No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
Parallel translations
- WEB And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.
- KJV And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
- BSB And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
- NKJV And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
- NLT But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
This deception is no surprise, since even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Evil often appears attractive and spiritual.
Overview
Paul explains the root of such counterfeiting: Satan himself masquerades as something good and luminous. False apostles merely follow their master's pattern. The verse alerts believers that the most dangerous error often comes dressed in spiritual brightness, demanding vigilant testing of every teaching against God's truth.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Gal 1:8But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.
- 2 Cor 2:11that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
- 2 Cor 11:3But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
- Rev 12:9The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
- Matt 4:1–10Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
- Gen 3:1–5Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In Christ all God's promises are 'Yes and Amen'; though rich, he became poor to make us rich, and in him God reconciles the world, making us new creations.
How 2 Corinthians 11:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.