Guile

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, 1Pe 2:22, 1Pe 3:10, quoted from Psa 34:13, Rev 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 (Psa 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" (Gen 27:35, Act 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 Rom 12:1, 1Pe 2:2); "guileless" for "harmless" (Heb 7:26).

W. L. Walker