SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:14
que ya no seamos nios inconstantes, y seamos atraídos a todo viento de doctrina por maldad de hombres que engaan con astutos errores;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Ephesians 4:14
Verse 14. Be no more children] Children, here, are opposed to the perfect man in the preceding verse; and the state of both is well explained by the apostle's allusions. The man is grown up strong and healthy, and has attained such a measure or height as qualifies him for the most respectable place in the ranks of his country. The child is ignorant, weak, and unsteady, tossed about in the nurse's arms, or whirled round in the giddy sports or mazes of youth; this seems to be the apostle's allusion. Being tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, refers to some kind of ancient play, but what I cannot absolutely determine; probably to something similar to a top, or to our paper kite.
By the sleight of men] The words en th kubeia refer to the arts used by gamesters, who employ false dice that will always throw up one kind of number, which is that by which those who play with them cannot win.
Cunning craftiness] It is difficult to give a literal translation of the original words: en panourgia prov thn meqodeian thv planhv? "By cunning, for the purpose of using the various means of deception." panourgia signifies craft and subtlety in general, cheating and imposition: meqodeia, from which we have our term method, signifies a wile, a particular sleight, mode of tricking and deceiving; it is applied to the arts which the devil uses to deceive and destroy souls; see chap. vi. 11, called there the WILES of the devil. From this it seems that various arts were used, both by the Greek sophists and the Judaizing teachers, to render the Gospel of none effect, or to adulterate and corrupt it.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 14. That we henceforth be no more children , &c.] Meaning not children of men, for grace does not destroy natural relations; nor children of God, which is a privilege, and always continues; nor indeed children of disobedience, though the saints cease to be such upon conversion; but in such sense children, as they were when first converted, newborn babes, little children: there are some things in which they should be children still, namely, with respect to an ardent and flaming love to God and Christ, and to the saints; and with regard to their eager desire after the sincere milk of the word; and as to pride, malice, envy, evil speakings, guile and hypocrisy; in these things it becomes them to be children: but not in understanding; they should not always remain ignorant, imprudent, or be always fed with milk, and not able to digest meat; nor be unable to go unless led, and be tender and incapable of bearing hardships for Christ and his Gospel, and of defending it, and his cause and interest; but should play the man, and quit themselves as such and be strong, which the Gospel ministry is a means of, and encourages to: tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine ; false doctrine, which may be compared to wind for its lightness and emptiness, and for its swelling and puffing nature, and for the noise and bluster it makes, and for its rapidity and force, with which it sometimes comes and bears all before it, and for its infectiousness, which is the nature of some winds; and to be tossed to and fro, and carried about with it, is expressive of much ignorance and want of a discerning spirit, and implies hesitation, and doubts and scruples, and shows credulity, fickleness, and inconstancy: and which is brought on by the sleight of men ; either through the uncertain and changeable state of things in life; the mind of man is fickle, the life of man is uncertain, and all the affairs of human nature are subject to change, by reason of which men are easily imposed upon; or rather through the tricking arts of false teachers; the word here used is adopted by the Jews into their language, and with them aybwq signifies the game at dice f49 ; and swjswybwq , is a gamester at that play, and is interpreted by them, one that steals souls f50 , and deceives and corrupts them; and may be filly applied to false teachers, who make use of such like artifices and juggling tricks, to deceive the hearts of the simple, as the others do to cheat men of their money: hence it follows, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive ; or unto the deceitful methods or wiles of the devil, as the Alexandrian copy reads; which not only suggests that their principal end in view is to deceive, but their insidious, private, and secret way of deceiving, and their expertness in it, which they have from the devil; and now the ministration of the Gospel is the best and surest guard and antidote against such fluctuations and deceptions.