1389. doloó
Lexical Summary
doloó: To deceive, to ensnare, to corrupt

Original Word: δολοό
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: doloó
Pronunciation: do-lo-O
Phonetic Spelling: (dol-o'-o)
KJV: handle deceitfully
NASB: adulterating
Word Origin: [from G1388 (δόλος - deceit)]

1. to ensnare
2. (figuratively) adulterate

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
handle deceitfully.

From dolos; to ensnare, i.e. (figuratively) adulterate -- handle deceitfully.

see GREEK dolos

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 1389 dolóō (from 1388 /dólos, "bait") – properly, to lure (or snare) by using bait – holding out the worm and concealing the hook!; to handle deceitfully; "primarily, to ensnare; then to corrupt – used of adulterating gold, wine, etc." (WS, 818). See 1388 (dolos).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from dolos
Definition
to ensnare, fig. to adulterate
NASB Translation
adulterating (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1389: δολόω

δολόω, δόλῳ; (δόλος;

1. to ensnare: Hesiod, Herodotus and succeeding writers.

2. to corrupt, (βδελλιον and λίβανον, Dioscor. 1, 80. 81); τόν οἶνον, Lucian, Hermot. 59) τόν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, divine truth by mingling with it wrong notions, 2 Corinthians 4:2. (Cf. Trench, § 62, and see καπηλεύω.)

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Strong’s Greek 1389 designates the active practice of adulterating, corrupting, or falsifying something so that it deceives those who receive it. While the cognate noun (Greek 1388) describes “deceit” in principle, the verb highlights the intentional process of mixing truth with misleading additives. The single New Testament occurrence, 2 Corinthians 4:2, uses the term participially—“not… handling the word of God deceitfully”—and thereby frames the entire apostolic discussion of ministry integrity.

Context in 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians was written after a painful visit and stern letter from Paul to the church at Corinth. False apostles had raised doubts about Paul’s credibility, prompting him to defend his ministry. In 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 Paul describes the character of genuine gospel service:

• Renunciation of “the hidden things of shame.”
• Refusal of “craftiness.”
• Rejection of “handling the word of God deceitfully” (dolountes).

Paul contrasts this honest proclamation with those who manipulate the message for prestige or gain. His appeal is “by manifestation of the truth,” commending himself “to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (4:2). The term 1389 therefore functions as the negative counterpart to transparent gospel ministry.

Background Imagery of Adulteration

In the ancient marketplace, less-than-scrupulous merchants diluted wine, shaved coins, or blended inferior metals into weapons, practices universally despised for cheating purchasers. The verb 1389 evokes these commercial scandals, picturing the Word of God as a priceless commodity that must never be tampered with. Paul’s Corinthian readers, accustomed to harbor masters and wine-shops, would immediately grasp the moral outrage of an adulterated gospel.

Contrast with Apostolic Integrity

Paul’s ministry model consistently opposes spiritual adulteration:

2 Corinthians 2:17 – “For we are not like so many, peddling the word of God. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God.”
1 Thessalonians 2:3-5 – “For our appeal does not arise from deceit or impure motives… neither did we seek praise from men.”
Acts 20:20, 27 – Paul withholds “nothing that was profitable” and declares “the whole counsel of God.”

The single use of 1389 therefore condenses a robust theology of ministerial purity: the message must remain unalloyed, and the messenger must remain accountable to God and to the consciences of hearers.

Implications for Preaching and Teaching Today

1. Faithful ministers resist any inclination to soften difficult truths, exaggerate illustrations, or suppress portions of Scripture for personal advantage.
2. Ethical interpretation demands grammatical-historical exegesis, not selective proof-texting shaped by contemporary trends.
3. The credibility of the church rests on keeping proclamation free from rhetorical manipulation (cf. James 3:1-2).

Guarding Against Contemporary Forms of Spiritual Adulteration

• Prosperity distortions that present God as a means to material gain.
• Syncretistic movements that blend biblical revelation with incompatible ideologies.
• Hyper-critical skepticism that subtracts supernatural elements in order to appeal to secular tastes.
• Marketing strategies that treat the gospel as a product shaped by consumer preference.

Believers counter these threats by committing to serious study (2 Timothy 2:15), Berean-style examination (Acts 17:11), and corporate accountability (Ephesians 4:11-16).

Personal Examination and Corporate Witness

Paul’s negative participle invites every Christian to self-scrutiny: Are my motives pure? Is my representation of God’s Word unmixed? The endorsement Paul seeks—“every man’s conscience”—begins in the private life before it reaches the public pulpit. When the church collectively refuses to “handle the word of God deceitfully,” it shines “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6), enabling a transparent witness that no accusation can tarnish.

Forms and Transliterations
δολουντες δολούντες δολοῦντες εδόλωσεν dolountes doloûntes
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
2 Corinthians 4:2 V-PPA-NMP
GRK: πανουργίᾳ μηδὲ δολοῦντες τὸν λόγον
NAS: or adulterating the word
KJV: of God deceitfully; but
INT: craftiness nor falsifying the word

Strong's Greek 1389
1 Occurrence


δολοῦντες — 1 Occ.

1388
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