Romans 1:26 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:

Romans 1:26 nkjv

For 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 niv

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.

Romans 1:26 esv

For 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 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.

Romans 1 verses

Romans 1 26 Meaning

Romans 1:26 states that as a divine judgment for humanity's willful rejection and suppression of God's truth, God "gave them over" to "degrading passions." This particular verse highlights the manifestation of these passions in the realm of sexual behavior among women, specifying that "their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature," indicating same-sex sexual acts are considered an outcome of humanity's departure from God's created order and a form of His judicial abandonment.

Romans 1 26 Context

Romans 1:26 is situated within the apostle Paul's profound theological argument detailing the universal guilt of humanity before God, a necessary prelude to the gospel of salvation by faith in Christ. The chapter establishes God's revelation of Himself through creation (Rom 1:19-20), highlighting humanity's culpability for rejecting this revelation.

Verses 18-32 describe the downward spiral of humanity's sin, starting with suppressing the truth about God (Rom 1:18). This rejection leads to idolatry, exchanging the glorious Creator for created things (Rom 1:21-23, 25). As a divine consequence, God executes a judicial act of "giving over" (Rom 1:24, 26, 28) His creation to their own sinful desires. The first "giving over" (Rom 1:24) is to impurity. Verse 26, the second "giving over," specifies degrading sexual passions, particularly among women. This leads directly to the discussion in verse 27 of men's same-sex acts and finally to the complete moral depravity of a "debased mind" (Rom 1:28) and a full list of unrighteous behaviors. Historically, the Greco-Roman world was saturated with idolatrous practices and pervasive sexual immorality, including forms of temple prostitution and pederasty, and same-sex relations were culturally accepted in certain contexts. Paul's message stands in direct polemic against these prevalent cultural norms, asserting a singular Creator God and a divinely established natural order for humanity's sexual expression.

Romans 1 26 Word analysis

• For this reason (Dia touto): Connects directly to the preceding verses (Rom 1:21-25), indicating that God's judicial act of "giving over" is a consequence of humanity's persistent choice to reject and suppress the knowledge of God, culminating in idolatry and exchanging the truth for a lie. It signifies a logical and necessary divine response to human rebellion.
• God (ho theos): The sovereign, active agent. This is not passive allowance but an intentional, judicial surrender by God. He does not cause sin, but in judgment, He withdraws His restraining hand, allowing sinful human nature to run its course and experience the full consequences of its rebellion.
• gave them over (paredōken): An aorist verb (from paradidomi) implying a definitive, completed action. It denotes a surrender, handing over, or abandonment. This term appears three times in this chapter (Rom 1:24, 26, 28), emphasizing a progressive downward spiral in God's judicial abandonment. Each instance signifies a further consequence of rejecting God, escalating from impurity to degrading passions, and finally to a debased mind.
• to degrading passions (eis pathē atimias):
  • degrading (atimias): From atimia, meaning "dishonor, disgrace, shame." These passions lead to profound moral and spiritual dishonor, diminishing human dignity. It speaks of something unworthy of esteem or respect.
  • passions (pathē): Refers to strong inner urges or affections. Here, it is used negatively, denoting uncontrolled, base desires that hold individuals captive, contrasting with the proper desires within God's design. These are intense, shameful urges that spring from a perverted nature.
• For (kai gar): An emphatic conjunction meaning "for indeed" or "for example." It introduces a specific, illustrative manifestation of the "degrading passions" just mentioned.
• their women (hai gar thēleiai autōn):
  • women (thēleiai): Explicitly refers to biological females. Paul uses this specific term to make it unequivocally clear that he is speaking of same-sex sexual acts between women. This challenges any notion that only male same-sex acts are addressed elsewhere.
  • their (autōn): Points back to the same "them" (humanity in rebellion against God) as in the prior phrases, showing the universality of this moral descent.
• exchanged (metēllaxan): A compound verb (from metallassō) similar to ēllaxan in Rom 1:23 and 25. It emphasizes a deliberate, volitional act of alteration or substitution. It implies a departure from what is original or rightful, a conscious swapping of one thing for another. In this context, it's a profound perversion of divine order.
• natural relations (tēn physikēn chrēsin):
  • natural (physikēn): From physikos, relating to physis ("nature"). Refers to what is inherent, in conformity with created order, divinely ordained design, and what is normal according to how God structured humanity and the created world. In context, it points to the sexual complementarity between male and female as ordained at creation (Gen 1:27, 2:24).
  • relations (chrēsin): Meaning "use," "exercise," or "intercourse." It refers to the use of one's body for sexual purposes. Therefore, "natural relations" signifies sexual intercourse between a man and a woman, consistent with God's design.
• for that which is contrary to nature (eis tēn para physin):
  • contrary to nature (para physin): A very strong, condemnatory phrase. Para ("alongside, contrary to, beyond") combined with physis ("nature"). It describes something that violates, goes against, or transcends the established divine order or the very fabric of created existence, particularly regarding sexual functions designed for procreation and complementarity. This term strongly conveys perversion and deviation from God's blueprint.

