τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν … εἰς τὴν παρὰ φύσιν
Says "Their females exchanged natural use (τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν) for that which is παρὰ φύσιν." "Likewise also the males (οἱ ἄρσενες), abandoning natural use of the female (τῆς θηλείας), burned … toward one another (εἰς ἀλλήλους), males with males (ἄρσενες ἐν ἄρσεσιν)."
Says Abbott-Smith glosses φυσικός "natural," contrasted with παρὰ φύσιν, which he glosses "against nature" (Rom 1:26; 11:24). Philo likewise speaks of a man who "pursues that pleasure which is contrary to nature" (Spec. 3.39, Yonge).
Implies On the conservative, historic reading, "nature" here is the Creator's design of male and female. Paul's sex terms θήλειαι and ἄρσενες, not "women" and "men," echo Gen 1:27 LXX, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ (vol. 1, p. 2; checked against the printed page (scan)). The acts are exchanges of that design, reciprocal (εἰς ἀλλήλους) and not limited to exploitation.
Implies The women's clause (1:26) refers to same-sex relations: ὁμοίως ("likewise," 1:27) ties the two exchanges, which share φυσικὴ χρῆσις and the sex terms.
Augustine took the women's exchange as unnatural acts between women and men (Nupt. 2.20.35), a minority view.
Other readings. Boswell: acting against one's own disposition. Scroggs: Greco-Roman exploitative pederasty. Martin: ancient ideas of desire and excess. Brownson: lust, honor and shame, and "nature" as social custom (compare 1 Cor 11:14). Brooten: Paul condemns the acts, grounded in ancient gender hierarchy.
Hays (answering Boswell) and Gagnon (answering Boswell, Scroggs, Martin and Brooten) argue that the creation language and the mutual phrasing tell against these readings. All are cited by reference only.
Claims
- Says1:26–27 contrasts 'natural use' with what is 'contrary to nature', using the sex terms θήλειαι and ἄρσενες and the reciprocal εἰς ἀλλήλους.
- Implies'Nature' denotes the Creator's male-female design (Gen 1:27), and the acts themselves are described as departures from it.
- ImpliesThe text's judgment concerns the acts themselves, described as mutual (εἰς ἀλλήλους), not only exploitation or excess.
- Impliesὁμοίως (1:27) links the women's exchange in 1:26 to the men's, so 1:26 refers to same-sex relations.
Citations
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Abbott-Smith public domain s.v. φυσικός; s.v. φύσις —
against nature
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Philo (Yonge) public domain Spec. 3.39 —
pursues that pleasure which is contrary to nature
(Philo (Yonge), public domain) -
LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 vol. 1, p. 2 (Gen 1:27), scan oldtestamentingr01swetuoft leaf 34, checked —
ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ
(LXX (Swete), CC BY-SA 4.0) - NPNF1 5 public domain Nupt. 2.20.35 (NPNF¹ 5)
- 🔒︎ Boswell, CSTH Copyrighted on Rom 1:26–27 (by reference; not checked)
- 🔒︎ Scroggs, NT and Homosexuality Copyrighted on Rom 1 (by reference; not checked)
- 🔒︎ Martin, 'Heterosexism … Romans 1:18–32' Copyrighted by reference; not checked
- 🔒︎ Brownson, Bible, Gender, Sexuality Copyrighted by reference; not checked
- 🔒︎ Brooten, Love Between Women Copyrighted on Rom 1:26–27 (by reference; not checked)
- 🔒︎ Hays, 'Relations Natural and Unnatural' Copyrighted by reference; not checked
- 🔒︎ Gagnon, BHP Copyrighted on Rom 1:24–27 (by reference; not checked)
Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits
2026-11-11
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