Bible Studies: Looking Through a Different Lens, Part Four

By Dr. Josef Ben Levi 

Presented by Omni-U Virtual University 

“The Black Biblical Presence” 

It is generally  conceded that the term, “Africa”, suggests the following:

 Latin Africa (terra) "African land, Libya, the Carthaginian territory, the province of Africa; Africa as a continent," fem. of adjective Africus, from Afer "an African," a word of uncertain origin. Originally, the Latin word  was  only used in reference to the region around modern Tunisia; it was gradually  extended to the whole continent. Derivation from a Phoenician cognate of Arabic afar "dust, earth" is tempting. The Middle English word was Affrike. (Scott, 2024)

However, according to those experts that research the history of the “African” continent, its original ancient name  was Alkebulan. This name translates to “mother of mankind,” or “the garden of Eden.” 

Alkebulan is an extremely old word, and its origins are indigenous. Many nations in Africa used this word, including the Ethiopians, Nubians, Moors, and Numidians. Many experts believe that the name actually came from two Phoenician words. These words were “friqi” and “pharika,” which would translate corn and fruit, respectively.

The truth is, in the Bible, Cush represented all of Africa. In the ancient world, when people spoke of the geographical area of Africa, they referred to what the ancient Greeks and Romans called Ethiopia. But, the ancient Hebrews called Ethiopia, Cush. In the Afro-Asiatic language group, Cush means “burnt-face,” a reference to the sunburnt African tribes of the area.

This was not the only name given to Africa. In the Bible, Ethiopia is mentioned as a derivation of Cush and is used to describe a larger geographical area.  This can be seen in passages such as Yeshayahu 20:3-5 where Ethiopia is used as a broader term, encompassing the entire African continent. Other passages such as Jeremiah 13:23 and Zephaniah 3:10 also use Europe, from the Greek term Aethiopia, to describe the same region. (Burrell, 2020)

Outside of the Old Testament, we see the New Testament also contains references about the African continent, such as in Acts 8:27 and Romans 12:2. All and all, the Bible does not specifically name the continent of Africa; instead, it gives it several names, such as Cush, Ethiopia and Aethiopia, to represent its place in Biblical history. (Copher, 1975)

The presence of Blacks in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible is rather substantial; fortunately, ours is an age that increasingly allows such an important fact to be acknowledged more widely than perhaps ever before. This topic has long been studied by Dr. Gene Rice, Professor of Old Testament, and he has supplied a representative listing of key Old Testament passages that mention, indeed often celebrate, the Black biblical presence: (Houston, 1929)

• Nimrod, son of Cush, “the first on earth to become a mighty warrior.” Nimrod is also credited with founding and ruling the principal cities of Mesopotamia (Genesis 10:8-12)

• Hagar, the Egyptian maid of Sarah (Genesis 16; 21:8-21). If Abraham had had his way, Hagar would have become the forebear of the covenant people (Genesis 17:18).

• Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On (Heliopolis), wife of Joseph and mother of Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 41:45, 51, 52; 46:20), whom Jacob claimed and adopted. (Genesis 48).

• Moses’ Cushite wife (Numbers 12:1). She was probably Zipporah of the Kenite clan of the Midianites (Exodus 2:21-23). If Moses’ Cushite wife is indeed Zipporah, then her father, Jethro, (also called Reuel), would also have been an African. Since Jethro was the priest of Midian (Exodus 2:16; 3:1; 18:1) and the mountain of God where Moses was called was located in Midian (Exodus 3:1; 18:5), and Jethro presided at a meal where Aaron and the elders of Israel were guests (Exodus 18:12), the Kenites may have been the original worshipers of God by the name of the LORD, that is Yahweh (YHWH). Jethro also instructed Moses in the governance of the newly liberated Israelites (Exodus 8:13-27).

• Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron and a high priest (Exodus 6:25). The name, Phinehas, is Egyptian and means literally, “The Nubian,” or “The Dark-skinned One.”

• The “mixed multitude that accompanied the Israelites when they left Egypt undoubtedly included various Africans and Asian peoples (Exodus 12:38).

