2940. kubeia
Lexical Summary
kubeia: Trickery, deceit, craftiness

Original Word: κυβεία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: kubeia
Pronunciation: koo-BAY-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (koo-bi'-ah)
KJV: sleight
NASB: trickery
Word Origin: [from kubos (a "cube", i.e. die for playing)]

1. gambling
2. (figuratively) artifice or fraud

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, (from κυβεύω, and this from κύβος a cube, a die), dice-playing (Xenophon, Plato, Aristotle, others); tropically, 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
Term Overview

Strong’s Greek 2940, kubeía, appears once in the New Testament and depicts the calculated trickery of dice-players who manipulate the odds for gain. Paul borrows the term in Ephesians 4:14 to expose spiritual con artists who gamble with souls through deceptive doctrine.

Biblical Usage

Ephesians 4:14 warns that immature believers are “tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching, by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.” The word highlights deliberate manipulation, contrasting sharply with the stability produced by Christ-centered truth (Ephesians 4:15-16).

Though kubeía occurs only here, its concept permeates Scripture:
Proverbs 14:15, “The simple believe every word, but the prudent consider their steps.”
Jeremiah 23:32, false prophets “lead My people astray with their reckless lies.”
Colossians 2:8 cautions against philosophy “according to human tradition.”
2 Peter 2:1-3 describes teachers who “secretly introduce destructive heresies.”
Revelation 13:14 portrays global deception under the beast.

Together, these passages trace a consistent pattern: deception is active, intentional, and ultimately destructive.

Historical Background

In the first-century Mediterranean world, dice-throwing (kuboi) was notorious. Gamblers shaved or weighted dice, enticing onlookers by sleight of hand. Contemporary writers—such as Plato (Republic 604a) and Polybius (Histories 32.15)—used kubeía for dishonest gaming. Paul’s audience in Ephesus, a bustling port city teeming with sailors, merchants, and traveling lecturers, would immediately picture street hustlers luring the naïve with rigged dice. By selecting this vivid term, Paul brands false teachers as spiritual gamblers who stake other people’s eternity for personal profit.

Theological Significance

1. Truth versus Trickery: The Church’s unity “in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:13) is the antidote to kubeía. Sound doctrine guards believers from being easy marks (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
2. Maturity as Defense: Growth “to mature adulthood” equips saints to spot sleight-of-hand theology. The image underscores sanctification as more than moral progress; it is doctrinal discernment.
3. Corporate Responsibility: Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11) are Christ’s provision to keep the dice-rollers outside the assembly, protecting the flock (Acts 20:28-30).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Catechesis and Discipleship: Systematic teaching anchors new believers, preventing gullibility.
• Apologetics and Polemics: Elders must refute “those who contradict” (Titus 1:9), exposing manipulative rhetoric and half-truths.
• Accountability Structures: Financial transparency, shared leadership, and doctrinal confessions frustrate opportunists who prey on secrecy.
• Vigilant Love: Speaking “the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) balances firmness against error with compassion for those ensnared by it.

Warnings Against Deception in Scripture

Genesis 3:1-5; Exodus 7:11-12; Matthew 24:24; Acts 8:9-11; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11; 1 John 4:1—each warns that deception is satanic in origin yet human in agency. Kubeía is therefore not merely intellectual error but spiritual warfare.

Christ as Sure Foundation

Jesus Christ, “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), embodies the opposite of kubeía. His teaching carries no hidden agenda (John 18:20). Those who build on His words withstand the storm (Matthew 7:24-25) rather than being “tossed about by the waves.”

Exhortations for the Church Today

• Test every teaching by Scripture (Acts 17:11).
• Guard the gospel trust (2 Timothy 1:14).
• Pursue doctrinal unity that centers on Christ, not personality cults (1 Corinthians 1:12-13).
• Recognize that modern platforms—social media, podcasts, conferences—can spread kubeía as readily as ancient street corners.

Questions for Reflection

1. Where might I be vulnerable to persuasive but unscriptural ideas?
2. How well am I grounding new believers so that they will not be “infants” susceptible to spiritual gamblers?
3. Does my local congregation have clear processes to evaluate teaching and teachers?

Kubeía challenges believers to prize truth, grow up in Christ, and guard the flock from every glittering, crooked roll of the dice.

Forms and Transliterations
κυβεία κυβείᾳ κυβερνώσι κυβια κυβίᾳ kubeia kybeia kybeíāi
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
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.

2939
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