Jeremiah 14:2 Does it show the Israelites were black?
This is part of my book the Holy Bible vs The Hebrew Israelites
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Jeremiah 14:2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
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This is a verse that is often used by Hebrew Israelites to “prove” that the Israelites were and are Black.
Taken at face value this most certainly does look as if the inhabitants of Jerusalem are Black. The KJV uses the word Black. The inhabitants of Jerusalem being the Israelites therefore the Israelites are being referred to as black. This is often used as a “proof” verse by Hebrew Israelite camps in their arguments with Christians which are posted on Youtube which you can find simply by searching for the verse alongside Hebrew Israelites.
But as always, just as is done in my other writings looking at the claims made by the Hebrew Israelites, we must evaluate the verse and not simply take it at face value and see if it holds up under analysation.
First thing to notice is the reference to Black UNTO the GROUND. So we must ask why the Bible written a LONG time before human beings were referenced as being “BLACK” is it using the word BLACK and not BROWN, especially as if this is a reference to the earth. Earth is brown. It can be various shades and can at times even be “black” but the most common colour would be brown and so if this was physical colour in reference, Black would be a very unlikely and in fact, very strange reading.
The claim that this is in reference to colour is simply asserted based entirely on the word Black in the KJV.
The Hebrew word translated in this verse as black is קָדַר qadar and it means mourning. The Hebrew word for the colour black is שָׁחֹר shachor.
Colour is simply not the referent in this verse, and it certainly has nothing to do with skin colour.
So the people were black unto the ground means the people were in mourning, not that they were physically black in colour.
Other translations actually render qadar in this way.
Jeremiah 14:2 “Judah mourns, her cities languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.NIV
Jeremiah 14:2 “Judah mourns And her gates languish;Her people siton the ground in mourning garments, And the cry of Jerusalem has ascended. NASB
The JPS Tanakh 1917 renders it they bow in black to the ground.
Jeremiah 14:2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish, They bow down in black unto the ground; And the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. JPS Tanakh 1917
They are in black, bowing to the ground. Black is a colour of mourning. People wear black to funerals even today.
The Targum to Jeremiah renders it :
Judah is in mourning,
Her settlements languish.
Men are bowed to the ground,
And the outcry of Jerusalem rises.
Targum Jonathan
When we put the verse back into its proper context we will see that is exactly what is being demonstrated.
Verse 1 explains that there was a drought
Jeremiah 14:1The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.
Dearth is the Hebrew word בַּצֹּ֫רֶת batstsoreth which means drought. Dearth Itself simply means lack of something, so obviously here it is the reference to the lack of water.
Again other versions use drought.
Jeremiah 14:1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: NIV
Jeremiah 14:1 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts. JPS Tanakh 1917
Then in verse 2 we see that Judah was mourning they were black (mourning) unto the ground and Jerusalem is crying or weeping from their mourning.
Jeremiah 14:2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
We see the exact same thing in Jeremiah 8:21
Jeremiah 8:21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.
The word translated black here again is קָדַר qadar
I haven’t actually heard the Hebrew Israelites use this verse, which is a surprise.
Yet again other translations depict the black as mourning rather than skin colour.
Jeremiah 8:21 Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. NIV
Jeremiah 8:21 I am broken over the brokenness of the daughter of my people. I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me. NASB
The JPS Tanakh renders this verse as black, showing that black and mourning are interchangeable and mean the same thing.
Jeremiah 8:21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I seized with anguish; I am black, appalment hath taken hold on me. JPS Tanakh 1917
The targum renders this:
Because my people is shattered I am shattered;
I am dejected, seized by desolation.
Targum Jonathan
Rashi comments:
I mourn lit. I am darkened, an expression of blackness and darkness.
Rabbi Rashi on Jeremiah 8:21
When we put this verse back into context we see Jeremiah is mourning for the people for they have gone against the lord and caused famine.
Jeremiah 8:18When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.
19Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, andwith strange vanities?
20The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
21For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.
22Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
The “black” in these verses is mourning. Just as a person is described as being black even today when they are sorrowful anguished or in mourning.
This verse has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the physical colour of the Israelites.
Recommended further reading …Does the Bible say Jesus was Black?
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