SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 1:26

1:26a

For this reason: This phrase has the same meaning as “therefore.” Here it introduces a result of people exchanging the truth about God for a lie and worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator.

1:25c stands between the two connected parts. So in some languages the connection must be made more clear. For example:

They did that⌋ and so

God gave them over: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gave…over refers to putting someone under the control of something or someone else. See how you translated this clause in 1:24.

dishonorable passions: The word passions refers to strong desires. These kinds of desires are worthy of dishonor or shame. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

strong desires worthy of dishonor/shame
-or-
shameful desires (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the shameful-things their bodies desire

1:26b

Even: This word introduces examples (1:26b–1:27c) of shameful passions.

their women: Here the word their refers to the people that Paul spoke of in 1:24a–26a. It refers generally to those women, not implying all of them.

natural relations: This phrase here refers to a man and a woman having sex. The word natural refers to having sex in ways that are appropriate or fitting. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

natural function (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
natural sexual relations (New International Version (2011))
-or-
the natural way to have sex (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the normal practices of sexual intercourse (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

relations: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as relations refers to any kind of deed done with the body. Here it implies sex, so the Berean Standard Bible has used relations, which here in English clearly implies sex. To be polite in the Bible, people of many languages will prefer a word or phrase that implies sex rather than says so explicitly. For example:

laying together
-or-
the way of marriage
-or-
sleep-with

1:26c

unnatural ones: This phrase here refers to a woman having sex in ways that are not appropriate or fitting. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

that which is unnatural (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
something which is abnormal and unnatural (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
ways that are not normal

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

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