Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin, or can a leopard change its spots? Then you too might be able to do good, even though you're used to doing evil.
God is saying that just as people can't change their physical appearance naturally, those who are deeply set in their sinful ways find it nearly impossible to change without divine help.
📚 Historical Context
Jeremiah was a prophet in ancient Judah during the 7th century BC, a time when the nation faced judgment from God due to widespread idolatry and moral corruption under kings like Jehoiakim. In this verse, he uses rhetorical questions about unchangeable natural traits to illustrate that the people, hardened in their evil ways, could not simply reform themselves without divine intervention. This imagery highlighted the futility of their self-reliance amid impending Babylonian exile.
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