Greek word · G3834

πανουργία

panourgia

craftiness

Literally 'readiness to do anything' (pan, 'all' + ergon, 'work'). Its senses include: negatively, cunning, trickery, unscrupulousness, the usual NT sense; positively, shrewdness or prudence (Prov 1:4; 8:5 LXX).

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πανουργία, -ας, ἡ

(πανοῦργος), [in LXX: Joshua 9:4, Proverbs 1:4 8:5 (עׇרְמָה), Numbers 24:22, Sirach 19:25 21:22 31:10 (Sirach 34:10) (in all cases in good or indifferent sense)* ;]

cleverness, in cl. nearly always in bad sense, craftiness, cunning, knavery: Luke 20:23, 1 Corinthians 3:19 (LXX, φρόνησις, for עׇרְמָה) 2 Corinthians 4:2 11:3, Ephesians 4:14.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Corinthians 11:3

Range of meaning

Literally 'readiness to do anything' (pan, 'all' + ergon, 'work'). Its senses include:

  • negatively, cunning, trickery, unscrupulousness, the usual NT sense;
  • positively, shrewdness or prudence (Prov 1:4; 8:5 LXX).
Against the English

KJV 'subtilty' (subtlety) once meant crafty cleverness. Today 'subtlety' suggests delicacy or nuance, which is much milder. 'Cunning' or 'craftiness' (BSB, WEB) is better.

How it drifted

Over time 'subtle' shifted from 'crafty, sly' to 'fine, understated'. The KJV's 'subtilty' now sounds almost like a compliment.

Used elsewhere in the period
  • Luke 20:23: Jesus perceives his questioners' panourgia.
  • 1 Cor 3:19 (quoting Job 5:13): God catches the wise in their panourgia.
  • Eph 4:14: the 'cunning' of deceitful teaching.
  • Paul in 2 Corinthians: he renounces panourgia (4:2), and he reports the charge that he was panourgos, crafty, and took them in by trickery (12:16).
  • Genesis 3:1 calls the serpent ʿārûm ('shrewd, crafty'). The LXX translates it phronimōtatos, 'most clever'.

From the study of Ephesians 4:14

Range of meaning

Literally 'readiness to do anything' (pan, 'all', + ergon, 'work'). It can be neutral or even positive ('shrewdness, prudence'), but is usually negative: unscrupulous cunning, craftiness.

Against the English

'Cunning craftiness' (KJV), 'craftiness' (WEB, YLT, ESV, NASB). BSB merges it with kybeia as 'clever cunning'. These are accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

In LXX Proverbs it is positive, translating Hebrew ʿormah, 'prudence' (Prov 1:4; 8:5). In the New Testament it is always negative: Luke 20:23 (the craftiness of those trying to trap Jesus), 1 Cor 3:19 (God 'catches the wise in their craftiness', quoting Job 5:13), 2 Cor 4:2 (Paul refuses to 'walk in craftiness'), 2 Cor 11:3 ('as the serpent deceived Eve by his panourgia').

From the study of 1 Corinthians 3:19

Range of meaning

From pan ('all') + ergon ('work'): readiness to do anything. Hence unscrupulous cleverness, cunning, trickery. In some Greek, especially the Septuagint of Proverbs (1:4; 8:5), it can be a positive 'shrewdness, prudence'. The New Testament always uses it negatively.

Against the English

'Craftiness' (BSB, KJV, NIV, ESV) is accurate. 'Cleverness' (NLT) softens the moral edge. The word means cleverness that has come loose from goodness.

Used elsewhere in the period

Plato, Menexenus 247a: 'all knowledge separated from justice and the rest of virtue is seen to be panourgia, not sophia.' In the New Testament: Luke 20:23 (Jesus sees through his questioners' craftiness); 2 Cor 4:2 (Paul refuses to practise it); 2 Cor 11:3 (the serpent deceived Eve 'by his panourgia'); Eph 4:14. The Hebrew of Job 5:13 has ʿormah (shrewdness, cunning), from the same root as ʿarum, used of the serpent in Gen 3:1 and of the 'crafty' in Job 5:12.

Similar words

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 20:23 πανουργίαν craftiness

    But Jesus saw through their duplicity and said to them,

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 3:19 πανουργίᾳ craftiness

    For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”

    Here: Literally 'readiness to do anything': cleverness without moral limits. Paul's word recasts what the wise call wisdom as mere cunning.

2 Corinthians · 2

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:2 πανουργίᾳ, craftiness

    Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

    Here: Literally 'readiness to do anything'. Here it means unscrupulous cleverness: the trickster who will use any means to get his result.

  2. 2 Corinthians 11:3 πανουργίᾳ craftiness

    I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.

    Here: Literally 'readiness to do anything'. It is cleverness with no scruples. The rivals at Corinth had accused Paul of exactly this (12:16), and Paul turns the charge back on the false teachers.

Ephesians · 1

  1. Ephesians 4:14 πανουργίᾳ craftiness

    Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.

    Here: Literally 'all-working': readiness to do anything at all to get your way. Here it means unscrupulous cleverness, the same word Paul uses for the serpent's deception of Eve (2 Cor 11:3).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.