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-16 - Unto every believer is given some gift of grace, for their mutual help All is given as seems best to Christ to bestow upon every one. He received for them, that he might give to them, a large measure of gift and graces; particularly the gift of the Holy Ghost. Not a mere hea knowledge, or bare acknowledging Christ to be the Son of God, but suc as brings trust and obedience. There is a fulness in Christ, and measure of that fulness given in the counsel of God to every believer but we never come to the perfect measure till we come to heaven. God' children are growing, as long as they are in this world; and the Christian's growth tends to the glory of Christ. The more a man find himself drawn out to improve in his station, and according to his measure, all that he has received, to the spiritual good of others, he may the more certainly believe that he has the grace of sincere love and charity rooted in his heart. (Eph 4:17-24)
Greek Textus Receptus
ινα 2443 μηκετι 3371 ωμεν 5600 5753 νηπιοι 3516 κλυδωνιζομενοι 2831 5740 και 2532 περιφερομενοι 4064 5746 παντι 3956 ανεμω 417 της 3588 διδασκαλιας 1319 εν 1722 τη 3588 κυβεια 2940 των 3588 ανθρωπων 444 εν 1722 πανουργια 3834 προς 4314 την 3588 μεθοδειαν 3180 της 3588 πλανης 4106
Vincent's NT Word Studies
14. Children (nhpioi). See on 1 Cor. ii. 6; iii. 1. As to the connection, ver. 13 states the ultimate goal of christian training; ver. 14 that which is pursued with a view to the attainment of that goal. Ver. 14 is subordinate to ver. 13, as is shown by the retention of the same figure, and is remotely dependent on vers 11, 12. The remote end, ver. 13, is placed before the more immediate one, as in ver. 12. See note.
Tossed to and fro (kludwnizomenoi). Only here in the New Testament. See on wave, Jas. i. 6. For Paul's use of nautical metaphors, see on Philip. i. 23. Compare Plato: "Socrates. In a ship, if a man having the power to do what he likes, has no intelligence or skill in navigation, do you see what will happen to him and to his fellow-sailors? Alcibiades. Yes, I see that they will all perish" ("Alcibiades," i., 135).
Wind of doctrine. Or of the teaching. The different teachings of philosophers or of religious quacks are represented as winds, blowing the unstable soul in every direction.
Sleight (kubeia). Only here in the New Testament. From kubov a cube or die. Lit., dice-playing.
Cunning craftiness (panourgia). See on Luke xx. 23. The craft which gamblers use.
Whereby they lie in wait to deceive (prov thn meqodeian thv planhv). Lit., tending to the system of error. Rev., after the wiles of error. Meqodeia means a deliberate planning or system. Of error includes the idea of deceit or delusion. See Matt. xxvii. 64; Rom. i. 27; 2 Pet ii. 18; iii. 17; Jas. v. 20. Error organizes. It has its systems and its logic. Ellicott remarks that here it is almost personified.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:14 {That we may be no longer children} (hina meketi wmen nepioi). Negative final clause with present subjunctive. Some Christians are quite content to remain "babes" in Christ and never cut their eye-teeth (#Heb 5:11-14), the victims of every charlatan who comes along. {Tossed to and fro} (kludwnizomenoi). Present passive participle of kludwnizomai, late verb from kludwn (wave, #Jas 1:6), to be agitated by the waves, in LXX, only here in N.T. One example in Vettius Valens. {Carried about} (periferomenoi). Present passive participle of periferw, old verb, to carry round, whirled round "by every wind (anemwi, instrumental case) of teaching." In some it is all wind, even like a hurricane or a tornado. If not anchored by full knowledge of Christ, folks are at the mercy of these squalls. {By the sleight} (en tei kubiai). "In the deceit,"in the throw of the dice" (kubia, from kubos, cube), sometimes cheating. {In craftiness} (en panourgiai). Old word from panourgos (pan, ergon, any deed, every deed), cleverness, trickiness. {After the wiles of error} (pros ten meqodian tes planes). meqodia is from meqodeuw (meta, hodos) to follow after or up, to practise deceit, and occurs nowhere else (#Eph 4:13; 6:11) save in late papyri in the sense of method. The word planes (wandering like our "planet") adds to the evil idea in the word. Paul has covered the whole ground in this picture of Gnostic error.
