Ephesians 4:14

Amplified Bible

So that we are no longer children [spiritually immature], tossed back and forth [like ships on a stormy sea] and carried about by every wind of [shifting] doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of [unscrupulous] men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything [for personal profit].

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Then we will no longer be like babies. We will not be people who are always changing like a ship that the waves carry one way and then another. We will not be influenced by every new teaching we hear from people who are trying to deceive us—those who make clever plans and use every kind of trick to fool others into following the wrong way.

Revised Standard Version
so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
That we hence forth be no moare chyldren wauerynge and caryed with every wynde of doctryne by the wylynes of men and craftynes wherby they laye a wayte for vs to deceave vs.

Hebrew Names Version
that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

New American Standard Bible
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

New Century Version
Then we will no longer be babies. We will not be tossed about like a ship that the waves carry one way and then another. We will not be influenced by every new teaching we hear from people who are trying to fool us. They make plans and try any kind of trick to fool people into following the wrong path.

Update Bible Version
that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

Webster's Bible Translation
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive:

English Standard Version
so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

World English Bible
that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
That we may be no longer children, fluctuating to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, by cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive:

Weymouth's New Testament
So we shall no longer be babes nor shall we resemble mariners tossed on the waves and carried about with every changing wind of doctrine according to men's cleverness and unscrupulous cunning, making use of every shifting device to mislead.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that we be not now litle children, mouynge as wawis, and be not borun aboute with ech wynd of teching, in the weiwardnesse of men, in sutil wit, to the disseyuyng of errour.

English Revised Version
that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

Berean Standard Bible
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.

Contemporary English Version
We must stop acting like children. We must not let deceitful people trick us by their false teachings, which are like winds that toss us around from place to place.

American Standard Version
that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

Bible in Basic English
So that we may be no longer children, sent this way and that, turned about by every wind of teaching, by the twisting and tricks of men, by the deceits of error;

Complete Jewish Bible
We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to deceive.

Darby Translation
in order that we may be no longer babes, tossed and carried about by every wind of *that* teaching [which is] in the sleight of men, in unprincipled cunning with a view to systematized error;

International Standard Version
Then we will no longer be little children, tossed like waves and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, or by clever strategies that would lead us astray.Isaiah 28:9; Matthew 11:7; Romans 16:18; 1 Corinthians 14:20; 2 Corinthians 2:17; Hebrews 13:9;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
and that we be no [fn] children, agitated and altered by every wind [fn] of fraudulent doctrines of men, which in their craftiness they fabricate deceptively in order to seduce,

Murdock Translation
and that we might not be children, agitated and turned about by every wind of the crafty doctrines of men who plot to seduce by their subtilty:

King James Version (1611)
That we hencefoorth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and caried about with euery winde of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftinesse, whereby they lye in waite to deceiue:

New Living Translation
Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

New Life Bible
Then we will not be as children any longer. Children are like boats thrown up and down on big waves. They are blown with the wind. False teaching is like the wind. False teachers try everything possible to make people believe a lie,

New Revised Standard
We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.

Geneva Bible (1587)
That we henceforth be no more children, wauering and caried about with euery winde of doctrine, by the deceit of men, and wt craftines, whereby they lay in wait to deceiue.

George Lamsa Translation
That we henceforth be not as children easily stirred and carried away by every wind of false doctrines of men who through their craftiness are artful in deceiving the people;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
That we may, no longer, be infants - billow-tossed and shifted round with every wind of teaching, - in the craft of men, in knavery suited to the artifice of error;

Douay-Rheims Bible
That henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
That we hencefoorth be no more children, wauering and caryed about with euery wynde of doctrine, in the wylynesse of men, in craftynesse, to the laying wayte of deceyte.

Good News Translation
Then we shall no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful people, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent.

Christian Standard Bible®
Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.

King James Version
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Lexham English Bible
so that we may no longer be infants, tossed about by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of people, by craftiness with reference to the scheming of deceit.

Literal Translation
so that we may no longer be infants, being blown and carried about by every wind of doctrine, in the sleight of men, in craftiness to the deceit of error,

Young's Literal Translation
that we may no more be babes, tossed and borne about by every wind of the teaching, in the sleight of men, in craftiness, unto the artifice of leading astray,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that we be nomore children, waueringe & caried aboute with euery wynde of doctryne thorow the wickednes of men and craftynes, wherby they laye awayte for vs to disceaue vs.

