Jeremiah 14:2 — Black Unto The Ground — Debunking the myths of the Black Hebrew Israelites
Jeremiah 14:2
“Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.” KJV
Black Hebrew Israelites frequently use Jeremiah 14:2 out of context and claim it proves that the ancient Israelites were black. When the verse states “they are black onto the ground” they teach that this proves that Judah’s skin was “black onto the ground”. Let’s look at this verse in context in its entirety. Here is a better translation than the KJV and the corresponding original Hebrew of the verse.
2 Judah mourns, and her gates are cut off; they have become blackened to the ground, and the cry of Jerusalem has risen.
ב אָֽבְלָ֣ה יְהוּדָ֔ה וּשְׁעָרֶ֥יהָ אֻמְלְל֖וּ קָֽדְר֣וּ לָאָ֑רֶץ וְצִוְחַ֥ת יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֖ם עָלָֽתָה:
Who wrote this verse? Who is the audience they are speaking to? Why does Judah mourn? What was going on when the author spoke this prophecy? What does “the gates thereof languish” mean?
Let’s start with the first question. Who is writing this? Jeremiah ben Hilkiah dictated the numerous words of prophecy given by God to his personal scribe Baruch ben Neriah to transcribe for him.
1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.
א דִּבְרֵ֥י יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּ֑הוּ מִן־הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּֽעֲנָת֔וֹת בְּאֶ֖רֶץ בִּנְיָמִֽן:
2 To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
ב אֲשֶׁ֨ר הָיָ֚ה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה֙ אֵלָ֔יו בִּימֵ֛י יֹֽאשִׁיָּ֥הוּ בֶן־אָמ֖וֹן מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֑ה בִּשְׁלֹשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה שָׁנָ֖ה לְמָלְכֽוֹ:
3 And he was in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of eleven years of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
ג וַיְהִ֗י בִּימֵ֨י יְהֽוֹיָקִ֚ים בֶּן־יֹֽאשִׁיָּ֙הוּ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֔ה עַד־תֹּם֙ עַשְׁתֵּֽי־עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה שָׁנָ֔ה לְצִדְקִיָּ֥הוּ בֶן־יֹֽאשִׁיָּ֖הוּ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֑ה עַד־גְּל֥וֹת יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֖ם בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַֽחֲמִישִֽׁי:
When the book of Jeremiah was transcribed, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had already been taken into captivity by Assyria. Jeremiah was prophesying to the Southern Kingdom (Judah) during their spiritual decline, upcoming invasion and impending captivity and exile under Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. When v. 14:2 states “Judah mourneth” it is referring specifically to the Southern Kingdom of Judah, not the Northern Kingdom of Israel just to be clear and precise on exactly who we are speaking of here.
Why does Judah mourn? The entire book of Jeremiah encompasses a devastating time period for the Kingdom of Judah. God tells Jeremiah to instruct the people to leave peacefully into a 70 year exile in Babylon. If they do so their lives would be spared and Jerusalem would not be destroyed. If instead they chose to listen to the false prophets of their day and stay and fight the Babylonians, they would endure a famine in Jerusalem from an intense siege ultimately ending in death, starvation, and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple of Solomon. Many Jews left along with Jeremiah to Babylon as God commanded. The ones who stayed endured the fate that Jeremiah 14:2 describes. The Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem and set fire to the city walls and burned the Holy Temple to the ground, and carried them off to captivity in Babylon. This is why Judah mourned.
Verse 14:2 states “the gates thereof languish”. What does that mean though?
Merriam Webster Dictionary’s definition of Languish
a: to be or become feeble, weak, or enervated
b: to be or live in a state of depression or decreasing vitality
But what is the Hebrew term being used?
Strong’s Concordance 535 Amal
amal: to be weak, languish
Original Word: אָמַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: amal
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-mal’)
Definition: to be weak, languish
What gates languish? What gates are weak and feeble? Let’s look deeper into the book of Jeremiah to find out.
Jeremiah 1:15 states:
15 For, behold I am summoning all the families of the kingdoms of the north, says the Lord, and they will come and place, each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem and against all its walls around and against all the cities of Judah.
טו כִּ֣י | הִנְנִ֣י קֹרֵ֗א לְכָֽל־מִשְׁפְּח֛וֹת מַמְלְכ֥וֹת צָפ֖וֹנָה נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה וּבָ֡אוּ וְֽנָֽתְנוּ֩ אִ֨ישׁ כִּסְא֜וֹ פֶּ֣תַח | שַֽׁעֲרֵ֣י יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֗ם וְעַ֚ל כָּל־חֽוֹמֹתֶ֙יהָ֙ סָבִ֔יב וְעַ֖ל כָּל־עָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָֽה:
Just so we are clear let’s look at the Hebrew term for gates we are referring to.
Strong’s Concordance 8179 Shaar
shaar: a gate
Original Word: שַׁעַר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shaar
Phonetic Spelling: (shah’-ar)
Definition: a gate
We see a couple more examples in Jeremiah 7:2 and 17:27. The gates of Jerusalem are a constant theme and topic throughout the book of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 7:2
2 Stand in the gate of the house of the Lord, and proclaim there this word, and say; Hearken to the word of the Lord, all Judah who come into these gates to prostrate yourselves before the Lord.
