Does the Bible say that the first Jews were black?

Answer 1

The Bible does not explicitly state, "the Jews were black", but neither does it state they were a "tan-nish color". This means one would have to draw their own conclusion from what they read, what is not explicitly stated, but still made known, and what they believe of history. Since the bible does give many hints (such as, the area of Israelite origin and in which they lived - the Fertile Crescent), clues (such as, description on tendencies the Israelites had), and over all messages (such as, the curses that were brought down on them in prophecy that show what happened and what was to happen to His people), one could conclude the Israelites, which is what they were called, were what society today calls black.

It'd be hard to believe otherwise (because of clear prophecy the Most High has stated in the bible) while stating one believes His prophecies without seeming not to truly believe His prophecy or believing it's only partially true, or ignoring precise connections for convenience (what's been taught throughout history) or otherwise.

Answer 2

No. The Bible says that Abraham was the ultimate ancestors of the Jews and that he came from the city of Ur in Babylonia. If so, we can expect the first Jews to have been of Middle Eastern appearance, which of course they were.

This is not conjecture based on remote possibilities and conclusions we could draw, but what the Bible actually says.

Answer 3

No. It describes them with phrases indicating that they were capable of suntanning (Song of Songs 1:6), with ruddy skin (ibid 5:10; 1 Samuel 16:12), neither of which are relevant to Blacks.

The first Jews being Black is a fanciful notion, or wishful thinking, contradicted by DNA studies.
Just as today, Israelites came in differing skin-tones, heights, and body-types. Our tradition is that the twelve sons of Jacob (the 12 Tribes) were not completely similar to each other in appearance, though none of them was really dark-skinned (Rashi commentary on Genesis 12:11).

Abraham and Sarah came from southern Iraq and their wider family from northern Iraq. Since DNA tests have shown that Jews intermarried infrequently throughout history, Abraham and the Israelites probably looked like Jews today.

Bible-verses can be interpreted and misinterpreted in an attempt to prove anything, but the genetics do not lie.

DNA testing of Jewish communities worldwide has shown that they are all interrelated and of Middle Eastern genetics, not African or Egyptian.

In 2000, the analysis of a report by Nicholas Wade "provided genetic witness that Jewish communities have, to a remarkable extent, retained their biological identity separate from their host populations, evidence of relatively little intermarriage or conversion into Judaism over the centuries. The results accord with Jewish history and tradition." (See: What race were the Israelites?)

The only exception to this is the Ethiopian Black Jews, who show only a trace of DNA connection to other Jewish communities. Western ethnologists today hold the view that the Jews of Gondar (Ethiopia) either emerged from a Judaizing strain among Ethiopian Christians, or were converted by Yemeni Jews who crossed the Red Sea.

A study by Professors Lucotte and Smets has shown that the genetic father of Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) was close to the Ethiopian non-Jewish populations. This is consistent with the theory that Beta Israel are descendants of ancient inhabitants of Ethiopia, not the Middle East.

Hammer et al. in 2000, and the team of Shen in 2004, arrive at similar conclusions, namely that the DNA of the Ethiopian Jews probably indicates a conversion of local populations.
It has been estimated that this happened some 2,000 years ago.

And in America:
The beliefs and practices of Black Hebrew groups vary considerably. The differences are so great that historian James Tinney has suggested the classification of the organizations into three quite distinct groups.
Some of these groups are actually Christians, or part-Christians in their beliefs and practices. They have titles such as Church of the Living God, the Church of God and Saints of Christ, and the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ. Others profess beliefs closer to Judaism, such as the Commandment Keepers.
As Judaism sees it, the issue with their claims is that they can produce no generally-accepted evidence of actual Semitic ancestry. These groups created themselves spontaneously within recent decades, from within the wider African-American population.

Any African-Americans who choose to become actual Jews through proper conversion are accepted into Judaism.