English Standard Version
Romans 1:26
26For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
Romans 1:26 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
- New International Version (NIV)Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
- New Living Translation (NLT)That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.
Context of Romans 1:26
24Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Read all of Romans 1Romans 1:26 word by word
Διὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας· αἵ τε γὰρ θήλειαι αὐτῶν μετήλλαξαν τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν εἰς τὴν παρὰ φύσιν,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Forδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- gaveπαραδίδωμιparadidōmi · to deliverG3860
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- untoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- vileἀτιμίαatimia · dishonourG819
- affectionsπάθοςpathos · passionG3806
- forγάρgar · forG1063
- evenτεte · and/bothG5037
- womenθῆλυςthēlus · femaleG2338
- did changeμεταλλάσσωmetallassō · to exchangeG3337
- the naturalφυσικόςphusikos · naturalG5446
- useχρῆσιςchrēsis · useG5540
- againstπαράpara · from/with/besideG3844
- natureφύσιςphusis · natureG5449
Cross-references for Romans 1:26
- Romans 1:24Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
- Genesis 19:5And they called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them."
- Leviticus 18:22You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
- Deuteronomy 23:17"None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.
- Judges 19:22As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, "Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him."
- 1 Corinthians 6:9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
- Ephesians 4:19They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
- Ephesians 5:12For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.
- 1 Timothy 1:10the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
- Jude 1:7just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
Commentaries on Romans 1:26
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26For this cause God gave them up, etc. - Their system of idolatry necessarily produced all kinds of impurity. How could it be otherwise, when the highest objects of their worship were adulterers, fornicators, and prostitutes of the most infamous kind, such as Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Venus, etc.? Of the abominable evils with which the apostle charges the Gentiles in this and the following verse I could produce a multitude of proofs from their own writings…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26For this cause - On account of what had just been specified; to wit, that they did not glorify him as God, that they were unthankful, that they became polytheists and idolaters. In the previous verses he had stated their speculative belief. He now proceeds to show its practical influences on their conduct. Vile affections - Disgraceful passions or desires. That is, to those which are immediately specified. The great object of the apostle here, it will be…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26-32Verses 26-32 In the horrid depravity of the heathen, the truth of our Lord's words was shown: "Light was come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil; for he that doeth evil hateth the light." The truth was not to their taste. And we all know how soon a man will contrive, against the strongest evidence, to reason himself out of the belief of what he dislikes. But a man cannot be brought to greater slavery…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones: In this context, the natural way refers to the nature of the world as God made it. As in the Old Testament, Paul refers to same-sex sexual behavior as one example of how people have turned away from honoring the true God (see Genesis 19:1–28; Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; Deuteronomy 23:17–18). God created human beings as male and female, and engaging in same-sex sexual activity is a…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 26-2726-27. For this cause God gave them up--(See on Ro 1:24). for even their women--that sex whose priceless jewel and fairest ornament is modesty, and which, when that is once lost, not only becomes more shameless than the other sex, but lives henceforth only to drag the other sex down to its level. did change, &c.--The practices here referred to, though too abundantly attested by classic authors, cannot be further illustrated, without trenching on things…Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 1:26
In the dictionaries
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
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