Bible Dictionary
BEGUILE
To beguile means to entice, cheat, deceive, or impose upon someone through misleading appearances or arguments. The New Testament uses the term for being drawn into sin or accepting falsehood as truth.
Definition
To beguile means to entice, catch by bait, cheat, deceive, or impose upon someone through misleading appearances or arguments. It may involve drawing a person toward wrongdoing or causing falsehood to be accepted as truth.
Biblical Usage
The New Testament uses the term for enticement like bait, thorough deception, and being misled by mere probability or faulty reasoning. The supplied discussion applies it to temptation, false teachers, self-deception, and misleading arguments.
Historical Background
One Greek word carries the image of baiting a hook, a sense associated in the entry with Peter’s former occupation as a fisherman. Other terms emphasize cheating, complete deception, or miscalculation.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>be-gil': In 2Pe 2:14 the King James Version (compare Jas 1:14) the word deleazo, is translated "beguile," and means particularly to "entice," "catch by bait." Doubtless Peter got this idea from his old business of fishing, baiting the hook to beguile the fish. In Ro 7:11; 16:18; 1Co 3:18 the word is exapatao, and means "to cheat" or "to thoroughly deceive." The thought is to be so completely deceived as to accept falsehood for the truth, believing it to be the truth. In Col 2:4,18 the King James Version; Jas 1:22 the word is paralogizomai, and means "to miscalculate," "to be imposed upon." It refers particularly to being beguiled by mere probability.</p><p>See DECEIT; DELUSION.</p><p>Jacob W. Kapp</p>