Mace New Testament (1729)
that we should be no longer children, fluctuating, and carried about with every empty doctrine, by men vers'd in sleight and the crafty arts of deceit:

THE MESSAGE
No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

New English Translation
So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.

New King James Version
that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

Simplified Cowboy Version
Then we will no longer be immature like wannabe cowboys. We won't fall for every gimmick and charade that comes along.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

Legacy Standard Bible
so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming,

Contextual Overview

²with all humility [forsaking self-righteousness], and gentleness [maintaining self-control], with patience, bearing with one another in [unselfish] love. ³Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful]. ⁴There is one body [of believers] and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when called [to salvation]— ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶one God and Father of us all who is [sovereign] over all and [working] through all and [living] in all. ⁷Yet grace [God's undeserved favor] was given to each one of us [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ's [rich and abundant] gift. ⁸Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, AND HE BESTOWED GIFTS ON MEN." ⁹(Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had previously descended [from the heights of heaven] into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰He who descended is the very same as He who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things [that is, the whole universe]). ¹¹And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct],

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

no more: Isaiah 28:9, Matthew 18:3, Matthew 18:4, 1 Corinthians 3:1, 1 Corinthians 3:2, 1 Corinthians 14:20, Hebrews 5:12-14

tossed: Acts 20:30, Acts 20:31, Romans 16:17, Romans 16:18, 2 Corinthians 11:3, 2 Corinthians 11:4, Galatians 1:6, Galatians 1:7, Galatians 3:1, Colossians 2:4-8, 2 Thessalonians 2:2-5, 1 Timothy 3:6, 1 Timothy 4:6, 1 Timothy 4:7, 2 Timothy 1:15, 2 Timothy 2:17, 2 Timothy 2:18, 2 Timothy 3:6-9, 2 Timothy 3:13, 2 Timothy 4:3, Hebrews 13:9, 2 Peter 2:1-3, 1 John 2:19, 1 John 2:26, 1 John 4:1

carried: Matthew 11:7, 1 Corinthians 12:2, James 1:6, James 3:4

by the: Matthew 24:11, Matthew 24:24, 2 Corinthians 2:17, 2 Corinthians 4:2, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:10, 2 Peter 2:18, Revelation 13:11-14, Revelation 19:20

lie: Psalms 10:9, Psalms 59:3, Micah 7:2, Acts 23:21

Reciprocal: Exodus 7:11 - they also Leviticus 11:29 - creeping things that creep Deuteronomy 13:3 - hearken Deuteronomy 13:6 - entice Job 6:26 - as wind Proverbs 11:9 - through Proverbs 14:15 - simple Proverbs 19:27 - General Jeremiah 29:8 - Let Ezekiel 13:4 - like Ezekiel 13:18 - hunt souls Matthew 7:15 - which Matthew 24:4 - Take Luke 7:24 - A reed Luke 11:36 - the whole John 21:15 - lambs Acts 8:10 - they 1 Corinthians 2:15 - judgeth Galatians 2:13 - carried Ephesians 6:11 - the wiles 1 Thessalonians 3:5 - lest 1 Timothy 1:3 - charge 1 Timothy 4:2 - lies 1 Timothy 4:16 - unto the 2 Timothy 3:5 - from 2 Timothy 3:7 - learning 2 Timothy 3:8 - resist 2 Timothy 3:10 - my Titus 1:10 - there Hebrews 5:13 - he 2 Peter 1:16 - we have 2 Peter 2:14 - beguiling 2 Peter 2:17 - clouds 2 Peter 3:17 - from Revelation 2:2 - how Revelation 9:19 - in their tails Revelation 12:9 - deceiveth

Cross-References

Genesis 4:5
but for Cain and his offering He had no respect. So Cain became extremely angry (indignant), and he looked annoyed and hostile.

Genesis 4:6
And the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you so angry? And why do you look annoyed?

Genesis 4:11
"And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's [shed] blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:12
"When you cultivate the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength [it will resist producing good crops] for you; you shall be a fugitive and a vagabond [roaming aimlessly] on the earth [in perpetual exile without a home, a degraded outcast]."

Genesis 4:13
Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Genesis 4:14
"Behold, You have driven me out this day from the face of the land; and from Your face (presence) I will be hidden, and I will be a fugitive and an [aimless] vagabond on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

Genesis 4:15
And the LORD said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, a sevenfold vengeance [that is, punishment seven times worse] shall be taken on him [by Me]." And the LORD set a [protective] mark (sign) on Cain, so that no one who found (met) him would kill him.

