Africa in the Bible
BIBLICAL SYNONYMS OF THE BLACK RACE (AND THEIR MEANINGS)
Various words used in various translations of the bible to describe the black race (and/or the land of black people) include
i. Ham (Genesis 10:16) – the second son of Noah. Ham means hot, heat or black (P.S-all meanings got from CRUDEN’S CONCORDANCE)
ii. Egypt/The land of Ham (Psalm 78:51, 105:23, 106:22). Egypt means hollow land, hidden land or land of depression. Other synonyms for Egypt are Khet (black land); Elkibit (inundated land) and Coft/Kopt (see Psalm 78:5, 105:23, 106:22 in various translations).
iii. Ethiopia (Upper Nile/Southern Sudan). Ethiops, also known as Cush, was the first son of Ham (Genesis 10:6-8. see also 2 Kings 19:9, Jeremiah 13:23, 38:7, Ezekiel 30:4-5). Meaning blackness, Cush, heat, burning. Also known as Aithiopias in Greek.
iv. Cush (Genesis 10:16, Psalm 68:31 NIV, Ezekiel 30:4-5) meaning Ethiopian or black. In the Septuagint Bible, the word Cush is rendered Ethiops.
v. Sudan/Lower Nile ( Zephaniah 3:10, Isaiah 18:1, 2 Kings 19:9 etc Good News Bible where the NIV and NKJV use the word Cush or Ethiopian).
vi. Mizraim (Genesis 10:6, 13 NIV, GNB: 1 Chronicles 1:8, 11). A Hebrew word, meaning twofold Egypt/Lower and Upper Nile/Northern and Southern Egypt or Lower and Upper depressions).
vii. Put (Libya/Somalia/Horn of Africa). (Genesis 10:6, Jeremiah 46:9, Ezekiel 30:5, Daniel 11: 43, Acts 2:10). Meaning ‘Heat of the sun”
Author
Dr Tayo Babalobi
