The reference to the Israelites being called bywords and proverbs is rooted in the biblical curses of Deuteronomy 28, which outlines what would happen to the children of Israel if they disobeyed the Most High’s commandments. One of the most striking prophetic signs of their identity would be their global shame, ridicule, and degradation through names, slurs, and stereotypes — what the Bible calls “bywords” and “proverbs.”
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Key Verse:
Deuteronomy 28:37 (KJV)
“And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.”
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Breakdown of the Curse:
1. “Astonishment”
• In Hebrew: shammah – meaning desolation, ruin, or something that causes shock.
• This speaks to the shock and horror people would feel looking at the condition of the Israelites in captivity: enslaved, colonized, and scattered.
2. “A Proverb”
• Proverbs are sayings or phrases used to sum up a group with stereotypes, often in mocking or simplified terms.
• Examples:
• “If you want to hide something from a Black man, put it in a book.”
• “Black people are lazy.”
• “Once you go Black…”
• “The curse of Ham” (misapplied doctrine used to justify Black enslavement)
3. “A Byword”
• A byword is a reproachful or scornful nickname, often repeated and passed down through generations.
• These are racial slurs, mocking names, or labels that replace the Israelites’ true identity.
• Examples:
• Nigger, Negro, Colored, Coon, Kaffir, Wog, Abd, Pickaninny, Heathen, etc.
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Fulfillment in History:
The curse says this would happen “among all nations” — and history confirms that Black and Afro-descended people have suffered mockery, name-changes, and identity erasure in nearly every nation they were scattered to:
• In America: from “Negro” to “Colored” to “Black” — but never their original names like Israelite or Hebrew.
• In the Caribbean: called “slaves,” “chattel,” or reduced to plantation surnames.
• In Europe: called “wogs,” “savages,” and portrayed as subhuman in literature and science.
• In the Middle East & North Africa: called “Abeed” (slaves) even in Islamic societies that knew of Bilal the Ethiopian.
• In Africa itself: enslaved by Arabs, Portuguese, and other tribes, often branded and renamed.
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Identity Suppressed and Replaced:
The prophecy foretells that the Israelites would forget their identity (Jeremiah 17:4) and be known by names their oppressors gave them. This is key to identifying who the Israelites are today — not by their power, but by their condition:
• Their names would be erased.
• Their language and heritage would be taken.
• Their surnames would be those of their captors.
• Their true nationality would be replaced with vague labels like “Black,” “African-American,” “West Indian,” or “Coloured.”
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Why It Matters:
Understanding this curse helps reveal the true identity of the scattered Israelites. According to the Bible, the chosen people would be known by:
• Their suffering (Deut. 28)
• Their scattered condition (Luke 21:24)
• Their enslavement and mockery (Deut. 28:68, Psalm 44:14)
• Their bywords and proverbs (Deut. 28:37)