Jesus had explained only to the twelve about the still-other “sheep,” so this comment to the full group, that he will “show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel,” suggests that he spoke to the twelve in public where the larger group could also hear. They would have understood from their people’s history that they were a branch of the house of Israel who had been transplanted to the isles of the sea—and therefore “lost.” From the same source, they knew of the lost ten tribes. Jesus’s announcement was not only an explanation of why he was leaving them but reassurance that he cared for all of Israel and that his announcement to the Nephites was for their own benefit and understanding.