2940. kubeia

Lexicon

kubeia: Trickery, deceit, craftiness

Original Word: κυβεία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: kubeia
Pronunciation: koo-BAY-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (koo-bi'-ah)
Definition: Trickery, deceit, craftiness
Meaning: (lit: playing with dice, gaming, hence) trickery, sleight.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

sleight, trickery

From kubos (a "cube", i.e. Die for playing); gambling, i.e. (figuratively) artifice or fraud -- sleight.

HELPS Word-studies

2940 kybeía (from kybos, "a cube" or "die") – properly, dice-playing (WS, 859); hence, "gaming, trickery, sleight" (Souter). 2940 (kybeia ), associated with a "sleight of the hand," implies the use of trickery and cheating (used only in Eph 4:14).

[2940 /kybeía is the root of the English term, "cube."]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from kubos (a cube, die)
Definition
dice playing
NASB Translation
trickery (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 2940: κυβείᾳ

κυβείᾳ (κυβία T WH; see Iota), κυβειας, ἡ (from κυβεύω, and this from κύβος a cube, a die), dice-playing (Xenophon, Plato, Aristotle, others); tropically, ἡ κυβείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, the deception (A. V. sleight) of men, Ephesians 4:14, because dice-players sometimes cheated and defrauded their fellow-players.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek word κύβος (kubos), meaning "a cube" or "a die," which is associated with gambling or games of chance.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for "κυβεία," the concept of deceit and trickery is present in several Hebrew words. One such word is מִרְמָה (mirmah, Strong's Hebrew 4820), which means deceit, fraud, or treachery. Another related term is רָמָה (ramah, Strong's Hebrew 7411), which means to beguile or deceive. These Hebrew terms capture similar themes of deception and cunning found in "κυβεία."

Usage: The word "κυβεία" is used in the New Testament to describe deceitful practices, particularly in the context of false teachings or misleading doctrines.

Context: In the New Testament, "κυβεία" appears in Ephesians 4:14, where the Apostle Paul warns believers against being swayed by false teachings and deceitful schemes. The verse reads: "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" (Ephesians 4:14, BSB). Here, "κυβεία" is translated as "deceitful scheming," highlighting the manipulative tactics used by false teachers to lead believers astray.

The use of "κυβεία" in this context underscores the importance of spiritual maturity and discernment. Paul emphasizes the need for believers to be grounded in sound doctrine and to grow in their understanding of the truth, so they are not easily deceived by those who use cunning and trickery to promote falsehoods. The imagery of being "tossed about by the waves" suggests instability and vulnerability, which can be countered by a firm foundation in the teachings of Christ.

In the broader biblical narrative, "κυβεία" serves as a warning against the dangers of deception and the need for vigilance in maintaining the integrity of the faith. It calls believers to be aware of the subtle and often insidious nature of false teachings that can infiltrate the church and lead individuals away from the truth.

Forms and Transliterations

κυβεία κυβείᾳ κυβερνώσι κυβια κυβίᾳ kubeia kybeia kybeíāi

Englishman's Concordance

Ephesians 4:14 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ κυβείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων
NAS: of doctrine, by the trickery of men,
KJV: by the sleight of men,
INT: in the sleight the of men

Strong's Greek 2940
1 Occurrence

κυβείᾳ — 1 Occ.