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DNA Suggests Early Jewish Links with Africa

Bible and archaeology news

A DNA study that compared the genetic makeup of Jewish populations from around the world with African populations has found that modern Jews can attribute about 3 to 5 percent of their ancestry to sub-Saharan Africans. Researchers from the Harvard Medical School estimate that the exchange of genes occurred approximately 72 generations ago (or about 2,000 years). Lawrence Schiffman, professor of Hebrew and Judaic studies at Yeshiva University, believes the intermixing may have occurred during the Hellenistic period (c. 320–30 B.C.E.), when Jewish communities were resident in many North African coastal cities, or during the First Temple period (c. 950–600 B.C.E.), when the Israelite kings, including Solomon, had trade relationships with Africa.

DNA Suggests Early Jewish Links with Africa

A DNA study that compared the genetic makeup of Jewish populations from around the world with African populations has found that modern Jews can attribute about 3 to 5 percent of their ancestry to sub-Saharan Africans.


A recent study on mitochondrial DNA revealed that the female line of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry closely resembles that of Southern and Western Europe, rather than the ancient Near East, as many scholars proposed in the past. Read more.


4 Responses

  1. Indigenous Knowledge says:

    OK they need to stop trying to justify their presence in the state of Israel when clearly Solomon describes himself as being BLACK, as were the majority of biblical kings, and of course they have markers in their DNA that link them to Africa as do all human beings, so good bye with this crap, and I’m black but I have love for everyone but I hate lies.

    1. Dave B. says:

      Considering the entire human race, except for some rare finds in Indonesia, our remote ancestors all came out of Africa. Those who left Africa had to pass through the Levantine in their dispersion across the globe. Personally, I think the true Garden of Eden refers to East Africa. We can safely assume that Adam and Eve were the true first people of color.

    2. Mimi says:

      For people who anthropology and the history of being a human being, DNA is just interesting as a way to trace early humans migrations from Africa to around the world, and how cultures migrated and changed and then mixed to get us to where we are today. If you don’t agree that it’s interesting, then why did you click on this article? There’s nothing in this article making a claim about identity or any specific rights- that’s purely your own hang-up. Have fun hating everything in the world that’s not in tidy packages of labels.

  2. Gary Harper says:

    An explanation for Bathsheba, and Solomon’s prominence in the Bible?

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4 Responses

  1. Indigenous Knowledge says:

    OK they need to stop trying to justify their presence in the state of Israel when clearly Solomon describes himself as being BLACK, as were the majority of biblical kings, and of course they have markers in their DNA that link them to Africa as do all human beings, so good bye with this crap, and I’m black but I have love for everyone but I hate lies.

    1. Dave B. says:

      Considering the entire human race, except for some rare finds in Indonesia, our remote ancestors all came out of Africa. Those who left Africa had to pass through the Levantine in their dispersion across the globe. Personally, I think the true Garden of Eden refers to East Africa. We can safely assume that Adam and Eve were the true first people of color.

    2. Mimi says:

      For people who anthropology and the history of being a human being, DNA is just interesting as a way to trace early humans migrations from Africa to around the world, and how cultures migrated and changed and then mixed to get us to where we are today. If you don’t agree that it’s interesting, then why did you click on this article? There’s nothing in this article making a claim about identity or any specific rights- that’s purely your own hang-up. Have fun hating everything in the world that’s not in tidy packages of labels.

  2. Gary Harper says:

    An explanation for Bathsheba, and Solomon’s prominence in the Bible?

Write a Reply or Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


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