New King James Version
Romans 1:26
26For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against 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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to 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 also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
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 also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
- Genesis 19:5And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”
- Leviticus 18:22You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.
- Deuteronomy 23:17“There shall be no ritual harlot of the daughters of Israel, or a perverted one of the sons of Israel.
- Judges 19:22As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, “Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally!”
- 1 Corinthians 6:9Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
- Ephesians 4:19who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
- Ephesians 5:12For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
- 1 Timothy 1:10for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,
- Jude 1:7as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries