Romans 1:29 kjv
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Romans 1:29 nkjv
being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
Romans 1:29 niv
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
Romans 1:29 esv
They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,
Romans 1:29 nlt
Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.
Romans 1 29 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 6:5 | The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. | Pervasive evil of humanity. |
| Jer 17:9 | The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? | Deep-seated human depravity. |
| Mark 7:21-23 | For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. | Jesus' list of vices from the heart. |
| Rom 1:24 | Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity... | God's act of giving over to sin. |
| Rom 1:26 | For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions... | God's act of giving over to unnatural lusts. |
| Rom 1:28 | And 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. | God's act of giving over to a depraved mind. |
| Rom 3:10-18 | None is righteous, no, not one; ... no one does good; ... their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. | Humanity's universal sinfulness. |
| Rom 13:13 | Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and envy. | List of vices to be avoided. |
| 1 Cor 6:9-10 | Or 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, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. | The unrighteous excluded from God's kingdom. |
| Gal 5:19-21 | Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. | Extensive list of "works of the flesh." |
| Eph 4:17-19 | Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds... they have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. | Mind and behavior without God. |
| Eph 5:3 | But sexual immorality and all impurity and covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. | Call to purity; avoiding specific sins. |
| Eph 5:5 | For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. | Covetousness linked to idolatry and exclusion. |
| Col 3:5 | Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. | Putting off sins, especially covetousness. |
| Col 3:8-9 | But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another... | List of sins to shed. |
| Tit 3:3 | For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. | Describes former state of sinfulness. |
| 1 Pet 2:1 | So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. | Call to shed common vices. |
| Ps 34:13 | Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. | Warning against deceit and evil speech. |
| Prov 16:28 | A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. | Warning against strife and gossip (whispering). |
| Jas 3:14-16 | But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and so lie against the truth... For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. | Consequences of envy and strife. |
| 1 Jn 3:15 | Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. | Hateful intent is akin to murder. |
| Rev 21:8 | But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. | Unrighteous face judgment. |
Romans 1 verses
Romans 1 29 Meaning
Romans 1:29 enumerates a comprehensive list of human vices that manifest when humanity suppresses the truth about God and actively rejects His divine revelation. It describes a pervasive spiritual and moral corruption, indicating a state of being fully consumed by these evil inclinations rather than merely engaging in isolated acts of sin. This deep-seated depravity is a direct consequence of God "giving them over" to a debased mind, illustrating the comprehensive impact of turning away from the Creator. The list encompasses various forms of unrighteousness, spanning sexual perversions, internal malicious intent, greedy desires, and destructive interpersonal behaviors like envy, murder, strife, deceit, and slander, demonstrating the breadth of sin that stains humanity when God is abandoned.
Romans 1 29 Context
Romans 1:29 is situated within Paul's foundational argument for the universal sinfulness of humanity, setting the stage for the necessity of salvation through faith in Christ (Romans 1:18-3:20). Preceding verses (Rom 1:18-23) explain how people suppress God's truth, turn away from His visible revelation in creation, and engage in idolatry, worshipping the creature rather than the Creator. This deliberate rejection of God results in Him "giving them up" to their corrupt desires. Verses 24-27 describe the initial consequences: being given over to sexual impurity, degrading passions, and homosexual acts. Verse 28 states that because humanity "did not see fit to acknowledge God," He "gave them up to a debased mind," leading to a flood of comprehensive moral decay. The list in verse 29, along with 30-31, provides the specific, active manifestations of this debased mind, encompassing not only actions but also deeply entrenched dispositions and interpersonal relational sins. This extensive catalog underscores Paul's point that all humanity, Jew and Gentile alike, is utterly accountable and in need of God's righteousness, which is revealed through faith.
Romans 1 29 Word analysis
- filled with / being filled with: Greek peplērōmenous (πεπληρωμένους). A perfect passive participle, indicating a state of being completely possessed or pervaded. It signifies that these vices are not occasional acts but characterize the very nature or being of the individuals, having saturated them.
- all unrighteousness: Greek pasē adikia (πάσῃ ἀδικίᾳ). Adikia means injustice, unrighteousness, wrongdoing, or violation of divine and human law. Pasē means "all" or "every kind," signifying a comprehensive scope of moral failure, both in terms of acts and underlying character.
