gil (mirmah; dolos): "Guile" is twice the translation of mirmah, "fraud," "deceit" (Ps 34:13, "Keep.... thy lips from speaking guile";PS 55:11, "deceit and guile," the Revised Version (British and American) "oppression (margin "fraud") and guile"); once of `ormah, "craftiness," "guile" (Ex 21:14); once of remiyah, "deception," "fraud" (Ps 32:2, "in whose spirit there is no guile"); in the New Testament of dolos, "bait," hence, generally, "fraud," "guile," "deceit"; Septuagint for mirmah (Isa 53:9, English Versions of the Bible "deceit") and for remiyah (Job 13:7, English Versions of the Bible "deceitfully";Joh 1:47;2Co 12:16, "Being crafty, I caught you with guile";1Th 2:3;1Pe 2:1;2:22;3:10, quoted fromPs 34:13;Re 14:5, "In their mouth was found no guile," the Revised Version (British and American) after corrected text, "no lie").
Paul's words in2Co 12:16have sometimes been quoted in justification of "guile" in religious work, etc.; but he is not describing his actual procedure; but that which the Corinthians might have attributed to him; the lips of the Christian must be kept free from all guile (Ps 34:13;1Pe 2:1, etc.; The Wisdom of Solomon 1:5 "A holy spirit of discipline will flee deceit" (dolos), the Revised Version (British and American) "A holy spirit"). "Guile" does not appear in Apocrypha; dolos is frequently rendered "deceit."
The Revised Version (British and American) has "guile" for "subtilty" (Ge 27:35;Ac 13:10); "cover itself with guile" for "is covered by deceit" (Pr 26:26); "with guile" for "deceitfully" (Ge 34:13); "spiritual milk which is without guile" for "sincere milk of the word," the English Revised Version, margin "reasonable," the American Revised Version, margin, Greek "belonging to the reason" (compareRo 12:1;1Pe 2:2); "guileless" for "harmless" (Heb 7:26).
W. L. Walker