The meaning of Guile in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
gil (mirmah; dolos): "Guile" is twice the translation of mirmah, "fraud," "deceit" (Psalms 34:13, "Keep .... thy lips from speaking guile"; Psalms 55:11, "deceit and guile," the Revised Version (British and American) "oppression (margin "fraud") and guile"); once of 'ormah, "craftiness," "guile" (Exodus 21:14); once of remiyah, "deception," "fraud" (Psalms 32:2, "in whose spirit there is no guile"); in the New Testament of dolos, "bait," hence, generally, "fraud," "guile," "deceit"; Septuagint for mirmah (Isaiah 53:9, English Versions of the Bible "deceit") and for remiyah (Job 13:7, English Versions of the Bible "deceitfully"; John 1:47; II Corinthians 12:16, "Being crafty, I caught you with guile"; I Thessalonians 2:3; I Peter 2:1; I Peter 2:22; I Peter 3:10, quoted from Psalms 34:13; Revelation 14:5, "In their mouth was found no guile," the Revised Version (British and American) after corrected text, "no lie").
Paul's words in II Corinthians 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 (Psalms 34:13; I Peter 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" (Genesis 27:35; Acts 13:10); "cover itself with guile" for "is covered by deceit" (Proverbs 26:26); "with guile" for "deceitfully" (Genesis 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 Romans 12:1; I Peter 2:2); "guileless" for "harmless" (Hebrews 7:26).
W. L. Walker
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