ב עֲמֹ֗ד בְּשַׁ֙עַר֙ בֵּ֣ית יְהֹוָ֔ה וְקָרָ֣אתָ שָּׁ֔ם אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר הַזֶּ֑ה וְאָמַרְתָּ֞ שִׁמְע֣וּ דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֗ה כָּל־יְהוּדָ֚ה הַבָּאִים֙ בַּשְּׁעָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה לְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֹ֖ת לַֽיהֹוָֽה:
Jeremiah 17:27
27 And if you will not hearken to Me to hallow the Sabbath day and not to carry burdens and to come into the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath, I will kindle a fire in her gates, and it will consume the palaces of Jerusalem, and it will not be quenched.
כז וְאִם־לֹ֨א תִשְׁמְע֜וּ אֵלַ֗י לְקַדֵּשׁ֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת וּלְבִלְתִּ֣י | שְׂאֵ֣ת מַשָּׂ֗א וּבֹ֛א בְּשַֽׁעֲרֵ֥י יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֖ם בְּי֣וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֑ת וְהִצַּ֧תִּי אֵ֣שׁ בִּשְׁעָרֶ֗יהָ וְאָֽכְלָ֛ה אַרְמְנ֥וֹת יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֖ם וְלֹ֥א תִכְבֶּֽה:
Those that stayed within the gates of Jerusalem and who did not leave to Babylon suffered a horrendous fate. They laid siege to the city of Jerusalem, starved out the people inside the city gates, and eventually burned everything including the walls, gates, and the city of Jerusalem to the ground.
We see this illustrated throughout Jeremiah’s multiple prophecies.
Jeremiah 9:10
10 And I will make Jerusalem heaps (of ruin), a lair of jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.
י וְנָֽתַתִּ֧י אֶת־יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֛ם לְגַלִּ֖ים מְע֣וֹן תַּנִּ֑ים וְאֶת־עָרֵ֧י יְהוּדָ֛ה אֶתֵּ֥ן שְׁמָמָ֖ה מִבְּלִ֖י יוֹשֵֽׁב
Jeremiah 34:2
2 So said the Lord God of Israel, Go and say to Zedekiah king of Judah, and you shall say to him: So said the Lord: Behold I deliver this city into the hand[s] of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
ב כֹּֽה־אָמַ֚ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הָלֹךְ֙ וְאָ֣מַרְתָּ֔ אֶל־צִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֑ה וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֗יו כֹּה אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֔ה הִֽנְנִ֨י נֹתֵ֜ן אֶת־הָעִ֚יר הַזֹּאת֙ בְּיַ֣ד מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֔ל וּשְׂרָפָ֖הּ בָּאֵֽשׁ:
Jeremiah 39:8
8 And the king’s palace and the houses of the people the Chaldeans burnt with fire, and they demolished the walls of Jerusalem.
ח וְאֶת־בֵּ֚ית הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ וְאֶת־בֵּ֣ית הָעָ֔ם שָֽׂרְפ֥וּ הַכַּשְׂדִּ֖ים בָּאֵ֑שׁ וְאֶת־חֹמֹ֥ת יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֖ם נָתָֽצוּ:
Jeremiah 52:13–14
13 And he burnt the house of the Lord and the king’s palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem and all the houses of the dignitaries he burnt with fire.
יג וַיִּשְׂרֹ֥ף אֶת־בֵּֽית־יְהֹוָ֖ה וְאֶת־בֵּ֣ית הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־בָּתֵּ֧י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֛ם וְאֶת־כָּל־בֵּ֥ית הַגָּד֖וֹל שָׂרַ֥ף בָּאֵֽשׁ:
14 The entire army of the Chaldeans that was with the chief executioner demolished all the walls of Jerusalem around.
יד וְאֶת־כָּל־חֹמ֥וֹת יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֖ם סָבִ֑יב נָֽתְצוּ֙ כָּל־חֵ֣יל כַּשְׂדִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֶת־רַב־טַבָּחִֽים:
We see the culmination of Jehoiakim King of Judah’s reign below culminating at the gates of Jerusalem; Those same gates which languish. The same gates Judah mourns over.
Jeremiah 22:18–19
18 Therefore, so said the Lord about Jehoiakim, king of Judah; They will not lament him, [saying], “Hoe, brother!” or “Hoe, sister!” they will not lament him, “Hoe, lord!” or “Hoe, his glory!”
יח לָכֵ֞ן כֹּֽה־אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֗ה אֶל־יְהוֹיָקִ֚ים בֶּן־יֹֽאשִׁיָּ֙הוּ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֔ה לֹֽא־יִסְפְּד֣וּ ל֔וֹ ה֥וֹי אָחִ֖י וְה֣וֹי אָח֑וֹת לֹֽא־יִסְפְּד֣וּ ל֔וֹ ה֥וֹי אָד֖וֹן וְה֥וֹי הֹדֹֽה:
19 A donkey’s burial shall he be buried, dragged and tossed past the gates of Jerusalem.
יט קְבוּרַ֥ת חֲמ֖וֹר יִקָּבֵ֑ר סָח֣וֹב וְהַשְׁלֵ֔ךְ מֵהָ֖לְאָה לְשַֽׁעֲרֵ֥י יְרֽוּשָׁלִָֽם:
The entire book of Jeremiah references these gates of Jerusalem. They were a meeting place. An entrance to a hub of commerce during times of peace, a means of fortification during times of war. These gates; the same ones referenced so often by Jeremiah, “languished” under the strain of the Babylonian hordes.
They weakened until they gave way. They were set fire to. They were “blackened to the ground”. The loss of these gates that were burned “black to the ground” meant a complete loss of security for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They were defeated, and so “Judah mourned”.
