Romans 1:27 kjv
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
Romans 1:27 nkjv
Likewise 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.
Romans 1:27 niv
In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Romans 1:27 esv
and 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.
Romans 1:27 nlt
And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
Romans 1 27 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:27-28 | So God created man in his own image... male and female created he them. And God blessed them... | God's design for humanity; male & female. |
| Gen 2:24 | Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. | Ordained sexual union in marriage. |
| Lev 18:22 | Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. | OT prohibition against male homosexual acts. |
| Lev 20:13 | If a man also lie with mankind... they have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death. | OT prohibition with stated penalty. |
| Deut 32:15-20 | But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked... they provoked him to jealousy... by new gods... | People abandoning God for idols. |
| Psa 81:11-12 | But my people would not hearken... So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust... | God giving people over to their desires. |
| Jer 2:13 | For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me... and hewed them out cisterns... | Rejecting God and pursuing false sources. |
| Hos 4:1-2 | Because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God... swearing, and lying, and killing... | Moral decay due to lack of knowing God. |
| Matt 15:19 | For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts... | Origin of sinful actions from the heart. |
| Rom 1:24 | Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts... | First instance of God giving people over. |
| Rom 1:26 | 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: | God giving over; female same-sex acts. |
| Rom 1:28 | And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind... | Third instance of God giving people over. |
| 1 Cor 6:9-10 | Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?... nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind... | List of those excluded from kingdom due to sin. |
| Gal 5:19-21 | Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness... | Examples of fleshly lusts and their outcome. |
| Eph 4:17-19 | ...that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk... in their mind, who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness... | Gentiles living in futility and moral depravity. |
| 1 Tim 1:9-10 | Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man... for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind... | Law for the ungodly, including male homosexual acts. |
| Jude 1:7 | Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh... | Judgment on cities for gross sexual immorality. |
| Rev 21:8 | But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable... shall have their part in the lake which burneth... | Those who persist in abominable practices face judgment. |
| Jer 4:14 | O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness... How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? | The need to cleanse the inner heart. |
| Psa 14:1 | The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works... | Practical atheism leading to corrupt works. |
Romans 1 verses
Romans 1 27 Meaning
Romans 1:27 describes men abandoning the divinely intended, natural sexual union with women and instead engaging in intense, unbridled lustful acts with other men. This passage identifies these male same-sex acts as "unseemly" and a clear demonstration of humanity's departure from God's created order. Consequently, the verse states they receive a fitting internal retribution or consequence for their grave error, which stems from their rejection of God.
Romans 1 27 Context
Romans chapter 1 outlines humanity's fundamental problem: the suppression of God's truth, leading to idolatry and consequent moral decay. Verses 18-32 reveal God's righteous wrath against ungodliness and unrighteousness. Humans exchanged the glory of the immortal God for created things (Rom 1:23) and changed the truth of God into a lie (Rom 1:25), worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator.
As a consequence of this fundamental rebellion (specifically idolatry), God "gave them over" (paredōken in Greek) three times:
- To uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts (Rom 1:24), resulting in dishonoring their own bodies.
- To vile passions (Rom 1:26), leading to unnatural sexual relations (female-female in Rom 1:26 and male-male in Rom 1:27).
- To a debased mind (Rom 1:28), leading to all sorts of unrighteousness and ungodly behavior (Rom 1:29-31).
Romans 1:27 specifically continues the progression of humanity's downward spiral when separated from the knowledge and worship of God. It presents male same-sex acts as a direct manifestation of this abandonment of God's design and a natural consequence of the idolatry described earlier in the chapter. The passage illustrates how a corrupted theology inevitably leads to corrupted morality.
Romans 1 27 Word analysis
- And likewise also the men: The Greek "homoiōs kai hoi arsenes" connects this behavior directly to the "women" described in the preceding verse (Rom 1:26), indicating a parallel and pervasive rejection of natural relations across both genders. "Likewise" (homoiōs) stresses similarity in behavior and origin (vile passions, turning from God). "Men" (arsenes) specifically refers to biological males.
