OET interlinear ROM 1:21

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

γνόντες τὸν Θεὸν

/having/_known ¬the God

Here Paul uses having known to imply that these people know about God or know that God exists. He does not mean that they know God personally. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “having known about God”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

οὐχ ὡς Θεὸν ἐδόξασαν ἢ ηὐχαρίστησαν

not as God ˱they˲_glorified or ˱they˲_gave_thanks

Here, not glorify him and nor give him thanks mean basically the same thing. Paul uses them to emphasize that ungodly people dishonor God. If your language does not use repetition in this way, you could combine these phrases. Alternate translation: “they thanklessly despise God” or “they completely disregard God”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ηὐχαρίστησαν

˱they˲_gave_thanks

Here Paul speaks of expressions of thanks as if they were something that could be given to a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “did they thank him”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία

˱they˲_/were/_made_useless in the speculations ˱of˲_them and /was/_darkened the unintelligent ˱of˲_them heart

These two phrases mean the same thing. Paul uses them to emphasize how foolish these ungodly people became by refusing to honor God. If saying the same thing twice might be confusing for your readers, you can combine the phrases into one. Alternate translation: “they became completely senseless in the way they think”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν

˱they˲_/were/_made_useless in the speculations ˱of˲_them

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “they began to think futile things”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία

/was/_darkened the unintelligent ˱of˲_them heart

Here Paul speaks of the heart as if it could mentally sense things or could become black in color. He also uses darkened to refer to someone losing the ability to understand something. He means that these people lack spiritual sensitivity and are unable to understand spiritual things. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent metaphor from your culture or express the meaning plainly. Alternative translation: “their heart became incapable of feeling or understanding spiritual things”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

καρδία

heart

Here Paul uses heart to refer a person’s inner being or mind. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “inner being” or “mind”

Note 8 topic: grammar-collectivenouns

καρδία

heart

The word heart is a singular noun that refers to the inner beings or minds of a group of people. If your language does not use singular nouns in that way, you can use a different expression. Alternate translation: “inner beings” or “hearts”