Greek word · G539

ἀπάτη

apatē

deceit

Deceit, deception, trickery. In later Hellenistic Greek it can also mean 'pleasure, entertainment' or 'seductive allure', the kind of attraction that beguiles (BDAG gives this sense for 2 Pet 2:13 and possibly Mark 4:19).

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀπάτη, -ης, ἡ

[in LXX: Ecclesiastes 9:6 א (no Heb. equiv.), Judith 9:3, 4Ma.18:8 * ;]

deceit, deceitfulness: Colossians 2:8; τοῦ πλούτου, Matthew 13:22, Mark 4:19 (MM, VGT, see word); τῆς ἀδικίας, 2 Thessalonians 2:10; τῆς ἁμαρτίας, Hebrews 3:13; αἱ ἐπιθυμίαι τῆς ἀ., Ephesians 4:22. pl., ἀπά ται (see M, Th., i.e.; NTD, 75; MM, l.with): 2 Peter 2:13 (WH, mg., R., txt., ἐν ἀγάπαις).†

(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 Ephesians 4:22

Range of meaning

Deceit, deception, trickery. In later Hellenistic Greek it can also mean 'pleasure, entertainment' or 'seductive allure', the kind of attraction that beguiles (BDAG gives this sense for 2 Pet 2:13 and possibly Mark 4:19).

Against the English

Most versions turn the genitive into an adjective: 'deceitful desires' (BSB, NIV, ESV), 'deceitful lusts' (KJV). NASB/WEB/YLT keep 'lusts/desires of deceit'. That keeps the possibility that 'the Deceit' is a power producing the desires, and keeps the contrast with 'of the truth' in v. 24.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Gen 3:13 uses the related verb: 'the serpent deceived me (ēpatēsen me)'. New Testament: Col 2:8 ('empty deceit'), 2 Thess 2:10 ('every deceit of unrighteousness'), Heb 3:13 ('the deceitfulness of sin'), Mark 4:19 ('the deceitfulness [or allure] of riches').

From the study of Hebrews 3:13

Range of meaning

Deceit, deception, trickery. In Hellenistic Greek, the Greek of the period after Alexander, it also came to mean 'pleasure' or 'seductive delight,' attractive things that lead people astray. BDAG and Moulton-Milligan note this sense in papyri and in some New Testament passages (possibly Mark 4:19; 2 Peter 2:13).

Against the English

KJV, BSB, WEB and ESV have 'deceitfulness of sin'; NIV has 'sin's deceitfulness.' Both are accurate. Neither shows the possible overtone of allure: sin deceives by making itself attractive.

Used elsewhere in the period

Related verbs are used for the serpent's deception (Genesis 3:13 in the Greek Old Testament, 'the serpent deceived me'). Romans 7:11 says 'sin ... deceived me.' Ephesians 4:22 speaks of 'the desires of deceit.' Colossians 2:8 speaks of 'empty deceit.'

From the study of Mark 4:19

Range of meaning

Classical sense: deceit, trickery, deception. In Hellenistic and later Greek it also developed the sense of 'pleasant diversion, delight, pleasure, allure' (attested in papyri and later writers). The link between the two senses is something that beguiles, whether by lying or by charming.

Against the English

'Deceitfulness' (KJV, ESV, NASB, NIV, BSB, WEB) takes the classical sense. NLT 'lure' leans toward the second sense. Neither is wrong. Each picks out one side of a word that could carry both.

Used elsewhere in the period

New Testament: Col 2:8 ('empty deceit'), Eph 4:22 ('desires of deceit'), Heb 3:13 ('deceitfulness of sin'). In 2 Pet 2:13 many scholars take it as 'pleasures, revelling'. Moulton & Milligan document the 'pleasure' sense in the papyri. Luke's parallel (Luke 8:14) has 'riches and pleasures (hēdonōn) of life', possibly Luke's own reading of the phrase.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 13:22 ἀπάτη deceit

    The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

    Here: The way wealth deceives: it promises security and satisfaction and does not deliver. In everyday Greek of the time the word could also mean 'delight' or 'allure', and Luke's parallel speaks of 'pleasures', so 'the seductive charm of wealth' may be part of the sense.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 4:19 ἀπάτη deceit

    but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

    Here: What wealth does to a person. It deceives with false promises of security and status, and it may also be the pull or charm of wealth. Both senses describe something that lures.

Ephesians · 1

  1. Ephesians 4:22 ἀπάτης, of deceit,

    to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

    Here: 'Of the deceit': the desires come from and serve a lie. They promise life and deliver ruin. This answers 'the truth is in Jesus' (v. 21) and 'righteousness and holiness of the truth' (v. 24).

Colossians · 1

  1. Colossians 2:8 ἀπάτης deceit

    See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.

    Here: Deception that draws people in by its attraction. In Greek of the period the word could also carry the sense of an enticing pleasure. The philosophy draws people in, and what they find inside is empty.

2 Thessalonians · 1

  1. 2 Thessalonians 2:10 ἀπάτῃ deceit

    and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.

    Here: Deception that leads people astray. In Greek of this period the word could also carry the idea of something enticing or pleasurable that lures. The lie is attractive, not merely false.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 3:13 ἀπάτῃ by [the] deceitfulness

    But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

    Here: The means by which hardening happens: 'by the deceit.' Sin works by deceiving, making turning away look reasonable, harmless or attractive.

2 Peter · 1

  1. 2 Peter 2:13 ἀπάταις deceptions

    The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you.

    Here: "Deceptions." In Hellenistic Greek the word could also mean seductive amusements, pleasures that lead people astray. Both senses fit: they delight in their deceits, and their delights deceive. A few manuscripts read agapais, "love-feasts."

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