The Bible, as far as I can tell, never identifies a people group based on their skin color. Notice this description from Isaiah as he speaks a prophecy against the people of Cush:
Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by waters.
Cush consisted of parts of modern day Ethiopia and Sudan. People from these countries are tall and smooth-skinned, even to this day. They are also black. But the Lord, speaking through Isaiah, failed to mention this fact. Instead of skin color, the Lord described the Cushites using other characteristics—height, skin quality, stance toward outsiders, language, the land they lived upon.
While noting these various aspects, the Lord remained most interested in whether the people of Cush followed him. After a devastating season described by Isaiah, a dramatic conversion was to occur. Isaiah writes that gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned…
Which strikes me, because I work with several followers of Jesus from the region formerly known as Cush. These men and women serve the Lord devotedly, and indeed bring their gifts before him. I’m better for knowing them, and proud to be their friend. Fascinating to see a promise in scripture fulfilled in their lives.
Which again has nothing to do with the color of their skin.
Isaiah 18 in week thirty-four of reading the Bible cover to cover
Photo by Emmanuel Ikwuegbu
The description of the children’s body is a prediction of two nations in this day and age. By God’s help we can put the dots together to know the answer and prepare ourselves for the arrival of Jesus Christ The Lord.
This is the Bible Response
Genesis 27:11 (NKJV)
[11] And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother,
“Look,
Esau my brother is a hairy man,
and I am a smooth-skinned man.
[12] Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.” [13] But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” ”
The Two Sons of Isacc & Rebekah
Genesis 25:23-28 (NKJV)
“And the Lord said to her:
“Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”
So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth,
indeed there were twins in her womb.
And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over;
so they called his name Esau.
Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel;
so his name was called Jacob.
This is Wikipedia Response
1. Modern Human Populations
(The “Redheads”)
In real-world demographics, people with naturally red hair, pale skin, and freckles are the result of mutations in the MC1R gene. Globally, this is a rare trait found in only 1% to 2% of the world’s population, but it clusters heavily in specific regions: [1, 2, 3]
Scotland and Ireland: These countries have the highest concentration of redheads in the world. Roughly 13% of Scots and 10% of Irish people have natural red hair, with up to 40% of the population carrying the recessive gene. [1, 2]
The Volga Region (Russia): Historically, the Udmurt people of this region have been called some of the most red-headed people in the world, maintaining a high percentage of the trait. [1]
Global Diversity: Because it is an ancient mutation, natural red hair also occurs in smaller numbers among Ashkenazi Jewish populations, Berber communities in North Africa, and individuals of mixed or distinct genetic ancestry worldwide (such as Rufous albinism in people of African descent). Recent 2026 evolutionary studies published in Nature have shown that natural selection has actually continued to favor genes linked to red hair and light skin over the last 10,000 years. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
2. Biblical Context: Esau and the Edomites
If your phrase comes from religious texts, it refers directly to Esau, the twin brother of Jacob in the Hebrew Bible.
According to Genesis 25:25, when Esau was born, “the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau.”
Esau is traditionally considered the progenitor of the Edomites, an ancient Semitic people who lived in the Levant (modern-day Jordan and Israel). The name Edom itself literally translates to “red.” [1]
3. Folklore and Mythological Creatures
In mythology, descriptions of entities with explicit red skin and thick hair usually point to legendary creatures:
The Redcap: In Anglo-Scottish border folklore, these are thickset, murderous goblins depicted with long gray hair, fiery red eyes, and red-stained caps. [1, 2]
The Wild Man (Orang Pendek / Yeren / Bigfoot): Cryptid lore across Asia and North America frequently describes undiscovered hominids or “wild men” covered completely in thick, reddish-brown hair.
Basically, back in the day, before the foreign admixtures, it’s likely that no one from Judah cared or even comprehended skin colour, as they were all of the same colour. Think about that. I wonder why people don’t realise that?
Ignorance will not bring you closer to God.
Well probably, tall and smooth skinned people are South Sudanese in the wholewide. And they are black specifically scattered into the entire world from Sudan to be South Sudanese.
Focus on Jesus, because people will be people. It’s about character and the intentions of the heart in action. It’s not a black are white people, It’s righteousness are unrighteousness. It’s love are hateful people, they all show with actions that’s their character the unique people who love God. God is love that’s the division between love and hate.
The description is found in the masoretic text, I am looking at it in La Reina Valera (spanish translation) right now, but it is completely different in the KJV, which in Isaiah 18:7, omits the phrase people of elevated stature, and people of brilliant complextion in the masoretic text is rendered “people tall and smooth of skin”. I understand though, their transcribing from differing manuscripts.
Fact that cush is father of nilotes people and Cushites and cush kingdom extended upto modern Ethiopia,Sudan somalia and the upper part of modern Kenya I think bible talks about Kikuyu land.
Bible don’t talk about bantu speakers Soo talks about strange speaking ppl because the Bible knows nilotes speaking people Cushites speaking and could have just said so but here it talks about a strange language people dark who are feared(maumau) whose land is divided by rivers ( from nyeri to kiambu a lot of valleys and rivers)
Indeed this bible chapter talks about Kenya whole of Kenya.
My opinion
Kikuyu people are bantus and very short. It’s ridiculous to even mention them here.
LISTEN PEOPLE THE KING JAMES VERSION DOES NOT MAKE REFERENCE TO TALL, SMOOTH OR DARK SKINNED PEOPLE IN THE BOOK OF ISAIAH CHAPTER 18 THOUGH THE CUSHITES WERE SUCH! BE CAREFUL OF WHATS WRITTEN THESE DAYS AS GOD SAID NOT TO EITHER ADD OR TAKE AWAY FROM HIS WORD!!! AND THATS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY!
So in other words?
There is no another Tall and dark-smooth skinned people apart from South Sudanese. It is truly mean South Sudan
Ian a Nilote kalenjin tribe is black skin , is it the one the prophet said in Isaiah 28 : 1- 7.
The land of beyond the river , tall,dark skinned is South Sudan
I don’t know enough about the land just thought if aliens are real…well you can imagine my thoughts on that.
“Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smoothed-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers.”
Im still reading but my insides responded like when you jump off the high dive.
You NEED JESUS. I feel sorry for you.
Amen. I’ve come to the understanding that this was Cush as well… Ethiopia and Sudan.
However, it says that the land described in verse 1 is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia and sends messengers to a people talk and smooth of skin… Which land is that? There’s a difference from that land and who they’re sending the messengers to.
The land beyond the rivers of Ethiopia is Kenya. The Nilotic tribes of Kenya are tall and dark.
So this is the truth the prophet saw from Israel ; that is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia is Kenya.
Jeremiah 13:23 NLT Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin?
Can a leopard take away its spots?
Neither can you start doing good,
for you have always done evil.
Song of Solomon 1:5 I am dark (shachor Definition: black), but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.
That’s the English translation. When you look at the original you’ll be surprised.
Can you share what the original writing states?
It could be brother I also think the same