The subtlety of the serpent

2 Corinthians 11:But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Beguiled- exapataō ex-ap-at-ah'-o From G1537 and G538; to seduce wholly: - beguile, deceive.

Subtlety- panourgia pan-oorg-ee'-ah From G3835; adroitness, that is, (in a bad sense) trickery or sophistry: - (cunning) craftiness, subtilty.

Genesis 3:Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

The word serpent is the Hebrew word, nachash, which can be translated as serpent or snake but has other meanings as well. According to Heiser, the Hebrew root is the basis for a noun, verb, and adjective. Of course as a noun it is usually the word for serpent. The verb form means deceiver or diviner with divine knowledge. The adjective version means bronze or brazen with a bright shine. Therefore, used as an adjective it should be translated as “shining one.” Shining or luminosity is a quality that is characteristic of divine beings in the Hebrew bible and other near east literature.

Revelation 12: 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Deceived- planaō plan-ah'-o From G4106; to (properly cause to) roam (from safety, truth, or virtue): - go astray, deceive, err, seduce, wander, be out of the way.