Here the purpose or result of the church’s maturity is spelled out in contrast with the figure of immature, indecisive children who are led astray by cunning and artful schemers. In 1 Corinthians 13.11 Paul makes a contrast between “child” and “man” (and see also 1 Cor 3.1-2). In order to emphasize the figurative sense of the term children, it may be best to translate the first part of verse 14 as “then we shall no longer be like children.”
The first participle means “tossed about by waves” (the verb occurs only here in the New Testament; for the noun “wave” see James 1.6). The second participle is “carried around”; the picture is that of a small boat in a storm, unable to hold a steady course. This figure of rough waves and strong winds is applied to wrong teachings which carry immature Christians away from the truth of the gospel.
In order to make somewhat clearer the figurative expression carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind, it may be necessary to fill out the figurative expression by introducing the idea of a boat in a storm, for example, “we will no longer be like a small boat tossed one way and then another by the waves or blown in one direction and another by the wind which keeps changing.”
The teaching of deceitful men translates the Greek “the teaching in/by the deceit of man”; “deceit” translates a word used nowhere else in the New Testament, and which literally means “playing with dice.” Here it means “trickery, sleight of hand.” In order to relate teaching of deceitful men to the preceding figures of speech, it may be best to translate “the way deceitful men teach others is like that” or “that is just what happens when deceitful men teach people.”
“In the cunning in accordance with the scheming of error” (Hdb|fig:Table_EPH4-11.jpg): the Greek word for “cunning” or “craftiness” is used in 2 Corinthians 11.3 of the snake in the Garden of Eden as it tricked Eve; the meaning of the word is well illustrated by its use in Luke 20.23.
“Scheming” translates a Greek word which appears in the New Testament only here and in 6.11 “craftiness, trickery.” It is qualified by the genitive phrase “of error.” Here again, in order to emphasize his point, the writer employs redundant and flamboyant language which is none too precise. Translator’s New Testament translates “at the mercy of cunning men wickedly plotting to lead us astray”; New English Bible “dupes of crafty rogues and their deceitful schemes”; Barth “the trickery of men who are experts in deceitful scheming”; New International Version “the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” Good News Translation the tricks they invent is not good, since it might suggest the actual performance of tricks; better would be something like “their clever schemes/lies.”
The last clause of this verse, namely, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent, may be rendered as “they cause others to go astray because of the clever lies that they tell.” It may also be possible to translate who lead others into error as “who cause others to go down the wrong road” or “who cause others to believe what isn’t true.”
It should be noted that the writer does not specify what are the wrong teachings which he condemns. Beare conjectures: “It is an eccentric individualism, rather than sectarianism, which is attacked.”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1982. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .