Send Close Add comments: (status displays here)
Got it!  This site "creationpie.com" uses cookies. You consent to this by clicking on "Got it!" or by continuing to use this website.  Note: This appears on each machine/browser from which this site is accessed.
Jeremiah 13: Nature and nurture and leopard spots
by RS  admin@creationpie.com : 1024 x 640


1. Jeremiah 13: Nature and nurture and leopard spots
Verse routeJeremiah 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. [kjv]
Verse routeει αλλαξεται αιθιοψ το δερμα αυτου και παρδαλις τα ποικιλματα αυτης και υμεις δυνησεσθε ευ ποιησαι μεμαθηκοτες τα κακα [lxx]
Verse routeIf the Ethiopian shall change his skin, or the leopardess her spots, then shall you° be able to do good, having learnt evil. [bs3]

Nature nurture Cafe wall
Is it nature (e.g., genetics) or nurture (e.g., environment)? Is it a combination of these?
Jeremiah uses that analogy to tell the people that they have learned to do some of the bad things that they do and they need not be bad in that way.

2. Related sayings
The saying that a "leopard cannot change its spots" is found in Jeremiah 13:23.

Related sayings include the following.

3. Nature and nurture
Nature nurtureThere are two primary sources used to describe causation such as diseases, behavior, etc.
There are combinations and interactions of these that may impact diseases, behavior, etc., but the root cause can often be traced to one of these two factors.

4. Nature
Verse routeMatthew 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, [kjv]

Double helixNature has to do with the physical reality of the universe and the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) information in living plants, organisms, animals, humans, etc. Once can include the RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) in certain viruses, etc., as impacting what happens.


Information sign More: 2 Peter 2:1-22 Déjà vu all over again

5. Nurture
Nurture has to do with how one is trained, taught, etc.

Nurture is so strong that people who do not like to change will sometimes insist that it is nature and not nurture.

A popular book on the difficulty of organizational change was written by Thomas Kuhn (in the early 1960's).

6. Kuhn: Nature of scientific revolutions
The structure of scientific revolutionsA difficult type of change in organizations involves people. In general, it can take many lifetimes for ideas to change, since people tend to retain ideas far past the time when those ideas have been replaced by newer ideas. This is a central idea in Kuhn's book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions".
It is well documented and established (e.g. Kuhn's book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions") that new ideas take a long while to be adopted, for everyone but even more so for scientists, when one has held a previous idea.

Information sign More: Paradigm shifts

7. Jeremiah
Verse routeJeremiah 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. [kjv]
Verse routeει αλλαξεται αιθιοψ το δερμα αυτου και παρδαλις τα ποικιλματα αυτης και υμεις δυνησεσθε ευ ποιησαι μεμαθηκοτες τα κακα [lxx]
Verse routeIf the Ethiopian shall change his skin, or the leopardess her spots, then shall you° be able to do good, having learnt evil. [bs3]

Jeremiah appears to be saying that, although one cannot change their nature, their nurture has caused many to do evil whereas those could unlearn that evil and start doing good. The LXX (Septuagint) uses the Greek word for "learned" where the KJV (King James Version) uses "accustomed". What you learn is that to which you are accustomed.

8. Jeremiah 13:23

 All 
KJV: Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
Hebrew: היהפך כושי עורו ונמר חברברתיו גם אתם תוכלו להיטיב למדי הרע׃
Greek: ει αλλαξεται αιθιοψ το δερμα αυτου και παρδαλις τα ποικιλματα αυτης και υμεις δυνησεσθε ευ ποιησαι μεμαθηκοτες τα κακα
Brenton: If the Ethiopian shall change his skin, or the leopardess her spots, then shall you° be able to do good, having learnt evil.

9. Teaching and learning and mathematics
Verse routeMatthew 5:2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, [kjv]
Verse routeκαι ανοιξας το στομα αυτου εδιδασκεν αυτους λεγων [gnt]

Teach and learn Doctrine
Teaching and learning are two viewpoints. In English, the following viewpoints are used. In many settings, the teacher may learn things from the student.
The ancient Greek word "μαθητής""learner, disciple" and which is translated in the GNT (Greek New Testament) as "disciple". A "disciple" is someone who "learns" from a teacher.

Information sign More: Teaching and learning and mathematics

10. Hebrew
The Hebrew word for "accustomed" is interesting.

The Hebrew word "למדי" (lim-mu-de) ≈ "who are accustomed". למדי - who are accustomed

11. Hebrew letter: Lamed as rod and staff
Hebrew letter
The 12th letter of the Hebrew alphabet "ל" (lamed) ≈ "lamed" and represents a "rod" or "staff" and appears to resemble such. A "rod" or "prod" is used to direct something in a certain direction.
The name of the letter lamed, the Hebrew word "לםד""learning, studies" is related to the "rod" and "staff" but has to do with learning (or teaching) or guiding.
*H3928 לִמּוּד לִמּוּד (lim-mood') : or limmud {lim-mood'}; from H3925; instructed: -accustomed, disciple, learned, taught, used.


