Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
Original Language Analysis
הֲיַהֲפֹ֤ךְ
change
H2015
הֲיַהֲפֹ֤ךְ
change
Strong's:
H2015
Word #:
1 of 11
to turn about or over; by implication, to change, overturn, return, pervert
גַּם
H1571
גַּם
Strong's:
H1571
Word #:
6 of 11
properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...and
תּוּכְל֣וּ
then may
H3201
תּוּכְל֣וּ
then may
Strong's:
H3201
Word #:
8 of 11
to be able, literally (can, could) or morally (may, might)
לְהֵיטִ֔יב
ye also do good
H3190
לְהֵיטִ֔יב
ye also do good
Strong's:
H3190
Word #:
9 of 11
to be (causative) make well, literally (sound, beautiful) or figuratively (happy, successful, right)
Cross References
Jeremiah 2:22For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much sope, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.Jeremiah 9:5And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.Jeremiah 2:30In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.Jeremiah 5:3O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.Jeremiah 17:9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Historical Context
Cush (Ethiopia/Nubia) represented dark-skinned peoples south of Egypt. The observation about unchangeable characteristics was simple fact, not racial judgment. The theological point concerns sin's entrenchment—generations of evil practice created moral inability. This verse anticipates New Covenant theology of heart transformation (31:31-34)—only divine action can change what human effort cannot.
Questions for Reflection
- What does comparing sin's fixedness to inherent physical characteristics teach about the power of habitual wickedness?
- How does acknowledging inability to change open the way for divine transformation?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
This verse uses powerful imagery for sin's fixedness: 'Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?' Two rhetorical questions expect negative answer: the Ethiopian (Cushite) cannot change his dark skin; the leopard cannot remove its spots. These are fixed, inherent characteristics. 'Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.' The Hebrew limudei hara (לִמֻּדֵי הָרַע) means 'taught/trained in evil'—habituated to wickedness. Sin has become as fixed as skin color, as inherent as leopard markings. Apart from divine transformation, Israel cannot change their established patterns.