The Meaning of Romans 1:31 Explained

Romans 1:31

KJV: Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

YLT: unintelligent, faithless, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful;

Darby: void of understanding, faithless, without natural affection, unmerciful;

ASV: without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Without understanding,  covenantbreakers,  without natural affection,  implacable,  unmerciful: 

What does Romans 1:31 Mean?

Context Summary

Romans 1:24-32 - From Gross Sins Of The Flesh
Few men knew as much as did Paul of the unutterableness of human need. In terrible words he enumerates its various aspects. Truth would enter human hearts from God's work in nature and from conscience, yet men pull down the blind and close the curtain. It is not that they do not know, but that they refuse to have God in their knowledge. They shun the thought of God, Psalms 10:4. They will not lift their happy faces toward Him with filial confidence. Thus a heavy darkness steals over them and veils His presence.
The next downward step is uncleanness; and when once men have deliberately chosen the downward path, there is nothing to stop them. They go headlong from one point to another in their descent into darkness. When our hearts turn from the purifying presence of God, they become the haunt of every foul bird and noisome reptile. What a marvel it is that out of such material God can even create saints! [source]

Chapter Summary: Romans 1

1  Paul commends his calling to the Romans;
9  and his desire to come to them
16  What his gospel is
18  God is angry with sin
21  What were the sins of mankind

Greek Commentary for Romans 1:31

Without understanding [ασυνετους]
Same word in Romans 1:21. [source]
Covenant-breakers [ασυντετους]
Another paronomasia or pun. Α — A privative and verbal συντετος — sunthetos from συντιτημι — suntithēmi to put together. Old word, common in lxx (Jer 3:7), men “false to their engagements” (Sanday and Headlam), who treat covenants as “a scrap of paper.” Without natural affection (αστοργους — astorgous). Late word, α — a privative and στοργη — storgē love of kindred. In N.T. only here and 2 Timothy 3:3. Unmerciful From α — a privative and ελεημων — eleēmōn merciful. Late word, only here in N.T. Some MSS. add ασπονδους — aspondous implacable, from 2 Timothy 3:3. It is a terrible picture of the effects of sin on the lives of men and women. The late Dr. R. H. Graves of Canton, China, said that a Chinaman who got hold of this chapter declared that Paul could not have written it, but only a modern missionary who had been to China. It is drawn to the life because Paul knew Pagan Graeco-Roman civilization. [source]
Without natural affection [αστοργους]
Late word, α — a privative and στοργη — storgē love of kindred. In N.T. only here and 2 Timothy 3:3. [source]
Unmerciful [ανελεημονας]
From α — a privative and ελεημων — eleēmōn merciful. Late word, only here in N.T. Some MSS. add ασπονδους — aspondous implacable, from 2 Timothy 3:3. It is a terrible picture of the effects of sin on the lives of men and women. The late Dr. R. H. Graves of Canton, China, said that a Chinaman who got hold of this chapter declared that Paul could not have written it, but only a modern missionary who had been to China. It is drawn to the life because Paul knew Pagan Graeco-Roman civilization. [source]
Without understanding, covenant-breakers [ἀσυνέτους ἀσυνθέτους]
Another paronomasia: asynetous asynthetous This feature of style is largely due to the pleasure which all people, and especially Orientals, derive from the assonance of a sentence. Archdeacon Farrar gives a number of illustrations: the Arabic Abel and Kabel (Abel and Cain); Dalut and G'ialut (David and Goliath). A Hindoo constantly adds meaningless rhymes, even to English words, as button-bitten; kettley-bittley. Compare the Prayer-book, holy and wholly; giving and forgiving; changes and chances. Shakespeare, sorted and consorted; in every breath a death. He goes on to argue that these alliterations, in the earliest stages of language, are partly due to a vague belief in the inherent affinities of words (“Language and Languages,” 227). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Romans 1:31

