Romans 1:27 · Bible study
Romans 1:27 Commentary: The Due Penalty of Error
Greek · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Exegesis of Romans 1:27: What is the 'due penalty' Paul refers to? Physical consequences, God's judgment, or both? A detailed study from the original Greek.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Paul describes same-sex acts as the consequence of idolatry, God's judgment of giving people over to their own desires, with the penalty built into the sin itself.
- Key words: φυσικήν (natural, according to the created order), ἐξεκαύθησαν (were inflamed, aorist passive, indicating a fire kindled), ἀντιμισθία (recompense, the fitting return), πλάνης (error, likely the idolatry of vv. 21-25).
- Main debate: Is the 'due penalty' the physical effects of these acts (Clarke), the moral corruption of being given over to a depraved mind (Calvin), or both (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown)?
- Theological theme: God's righteous judgment involves handing sinners over to the natural consequences of their rebellion, revealing both His wrath and the depth of our need for grace.
- Best use: This verse is best taught in the context of Paul's full argument about universal sin and the free gift of salvation, not as a standalone moral indictment, but as part of the diagnosis for which the gospel is the cure.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Likewise also the men, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and in like manner also the males having left the natural use of the female, did burn in their longing toward one another; males with males working shame, and the recompense of their error that was fit, in themselves receiving.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
and in like manner the males also, leaving the natural use of the female, were inflamed in their lust towards one another; males with males working shame, and receiving in themselves the recompense of their error which was fit.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts, one towards another: men with men, working that which is filthy and receiving in themselves the recompense which was due to their error.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y del mismo modo también los hombres, dejando el uso natural de las mujeres, se encendieron en sus concupiscencias los unos con los otros, cometiendo cosas nefandas hombres con hombres, y recibiendo en sí mismos la recompensa que convino|strong="G3739, G1163" á su extravío.
e também, de semelhante maneira, os machos abandonaram o hábito sexual natural com a mulher, e acenderam sua sensualidade uns com os outros, homens com homens, praticando indecência, e recebendo em si mesmos a devida retribuição pelo seu erro.
et de même les hommes, abandonnant l’ usage naturel de la femme, se sont enflammés dans leurs désirs les uns pour les autres, commettant homme avec homme des choses infâmes, et recevant en eux-mêmes le salaire que méritait leur égarement.
desgleichen auch die Männer haben verlassen den natürlichen Brauch des Weibes und sind aneinander erhitzt in ihren Lüsten und haben Mann mit Mann Schande getrieben und den Lohn ihres Irrtums (wie es denn sein sollte) an sich selbst empfangen.
En insgelijks ook de mannen, nalatende het natuurlijk gebruik der vrouw, zijn verhit geworden in hun lust tegen elkander, mannen met mannen schandelijkheid bedrijvende, en de vergelding van hun dwaling, die daartoe behoorde, in zichzelven ontvangende.
e similmente anche i maschi, lasciando l’uso naturale della donna, si sono infiammati nella loro libidine gli uni per gli altri, commettendo uomini con uomini cose turpi, e ricevendo in loro stessi la condegna mercede del proprio traviamento.
Także i mężczyźni opuściwszy przyrodzone używanie niewiasty, zapalili się w swej pożądliwości jedni ku drugim, mężczyzna z mężczyzną hańbę płodząc, a nagrodę należącą błędowi swemu na się biorąc.
подобно и мужчины, оставив естественное употребление женского пола, разжигались похотью друг на друга, мужчины на мужчинах делая срам и получая в самих себе должное возмездие за свое заблуждение.
男人 也 是 如此，棄了 女人 順性的 用處， 慾火 攻心，彼此貪戀，男 和 男 行 可羞恥的事，就 在 自己 身上受 這 妄為 當得 的報應。
And in the same way the men gave up the natural use of the woman and were burning in their desire for one another, men doing shame with men, and getting in their bodies the right reward of their evil-doing.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Romans 1:27
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Romans 1:27 describes the third stage in Paul's argument that idolatry leads to God's judgment of giving people over to their own desires. The specific sin here is same-sex acts between men, which Paul calls 'what is inappropriate' (WEB) or 'shame' (YLT). Gill names it the 'sin of sodomy,' echoing Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. Barnes documents how widespread this practice was in the Greco-Roman world, even among philosophers. All agree that Paul presents these acts as contrary to the natural created order, the 'natural function of the woman' is left behind. On the meaning of 'receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error,' there is more nuance. Clarke points to physical consequences: 'barrenness prevailed, and those disorders which are necessarily attendant on prostitution and sodomitical practices.' Jamieson-Fausset-Brown says the verse alludes to 'the many physical and moral ways in which…vice was made self-avenging.' Calvin emphasizes the spiritual dimension: 'They indeed deserved to be blinded, so as to forget themselves.' The 'error' (πλάνης) most likely refers to the prior idolatry described in verses 21-25, as Wesley notes: 'Their idolatry being punished with that unnatural lust.' So the penalty is both the acts themselves (as judgment) and their natural consequences.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Penalty as physical consequences: Clarke and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown emphasize that the 'receiving in themselves' refers to the natural physical results of such acts (disease, barrenness), which function as a fitting divine punishment.
