and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Parallel translations
- WEB and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.
- KJV And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
- NKJV and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
- NASB and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures.
- NLT And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal creatures. Idolatry is trading the Creator's glory for created substitutes.
Overview
Paul describes idolatry as a tragic exchange: the incorruptible glory of God swapped for images resembling perishable humans, birds, animals, and reptiles. The language echoes Israel's golden-calf sin and Psalm 106:20. Idolatry inverts the created order, giving to creatures the worship due to the Creator alone, and degrades those who practice it.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 106:20They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox.
- Jer 2:11Has a nation ever changed its gods, though they are no gods at all? Yet My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.
- Acts 17:29Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.
- 1 Pet 4:3For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.
- Rom 1:25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.
- Ps 115:5–8They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;
- Deut 5:8You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.
- Ezek 8:10So I went in and looked, and engraved all around the wall was every kind of crawling creature and detestable beast, along with all the idols of the house of Israel.
- Ps 135:15–18The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
- Deut 4:15–18So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful
- Isa 40:18To whom will you liken God? To what image will you compare Him?
- Isa 44:13The woodworker extends a measuring line; he marks it out with a stylus; he shapes it with chisels and outlines it with a compass. He fashions it in the likeness of man, like man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine.
- Isa 40:26Lift up your eyes on high: Who created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
- 1 Cor 12:2You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
- Rev 9:20Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.
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Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 1:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.