (in Hebrew GOLA or GALUT). Tribes bearing these names appeared first in a province in Turkey (GALATIA) and then GALICIA, a province in Poland, then in a province in Spain called GALICIA, then the French GAULS (or GALATAE), as recorded by Greek and Roman historians and are thus represented by the Celts of Britain and Europe, and related peoples. The inhabitants were called GALLI, CELTiberi, CELTOscythae and GALATAE. When we look up the word "captivity" in Strong's Concordance we find numbers 1473 (GOLAH) and 1540 (GALAH) which could easily become "GAUL" while the numbers 1546 (GALUWTH) and 1547 (GALUWTH) could easily become "GALATIA." In fact, in literal Hebrew Isaiah 5:13 says, "my people are gone into FRANCE (Galah)" and Ezekiel 39:23 says, "Israel went into FRANCE. (Galah)." But FRANCE is not the only country that goes by the name GAUL. There are the GAELS of SCOTLAND and GAELIC is the language of IRELAND. Portugal is literally the Port of GAUL. The English words "GAOL" and "JAIL" both refer to a place of captivity also.

Israel (Gen. 32:28) dwelt in GALILEE and GILEAD (Deut.3:12,16; 1 Chr.5:3-10; 2 Ki.15:29), or GAULANITIS in Christ's day. REUBEN whose name means "See a Son" dwelt in GILEAD on the eastern banks of the Jordan with Gad and half-Manasseh before being taken into CAPTIVITY (Joshua 22:9; 1 Chr.4:42) so this is another possible source of the name GAUL. These tribes were taken "unto Halah (Holman), and Habor (Khabur), and Harah (Aria, Ariana, Arachosia, Harat), and to the river Gozan (Gauzanitis, Ouzan R., Cyrus R.)" (1 Chr.5:26).

In east Scythia we find the RHABBANAE (Ptolemy 6:16) and RHAABENI (Ptolemy 5:18) located where Israel was taken captive. Also RAVANA Regia (Ptol. 6:7). They migrated through the Caucasus and named the RHOMBITES Rivers next to the Black Sea (Strabo 5:195). In Germany is the ARABON River (Ptolemy 2:10:63). In Austria is ROVIGNO (3:4, C4) otherwise known as RUBINUM. In Finland is the town of ROVANIEMI(Acad. Am. 8:25). In Switzerland is the ROVANA River (26:242, F4). We find RAVENNA in Umbria, Italy (Strabo 2:301, 327) founded by a colony of Thessalians (Pliny 36:12; Strabo 5). Also in N. Italy is VERONA and the RUBICON River.

France is divided into four sections and one section is called NARBONENSIS Gallia. Ptolemy mentions a NARBON colony (9:62). Ptolemy mentions the RUTANI people of Gaul (2:6:59), now RUVERGNE, in Guienne (Caes. Bell. G.) and town of RUFINIANA in Belgium (2:8:61). "ROUEN" was the name of a city in ancient northern France. The French royal family of BOURBON may take their name from REUBEN. Also SORBONNE University in Paris. The town of ARVERNA and ARVERNIA District in France, now called AUVERGNE (10:778, F5) have the name REUBEN in them. In Switzerland is the town of AUVERNIER (26:242, B3).

The RIBUARI people also migrated to France. In Semitic dialects "R" and "N" are often interchangeable, thus "ben" and "bar" both mean "son" in Hebrew and REUBEN can be spelled REUBAR. These RIPUARIAN Franks are mentioned in Langer's World History, p.143.

One of REUBEN'S sons was called HANOCK (Num.26:5). Strabo mentions the HENIOCHI in Asia near the Black Sea (1:495). He named ANNECY, France (10:778, H5). Another son PALLU (Num.26:5) became WESTPHALIA Province, Germany (24:267c). HEZRON (Num.26:6) became the HESSIANS. CARMI gave his name to the CARMANIA in ancient Persia and to CARMAUX, a town of S. France and CARMAGNOLA, a town of Italy and possibly the nation GERMANIA.

REUBEN'S descendants dwell primarily in northern France and comprise about 20% of the population. Those in the center are basically descendants of Dodanim comprising about 50% of the population. In the south are Canaanites. Herodotus mentions the Celts as living near the Pyrenees (2:4). Aristotle mentions Celts "above Spain" (Meteorol. 2:8). The Iberians, a Mauric race, who came from Africa to Spain, seized southwest Gaul and called it Aquitane. They are the ancestors of the Gascons.

Did The GAULS Come From GALILEE?

Palestine in ancient times was divided into four provinces: GALILEE, GILEAD, GAULEN and CANAAN. The Assyrians conquered the first three in their first attack on Israel. The Celts have been known as the Keltae, Geltae, Galatae, Galatians, Goidels, Gauls and Gaels because they were taken CAPTIVE from the northern and eastern regions of the northern Kingdom of Israel -- GALILEE, GILEAD and GAULEN. There was also a practice of attaching GILEAD as a suffix to places (e.g. Jabesh-Gilead and Ramoth-Gilead). Just to the east of the Sea of GALILEE we still find the GOLAN Heights. The Hebrew GOLAN comes from GOLAH meaning "CAPTIVE" or "EXILE." On the western shore of the Black Sea is the River Sereth, where Israel settled, which enters the Danube at GALATZ in Roumania. GOLAH refers to Israelite "communities living beyond the confines of Israel" (p.62, Arthur Spier, A Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar).

