People of Color in the Bible: Old Testament It might be helpful at this point to examine and appreciate the ethnic diversity found in the pages of the Bible. Even though we find our racial origins and roots in God’s Word, our contemporary racial categories and distinctions are not necessarily the same ones of the ancient world of the Bible. Today there are labels such as black, white, colored, caste, tribe, etc. However, the Bible does have many dark-skinned, non-white, or people of color in it. Let’s pause and take a look at some examples. Generally, people of color in the Bible are ones of African or Hamitic descent (those descended from Ham, one of the sons of Noah). The name Ham means “hot” or “heat” and may refer to the darker skin color of the peoples living in warmer climates. Here are some of the many descendants mentioned:
41
