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Read the Bible

King James Version

Romans 1:22

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blindness;   Conceit;   Conscience;   Gentiles;   Godlessness;   Idolatry;   Lasciviousness;   Pride;   Rome;   Wicked (People);   Wisdom;   Scofield Reference Index - Faith;   Holy Spirit;   Thompson Chain Reference - False;   Fools;   Idolatry;   Wisdom, Worldly;   Wisdom-Folly;   Worldly;   Worship, False;   Worship, True and False;   The Topic Concordance - Foolishness;   Glory;   Heart;   Man;   Service;   Sexual Activities;   Uncleanness;   Understanding;   Vanity;   Wisdom;   Worship;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Fools;   Idolatry;   Titles and Names of the Wicked;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Rome, Romans;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Cain;   Concubine;   Creation;   Divorce;   Ethics;   Gentile;   Idol, idolatry;   Marriage;   Mission;   Nature;   Noah;   Sin;   Sun;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Amos, Theology of;   Condemnation;   Evil;   Fool, Foolishness, Folly;   Hell;   Homosexuality;   Idol, Idolatry;   Ignorant, Ignorance;   Religion;   Sin;   Time;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Christianity;   Judgment, Last;   Omnipotence of God;   Polytheism;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Idolatry;   Wise, Wisdom;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Acts of the Apostles;   Romans, the Epistle to the;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Gentiles;   Godlessness;   Judgment Day;   Proverbs, Book of;   Regeneration;   Revelation of God;   Romans, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Galatians, Epistle to the;   Idolatry;   Lie, Lying;   Love, Lover, Lovely, Beloved;   Paul the Apostle;   Person of Christ;   Romans, Epistle to the;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Alpha and Omega (2);   Atonement (2);   Fruit;   God;   Heathen;   Justification;   Knowledge;   Profession;   Profession (2);   Romans Epistle to the;   Sin (2);   Worldliness;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Graven Image;   Idolatry;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Fool;   Idolatry;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Evil;   Fool;   Gods;   Justification;   Profess;   Worship;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Saul of Tarsus;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for January 26;   Every Day Light - Devotion for October 25;   Today's Word from Skip Moen - Devotion for June 23;  

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
They brag about their wisdom, but they are fools.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Legacy Standard Bible
Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Bible in Basic English
Seeming to be wise, they were in fact foolish,
Darby Translation
professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
New King James Version
Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Christian Standard Bible®
Claiming to be wise, they became fools
World English Bible
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Weymouth's New Testament
While boasting of their wisdom they became utter fools,
King James Version (1611)
Professing themselues to be wise, they became fooles:
Literal Translation
Professing to be wise, they became foolish
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Whan they counted them selues wyse, they became fooles:
Mace New Testament (1729)
pretending to be wise, they became fools:
Amplified Bible
Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
American Standard Version
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Revised Standard Version
Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
When they couted them selves wyse they became foles
Update Bible Version
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Webster's Bible Translation
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools:
Young's Literal Translation
professing to be wise, they were made fools,
New Century Version
They said they were wise, but they became fools.
New English Translation
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
Berean Standard Bible
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,
Contemporary English Version
They claim to be wise, but they are fools.
Complete Jewish Bible
Claiming to be wise, they have become fools!
English Standard Version
Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
Geneva Bible (1587)
When they professed themselues to be wise, they became fooles.
George Lamsa Translation
And while they thought within themselves that they were wise, they became fools,
Hebrew Names Version
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
International Standard Version
Though claiming to be wise, they became foolsJeremiah 10:14;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And while thinking in themselves that they were wise, they were fools. [fn]
Murdock Translation
And, while they thought within themselves that they were wise, they became fools.
New Living Translation
Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.
New Life Bible
They said that they were wise, but they showed how foolish they were.
English Revised Version
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
New Revised Standard
Claiming to be wise, they became fools;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Professing to be wise, they were made foolish,
Douay-Rheims Bible
For, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.
Lexham English Bible
Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
When they counted them selues wyse, they became fooles:
Easy-to-Read Version
They said they were wise, but they became fools.
New American Standard Bible
Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
Good News Translation
They say they are wise, but they are fools;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For thei `seiynge that hem silf weren wise, thei weren maad foolis.