Information sign More: Hebrew alphabet

12. Herodotus
Herodotus reports that the name "Ethiopia" means "dark skinned" or "black skinned" as when viewed with the eye (though that view is disputed and there are other explanations). At the time, the Ethiopians were considered more civilized than say, the Scythians who would have had pale or white skin. One should not impart a contemporary racial view on this statement. The underlying nature, such as skin color, gender, spots, etc., are built into the DNA and cannot be changed (as far as we know) by nurture.

The field of "epigenetics" is concerned with changing DNA.

Future topic Details are left as a future topic.


13. Gender
A paradoxical situation exists in a contemporary "gender change". One hears that we should not look at nor judge (i.e., separate into groups) based on outward appearances but, instead, look inside the person as to who that person really is.

On the other hand, a "gender change" involves superficial changes to the outward appearance. Inside, the DNA of over one trillion cells in a human body is not changed from the original with which that person was born.

For a play on the meaning of information and the phrase "gender change".

14. Review: Gender change party
 ▶ 
 + 
 - 
 1 Male 
 2 Female 
 3 Bottom 

In society, a "gender reveal" party is where, unknown to most of those attending, the gender of an unborn baby (still in the womb) is revealed during the party.

At that time, the gender of the unborn baby goes from "unknown" or "bottom" to "known" (to me) as either "boy" or "girl".

Thus, what is called a "gender reveal" party can be considered, from in information point of view, a "gender change" party.

Information sign More: Sample space for a coin flip
Jesus refers to this in Matthew 19:4 and Mark 10:6 which, of course, go back to the creation in the beginning - in Genesis.

Verse routeMatthew 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, [kjv]


15. Matthew 19:4
   Matthew 19:4 
 All 
KJV: And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Greek: ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις ουκ ανεγνωτε οτι ο ποιησας κτισας απ αρχης αρσεν και θηλυ εποιησεν αυτους
Wessex: Ða andswerede he heom. ne raede ge se þe on fruman worhte. he worhte wepman aend wimman.
Luther: Er antwortete aber und sprach zu ihnen: Habt ihr nicht gelesen, daß, der im Anfang den Menschen gemacht hat, der machte, daß ein Mann und Weib sein sollte,

16. Gender
Male or female or elseIn terms of DNA (and physical reality), is there something other than male and female?

Male or femaleIf not, then the mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive choices are male or female.

17. Wife and woman
The Germanic roots of "wife" is that of meaning "woman". In that sense, saying "my wife" and "my woman" have the same meaning (in an original sense).

18. Leopards and spots

The word used for "spots" in the LXX is the word used for the "painted" in "painted porch", the "porch" with "paintings" or "frescoes" for which the "Stoics" are named.

This same word is the word that was translated in the KJV as "many-colored" in the coat of Joseph.

Information sign More: A coat of paint for porch pictures

19. Snakes and skin
OuroborasIn contrast to a leopard not being able to change its spots, a snake can shed it's skin and, to some extent, take on a new look.

From Genesis, Satan is associated with a serpent or snake and will adapt to changing situations.

Future topic Details are left as a future topic.


20. Sayings of the dog and the sow
Verse route2 Peter 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. [kjv]
Verse routeσυμβεβηκεν αυτοις το της αληθους παροιμιας κυων επιστρεψας επι το ιδιον εξεραμα και υς λουσαμενη εις κυλισμον βορβορου [gnt]
Verse routecanisvomitumlotaluti [v]
Verse routehoundcastyngsowefenne. [wy]

It is often said that "one cannot teach on old dog new tricks". Over history there have been many sayings that involve animals such as dogs and pigs.

In some sense, both "dogs" and "pigs" return to their old ways. Like in Hebrew proverbs, Peter repeats the same idea twice to avoid confusion of meaning.

21. Root cause
Verse routeRomans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [kjv]
Verse routeπαντες γαρ ημαρτον και υστερουνται της δοξης του θεου [gnt]
Verse routeomnes enim peccaveruntegent gloriam … [v]
Verse routeπαντες γαρ ημαρτον και υστερουνται της δοξης του θεου [gnt]

DNA code Sinless
A possible root cause of "sin" is "genetics". We are born with that tendency.

The goal is not to be "sinless" but to "sin" less.

[HIV-positive vs. SIN-positive]

Information sign More: Everything and all things: But wait, there's more

22. End of page

by RS  admin@creationpie.com : 1024 x 640