- leaving: The Greek "aphentes" (aorist participle of aphēmi) indicates a decisive act of forsaking or abandoning. It's a deliberate turning away.
- the natural use: "Natural" (physikēn) refers to that which is in accordance with God's created design and order (phusis). "Use" (chrēsin) signifies sexual intercourse. This phrase points to heterosexual relations within God's intended boundaries for procreation and intimate companionship as the normative "natural" pattern for humanity.
- of the woman: "Thēleias" refers to a biological female, specifically a wife in the context of normative relations. This specifies the divinely ordained partner that was abandoned.
- burned in their lust one toward another: "Burned" (exechausēn, imperfect indicative of ekkaio) denotes an intense, continuous, consuming internal heat of desire or passion. "Lust" (orexei) indicates uncontrolled, passionate desire or craving. The phrase "one toward another" (eis allēlous) emphasizes the direction of this disordered passion—homosexual desire, mutually felt.
- men with men: "Arsenes en arsenesin" (lit. "males in/among males"). This phrase is explicit and unambiguous in specifying the nature of the relationship, confirming homosexual acts between males. The preposition "en" here indicates "with" or "among," reinforcing the engagement of male with male.
- working that which is unseemly: "Working" (katergazomenoi, present participle of katergazomai) implies actively carrying out, committing, or accomplishing. "Unseemly" (aschēmosynēn) refers to acts that are shameful, indecent, or without proper form and order, deviating from what is honorable and proper according to God's standard. It implies a lack of reverence for the body and divine design.
- and receiving in themselves: "Receiving" (komizomenoi, present participle of komizō) indicates an ongoing experience or reaping. "In themselves" suggests an inherent, internal consequence or retribution that is part of their being, potentially referring to physical consequences (e.g., diseases, Rom 6:23, 7:5), spiritual consequences (e.g., defilement, spiritual death, alienation from God), or both.
- that recompense of their error which was meet: "Recompense" (antimisthian) signifies a compensation, retribution, or penalty. "Error" (planēs) means a wandering astray, a deviation from truth or righteousness, a deception. It links back to humanity’s spiritual wandering from God. "Meet" (edei, imperfect indicative of dei) implies that it was necessary, fitting, or proper; the punishment perfectly corresponded to the nature of their transgression. It implies divine justice is being dispensed, where the natural consequences of sin become the "payment" for the "error" of forsaking God.
Romans 1 27 Bonus section
The active language, such as "leaving" and "working," emphasizes the willful and deliberate nature of these actions. This passage underscores that while the underlying issue is idolatry and a "reprobate mind," the explicit sexual practices listed are concrete manifestations of that profound spiritual rejection. The description of the consequences as "receiving in themselves that recompense" suggests an intrinsic, inherent payment of error. This means the negative outcome is not merely an external punishment inflicted by God but often a degradation, corruption, and spiritual death that result from the nature of the sin itself, as people become enslaved to their own depraved desires (compare with Rom 6:19). The moral chaos described in Romans 1:29-31 directly follows the sexual aberrations, demonstrating how sexual immorality is interwoven with a broader breakdown of human society and relationship with God.
Romans 1 27 Commentary
Romans 1:27 profoundly reveals the theological understanding of sexual sin within the larger framework of rebellion against God. The progression is clear: when humanity rejects the Creator and embraces idolatry (Rom 1:23-25), God "gives them over" to the consequences of their chosen path. The specific actions described in verse 27—male same-sex lust and acts—are presented not as primary sins in isolation but as an intensified manifestation of humanity's broader depravity, an outward sign of an inward spiritual degradation that began with rejecting the truth about God. The term "natural use" defines sexuality within the boundaries of creation's design (male and female for union and procreation), rendering "unnatural" all deviations from this. The "burning lust" emphasizes the disordered and insatiable nature of desire when untethered from God's holy standard. The ultimate consequence, "receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet," highlights God's justice; the sin itself contains the seeds of its own fitting penalty, leading to an inherent and self-inflicted spiritual or existential retribution. This retribution is not arbitrary but "meet" (fitting), implying a natural outworking of their turning away from God, resulting in inner corruption and ultimate separation from Him if unrepentant.