When I was in English class in college, we were assigned to do a three-page essay on one word. I chose the 'N' word.

 

I determined that it came from the Portuguese word 'niger' meaning black. This word in turn is from the Latin word 'niger' and 'nigra', which both mean black. But, this could not be the reason they gave us the name. Why? Because we are not actually black in color.

 

If they wanted to call us a color, they would have called us 'brown', which is 'marrom' in Portuguese. This word is from the Greek word 'mauros' or 'moros', which means 'dark brown' or 'dark colors.' Hence, we were known as Moors. But, we went from being Moors to... Why??

 

I dug deeper, and found that 'niger' is from the Greek word 'nekros', which means 'dead' (i.e. soulless).

 

It's interesting to note that in most ancient languages, the 'G' and the 'K' sound are interchangeable when they occur at the end of a syllable. For instance, Iraq and "Irag" are similar in speech. I've commonly heard Israelites in the South say "bag up" instead of "back up." It's not a coincidence that 'q' and 'g' look alike in English.

 

The reason I mention this is because "niger" also has a cognate in the Hebrew language that's more applicable than all the other explanations. The word is "Nekker!!" This word in Hebrew means 'calamity, misfortune, and disaster.' When referring to a person, it means a 'stranger or exile.' This word is used one time in the KJV, and is accurately translated as 'stranger.' 

 

Obadiah 1:12: "But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a STRANGER; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress."

 

Another word for 'stranger' and 'exile' in Hebrew is "Gullah." And yes, there is a large group of Israelites primarily in Georgia and South Carolina called the Gullah, and also by the byword, GeeChees. It appears that they knew who we were...

 

Based on the evidence I have found, the 'N' word was not a byword. Instead, it was a descriptive word of our condition - captives and exiles. We are strangers in a land unknown to our fathers in accordance with Deut. 28. Originally, it was no different than the word 'Gullah', which holds a similar meaning.