They exchanged the glory of the immortal God (Romans 1:22–23, 25)

Says "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles" (1:22–23, BSB). Implies The claim to wisdom is part of the folly. The same pattern of wisdom turned to foolishness appears in 1 Cor 1:20–21. The contrast "immortal" (ἀφθάρτου) and "mortal" (φθαρτοῦ) sets out how absurd the exchange is. The living God is traded for copies of things that die.

Says The wording comes from Israel's confession of its own apostasy. Ps 106:20 recalls the calf at Horeb: וַיָּמִירוּ כְּבוֹדָם (vayyamiru … kevodam), "They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox" (BSB). Jer 2:11 says "My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols" (BSB): הֵמִיר כְּבוֹדוֹ (hemir kevodo). In both verses the "Glory" is God himself. Swete's Ps 105:20 LXX supplies Paul's run of words: ἠλλάξαντο τὴν δόξαν αὐτῶν ἐν ὁμοιώματι μόσχου (note.language.Rom.1.23.exchanged-glory; xref.Rom.1.23.Ps.106.20.heb; xref.Rom.1.23.Jer.2.11.heb; vmap.Ps.106.20.LXX-Swete.lxx-swete). The rabbinic tradition about "scribal corrections" in these two verses is background only, and the commentary's argument does not rest on it. See note.textual.Rom.1.23.tiqqune-soferim.

Implies Paul describes the idolatry of the nations in the words Israel used for its own worst sin. This prepares for 2:1–3:20, where the one who judges is shown to do "the same things" (2:1) and Jew and Greek alike are "under sin" (3:9). Uncertain Whether Paul wants the golden calf itself in view or only borrows the psalm's words. The verbal link is strong either way (note.language.Rom.1.23.exchanged-glory).

Says The phrase ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος ("for a likeness of an image") pairs the two words that Deut 4:16 LXX uses in forbidding any idol. That passage forbids any idol "in the likeness of a male or female" (4:16, BSB), of beast, bird, creeping thing, or fish, because at Horeb Israel "saw no form" (4:15; note.language.Rom.1.23.deut-4-likeness; xref.Rom.1.23.Deut.4.15-Deut.4.18.heb). Paul's animal words (πετεινά, τετράποδα, ἑρπετά) are those of Gen 1:20–24 LXX (note.language.Rom.1.23.homoiomati-eikonos; xref.Rom.1.23.Gen.1.20-Gen.1.25.heb). Implies The structure comes from Deut 4 and the vocabulary from Gen 1. The order of creation is reversed. Humanity, made "in our image, after our likeness" to rule the birds, beasts, and creeping things (Gen 1:26, בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ, betsalmenu kidmutenu), bows to images of those very creatures (note.language.Rom.1.20.gen-1-creation-order; xref.Rom.1.23.Gen.1.26.heb). Uncertain Whether there is also an allusion to Adam's fall (Gen 3). It is possible, but the wording does not show it.

Says In 1:25 the charge is repeated: "They 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" (BSB; "exchanged" is μετήλλαξαν). Implies "The lie" (τῷ ψεύδει, with the article) is idolatry itself, the claim that the creature is God. "The Creator" (τὸν κτίσαντα) again recalls Gen 1:1 (xref.Rom.1.25.Gen.1.1.heb). The blessing is a Jewish reflex of worship. Even while describing the refusal to worship, Paul gives God the praise that was withheld (compare 9:5; 11:36).

The background is the Greco-Roman world of gods in human form and the Egyptian animal cults, which Jewish and pagan writers alike mocked (Herodotus, Hist. 2.65–76; Juvenal, Sat. 15.1–13). Paul's list covers both (note.historical.Rom.1.1-Rom.1.32.idols-animals).