Romans 1:21-25

1:21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.

1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation 10  rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Romans 1:28

1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, 11  God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. 12 


tn Grk “heart.”

tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.

tn Grk “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God in likeness of an image of corruptible man.” Here there is a wordplay on the Greek terms ἄφθαρτος (afqarto", “immortal, imperishable, incorruptible”) and φθαρτός (fqarto", “mortal, corruptible, subject to decay”).

sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.

sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.

tn The genitive articular infinitive τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι (tou atimazesqai, “to dishonor”) has been taken as (1) an infinitive of purpose; (2) an infinitive of result; or (3) an epexegetical (i.e., explanatory) infinitive, expanding the previous clause.

tn Grk “among them.”

tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

tn Grk “the lie.”

10 tn Or “creature, created things.”

11 tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”

12 tn Grk “the things that are improper.”