Topical Encyclopedia
Artifice, in the context of the Bible, refers to human ingenuity, craftiness, or cunning, often with a negative connotation of deceit or trickery. The concept of artifice is woven throughout Scripture, illustrating both the creative capacity of humanity and the potential for moral corruption when such creativity is misused.
Old Testament ReferencesIn the Old Testament, artifice is often associated with idolatry and the creation of false gods. The prophet Isaiah speaks against the artifice of idol makers, highlighting the futility and deception involved in crafting idols from wood and metal.
Isaiah 44:12-13 describes the process: "The ironsmith takes a tool and works it over the coals, shaping it with hammers and forging it with his strong arm. He grows hungry and loses his strength; he fails to drink water and grows faint. The woodworker stretches out a measuring line; he marks it out with a stylus. He shapes it with chisels and outlines it with a compass. He makes it in the form of a man, like a man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine."
The artifice of idol-making is portrayed as a misguided use of human skill, leading people away from the worship of the one true God. This theme is echoed in
Jeremiah 10:3-5 , where the prophet derides the customs of the nations: "For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter."
New Testament ReferencesIn the New Testament, artifice is often linked to deceit and hypocrisy. Jesus warns against the artifice of the Pharisees, who outwardly appear righteous but are inwardly corrupt. In
Matthew 23:27-28 , Jesus declares, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."
The Apostle Paul also addresses artifice in his letters, cautioning believers against being led astray by false teachings and deceitful schemes. In
Ephesians 4:14 , he writes, "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."
Theological ImplicationsFrom a theological perspective, artifice underscores the tension between human creativity as a reflection of the divine image and the potential for that creativity to be corrupted by sin. While God endowed humanity with the ability to create and innovate, the misuse of this gift for deceitful purposes is condemned throughout Scripture. The Bible calls believers to exercise discernment and integrity, using their God-given talents for truth and righteousness rather than deception and falsehood.
Practical ApplicationIn practical terms, Christians are encouraged to be wary of artifice in their own lives and in the world around them. This involves cultivating a heart of sincerity and truth, avoiding the temptation to manipulate or deceive for personal gain. Believers are called to reflect the character of Christ, who embodies truth and authenticity, and to use their creative abilities to glorify God and serve others.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) Skillful contrivance; elaborate trickery; wile; deception.
2. (n.) Crafty device; an artful, ingenious, or elaborate trick.
3. (n.) A handicraft; a trade; art of making.
4. (n.) Workmanship; a skillfully contrived work.
Greek
2940. kubeia -- dice playing... sleight, trickery. From kubos (a "cube", ie Die for playing); gambling, ie
(figuratively)
artifice or fraud -- sleight. (kubeia) -- 1 Occurrence. 2939,
...Strong's Hebrew
698. orbah -- anartifice... 697, 698. orbah. 699 . an
artifice. Transliteration: orbah Phonetic Spelling:
(or-ob-aw') Short Definition: trickery. Word Origin
...Library
Our Friends Take it Amiss that I have Spoken of the Origenists as...
... so long concealed the truth as to her race; and still more the patriarch Jacob who,
as we read, obtained the blessing of his father byartifice and falsehood....
We Hear Much of the Human Error which Accepts what is Sham and...
... And so they are"both of them, I mean. But it was not with this aspect of the startling
air ofartifice about all strange objects that I meant to deal....
Your Origen Allows Himself to Treat of the Transmigration of Souls...
... However, that I should not be thought to be raising quibbles, and by thisartifice
of self-excuse to be escaping from boldly meeting him, I will set out the...
But Upon those who have Used Dissimulation Like David...
... He compares them to children, as not having manfully withstood the idolaters, but
to prudent children, because byartifice they avoided doing sacrifice....
The Candour of the Writers of the New Testament.
... The following passage, I, for the same reason, think impossible to have been the
production ofartifice, or of a cold forgery: " "But I say unto you, that...
The Macedonians, Pressed by the Emperor's violence Toward Them...
... the before-mentioned creed of the holy Synod of Nic??a, to which the bishops at
Constantinople affixed their signatures, being deceived byartifice and perjury...
The Romance of M. Renan. By Napoleon Roussel.
... Thus, "sometimes," says M. Renan, "Jesus made use of an innocentartifice.
[Innocentartifice!] He professed to have some secret...
Chapter i.
... out in the language of Scripture, speaking indeed the words, but stealing away the
true meaning thereof; and so disguising by someartifice their false...
The Exordium.
... [2172] And thus by a kind ofartifice, or rather by such a process of craft, the
devil having devised destruction against those who were disobedient to the...
Treatise i. On the Unity of the Church.
... of the Serpent. [3100] That is always his subtlety; that is his dark and
stealthyartifice for circumventing man. Thus from the...
Thesaurus
Artifice (1 Occurrence)... 3. (n.) A handicraft; a trade; art of making. 4. (n.) Workmanship; a skillfully
contrived work. Multi-Version Concordance
Artifice (1 Occurrence).
...Intrigue (3 Occurrences)
... 2. (vi) To carry on a secret and illicit love or amour. 3. (vt) To fill
withartifice and duplicity; to complicate; to embarrass....
Train (17 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To draw along; to trail; to drag. 2. (vt) To draw by persuasion,artifice,
or the like; to attract by stratagem; to entice; to allure....
Trick (11 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) Anartifice or stratagem; a cunning contrivance;
a sly procedure, usually with a dishonest intent; as, a trick in trade....
Craft (14 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) Cunning, art, or skill, in a bad sense, or applied to bad purposes;artifice;
guile; skill or dexterity employed to effect purposes by deceit or shrewd...
Angle (19 Occurrences)
... 8. (vi) To use some bait orartifice; to intrigue; to scheme; as, to angle for praise.
9. (vt) To try to gain by some insinuatingartifice; to allure. Int....
Subtilty (9 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) Cunning; skill; craft. 4. (n.) Slyness in design;artifice; guile; a cunning
design orartifice; a trick; subtlety. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia....
Artificer (13 Occurrences)
Naphtali (51 Occurrences)
... By herartifice she had obtained children, the offspring of her maid ranking
as her own; and thus her reproach of childlessness was removed....
Unfair (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (a.) Not fair; not honest; not impartial; disingenuous; using or involving trick
orartifice; dishonest; unjust; unequal. Multi-Version Concordance...
Resources
Who was John Foxe? What is Foxe's Book of Martyrs? | GotQuestions.orgIs Romans 7:14-25 describing a believer or an unbeliever? | GotQuestions.orgIn the Song of Solomon, why is it said that we shouldn't awaken love until it pleases? | GotQuestions.orgArtifice: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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