Original Word: μεθοδεία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: methodeia
Pronunciation: meth-od-i'-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (meth-od-i'-ah)
KJV: wile, lie in wait
NASB: schemes, scheming
Word Origin: [from a compound of G3326 (μετά - after) and G3593 (ὁδεύω - journey)]

1. travelling over, i.e. travesty (trickery)

scheming, trickery

From a compound of meta and hodeuo (compare "method"); travelling over, i.e. Travesty (trickery) -- wile, lie in wait.

see GREEK meta

see GREEK hodeuo

3180 methodeía (the root of the English term, "method") – properly, a predictable (pre-set) method used in organized evil-doing (well-crafted trickery).

[3180 (methodeía) comes from methodos, a "way of searching after something, an inquiry; a method), scheming, craftiness" (Souter).]

Word Origin
from methodeuó (to employ craft)
Definition
craft, deceit
NASB Translation
schemes (1), scheming (1).

STRONGS NT 3180: μεθοδεία

μεθοδεία (T WH μεθοδια, see Iota), μεθοδείας, ἡ (from μεθοδεύω, i. e.

1. to follow up or investigate by method and settled plan;

2. to follow craftily, frame devices, deceive: Diodorus 7, 16; 2 Samuel 19:27; (Exodus 21:13 Aq.; (middle) Chariton 7, 6, p. 166, 21 edition Reiske (1783); Polybius 38, 4, 10)), a noun occuring neither in the O. T. nor in secular authors, cunning arts, deceit, craft, trickery: ἡ μεθοδεία τῆς πλάνης, which ἡ πλάνη uses, Ephesians 4:14; τοῦ διαβόλου, plural, Ephesians 6:11 (A. V. wiles. Cf. Lightfoot, Polycarp, ad Phil. 7 [ET], p. 918.)

Scope and Emphasis

Strong’s Greek 3180 centers on the deliberate, systematic strategies by which Satan and his agents attempt to deceive, mislead, and ultimately ruin souls. The term describes not a random temptation but a calculated plan designed to neutralize faith, distort doctrine, and undermine obedience.

New Testament Occurrences

1. Ephesians 4:14 – “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.”
2. Ephesians 6:11 – “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

Both verses appear in a context that highlights ecclesial growth and spiritual warfare, showing that false teaching and demonic assault operate through organized deceit.

Relation to False Doctrine

Ephesians 4 connects the Church’s maturity with her ability to resist doctrinal drift. “Every wind of teaching” is propelled by “deceitful scheming,” revealing that error is neither innocent nor passive. It is planned. False teachers exploit immaturity, appealing to novelty or cultural fashion to pull believers away from “the faith that was once for all delivered” (Jude 1:3).

Satanic Strategy in Spiritual Warfare

Ephesians 6:11 broadens the scope to all believers. The “full armor of God” is prescribed precisely because the enemy’s attack is methodical. The phrase indicates the devil does not merely present isolated temptations but crafts long-term campaigns. Peter echoes this vigilance: “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Historical Background

In the Greco-Roman world, military planning, legal rhetoric, and political intrigue were often labeled μεθοδεία. Paul, a Roman citizen acquainted with such imagery, redeploys the word to unmask the unseen spiritual forces behind visible opposition. Early Church fathers recognized the same pattern: Irenaeus warned of “the cunning of the serpent” that re-packages ancient heresies; Athanasius wrote of the devil’s “methods” in corrupting Scripture’s plain meaning.

Contrast with Divine Wisdom

While μεθοδεία underscores shrewd deception, Scripture presents divine wisdom as “pure, then peaceable” (James 3:17) and the gospel as “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). God’s counsel is transparent; the enemy’s design is covert. This antithesis forms a recurring biblical motif: “He leads me in paths of righteousness” (Psalm 23:3) versus “paths of the destroyer” (Psalm 17:4).

Ministry Implications

• Pastoral Guarding: Elders are charged to “refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9), detecting and dismantling sophisticated errors before they mature into schism.
• Doctrinal Clarity: Sound catechesis anchors believers, making them less vulnerable to cleverly packaged half-truths.
• Corporate Intercession: Since schemes target the body as a whole, corporate prayer and mutual accountability fortify against infiltration.
• Personal Vigilance: Believers must daily “stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13), exercising discernment through regular Scripture intake and Spirit-enabled obedience.

Encouragement and Assurance

Though the devil’s μεθοδεῖαι are formidable, they are finite and ultimately futile against the Lord who “always leads us in triumph in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14). Victory is secured not by human strategy but by divine armor—truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Word, and prayer—each piece countering a specific aspect of the enemy’s calculated assault.

μεθοδείαν μεθοδείας μεθοδιαν μεθοδίαν μεθοδιας μεθοδίας μεθώδευσεν methodeian methodeían methodeias methodeíasInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts