81:12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires; 5
they did what seemed right to them. 6
147:20 He has not done so with any other nation;
they are not aware of his regulations.
Praise the Lord!
4:17 Ephraim has attached himself to idols;
Do not go near him!
1:24 Therefore God gave them over 11 in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor 12 their bodies among themselves. 13 1:25 They 14 exchanged the truth of God for a lie 15 and worshiped and served the creation 16 rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, 17 God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. 18
2:1 And although you were 21 dead 22 in your transgressions and sins,
1 tn Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”
2 tn Or “times when people did not know.”
3 tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
4 sn He now commands all people everywhere to repent. God was now asking all mankind to turn to him. No nation or race was excluded.
5 tn Heb “and I sent him away in the stubbornness of their heart.”
6 tn Heb “they walked in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite (“walked”) or a customary imperfect (“were walking”).
7 tn Grk “heart.”
8 tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.
9 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”).
10 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.
11 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.
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.
13 tn Grk “among them.”
14 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.
15 tn Grk “the lie.”
16 tn Or “creature, created things.”
17 tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”
18 tn Grk “the things that are improper.”
19 tn Or “without Christ.” Both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Because the context refers to ancient Israel’s messianic expectation, “Messiah” was employed in the translation at this point rather than “Christ.”
20 tn Or “covenants of the promise.”
21 tn The adverbial participle “being” (ὄντας, ontas) is taken concessively.
22 sn Chapter 2 starts off with a participle, although you were dead, that is left dangling. The syntax in Greek for vv. 1-3 constitutes one incomplete sentence, though it seems to have been done intentionally. The dangling participle leaves the readers in suspense while they wait for the solution (in v. 4) to their spiritual dilemma.