Contextual Overview

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 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. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 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. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Romans 11:25, Proverbs 25:14, Proverbs 26:12, Isaiah 47:10, Jeremiah 8:8, Jeremiah 8:9, Jeremiah 10:14, Matthew 6:23, 1 Corinthians 1:19-21, 1 Corinthians 3:18, 1 Corinthians 3:19

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 4:16 - corrupt 2 Samuel 16:23 - all the counsel Job 11:12 - For vain Psalms 14:4 - Have Psalms 94:11 - General Psalms 106:20 - Thus Proverbs 6:32 - lacketh Proverbs 8:14 - sound Ecclesiastes 7:10 - wisely Ecclesiastes 7:23 - I said Isaiah 5:21 - wise Isaiah 8:20 - it is Isaiah 19:13 - princes of Zoan Isaiah 29:14 - for the wisdom Isaiah 44:9 - their own Isaiah 50:11 - all ye Jeremiah 4:22 - For my Jeremiah 9:23 - wise Jeremiah 10:8 - brutish Jeremiah 49:7 - Is wisdom Ezekiel 28:17 - thou hast Hosea 13:2 - according Luke 11:35 - General Acts 17:18 - philosophers Romans 1:14 - both to Romans 3:11 - none that understandeth Romans 10:19 - foolish 1 Corinthians 1:20 - hath 1 Corinthians 15:36 - fool Ephesians 5:11 - works Colossians 2:8 - philosophy 1 Timothy 1:7 - understanding 1 Timothy 6:20 - oppositions James 3:15 - but

Cross-References

Genesis 1:13
And the evening and the morning were the third day.
Genesis 1:14
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 8:17
Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
Genesis 9:1
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Genesis 30:27
And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake.
Genesis 30:30
For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?
Genesis 35:11
And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
Leviticus 26:9
For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.
Job 40:15
Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Professing themselves to be wise,.... The learned men among the Gentiles first called themselves σοφοι, "Sophi", wise men: and afterwards, to cover their wretched pride and vanity, φιλοσοφοι, "Philosophers", lovers of wisdom; but notwithstanding all their arrogance, their large pretensions to wisdom, and boast of it

they became fools; they appeared to be so; they showed themselves to be such in those very things they prided themselves with the knowledge of: as, for instance, Socrates, after he had asserted the unity of God, and is said to die a martyr for the truth; yet one of the last actions of his life was sacrificing a cock to Aesculapius, at least he desired his friend Crito to do it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Professing themselves to be wise - This was the common boast of the philosophers of antiquity. The very word by which they chose to be called, “philosophers,” means literally “lovers of wisdom.” That it was their boast that they were wise, is well known; compare Romans 1:14; 1 Corinthians 1:19, 1Co 1:20, 1 Corinthians 1:22; 1 Corinthians 3:19; 2 Corinthians 11:19.

They became fools - Compare Jeremiah 8:8-9. They became really foolish in their opinions and conduct. There is something particularly pungent and cutting in this remark, and as true as it is pungent. In what way they evinced their folly, Paul proceeds immediately to state. Sinners of all kinds are frequently spoken of as fools in the Scriptures. In the sense in which it is thus used, the word is applied to them as void of understanding or moral sense; as idolaters, and as wicked; Psalms 14:1; Proverbs 26:4; Proverbs 1:17, Proverbs 1:22; Proverbs 14:8-9. The senses in which this word here is applied to the pagan are,

  1. That their speculations and doctrines were senseless; and,
  2. That their conduct was corrupt.



Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. Professing themselves to be wise — This is most strikingly true of all the ancient philosophers, whether Greeks or Romans, as their works, which remain, sufficiently testify. The word φασκοντες signifies not merely the professing but the assumption of the philosophic character. In this sense the word φασκειν is used by the best Greek writers. See Kypke. A dispassionate examination of the doctrine and lives of the most famed philosophers of antiquity, of every nation, will show that they were darkened in their mind and irregular in their conduct. It was from the Christian religion alone that true philosophy and genuine philosophers sprang.


 
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