The Hebrew verb mur means to change, exchange, or alter. It specifically describes the act of substituting one thing for another — replacing the original with something different. The word is used in both literal and theological contexts, often with negative connotations of replacing what is good or true with something inferior.
The most theologically powerful uses of mur appear in prophetic indictments against Israel for exchanging their glory — the true God — for worthless idols. Jeremiah 2:11 declares the unthinkable: Israel exchanged their God for what is not a god. Psalm 106:20 echoes this tragedy. The concept of sinful exchange runs from the Old Testament into Romans 1:23, where Paul describes humanity exchanging the glory of God for images of mortal things. This word warns against the deepest human temptation: trading the eternal for the temporal, the Creator for the created.