King David and Esau

Admoni: Two Men of the Same Hue

Debunking the Myths of the Black Hebrew Israelites

Judaism has never made skin color an issue. The belief of the Jew is what has bound them through eternity. White, black, and every color in between is the Jew. While the Grandfather of all twelve children of Israel, Laban, was most probably a white Aramian, Moshe the lawgiver of our people was married to a Kushite black woman. So what kept this nation of wanderers a cohesive unit? The Torah of Moshe and its commandments are the binding force which has kept the nation of Israel united over various communities and expansive distances throughout history.

Black Hebrew Israelites have various teachings which surround who exactly are the Children of Israel. While some groups follow a “12 Tribes Chart” with various peoples attached to each of the 12 tribes, others believe that only African Americans which are the descendants of those sold into slavery in the Transatlantic Slave trade, are the sole remnant of the Israelite people. No matter which group of Black Hebrew Israelites and their teachings you listen to, anyone with white skin has been deemed as an enemy and a thief of their culture. This is especially true with their bitter hatred of the Ashkenazi Jew, who they believe is the ultimate thief of their history, language, and culture. It is a revisionist belief system. It can only be described as replacement theology in its purest sense.

As many of the Black Hebrew Israelites proof texts which they believe deal with skin color come directly from the Hebrew Scriptures, I will expound on one of their common misconceptions. The Black Hebrew Israelites teach that King David was a black man. They also teach Esau was a white man. The belief that white people in general are Edomites, or descendants of Esau, is also a universal idea within just about every sect of this cult. This misconception comes from the fact that these self styled “Hebrews” actually can’t read, write, or speak Hebrew. Literally none of these cults have any teachers or actual scholars in their company. None can actually open up a Chumash or Tanakh and read the Hebrew text for themselves. Literally none of them have actually opened a Hebrew Torah Scroll and read from it. There are a few of them I have spoken with who use Strongs Bible Concordance so I will use this as a reference as often as possible for those who don’t read Hebrew. A few Biblical verses must be expounded on to go farther in depth in this subject.

Genesis 25:25 describes the birth of Esau, the father of the Edomites:

25 And the first one emerged ruddy; he was completely like a coat of hair, and they named him Esau. כהוַיֵּצֵ֤א הָֽרִאשׁוֹן֙ אַדְמוֹנִ֔י כֻּלּ֖וֹ כְּאַדֶּ֣רֶת שֵׂעָ֑ר וַיִּקְרְא֥וּ שְׁמ֖וֹ עֵשָֽׂו:

Again in the most famous christian translation, the King James Version or KJV:

25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

This term which has been almost randomly translated as “red” in some translations, and “ruddy” in other translations has seemed to bring much confusion in the beliefs of those who cannot read the Hebrew text for themselves. The term used to describe Esau at his birth in Hebrew is “Admoni” or אַדְמוֹנִ֔י as can be seen in the Hebrew text of the verse. At this point whether you believe that “Admoni” means red or ruddy is unimportant. To the Black Hebrew Israelite’s thought there is a distinction. They teach that “ruddy” is a term which describes black people who have a reddish hue to their skin, while “red” is the color of white people’s skin because it is so pale you can see red blood in their veins showing through their almost “translucent skin”. This type of thought may seem unbelievable, yet there are many naive African Americans falling prey to the teachings of this hate group. Lets dig further and look how the Hebrew Scriptures describe King David.

I Samuel 16:12

12 And he sent and brought him, and he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes, and handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” יבוַיִּשְׁלַ֚ח וַיְבִיאֵ֙הוּ֙ וְה֣וּא אַדְמוֹנִ֔י עִם־יְפֵ֥ה עֵינַ֖יִם וְט֣וֹב רֹ֑אִי וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יְהֹוָ֛ה ק֥וּם מְשָׁחֵ֖הוּ כִּֽי־זֶ֥ה הֽוּא:

And Again in the christian KJV:

12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was “ruddy”, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

First hopefully any non Hebrew speaker should notice by now, that same word we saw describing Esau’s appearance “Admoni” or אַדְמוֹנִ֔י is the same word we see here describing King David’s appearance as the Prophet Samuel is meeting him for the first time.

There is something notable when looking at the English text and the difference in how a Jewish and Christian translation deal with the text. In the Jewish translation in both verses above the term “Admoni” is translated as “ruddy”. In both of the Christian translations from the KJV above the term “Admoni” is translated differently. Esau is described as “red”, while King David is described as “ruddy”. So possibly this is the reason for the naive belief? Many of the Black Hebrew Israelites also hold the belief that the King James 1611 version of the Bible is the most reliable version of scripture. With this in mind, maybe they are all sipping from the same poisoned well?

Next we see King David’s appearance described again as something of an annoyance to Goliath the Philistine. Was it David’s youth that bothered him so much? Was it the fact that he was “ruddy”? No matter how you see it the same Hebrew word “admoni” or וְאַדְמֹנִ֖י is used here. Both Esau and King David are described as “Admoni”. Both were “ruddy”. Both were “red”.

I Samuel 17:42

42 And the Philistine looked and saw David, and he despised him, for he was a youth, and “ruddy”, with an attractive appearance. מבוַיַּבֵּ֧ט הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֛י וַיִּרְאֶ֥ה אֶת־דָּוִ֖ד וַיִּבְזֵ֑הוּ כִּֽי־הָיָ֣ה נַ֔עַר וְאַדְמֹנִ֖י עִם־יְפֵ֥ה מַרְאֶֽה

Strongs Exhaustive Concordance: Strongs 132 Admoni

admoni: red, ruddy

Original Word: אַדְמֹנִי
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: admoni
Phonetic Spelling: (ad-mo-nee’)
Definition: red, ruddy

The root word for “Admoni” orאַדְמֹנִ֖י is “Adom” or אָדָּ֗ם which is the actual color “red”. This same word is used here when describing the color of the shields of Nebuchadnezzar’s hordes as they lay siege to Assyria.

