[William Terrell]

"Sands of the sea" would mean vast, a significant percent of a world population. I divided 5 million Jews by 6 billion world population and got a number in scientific notation.

It would be logical and historically accurate to say that the population would have been assimilated into neighbouring, similar groups, especially considering that the northerners were actually worshipping the gods of their neighbours and probably intermingling.

If the House of Israel was absorbed into a surrounding populations, then how can Israel and Judah reconcile?

[Cronos]

"Sands of the sea" would mean vast, a significant percent of a world population. I divided 5 million Jews by 6 billion world population and got a number in scientific notation

Well,

1. firstly, "Sands of the sea" woudl mean a large number of people, it doesn't say anything about they being a percentage of a larger number of people.
2. Secondly, the number of worldwide Jewry is 24 million