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.).
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
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