Nachum 2:4

The shields of his mighty men are dyed “red”; the men of the army are in crimson; the chariots are in the fire of torches on the day of his preparation, and the cypresses are enwrapped. דמָגֵ֨ן גִּבֹּרֵ֜יהוּ מְאָדָּ֗ם אַנְשֵׁי־חַ֙יִל֙ מְתֻלָּעִ֔ים בְּאֵֽשׁ־פְּלָדֹ֥ת הָרֶ֖כֶב בְּי֣וֹם הֲכִינ֑וֹ וְהַבְּרוֹשִׁ֖ים הָרְעָֽלוּ:

Strongs Exhaustive Concordance: Strongs 119 adom

adom: to be red

Original Word: אָדָם
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: adom
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-dam’)
Definition: to be red

In Lamentations we find a description of the state of purity of Israel as a people just before the Babylonian exile. They are described in verse 7 as being “ruddier” or אָ֤דְמוּ than coral, meaning “red” and gleaming when they are in a state of purity and oneness with the Creator. The contrast comes in the following verse as they are described in their state of rebellion and sin against the Creator as “Darker than Charcoal”. The phrase חָשַׁ֤ךְ מִשְּׁחוֹר֙ or “hashach mishachor” which is translated as “darker than charcoal” could also just as easily be translated as “growing darker into blackness”. It is quite a comparison and shows the difference between how Scripture uses the terms “black” and “red” which are not just different variants of blackness as the BHI teach. Actually just the opposite, as the term “ruddier” is being used in the same breath as “whiter than milk”, and contrasted with the opposite color of black charcoal.

Lamentations 4:7–8

7 Her Nazirites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, their appearance was ruddier than coral, [and] sapphire was their form. זזַכּ֤וּ נְזִירֶ֨יהָ֙ מִשֶּׁ֔לֶג צַח֖וּ מֵֽחָלָ֑ב אָ֤דְמוּ עֶ֨צֶם֙ מִפְּנִינִ֔ים סַפִּ֖יר גִּזְרָתָֽם:

8 [But now] their appearance has become darker than charcoal, they are not recognized in the streets; their skin is shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick. חחָשַׁ֤ךְ מִשְּׁחוֹר֙ תָּֽאֳרָ֔ם לֹ֥א נִכְּר֖וּ בַּֽחוּצ֑וֹת צָפַ֤ד עוֹרָם֙ עַל־עַצְמָ֔ם יָבֵ֖שׁ הָיָ֥ה כָעֵֽץ:

Strongs Exhaustive Concordance: Strongs 7815

shechor: blackness

Original Word: שְׁחוֹר
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: shechor
Phonetic Spelling: (shekh-ore’)
Definition: blackness

Strongs Exhaustive Concordance: Strongs 2821 chashak

chashak: to be or grow dark

Original Word: חָשַׁךְ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chashak
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-shak’)
Definition: to be or grow dark

The word “Adom” is spelled identically to “Adam” in Hebrew; Aleph, Dalet, Mem or אָדָ֖ם. “Adam” actually means “man”. The root word for the color red is the same word used to describe man. Original man was red, not black or white. Those who read Hebrew know that when man is formed from the dust of the ground is is actually a Hebrew play on words. The word for “ground” is “adamah” or אֲדָמָ֔ה. So “Adam” was formed from the “Adamah”. אָדָ֖ם was brought forth from theאֲדָמָ֔ה referring to the reddish soil Adam HaRishon (the First Man) was formed from.

Genesis 1:7

And the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living soul. זוַיִּ֩יצֶר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה:

There is another Hebrew word that is also closely related to all of the above described references. This is the Hebrew term for “blood”. The Hebrew word for “blood” is “dam” or דָּ֔ם. What color is “blood”? Not black, Not white, RED! We can see an example of “blood” or “dam” and its Hebrew spelling in the classic verse below from Exodus.

Exodus 12:7

And they shall take [some] of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel, on the houses in which they will eat it. זוְלָֽקְחוּ֙ מִן־הַדָּ֔ם וְנָֽתְנ֛וּ עַל־שְׁתֵּ֥י הַמְּזוּזֹ֖ת וְעַל־הַמַּשְׁק֑וֹף עַ֚ל הַבָּ֣תִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־יֹֽאכְל֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ בָּהֶֽם:

So as you can see Admoni, Adom, Adam, Adamah, and Dam all come from the same root. אָדָ֖ם the first man. The one who binds us all in unity no matter the skins color. Black Hebrew Israelites do not have proof for their belief that “ruddy” means a “reddish black” skin tone. Many will simply point you to a “ruddy” picture of a cow that some BHI group has posted on Google images. This is enough to convince most BHI that King David was black; a reddish brown photo of a cow in a field on the internet. Wow! So powerful! How could anyone not be a believer, unless critical thinking is in your repertoire? If this photo of a cow on the internet does not fall into the category of what you would describe as valid “proof” or a valid “source” there is still hope for you. I have given multiple references to how the actual Hebrew language is used in the Bible. I hope this information will serve you well in dispelling the racist lies of the Black Hebrew Israelite cult.