Romans 1:20-32

1:20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people ¹  are without excuse. 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 ²  were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed ³  to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings ⁴  or birds or four-footed animals ⁵  or reptiles.

1:24 Therefore God gave them over ⁶  in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor ⁷  their bodies among themselves. ⁸  1:25 They ⁹  exchanged the truth of God for a lie ¹⁰  and worshiped and served the creation ¹¹  rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

1:26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, ¹²  1:27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women ¹³  and were inflamed in their passions ¹⁴  for one another. Men ¹⁵  committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, ¹⁶  God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. ¹⁷  1:29 They are filled ¹⁸  with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with ¹⁹  envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 1:31 senseless, covenant-breakers, ²⁰  heartless, ruthless. 1:32 Although they fully know ²¹  God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, ²²  they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. ²³ 

[1:20]  ¹ tn Grk “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:21]  ² tn Grk “heart.”

[1:22]  ³ tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.

[1:23]  ⁴ 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”).

[1:23]  ⁵ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.

[1:24]  ⁶ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.

[1:24]  ⁷ 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.

[1:24]  ⁸ tn Grk “among them.”

[1:25]  ⁹ 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.

[1:25]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the lie.”

[1:25]  ¹¹ tn Or “creature, created things.”

[1:26]  ¹² tn Grk “for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is contrary to nature.” The term χρῆσις (crhsi") has the force of “sexual relations” here (L&N 23.65).

[1:27]  ¹³ tn Grk “likewise so also the males abandoning the natural function of the female.”

[1:27]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “burned with intense desire” (L&N 25.16).

[1:27]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “another, men committing…and receiving,” continuing the description of their deeds. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:28]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”

[1:28]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “the things that are improper.”

[1:29]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “being filled” or “having been filled,” referring to those described in v. 28. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:29]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “malice, full of,” continuing the description. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:31]  ²⁰ tn Or “promise-breakers.”

[1:32]  ²¹ tn Grk “who, knowing…, not only do them but also approve…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:32]  ²² tn Grk “are worthy of death.”

[1:32]  ²³ sn “Vice lists” like vv. 28-32 can be found elsewhere in the NT in Matt 15:19; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Tim 1:9-10; and 1 Pet 4:3. An example from the intertestamental period can be found in Wis 14:25-26.