Genesis 4:16
So Cain went away from the [manifested] presence of the LORD, and lived in the land of Nod [wandering in exile], east of Eden.

Genesis 4:20
Adah gave birth to Jabal; he became the father of those [nomadic herdsmen] who live in tents and have cattle and raise livestock.

Genesis 4:24
"If Cain is avenged sevenfold [as the LORD said he would be], Then Lamech [will be avenged] seventy-sevenfold."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That we henceforth be no more children,.... 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 קוביא signifies the game at dice a; and קוביוסטוס, is a gamester at that play, and is interpreted by them, one that steals souls b, 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.

a T. Bab. Erubin, fol. 82. 1. Misna Roshhashana, c. 1. sect. 8. & Sanhedrin, c. 3. sect 3. b T. Bab. Cholin, fol. 91. 2. & Jarchi & Tosephot in ib. & Juchasin, fol. 88. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That we henceforth be no more children - In some respects Christians “are” to be like children. They are to be docile, gentle, mild, and free from ambition, pride, and haughtiness; see the notes on Matthew 18:2-3. But children have other characteristics besides simplicity and docility. They are often changeable Matthew 11:17; they are credulous, and are influenced easily by others, and led astray, In these respects, Paul exhorts the Ephesians to be no longer children but urges them to put on the characteristics Of manhood; and especially to put on the firmness in religious opinion which became maturity of life.

Tossed to and fro - κλυδωνιζόμενοι kludōnizomenoi. This word is taken from waves or billows that are constantly tossed about - in all ages art image of instability of character and purpose.

And carried about with every wind of doctrine - With no firmness; no settled course; no helm. The idea is that of a vessel on the restless ocean, that is tossed about with every varying wind, and that has no settled line of sailing. So many persons are in regard to religious doctrines. They have no fixed views and principles. They hold no doctrines that are settled in their minds by careful and patient examination, and the consequence is, that they yield to every new opinion, and submit to the guidance of every new teacher. The “doctrine” taught here is, that we should have settled religious opinions. We should carefully examine what is truth, and having found it, should adhere to it, and not yield on the coming of every new teacher. We should not, indeed, close our minds against conviction. We should be open to argument, and be willing to follow “the truth” wherever it will lead us. But this state of mind is not inconsistent with having settled opinions, and with being firm in holding them until we are convinced that we are wrong. No man can be useful who has not settled principles. No one who has not such principles can inspire confidence or be happy, and the first aim of every young convert should be to acquire settled views of the truth, and to become firmly grounded in the doctrines of the gospel.

By the sleight of men - The cunning skill “trickery” of people. The word used here - κυβεία kubeia - is from a word (κύβος kubos) meaning a cube or die, and properly means a game at dice. Hence, it means game, gambling; and then anything that turns out by mere chance or hap-hazard - as a game at dice does. It “may” possibly also denote the trick or fraud that is sometimes used in such games; but it seems rather to denote a man’s forming his religious opinions by “the throw of a die;” or, in other words, it describes a man whose opinions seem to be the result of mere chance. Anything like casting a die, or like opening the Bible at random to determine a point of duty or doctrine, may come under the description of the apostle here, and would all be opposed to the true mode, that by calm examination of the Bible, and by prayer A man who forms his religious principles by chance, can un” form” them in the same way; and he who has determined his faith by one cast of the die, will be likely to throw them into another form by another. The phrase “the sleight of men” therefore I would render “by the mere chance of people, or as you may happen to find people, one holding this opinion, and the next that, and allowing yourself to be influenced by them without any settled principles.”

Cunning craftiness - Deceit, trick, art; see 2 Corinthians 12:16; Luke 20:23; 1 Corinthians 3:19; notes, 2 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 11:3, note.

Whereby they lie in wait to deceive - Literally, “Unto the method of deceit;” that is, in the usual way of deceit. Doddridge, “In every method of deceit.” This is the true idea. The meaning is, that people would use plausible pretences, and would, if possible, deceive the professed friends of Christ. Against such we should be on our guard; and not by their arts should our opinion be formed, but by the word of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

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 εν τη κυβεια 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: εν πανουργια προς τηνμεθοδειαν της πλανης. "By cunning, for the purpose of using the various means of deception." πανουργια signifies craft and subtlety in general, cheating and imposition: μεθοδεια, 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 Ephesians 6:11, 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.