- Penalty as being given over to depraved mind: Calvin argues the penalty is primarily spiritual blindness: God abandons people to their own foolishness, which is the just consequence of suppressing the truth.
- Penalty as the acts themselves (sin as judgment): Gill and the Geneva notes see the sin itself—the burning lust and shameful acts—as the recompense; God punishes sin with sin.
What is clear: Paul unequivocally presents same-sex acts between men (and women in v. 26) as contrary to nature and part of God's righteous judgment on humanity's rejection of Him as Creator.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of 'natural' (φυσικήν) | All commentators share that Paul uses 'natural' to refer to the heterosexual relationship as created and intended by God. | Some emphasize that Paul is drawing on Stoic or Jewish natural law; others see it as a straightforward appeal to Genesis 1-2. The debate centers on how much Paul assumes a universal moral order known apart from Scripture. |
| The nature of the 'due penalty' | All agree that Paul presents the acts themselves and their consequences as a form of God's judgment ('recompense'). | Clarke and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown see physical consequences (disease, barrenness); Calvin focuses on spiritual blindness. The question is whether the penalty is the sin itself or its natural fallout. |
| The extent of Paul's charge against the Gentile world | Paul is describing genuine historical practices, well attested by pagan writers (Barnes collects many). | Some argue Paul is describing the entire Gentile world in a universal fall; others (Lange) note that Paul's language applies 'universally' but with varying degrees among individuals. Both sides affirm the general indictment. |
| The connection between idolatry and same-sex acts | The 'error' (πλάνης) is idolatry, and the acts are a direct judgment for that idolatry (Wesley, Gill, Calvin). | Some conclude that only those involved in explicit idol worship are in view; others argue the principle applies to all who suppress the truth about God, even in ostensibly non-idolatrous cultures. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul writes to Christians in Rome, a city at the heart of an empire where same-sex practices were common and often accepted. The apostle is building his case that all people, Gentiles and Jews alike, are under sin and in need of the righteousness revealed in Christ. In Romans 1:18-32, he uses a three-fold pattern: people reject knowledge of God, God gives them over to their desires, and they sink further into sin.
In verse 27, the phrase 'likewise also the men' draws a parallel with the women in verse 26, showing that Paul is not singling out one gender. The sin he names was not hidden. Barnes cites numerous ancient writers, Virgil, Cicero, Xenophon, Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch, to show that homosexual relations were practiced openly across Greek and Roman society. He notes that the love of boys (pederasty) was defended by philosophers, and that even Socrates and Plato were associated with it. This was not a vice only of the lower classes; it pervaded all levels of society. Barnes quotes Cicero's Tusculan Disputations saying the practice was 'common among the Greeks' and that their poets, learned men, and philosophers 'not only practiced, but gloried in it.'
The words 'left the natural use of the woman' point to what Paul considers the created order. The Greek adjective φυσικήν (natural) refers to what is inborn or agreeable to nature, a standard Paul assumes his readers share. The verb 'burned in their lust' (ἐξεκαύθησαν) is an aorist passive: 'were inflamed.' This pictures a fire that has been kindled, often against one's better judgment. The phrase 'men with men' (ἄρσενες ἐν ἄρσεσιν) pairs the same word for male, underscoring the inversion of what was designed.
In the ancient world, such acts were often linked to idolatry and temple prostitution. Paul ties them directly to the root sin: refusing to glorify God. His point is that the moral chaos of society is not an accident, it is the result of a people who have traded the Creator for the creature.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary sources do not note any significant textual variants for Romans 1:27. The Greek text is stable across the major manuscript traditions. The only minor difference among translations is the handling of the phrase 'receiving in themselves' (ἐν ἑαυτοῖς), which some render as 'within themselves' or simply 'in themselves', a difference of English idiom, not textual variation.
Reception History
Romans 1:27 has been a central text in Christian reflection on same-sex relations from the early church onward. Patristic writers such as John Chrysostom and Augustine cited it as clear Scriptural testimony that homosexual acts are contrary to the created order. In the medieval period, theologians like Thomas Aquinas used the verse to argue that such acts violate natural law. During the Reformation, Luther, Calvin, and the Geneva Bible notes all read the verse as a definitive condemnation of same-sex behaviors. In the modern period, interpretations vary: some mainline Protestant denominations have argued that Paul's condemnation was limited to exploitative or idolatrous forms of same-sex acts, while Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions continue to see the verse as forbidding any same-sex sexual activity. The verse has also been widely cited in debates over biblical authority and the interpretation of Paul's moral teachings. Across all traditions, the verse is recognized as a difficult and sobering reminder of how sin distorts human desire.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Sin's descent: Rejecting God leads to distorted desires (v. 24-27). The pattern is consistent: humanity chooses a lie over the truth, and God gives them over to the natural consequences of that choice.
