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Jeremiah 13: Nature and nurture and leopard spots
1. Jeremiah 13: Nature and nurture and leopard spots
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. [kjv]
ει αλλαξεται αιθιοψ το δερμα αυτου και παρδαλις τα ποικιλματα αυτης και υμεις δυνησεσθε ευ ποιησαι μεμαθηκοτες τα κακα [lxx]
If the Ethiopian shall change his skin, or the leopardess her spots, then shall you° be able to do good, having learnt evil. [bs3]
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.
A zebra (or tiger) cannot change its stripes.
One cannot teach on old dog new tricks.
3. Nature and nurture
There are two primary sources used to describe causation such as diseases, behavior, etc.
nature
nurture
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
Matthew 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]
Nature 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.
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
A 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can take many lifetimes for ideas to change, since people tend to retain ideas far past the time when those ideas have been replaced by newer ideas.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.
7. Jeremiah
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. [kjv]
ει αλλαξεται αιθιοψ το δερμα αυτου και παρδαλις τα ποικιλματα αυτης και υμεις δυνησεσθε ευ ποιησαι μεμαθηκοτες τα κακα [lxx]
If 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
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
Matthew 5:2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, [kjv]
και ανοιξας το στομα αυτου εδιδασκεν αυτους λεγων [gnt]
Teaching and learning are two viewpoints. In English, the following viewpoints are used.
The teacher teaches the student.
The student learns from the teacher.
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.
10. Hebrew
11. Hebrew letter: Lamed as rod and staff
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.
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.
The ancient Greek word "Αἰθιοπία" ≈ "Ethiopia".
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.
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Details are left as a future topic.
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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
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.
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.
Matthew 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
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
In terms of DNA (and physical reality), is there something other than male and female?
If 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).
The Middle English word "wyf" ≈ "woman".
The Old English word "wif" ≈ "woman".
The German word "Weib" ≈ "woman" (which is today a somewhat derogatory reference in German).
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.
19. Snakes and skin
In 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.
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Details are left as a future topic.
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20. Sayings of the dog and the sow
2 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]
συμβεβηκεν αυτοις το της αληθους παροιμιας κυων επιστρεψας επι το ιδιον εξεραμα και υς λουσαμενη εις κυλισμον βορβορου [gnt]
… canis … vomitum … lota … luti [v]
… hound … castyng… sowe … fenne. [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.
Who is a "dog"? Who is a "pig"?
21. Root cause
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [kjv]
παντες γαρ ημαρτον και υστερουνται της δοξης του θεου [gnt]
omnes enim peccaverunt … egent gloriam … [v]
παντες γαρ ημαρτον και υστερουνται της δοξης του θεου [gnt]
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]
22. End of page
