Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin?
&c.] Or, "the Cushite"; either, as the Arabic version, the
"Abyssine", the inhabitant of the eastern Ethiopia; properly an
Ethiopian, as the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render
it; or, the "Chusean Arabian"; the inhabitant of Arabia Chusea,
which was nearer Judea than the other Ethiopia, and better known,
and which were of a dark complexion. The Targum renders it, the
Indian; and so does the Syriac version. In the Misna F9 mention
is made of Indian garments, with which the high priest was
clothed on the day of atonement; upon which the gloss F11 is,
that they were of linen of the country of India; and which is the
land of Cush (or Ethiopia), as Jonathan Ben Uzziel interprets (
Jeremiah
13:23 )
``can the Cushite, the Indian, change his skin?''
and it is highly probable, that, in the time of Jeremiah, no other
India was known by the Jews but Ethiopia, or Arabia Chusea, and no
other black people but the inhabitants thereof, or any other than
the Arabians; and, as Braunius
F12 observes, it need not be
wondered at, that with the Jews, in those times, Ethiopia and India
should be reckoned the same country; when with the ancients,
whatever was beyond the Mediterranean sea, as Arabia, Ethiopia, and
even Judea itself, was called India; so Joppa, a city of Phoenicia,
from whence Andromeda was fetched by Perseus, is by Ovid
F13 said to be in India; so Bochart
F14 interprets the words of the Saracens
or Arabians, who are of a swarthy colour, and some black; and
indeed have their name from the same word the raven has, which is
black; and particularly the inhabitants of Kedar were black, one
part of Arabia, to which the allusion is in (
Song of
Solomon 1:5 ) . Jarchi interprets the word here by "the moor",
the blackamoor, whose skin is naturally black, and cannot be
changed by himself or others; hence to wash the blackamoor white is
a proverbial expression for labour in vain, or attempting to do
that which is not to be done:
or the leopard his
spots?
a creature full of spots, and whose spots are natural to it; and
therefore cannot be removed by any means. Some think a creature
called "the ounce", or "cat-a-mountain" is meant, whose spots are
many, and of a blackish colour; but the description well agrees
with the leopard, which is a creature full of spots, and has its
name in the eastern languages, particularly the Chaldee and Arabic,
from a word
F15 which signifies "spotted",
"variegated", as this creature is; so the female is called "varia"
by Pliny
F16, because, of its various spots; and
these spots are black, as the Arabic writers in Bochart
F17. The
word here used signifies such marks as are made in a body beat and
bruised, which we call black and blue; hence some render it
"livid", or black and blue spots
F18; and these marks are in the
skin and hair of this creature, and are natural to it, and cannot
be changed; and it is usual with other writers
F19 to call
them spots, as well as the Scripture:
then may ye also do
good, that are accustomed to do evil;
signifying that they were naturally sinners, as blackness is
natural to the Ethiopian, and spots to the leopard; and were from
their birth and infancy such, and had been so long habituated to
sin, by custom founded upon nature, that there was no hope of them;
they were obstinate in sin, bent upon it, and incorrigible in it;
and this is another reason given why the above calamities came upon
them. The metaphors used in this text fitly express the state and
condition of men by nature; they are like the Ethiopian or
blackamoor; very black, both with original and actual sin; very
guilty, and very uncomely; and their blackness is natural to them;
they have it from their parents, and by birth; it is with them from
their infancy, and youth upwards; and very hard and difficult to be
removed; it cannot be washed off by ceremonial ablutions, moral
duties, evangelical ordinances, or outward humiliations; yea, it is
impossible to be removed but by the grace of God and blood of
Christ. Their sins are aptly compared to the leopard's spots, which
are many and natural, and difficult to get clear off. What is
figuratively expressed in the above metaphors is more plainly
signified by being "accustomed" or "taught to do evil"
F20; which
denotes a series and course of sinning; a settled habit and custom
in it, founded on nature, and arising from it; which a man learns
and acquires naturally, and of himself, whereby he becomes void of
fear and shame; and there is a good deal of difficulty, and indeed
a moral impossibility, that such persons should "do good": nothing
short of the powerful and efficacious grace of God can put a man
into a state and capacity of doing good aright, from right
principles to right ends, and of continuing in it; for there is no
good in such men; nor have they any true notion of doing good, nor
inclination to it, nor any ability to perform it: in order to it,
it is absolutely necessary that they should first be made good men
by the grace of God; that they should be regenerated and quickened
by the Spirit of God; that they should be created in Christ Jesus
unto good works, and have faith in him; all which is by the grace
of God, and not of themselves.