Discovery BoxRomans 1:21-25 
Context1:21 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 1 were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed 2 to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings 3 or birds or four-footed animals 4 or reptiles.
1:24 Therefore God gave them over 5 in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor 6 their bodies among themselves. 7 1:25 They 8 exchanged the truth of God for a lie 9 and worshiped and served the creation 10 rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
1 tn Grk “heart.”
2 tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.
3 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”).
4 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.
5 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.
6 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.
7 tn Grk “among them.”
8 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.
9 tn Grk “the lie.”
10 tn Or “creature, created things.”