- sexual immorality: Greek porneia (πορνείᾳ). A broad term for any unlawful sexual intercourse or impurity, including prostitution, fornication, and sensuality. In some biblical contexts, it can also refer to idolatry as spiritual unfaithfulness. (Note: Some ancient manuscripts omit porneia in this specific verse, though it is commonly found in other vice lists in Paul's writings).
- wickedness: Greek ponēria (πονηρίᾳ). Implies active evil, malice, and depravity, suggesting a desire to cause harm or ruin. It speaks of malicious mischief or practical evil.
- covetousness: Greek pleonexia (πλεονεξίᾳ). An insatiable desire to have more, especially what belongs to others; greed, graspingness. It's often equated with idolatry in the New Testament (Col 3:5), as it puts material desires before God.
- maliciousness: Greek kakia (κακίᾳ). A more general term for evil, ill will, depravity, or moral baseness, indicating a vicious or malevolent disposition.
- full of envy: Greek mestous phthonou (μεστοὺς φθόνου). Mestous means "full," reinforcing the pervasive nature. Phthonos refers to bitter envy or jealousy, discontent or vexation at the good fortune of others.
- murder: Greek phonou (φόνου). The act of killing or bloodshed. The New Testament connects it not just to the act but also to the hatred in the heart (1 Jn 3:15).
- strife: Greek eridos (ἔριδος). Quarrels, disputes, contention, rivalry, or discord, indicating active disagreements and contention.
- deceit: Greek dolou (δόλου). Cunning, trickery, fraud, guile, or treachery; any form of dishonest dealing or deception.
- evil-mindedness: Greek kakoētheias (κακοηθείας). This term describes an ill-nature or malicious disposition; a malevolent spirit that delights in finding fault or twisting things for evil purposes, often leading to spiteful or uncharitable judgments. It signifies a malignity of temper.
- they are whisperers: Greek psithyristas (ψιθυριστάς). This refers to gossips, secret slanderers, or backbiters who privately disseminate damaging information, often with the intent to harm reputation or sow discord.
- "filled with all unrighteousness... full of envy": The repetition of "filled with" and "full of" emphasizes the complete saturation and domination of these individuals by sin. It’s not merely actions but a state of being. The transition from general "unrighteousness" to specific interpersonal sins like "envy, murder" shows the progression from inward corruption to outward harmful actions and dispositions.
- The nature of the list: This is not a random collection but a spectrum of vices. It starts with internal, pervasive moral corruption ("unrighteousness," "wickedness," "maliciousness," "evil-mindedness") then moves to active, destructive interpersonal sins ("envy," "murder," "strife," "deceit," "whisperers"), illustrating the outward fruit of an ungodly heart. The flow suggests a progressive degradation when God is abandoned.
Romans 1 29 Bonus section
The list of vices in Romans 1:29 (and following verses) aligns with various "vice catalogs" found in both Old Testament wisdom literature and contemporary Greco-Roman philosophical and ethical writings. Paul’s use of such a list, however, is distinct because he presents these behaviors not merely as poor moral choices, but as direct evidence of spiritual rebellion against the one true God, an outflow of humanity being "given up" by God due to their rejection of Him. These are not merely societal problems but manifestations of an internal, spiritual crisis. Moreover, these vices are profoundly communal in their impact; sins like envy, murder, strife, deceit, and whispering erode the fabric of society and interpersonal trust, emphasizing how a break with God leads directly to a breakdown in human relationships. The extensive nature of the list leaves no room for human self-justification or self-righteousness.
Romans 1 29 Commentary
Romans 1:29 vividly paints a picture of humanity's profound depravity when it wilfully rejects God. Following a choice to suppress divine truth and engage in idolatry (Rom 1:18-23) and God's subsequent "giving them over" to degraded passions (Rom 1:24-27) and a debased mind (Rom 1:28), this verse details the resultant catalogue of moral decay. The exhaustive list of sins—ranging from fundamental injustice to malicious thoughts, covetousness, and destructive social behaviors—underscores that when humanity forsakes its Creator, every aspect of its being becomes corrupted. This moral unraveling is not accidental but is presented as a logical consequence of rejecting the One who is the source of all righteousness. The depth and breadth of these sins highlight the universal need for God's righteousness, attainable only through faith in Christ, demonstrating that human merit or law-keeping is utterly insufficient for salvation.