Romans 1:24 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Wherefore God also gave them up— There are three degrees of ungodliness and of punishment described in these verses: the first in Romans 1:21-24.; the second in Romans 1:25-27.; the third in the 28th and following verses. The punishment in each place is expressed: by God gave them up. If a man will not worship God as God, he is so left to himself, that he throws away his very manhood. One punishment of sinis from the very nature of it, as Romans 1:27 another as here is from vindictive justice. Between themselves, εν εαυτοις, would be more properly rendered by themselves; for the Apostle's sentiment seems to be, that the abuse of themselves was their own act and deed; it was fit they should be dishonoured who dishonoured God; and they could not be dishonoured by any so much as by themselves; nor by themselves any other way so much as this. We have the same thought again, Romans 1:27 and the same phrase; where we render it in themselves. The original word 'Εν, in the Hellenistic Greek, as the critics tell us, has the force of all prepositions, and here may be translated from, or by. See Bengelius and Bos.