Romans 1:23-25
New English Translation
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings[a] or birds or four-footed animals[b] or reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over[c] in the desires of their hearts to impurity,[d] to dishonor[e] their bodies among themselves.[f] 25 They[g] exchanged the truth of God for a lie[h] and worshiped and served the creation[i] rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Romans 1:23 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 (aphthartos, “immortal, imperishable, incorruptible”) and φθαρτός (phthartos, “mortal, corruptible, subject to decay”).
- Romans 1:23 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.
- Romans 1:24 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.
- Romans 1:24 tn Or “God delivered them up to the desires of their hearts for impurity.” It is possible that a technical, legal idiom is used here; if so, it would describe God delivering sinners up to a custodian for punishment (see R. Jewett, Romans [Hermeneia], 166-67). In this instance, then, sinners would be given over to their own desires for the express purpose of working more impurity.
- Romans 1:24 tn The genitive articular infinitive τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι (tou atimazesthai, “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.
- Romans 1:24 tn Grk “among them.”
- Romans 1:25 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.
- Romans 1:25 tn Grk “the lie.”
- Romans 1:25 tn Or “creature, created things.”
Romans 1:23-25
New International Version
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images(A) made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over(B) in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.(C) 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie,(D) and worshiped and served created things(E) rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.(F) Amen.(G)
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