Cunning
King James Dictionary [1]
Cunning a. G. See Can.
1. Knowing skillful experienced well-instructed. It is applied to all kinds of knowledge, but generally and appropriately, to the skill and dexterity of artificers, or the knowledge acquired by experience.
Esau was a cunning hunter. Genesis 23 .
I will take away the cunning artificer. Isaiah 3 .
A cunning workman. Exodus 38 .
2. Wrought with skill curious ingenious.
With cherubs of cunning work shalt thou make them. Exodus 26 .
The foregoing senses occur frequently in our version of the scriptures, but are nearly or quite obsolete.
3. Artful shrewd sly crafty astute designing as a cunning fellow.
They are resolved to be cunning let others run the hazard of being sincere.
In this sense, the purpose or final end of the person may not be illaudalbe but cunning implies the use of artifice to accomplish the purpose, rather than open, candid, or direct means. Hence,
4. Deceitful trickish employing stratagems for a bad purpose. 5. Assumed with subtilty artful.
Accounting his integrity to be but a cunning face of falsehood.
CUNNING, n.
1. Knowledge art skill dexterity.
Let my right hand forget her cunning. Psalms 137 .
2. Art artifice artfulness craft shrewdness the faculty or act of using stratagem to accomplish a purpose. Hence in a bad sense, deceitfulness or deceit fraudulent skill or dexterity.
Discourage cunning in a child cunning is the ape of wisdom.
Webster's Dictionary [2]
(1): (a.) Pretty or pleasing; as, a cunning little boy.
(2): (a.) Crafty; sly; artful; designing; deceitful.
(3): (a.) Knowledge; art; skill; dexterity.
(4): (a.) The faculty or act of using stratagem to accomplish a purpose; fraudulent skill or dexterity; deceit; craft.
(5): (a.) Knowing; skillful; dexterous.
(6): (a.) Wrought with, or exhibiting, skill or ingenuity; ingenious; curious; as, cunning work.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible [3]
CUNNING . As a subst. ‘cunning’ in AV [Note: Authorized Version.] means either skill or knowledge ; as an adj. either skilful or wise (we cannot say knowing , for that adj. has also degenerated). It is the pres. participle of the Anglo-Sax. verb cunnan , which meant both ‘to know’ and ‘to be able.’ In the Preface to the Wyclifite version of 1388 we read of ‘the Holy Spyrit, author of all wisdom and cunnynge and truth.’
Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words [4]
Craftiness.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [5]
kun´ing ( חכם , ḥākhām , חשׁב , ḥāshabh ): In Bible-English "cunning" means always "wise" or "skilful"; the word does not occur in the bad sense, and it is found in the Old Testament only. The chief Hebrew words are ḥākhām , "wise," "skilful" ( 2 Chronicles 2:7 the King James Version "a man cunning to work in gold"; 2 Chronicles 2:13; Isaiah 3:3 the King James Version, etc.); ḥāshabh , "to think," "devise," "desire" ( Exodus 26:1 , Exodus 26:31; Exodus 28:6 , Exodus 28:15 the King James Version, etc.). We have also da‛ath , "knowledge" ( 1 Kings 7:14 the King James Version); bı̄n , "to be intelligent" ( 1 Chronicles 25:7 the King James Version); maḥǎsbebheth , "thought," "device," "design" ( Exodus 31:4; Exodus 35:33 , Exodus 35:15 the King James Version); 'āmān , "artificer" ( Song of Solomon 7:1 the King James Version); yādha‛ , "to know," once translated "cunning" ( Daniel 1:4 the King James Version).
For cunning the American Standard Revised Version gives "skilful" ( Exodus 31:4 , etc.; Isaiah 3:3 "expert"); for "cunning work" the work of the "skilful workman" ( Exodus 26:1 , Exodus 26:31 , etc., the English Revised Version "cunning workman"); for "curious," "skilfully woven," the English Revised Version "cunningly woven" ( Exodus 28:8 , etc.).
