exchanged natural relations for unnatural

The Greek that is translated as “exchanged natural relations for unnatural” or similar in English is translated as “stop their work with men and begin to do wrong things with one another” in Hopi, as “women no longer did as women do but rather knew each other” in Isthmus Zapotec, as “changed their lives. They didn’t live with a man. Among themselves they sinned against each other” in Huehuetla Tepehua, as “even the women, one with another, strangely doing evil lived” in Central Tarahumara, or as “lay down with other women as they should not do” in Yatzachi Zapotec. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated as “that’s how women became lesbian and exchanged the natural sexual relationships with unnatural ones.”

dishonorable passions, shameful acts

The Greek that is translated as “dishonorable passions” or “shameful acts” in English is translated in Manikion as “actions that make people spit.” (Source: Daud Soesilo)

In Sierra de Juárez Zapotec it is translated as “their own filthy cravings” and in Yatzachi Zapotec as “doing shameful things and unclean things as their head-hearts desired.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (Romans 1:26)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 1:26:

  • Uma: “So, because they refused to worship him, that’s why he just allowed them to follow the shameful desires of their heart. Even women no longer behaved like the behavior of ordinary mankind. The women wived [i.e., married or had intercourse with, normally used of men to women] other fellow women.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore God abandoned them to do shameful things indulging/giving-into the desire of their bodies. Even the women do not like/want a man. That is what they want their fellow female and/so-that they do evil/bad. But this is not right/proper.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And since people pay no attention to God, He also pays no attention to them so that they might carry out their very ugly desires. Even the women, it’s no longer men that they sleep with, but they become sexually aroused by other women.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “That’s the reason God has let-them-alone so that they do the shameful-things their bodies desire. Even the women, they have changed what their bodies properly desire so that it’s their fellow women whom they sleep-with, not men.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Therefore God gives the road to the people to do the shameful things they walk by. The women do not want to marry and live with husbands, rather with their fellow women they do shameful things.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

    • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “Therefore God abandoned them that they should do ugly things like their hearts wanted them to do. The women left off talking with the men [polite term for intercourse] and they talked among themselves in a very dirty way.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

Translation commentary on Romans 1:26

Because men do this is literally “because of this,” and it has been rendered by such expressions as “for this reason” (Revised Standard Version), “in consequence” (New English Bible), and “this is why” (An American Translation*, Jerusalem Bible). In this verse any reference to men must, of course, be to “persons.” In the present verse passions is equivalent to “lusts.” The sin to which Paul has reference is homosexuality among women; homosexuality among men is referred to in the following verse. In most languages there is a perfectly proper manner of referring to homosexual activity. The reference to shameful passions may simply be translated by some generic term for homosexual relations, or it may require a very general expression such as “they have bad sexual desires” or “they have the wrong kind of sexual desires.” This can then be followed by the two statements, the one referring to women and the other to men. The second sentence in verse 26 may simply be translated as “women have sexual relations with women, which is not the way it should be.” This final phrase is simply a way of indicating the unnatural character of such acts.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1973. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .