Romans 1:23

Romans 1:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
• New International Version (NIV)and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
• New King James Version (NKJV)and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Context of Romans 1:23

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.

Romans 1:23 word by word

καὶ ἤλλαξαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου θεοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν.¶Read the interlinear

• andκαίkai · andG2532
• exchangedἀλλάσσωallassō · to changeG236
• theὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• gloryδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
• immortalἄφθαρτοςaphthartos · incorruptibleG862
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• forἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• imagesὁμοίωμαhomoiōma · likenessG3667
• imagesεἰκώνeikōn · imageG1504
• of mortalφθαρτόςphthartos · perishableG5349
• manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• birdsπετεινόςpeteinon · birdG4071
• animalsτετράπουςtetrapous · four-footedG5074
• reptilesἑρπετόνherpeton · reptileG2062

Cross-references for Romans 1:23

• Romans 1:25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.
• Psalms 106:20They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox.
• Jeremiah 2:11Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.
• Deuteronomy 4:15So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful
• Deuteronomy 5:8You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.
• Psalms 115:5They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;
• Psalms 135:15The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
• Isaiah 40:18To whom will you liken God? To what image will you compare Him?
• Isaiah 44:13The woodworker extends a measuring line; he marks it out with a stylus; he shapes it with chisels and outlines it with a compass. He fashions it in the likeness of man, like man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine.
• Ezekiel 8:10So I went in and looked, and engraved all around the wall was every kind of crawling creature and detestable beast, along with all the idols of the house of Israel.
• Acts 17:29Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.
• 1 Corinthians 12:2You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
• 1 Peter 4:3For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.
• Revelation 9:20Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.

Commentaries on Romans 1:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23They changed the glory, etc. - The finest representation of their deities was in the human figure; and on such representative figures the sculptors spent all their skill; hence the Hercules of Farnese, the Venus of Medicis, and the Apollo of Belvidere. And when they had formed their gods according to the human shape, they endowed them with human passions; and as they clothed them with attributes of extraordinary strength, beauty, wisdom, etc., not having…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23And changed - This does not mean that they literally “transmuted” God himself; but that in their views they exchanged him; or they changed him “as an object of worship” for idols. They produced, of course, no real change in the glory of the infinite God, but the change was in themselves. They forsook him of whom they had knowledge Romans 1:21, and offered the homage which was due to him, to idols. The glory - The majesty, the honor, etc. This word stands…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-25Verses 18-25 The apostle begins to show that all mankind need the salvation of the gospel, because none could obtain the favour of God, or escape his wrath by their own works. For no man can plead that he has fulfilled all his obligations to God and to his neighbour; nor can any truly say that he has fully acted up to the light afforded him. The sinfulness of man is described as ungodliness against the laws of the first table, and unrighteousness against…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-32Paul waits to explain righteousness through faith (see 3:21) until he first teaches about the sinfulness of all people. Both non-Jews and Jews are equally under the power of sin (1:18–32; 2:1–3:8). Because of this, both groups are in the same situation before God. No one can gain God’s favor by their own actions or obedience (3:9–20). All people need God’s saving action, not their own efforts.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22-2322-23. Professing themselves--"boasting," or "pretending to be" wise, they became fools--"It is the invariable property of error in morals and religion, that men take credit to themselves for it and extol it as wisdom. So the heathen" (1Co 1:21) [Tholuck].Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 1:23

• Conscience
• Creeping Things
• Gentiles
• God
• God Continued...
• Idolatry
• Lasciviousness
• Rome
• Wicked (People)
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Affection
• Call
• Creation
• Dark
• Despiteful
• Faith
• Fall of man
• Glory

Commentaries on Romans 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings