Romans 1:31 Meaning and Explanation
“Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The catalog closes with the senseless, faithless, heartless, and unmerciful.
What Does Romans 1:31 Mean?
Paul brings his list of evils to a close with a final cluster. He names those without understanding, those who break their word, those lacking natural affection, the unforgiving, and the unmerciful.
These closing terms describe the cooling of love and faithfulness in human bonds, the breaking of trust and the hardening of the heart. It is a bleak picture of what life becomes when God is pushed out, relationships fraying and mercy drying up. Yet by naming the absence of these virtues, Paul makes the reader long for their presence, for understanding, faithfulness, tender affection, and mercy, which flow most fully from a heart restored to God.
Romans 1:31 in the Original Language
astorgos (ἄστοργος), 'without natural affection' -- lacking the natural love of family bonds.
Frequently Asked Questions About Romans 1:31
What does Romans 1:31 mean?
The catalog closes with the senseless, faithless, heartless, and unmerciful.