Bible Studies

This is a verse that is often used 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 inhabitants of Jerusalem being the Israelites therefore the Israelites are being referred to as black.

But as always we must evaluate the verse and not simply take it at face value and see if it holds up under analyzation.

The Hebrew word translated in this verse as black is
קָדַר qadar and it means morning. The Hebrew word for the colour black is שָׁחֹר shachor .

So the people were black unto the ground means the people were in mourning.

When we put the verse back into its proper context we will see that is exactly what is being

Verse 1 explains that there was a drought

Jeremiah 14- 1The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.
בַּצֹּ֫רֶת batstsoreth which means drought

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

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.