Dictionaries :: Guile

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Guile:

gil (mirmah; dolos): "Guile" is twice the translation of mirmah, "fraud," "deceit" (Ps 34:13, "Keep.... thy lips from speaking guile"; PS 55:11, "deceit and guile," the Revised Version (British and American) "oppression (margin "fraud") and guile"); once of ‘ormah, "craftiness," "guile" (Ex 21:14); once of remiyah, "deception," "fraud" (Ps 32:2, "in whose spirit there is no guile"); in the New Testament of dolos, "bait," hence, generally, "fraud," "guile," "deceit"; Septuagint for mirmah (Isa 53:9, English Versions of the Bible "deceit") and for remiyah (Job 13:7, English Versions of the Bible "deceitfully"; Joh 1:47; 2Co 12:16, "Being crafty, I caught you with guile"; 1Th 2:3; 1Pe 2:1; 2:22; 3:10, quoted from Ps 34:13; Re 14:5, "In their mouth was found no guile," the Revised Version (British and American) after corrected text, "no lie").

Paul's words in 2Co 12:16 have sometimes been quoted in justification of "guile" in religious work, etc.; but he is not describing his actual procedure; but that which the Corinthians might have attributed to him; the lips of the Christian must be kept free from all guile (Ps 34:13; 1Pe 2:1, etc.; The Wisdom of Solomon 1:5 "A holy spirit of discipline will flee deceit" (dolos), the Revised Version (British and American) "A holy spirit"). "Guile" does not appear in Apocrypha; dolos is frequently rendered "deceit."

The Revised Version (British and American) has "guile" for "subtilty" (Ge 27:35; Ac 13:10); "cover itself with guile" for "is covered by deceit" (Pr 26:26); "with guile" for "deceitfully" (Ge 34:13); "spiritual milk which is without guile" for "sincere milk of the word," the English Revised Version, margin "reasonable," the American Revised Version, margin, Greek "belonging to the reason" (compare Ro 12:1; 1Pe 2:2); "guileless" for "harmless" (Heb 7:26).

Written by W. L. Walker

King James Dictionary

Guile: Deceit; Craftiness.

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no GUILE! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. (John 1:46-48)

Nave's Topical Bible

Guile:

See CONSPIRACY; DECEIT; FRAUD; HYPOCRISY.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

Guile:

"a bait, snare, deceit," is rendered "guile" in Jhn 1:47, negatively of Nathanael; Act 13:10, RV, AV, "subtlety" (of Bar-Jesus); 2Cr 12:16, in a charge made against Paul by his detractors, of catching the Corinthian converts by "guile" (the Apostle is apparently quoting the language of his critics); 1Th 2:3, negatively, of the teaching of the Apostle and his fellow missionaries; 1Pe 2:1, of that from which Christians are to be free; 1Pe 2:22, of the guileless speech of Christ (cp. GUILELESS, No. 2); 1Pe 3:10, of the necessity thatthe speech of Christians should be guileless. See also Mat 26:4; Mar 7:22; 14:1.
See CRAFT, DECEIT, SUBTILTY.

Note: In Rev 14:5, some mss. have dolos; the most authentic have pseudos, a "lie."