Craft, Craftiness, Crafty
Craft, Craftiness, Crafty
kraft, krafti-nes, krafti, (, panourga), (, panourgos): The original meaning is that of ability to do anything, universally applied in a bad sense to unscrupulous wickedness, that stops short of no measure, however reprehensible, in order to attain its purposes; then, in a modified form, to resourcefulness in wrong, cunning (Dan 8:25; 2 Macc 12:24; the Revised Version, margin jugglery). In Luk 20:23, Jesus perceives the craftiness of His adversaries, i.e. the complicated network which they have laid to ensnare Him. The art with which a plot is concealed, and its direction to the ruin of others, are elements that enter into the meaning. Heinrici on 1Co 3:19 illustrates from Plato the distinction between craftiness and wisdom. There is a touch of humor in 2Co 12:16, when Paul speaks of his conduct toward the Corinthians as having been crafty.