- Sin's shame: The acts described are contrary to nature, bringing dishonor to the body and confusion to human relationships. Paul uses strong language: 'unseemly,' 'shame,' 'receiving the due penalty.'
- Sin's penalty: The most severe judgment is not an external punishment, but being handed over to a mind that no longer discerns what is fitting. As Calvin wrote, those who close their eyes to God's glory 'deserved to become blind at noonday.'
Five-point outline
- The root: Exchanging God's glory for an image (v. 23)
- The response: God gives them up (v. 24, 26, 28)
- The result: Women and men abandon natural use (v. 26-27)
- The description: Intense lust and shameful acts (v. 27)
- The recompense: Receiving the due penalty in themselves (v. 27b)
Illustration hooks
- Mirror of consequence: A person who refuses to eat properly can't blame the stomach when malnutrition sets in. The body's response is built into the choice. Paul says that when people reject God, the moral and physical breakdown that follows is the natural, and just, consequence.
- Losing the map: A driver who refuses to look at a map doesn't get to complain when lost in a dangerous neighbourhood. The blindness is self-chosen. Paul's argument is that the deepest judgment is being abandoned to the direction we insist on taking.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is Paul describing a universal sin or only the extreme of pagan idolatry?
- Does this verse apply to people today who are not involved in idol worship?
- What hope is there for someone caught in this pattern of sin?
Leading a Discussion
Romans 1:27 is part of a larger argument about how humanity has responded to God's self-revelation. Paul is not writing a standalone treatise on sexuality. He is showing that the entire world, Gentile and Jew, is guilty before God. This passage invites us to see how sin works: it begins in the heart, distorts worship, and then reshapes our desires and relationships. As you discuss this verse, keep the focus on Paul's main point about God's righteousness and our need for grace.
Discussion questions
- Read Romans 1:18-23. What does Paul say is the root cause of the sins listed later in the chapter?
- Why does Paul use the word 'natural' (φυσικήν) for the relationship between men and women? What does this imply about his view of creation?
- The phrase 'they burned in their lust' (ἐξεκαύθησαν) is passive, 'they were inflamed.' What does that passive form suggest about their condition?
- All three times Paul says 'God gave them over' (v. 24, 26, 28), he follows with specific sins. How does this pattern show both judgment and consequence?
- What does Paul mean by 'the due penalty of their error'? Consider both the physical effects (Clarke) and the spiritual blindness (Calvin).
- How does this passage connect to the gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul introduces in Romans 3:21-26?
- This text has been used in debates about sexuality. How can we discuss it with both truth and grace, recognizing that all of us need God's mercy?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 18:22 | “‘You shall not lie with a man as with a woman. That is detestable. |
| Leviticus 20:13 | “‘If a man lies with a male, as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon themselves. |
| Romans 1:23 | and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, four-footed animals, and creeping things. |
| Romans 1:24 | Therefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves; |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke focuses on the physical consequences of the acts described: he argues that the unnatural practices themselves produced barrenness and bodily disorders as a direct, self-contained punishment. In his view, the recompense was not merely future judgment but an intrinsic physical penalty experienced within the offenders' own bodies.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that the apostle's charge of homosexuality against the pagan world is historically well-founded by mustering extensive evidence from Greek and Roman writers, showing that this vice was openly practiced and even defended by philosophers, lawgivers, and poets across all classes. He concludes that such widespread, shameless depravity proved the need for a salvation beyond what natural reason could supply.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that the punishment God sends on idolaters is a just and exact match for their sin. Those who willfully shut their eyes to God's self-revelation deserve to lose all sound judgment, becoming so blind that they cannot see even what is plainly fitting for themselves.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes emphasize that the punishment for this sin is not arbitrary but naturally fitting. The men received in their own bodies and souls the just recompense of their error, a direct consequence of abandoning God's created order for their own lustful choices.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights this sin as unnatural and dishonorable to human nature, tracing its origin to Sodom. He observes that idolatry and unbelief breed it, and cites ancient philosophers like Socrates who were guilty of it. God punishes this sin by leaving sinners to further corruption, so transgression brings its own reward.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB observes that the recompense for sin is not an arbitrary penalty added from outside but the inherent outcome of the wrongdoing itself. Under God's righteous government, vice becomes self-avenging through both physical and moral consequences. The punishment is woven into the sin.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that God's wrath is not mere punishment or metaphor but His active personal displeasure, revealed progressively as sin corrupts humanity. He insists that idolatry stems from suppressing truth, and God's judicial abandonment lets sin become its own penalty, deepening moral decay.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that people are left without excuse because God has clearly shown Himself through creation, making His eternal power and divine nature undeniable. The real tragedy is that humanity knew enough of God to be accountable, yet chose to dishonor Him and turn to foolish idolatry instead.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the punishment as perfectly matching the crime: their idolatry dishonored God, and God allowed their bodies to be dishonored by unnatural lust. This is not random suffering but a just recompense, where the very sin becomes its own penalty.