Why Are The French Called "FROGS"?

Christ commanded his disciples to visit only "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt.10:6). In Acts 2:10, we read about "devout men "from PHRYGIA and in Acts 16:6, Paul, Silas and Timothy visit PHRYGIA and GALATIA to "strengthen all the disciples there" (18:23). (PHRYGIA was the name of a large country of Asia Minor.) Therefore we know these were "lost sheep of the house of Israel." The Greeks called the Franks FRAGGOI. "GOI" means "People" in Hebrew and "FROEG" means "Hebraic" in Saxon (p.24, Senior's British Israelites). Hence the slang term "FROG" for a Frenchman. The Greeks would pronounce FRAGGOI as "FRANCI" today since they put an "n" before a double "g."

After the Trojan War, Phrygia was utterly devastated by Cimmerians. The Phrygians migrated into Europe. The Greek name Phryges was gradually changed to Phraggoi. When the Romans encountered them, they applied the Roman word for Freemen -- Franci -- Franks in English. Procopius, in his Roman history, called the Franks Phraggoi (III, 3, 1). They finally settled in France. Is it only a coincidence that the capital of their new land is called Paris -- the name of the famous Trojan or Phrygian hero Paris, son of Priam? London became New Troy.

FRANCE was also called "GALATIA" (Strabo 1:3:21; 4:2:1). Justin recorded the migration: "The GALLAECIANS claim a GREEK ORIGIN ... they took possession of those parts where New Carthage now stands (S.E. SPAIN) and passing from thence to GALLAECIA (N.W. SPAIN)" (44:3). Diodorus Siculus 16:32 says the Cimmerians were in PHRYGIA. Just as we find the city of TROY in PHRYGIA next to GALATIA, so also we find TROYES in France. Just as PARIS was a Trojan war hero, so also we find PARIS, France. The "PYRGI" of Ptolemy 3:1:71 went to Italy. In Greece and Asia Minor, the names PHRYGIA , PRYTANES, BRYTANEUM, BRIGIA, and BRIGANTES follow the Celtic race. In Thrace, the name PRYDANE is found (Ritson's Celts 1827, note p.41).

About 280 B.C. vast hordes of GAULS entered Macedonia and threatened Greece. Repulsed at Adelphi, they crossed the Dardanelles, invading Asia Minor, and permanently settled in PHRYGIA and GALATIA. Here they were at the time the Gospel was being preached. They call themselves KELTOI but the Romans called them GALLI. Pausanius says "They have but lately called themselves GALATAI, they anciently called themselves KELTOI." Arrian affirmed that the KELTOE were KIMMERIANS (Strabo 1; see also Herodotus). Niebuhr says that the Kymri and Gaels can very properly be called by the common name of KELTS. They occupied BOURGES France (Livy 5:34). Welsh tradition says two colonies of KELTS came from Gaul, one from Armorica and the other from Gascony. The KELTS settled in Spain and southern France. North central Spain was thereafter called CELT-iberian (Enc. Brit. 14th ed., vol. 5, p.102).

The PHRYGIANS (Briges) are the people known over England, Scotland and Ireland, by the name of BRIGANTES; the BRITANNI on the sea coast of Gallia Belgica; the BRIGANI on the NW coast of Europe and those mentioned by Pliny as seated in the Alps, a BRIGANTIUM, now BRAGANZA in Portugal; and another (town) of the same name, now BRITANCAS or Corunna, called anciently Portus BRIGANTINUS, in Gallicia. According to this the BRIGES would be the common ancestors of the Britons of England, France and Spain, and the similarity of the names in these countries could be accounted for. The two islands, Albion and Iverna, are called in Greek the PRETANIC Islands. "PRETANI" represented in early Irish by "Cruithin," was the name of the people who in later times are known as "Picti" -- or Picts. Hence it may be inferred that during the bronze age the Picts were the chief people of Ireland as well as of Britain, and this inference is amply confirmed by ancient Irish tradition (Enc. Brit. 14th ed. vol.12, p. 598).

Reuben's Birthright Given to Joseph

FRANCE was the FIRST of the colonial empires of Europe to acquire worldwide possessions, just as a FIRST-BORN should do. "From its beginnings in the early 1600s through the great expansion of the late 19th century, the French overseas empire" acquired "Canada, Louisiana, several West Indian Islands, and part of India for France. In 1763, at the end of the Seven Years' War, the French LOST Canada (due to Montcalm's defeat by Wolfe at the Plains of ABRAHAM) and India to the British, and in 1803, Napoleon SOLD the Louisiana Territory to the United States for about four cents per acre. Nelson BEAT Napoleon for control of Europe. Disraeli purchased the French-built Suez Canal from Egypt. Roosevelt bought rights to the Panama Canal from France and both Vietnam and Cambodia were French colonies before the U.S. stepped in. By 1815 only the West Indian sugar islands and some scattered African and Asian posts remained French" (Acad. Am. 8:309). This is because "the birthright was Joseph's" (1 Chr.5:2) after Reuben's incest with Bilhah (Gen. 35:22), "but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was GIVEN unto the sons of Joseph" (1Chr.5:1). Reuben was morally "UNSTABLE" (Gen.49:4). Thus the symbol of France is a white Fleur-de-Lees (reproductive organ).




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