• Romans Study Notes—Chapter 1
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

    • 1:31

      false to agreements: Or “opposed to any agreement.” Besides the idea of not abiding by an agreement, the Greek term used here may include the idea of one who is not reliable or who does not keep a promise. According to one reference work, it may also refer to “one who is unwilling to negotiate a solution to a problem involving a second party.”

      having no natural affection: This phrase, rendered “heartless” in some Bibles, translates the Greek word aʹstor·gos, which consists of the prefix a, meaning “without,” and stor·geʹ, meaning “natural affection.” This term is used to refer to the lack of natural affection between members of the same family, especially that of parents toward children and children toward parents. Those who lack natural affection toward family members could hardly be expected to maintain good relations with others. In harmony with Paul’s statement, ancient historians in the Greco-Roman world documented cases where fathers abandoned families; children neglected aged parents; and unwanted children, including the weak or deformed, were put to death by parents. Paul used this term here at Ro 1:31 to describe how far humans have fallen from their original perfection. At 2Ti 3:3, he used it to indicate how people would act in these critical last days.