Romans 1:22

22 For they saying that themselves were wise [Soothly they saying themselves to be wise men], they were made fools.

Romans 1:22 Meaning and Commentary

Romans 1:22

Professing themselves to be wise
The learned men among the Gentiles first called themselves (sofoi) , "Sophi", wise men: and afterwards, to cover their wretched pride and vanity, (filosofoi) , "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.

Romans 1:22 In-Context

20 For the invisible things of him, that be understood, be beheld of the creature of the world, by those things that be made, yea, and the everlasting virtue of him and the Godhead, so that they may not be excused. [For the invisible things of him, of the creature of the world, by those things that be made, understood be beholden, and the everlasting virtue of him, and the Godhead, so that they be unexcusable.]

21 For when they had known God, they glorified him not as God, neither did thankings; but they vanished in their thoughts, and the unwise heart of them was darked [was darked, or made dark].

22 For they saying that themselves were wise [Soothly they saying themselves to be wise men], they were made fools.

23 And they changed the glory of uncorruptible God into the likeness of an image of a deadly man [into the likeness of an image of corruptible man], and of birds, and of four-footed beasts, and of serpents.

24 For which thing God betook them into the desires of their heart, into uncleanness, that they punish with wrongs their bodies in themselves.