Romans 1 26 Bonus section

The "nature" (physis) referenced in this verse is paramount to its understanding. It does not refer to subjective personal feelings, inclinations, or cultural constructs, but rather to the objective, divinely established created order and inherent design for human sexuality as revealed in Scripture (e.g., male and female complementarity, procreative design). This concept of "nature" is a core tenet throughout Paul's writings (e.g., Rom 2:14; 1 Cor 11:14).

Furthermore, the "giving over" is a profound theological statement on the consequence of idolatry. Romans 1 illustrates a progression where a refusal to worship God (Rom 1:21) leads to worshipping creation (Rom 1:23, 25), which then culminates in a self-destructive moral decline, beginning with sexual immorality. The passage implies that true moral uprightness is impossible without right worship of the true God. This sequence highlights that sexual sins are not merely isolated moral failures, but symptoms of a deeper spiritual problem: the rejection of God himself. The severity of the judicial "giving over" emphasizes the gravity of human rebellion.

Romans 1 26 Commentary

Romans 1:26 serves as a stark consequence of humanity's initial rebellion against God. After exchanging the Creator's glory for idols, humanity then exchanges God's design for their own perversions. This verse specifically addresses God's judgment manifested in degraded sexual behaviors, particularly female same-sex sexual activity. Paul explicitly labels such acts as "contrary to nature," directly challenging the prevalent Greco-Roman worldview that sometimes accommodated such practices. This "nature" is understood not as human preference or cultural norm, but as God's created order and design for humanity, particularly in the male-female distinction foundational to creation and procreation (Gen 1:27-28).

God's "giving them over" is not an arbitrary act, but a just and deserved judgment. It is God withdrawing His restraining grace, allowing rebellious humanity to descend deeper into sin, experiencing the debasing effects of living entirely apart from His moral will. This is a present, temporal judgment, designed to reveal the consequence of human choices and underscore the depth of human depravity, ultimately pointing to the absolute necessity of God's redemptive grace found only in Christ. This "giving over" signifies that those who reject God's inherent truth about Himself will increasingly fail to live in accordance with the truth of His created order, even at the most fundamental levels of human existence, like sexuality.

Examples:

• From Idolatry: A culture that worships created beings or philosophies (e.g., radical materialism, self-deification) over the Creator God.
• To Suppressed Truth: Such a culture then suppresses the self-evident truths about God (e.g., rejecting design in nature, moral law within).
• To Immorality (Rom 1:24): This suppression then leads to rampant impurity, sexual sin, and loss of restraint.
• To Degrading Passions (Rom 1:26): As rejection deepens, the society further distorts God's natural design, seen in specific perversions like those mentioned, as a direct judicial consequence.