1 Corinthians 2:13 Comparing spiritual things with spiritual [πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συγκρίνοντες]
Notice the paronomasia. See on Romans 1:29, Romans 1:31. The dispute on this verse arises over the meanings of συγκρίνοντες , A.V., comparing, and πνευματικοῖς spiritualAs to the latter, whether the reference is to spiritual men, things, or words; as to the former, whether the meaning is adapting, interpreting, proving, or comparing. The principal interpretations are: adapting spiritual words to spiritual things; adapting spiritual things to spiritual men; interpreting spiritual things to spiritual men; interpreting spiritual things by spiritual words. Συγκρίνοντες occurs only here and 2 Corinthians 10:12, where the meaning is clearly compare. In classical Greek the original meaning is to compound, and later, to compare, as in Aristotle and Plutarch, and to interpret, used of dreams, and mainly in Septuagint. See Genesis 40:8. The most satisfactory interpretation is combining spiritual things with spiritual words. After speaking of spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:11, 1 Corinthians 2:12, 1 Corinthians 2:13), Paul now speaks of the forms in which they are conveyed - spiritual forms or words answering to spiritual matters, and says, we combine spiritual things with spiritual forms of expression. This would not be the case if we uttered the revelations of the Spirit in the speech of human wisdom. [source]
2 Timothy 3:3 Fierce [ἀνήμεροι]
Or savage. N.T.oolxx. Comp. ἀνελεήμονες merciless Romans href="/desk/?q=ro+1:31&sr=1">Romans 1:31. [source]
2 Timothy 3:3 Without natural affection [ἄστοργοι]
Only here and Romans 1:31. olxx. See on ἀγάπη love Galatians 5:22, under στέργειν tolove with a natural affection. [source]
2 Timothy 3:2 Lovers of money [αλαζονες]
Old compound adjective, in N.T. only here and Luke 16:14. See note on 1 Timothy 6:10. Boastful (υπερηπανοι — alazones). Old word for empty pretender, in N.T. only here and Romans 1:30. Haughty See also Romans 1:30 for this old word. Railers (γονευσιν απειτεις — blasphēmoi). See note on 1 Timothy 1:13. Disobedient to parents See note on Romans 1:30. Unthankful (ανοσιοι — acharistoi). Old word, in N.T. only here and Luke 6:35. Unholy See note on 1 Timothy 1:9. Without natural affection (astorgoi). See note on Romans 1:31. [source]
2 Timothy 3:2 Haughty [βλασπημοι]
See also Romans 1:30 for this old word. Railers (γονευσιν απειτεις — blasphēmoi). See note on 1 Timothy 1:13. Disobedient to parents See note on Romans 1:30. Unthankful (ανοσιοι — acharistoi). Old word, in N.T. only here and Luke 6:35. Unholy See note on 1 Timothy 1:9. Without natural affection (astorgoi). See note on Romans 1:31. [source]
2 Timothy 3:2 Disobedient to parents [αχαριστοι]
See note on Romans 1:30. Unthankful (ανοσιοι — acharistoi). Old word, in N.T. only here and Luke 6:35. Unholy See note on 1 Timothy 1:9. Without natural affection (astorgoi). See note on Romans 1:31. [source]
2 Timothy 3:2 Unholy [αστοργοι]
See note on 1 Timothy 1:9. Without natural affection (astorgoi). See note on Romans 1:31. [source]
2 Timothy 3:2 Without natural affection [astorgoi)]
See note on Romans 1:31. [source]
2 Timothy 3:3 Implacable [ασπονδοι]
Truce-breakers. Old word, only here in N.T. though in MSS. in Romans 1:31 (from α — a privative and σπονδη — spondē a libation). [source]

What do the individual words in Romans 1:31 mean?

foolish untrustworthy heartless unmerciful
ἀσυνέτους ἀσυνθέτους ἀστόργους ἀνελεήμονας

ἀσυνέτους  foolish 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀσύνετος  
Sense: unintelligent, without understanding, stupid.
ἀσυνθέτους  untrustworthy 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀσύνθετος  
Sense: uncompounded, simple.
ἀστόργους  heartless 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἄστοργος  
Sense: without natural affection, unsociable (Rom :3 marg.
ἀνελεήμονας  unmerciful 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀνελεήμων  
Sense: without mercy, merciless.