• The unnamed Cushite soldier in David’s army. He bore the news of Absalom’s death to David, and, in contrast to Ahimaaz, had the courage to tell David the truth about Absalom (2 Samuel 18:21, 31, 32).

• Solomon’s Egyptian wife. She was an Egyptian princess and by his marriage to her, Solomon sealed an alliance with Egypt. (1 Kings 3:1; 11:1).

• The Queen of Sheba. She ruled a kingdom that included territory in both Arabia and Africa. When she visited Solomon, she was accorded the dignity and status of a head of state (1 Kings 10:1-13).

• Zerah, the Ethiopian. He commanded a military garrison at Gerar in SW Palestine and fought against King Asa of Judah and almost defeated him (2 Chronicles 14:9-15). After Egyptian influence ceased in Palestine, the Cushite soldiers stationed at Gerar settled down and became farmers. Some two centuries after the time of Zerah, the Simeonites took over Gerar “where they found rich, good pasture, and the land was very broad, quiet, and peaceful; for the former inhabitants there belonged to Ham” (2 Chronicles 4:40).

• Cush, a Benjaminite (heading to Psalm 7). He is identified as Saul in the Talmud.

• The Ethiopian ambassadors who came to Jerusalem to establish diplomatic relations with Judah (Isaiah 18:1,2). They represented the Ethiopian Pharaoh, Shabaka (716-702) of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt.

• The Ethiopian, Taharqa, spelled Tirhakah in the Bible. When Hezekiah revolted against Assyria in 705 B.C., he did so with the support of Shaboka and Shebitku (702-690), rulers of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt. Tirhakah led an army in support of Judah during Hezekiah’s revolt against Assyria (2 Kings 19:9; Isaiah 37:9). Tirhakah later ruled Egypt from 690-664.

• The Prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah’s father was Cushi, his grandfather Gedaliah, his great-grandfather Amariah, and his great-great-grandfather (King) Hezekiah (Zephaniah 1:1). Zephaniah was active about 630 B.C. and sparked a religious revival in Judah.

• Jehudi ben Nathaniah ben Shlemiah ben Cushi. The context in Jeremiah 36 indicates that Jehudi was a trusted member of the cabinet of King Jehoiakim of Judah (Jeremiah 36:14, 21, 23).

• Ebed-melech (“Royal Servant”), the Ethiopian. He was an officer of King Zedekiah who, at great risk to himself, saved Jeremiah’s life (Jeremiah 38:7-13), and was blessed by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 39:15-18).

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The African presence in the Bible is not limited to the Old Testament. Indeed, many Jews of the first century lived in regions where Africans intermingled freely with other racial and ethnic types. We too easily forget today that miscegenation or interracial marriage was an explicit part of Alexander the Great’s policy; he wanted all subjects to have Greek blood flowing through their veins! Of course, there was no notion of the modern idea of “race” during that time but suffice it to say that the ancients had no problem with Black people nor did the Greeks and Romans consider them to be inferior.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we find the quotation from Hosea 11:1 which reads, “out of Egypt I called my son.” The passage is part of the notorious “Flight into Egypt” that describes the way in which Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to hide the one that King Herod feared would displace him. Assuming that we can lend some historical credence to this report, it is difficult imagining, if the holy family were indeed persons who looked like typical “Europeans,” that they could effectively “hide” in Africa. One must remember and take most seriously the fact that Egypt has always been and remains part of Africa. Her indigenous people are noticeably different from the European types, notwithstanding the Hellenistic cultural incursions, beginning in earnest just over 300 B.C. In fact, it has only been in recent centuries that the Egyptians and other North Americans have been officially racially classified as “Caucasian.” Nevertheless, for thousands of years, Africans have migrated out of biblical Ethiopia and Egypt and have passed through Palestine enroute to the Fertile Crescent or Mesopotamia. Thus, the term Afro-Asiatic emerged, and it is a fitting description of persons from Abraham to Jesus and his disciples. (Cain Felder, 1999).

Recommended Reading:

“When Translation Became Colonization: Language as the First Weapon of Empire”

https://medium.com/@bmwbjwgtk/when-translation-became-colonization-language-as-the-first-weapon-of-empire-a0b7889e7fda

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