G4106 — πλάνη (planē)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4106
Original: πλάνη
Transliteration: planē
Pronunciation: plan'-ay
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: Feminine of πλάνος (G4108, "roving, deceiver"); cognate verb πλανάω (G4105, "to cause to wander, lead astray")
Occurrences: 10 in NT (9 books)
First Occurrence: Mat 27:64 — "so the last error (planē) shall be worse than the first"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Feminine of πλάνος (used as an abstract noun): objectively, fraudulence; subjectively, a straying from orthodoxy or piety — deceit, delusion, error. From the same root family as πλανάω ("to cause to wander, go astray"), planē names the resulting state or instrument of wandering: the deception itself, the condition of being misled, or the erroneous teaching/way that produces straying.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 31.002 — "Hold a Wrong View, Be Mistaken" (subdomain of Hold a View, Believe, Trust)
Secondary Domain: 88.035 — "Licentiousness, Perversion" (subdomain of Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior)
Cognates in Domain 31.002: ἀπατάω (G538), ἀπάτη (G539), ἀποπλανάω (G635), ἐξαπατάω (G1818), πλανάω (G4105), πλάνος (G4108), φρεναπατάω (G5422), φρεναπάτης (G5423)
Neighbors in Domain 88.035 (perversion/corruption): ἀποστρέφω (G654), διαστρέφω (G1294), διαφθείρω (G1311), πανουργία (G3834), σκολιός (G4646), φθείρω (G5351), φθορά (G5356)

The dual domain placement is significant: planē straddles the cognitive (wrong belief) and the moral (perversion of way). The word does not cleanly separate intellectual error from ethical corruption.

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
031	Hold a View, Believe, Trust	Captures planē as delusion, doctrinal error, or misleading belief.
088	Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior	Captures the "way of error" dimension where deception becomes moral corruption or perverse conduct.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
error	5	50.0%
deceit	1	10.0%
delusion	1	10.0%
to deceive	1	10.0%
(with qualifiers: "of error", "the error")	2	20.0%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Peter	2	3.3
2 Thessalonians	1	2.1
1 Thessalonians	1	1.1
1 John	1	1.0
James	1	0.9
Ephesians	1	0.6
Romans	1	0.2
Matthew	1	0.1
Jude	1	—

Patterns: Concentrated in the later epistles (Pauline, Catholic, Johannine) where the concern is false teaching infiltrating the church. Densest in 2 Peter (polemic against false teachers). Absent from the Gospels except one Matthean use and from Acts, Hebrews, Revelation. Purely NT word (no LXX Hebrew source recorded in the mapping).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Doctrinal/Religious Error — Deviation from Truth¶

Erroneous teaching or belief as a departure from what is true. Often contrasted with ἀλήθεια (alētheia, truth). - 1 Jn 4:6 — "hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error (planē)" — directly paired against ἀλήθεια as the defining antonym. - Eph 4:14 — "carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive (pros tēn methodeian tēs planēs)" — planē as the scheme/method of deception. - 1 Th 2:3 — "For our exhortation was not of deceit (planē), nor of uncleanness, nor in guile" — Paul disclaims planē as a mark of false preaching.

2. Eschatological Delusion — Active Deception as Judgment¶

Planē as an agent-like force sent or permitted, producing belief in a lie. - 2 Th 2:11 — "for this cause God shall send them strong delusion (energeian planēs, 'a working of delusion'), that they should believe a lie" — planē as the operative power God sends on those who "received not the love of the truth." The only NT instance where God is the subject governing planē. - Mat 27:64 — "so the last error (planē) shall be worse than the first" — the chief priests fear that the resurrection proclamation will be a second, worse planē after Jesus' first (cognate πλάνος used of Jesus in v.63).

3. Moral Corruption — The "Way" of Error¶

Planē as a lifestyle or path, often coupled with ὁδός (hodos, way). - Jas 5:20 — "he which converteth the sinner from the error (planē) of his way (hodou) shall save a soul from death" - 2 Pe 2:18 — "those that were clean escaped from them who live in error (tois en planē anastrephomenous)" — planē as the sphere one walks/lives in. - Jude 1:11 — "ran greedily after the error of Balaam (tē planē tou Balaam) for reward" — planē named after the archetypal false prophet who led Israel into sin for profit.

4. Consequence / Recompense of Sin¶

Planē as the just penalty for deviation, received back in one's own person. - Rom 1:27 — "receiving in themselves that recompence of their error (planē) which was meet" — the homoerotic act is itself the planē whose wages are paid in the body. Planē here is both the sin and its return.

5. Danger to Believers — Being Led Away¶

Planē as a hazard the faithful must guard against. - 2 Pe 3:17 — "beware lest ye also, being led away with the error (planē) of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness" — verbal cognate (synapachthentes) makes the "leading astray" sense explicit.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ὁδός (hodos, way)	G3598	2x	"error of his way" — planē as a path walked (Jas 5:20; implied 2 Pe 2:15 context)
θεός (theos, God)	G2316	2x	God as sender of planē (2 Th 2:11) or as truth-source opposed to planē (1 Jn 4:6)
γινώσκω (ginōskō, know)	G1097	2x	knowing the spirit of truth vs. error (1 Jn 4:6); knowing beforehand to avoid planē (2 Pe 3:17)
ἀλήθεια (alētheia, truth)	G225	1x	the defining antonym (1 Jn 4:6; cf. 2 Th 2:10-12 context)
ἀκαθαρσία (akatharsia, uncleanness)	G167	1x	listed alongside planē as mark of false preaching (1 Th 2:3)
ἄνεμος (anemos, wind)	G417	1x	"every wind of doctrine... the sleight of men" (Eph 4:14)
ἁμαρτωλός (hamartōlos, sinner)	G268	1x	the sinner in the planē of his way (Jas 5:20)
ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi, destroy/perish)	G622	1x	planē of Balaam ending in destruction (Jude 1:11)

Typical collocation pattern: planē appears with (a) truth-vocabulary as antonym, (b) way/walk vocabulary indicating lifestyle, (c) destruction/judgment vocabulary indicating outcome.

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4105 πλανάω (planaō) — verb: "to cause to wander, lead astray; pass. to wander, go astray, be deceived" (39 NT occurrences). The active verb behind the noun. Used of sheep going astray (Mat 18:12; 1 Pe 2:25; Isa 53:6 LXX), of end-time deceivers (Mat 24:4, 5, 11, 24), of Satan deceiving the nations (Rev 12:9; 20:3, 8, 10), of self-deception (1 Jn 1:8).
G4108 πλάνος (planos) — adj./noun: "wandering, deceiver, impostor" (5 NT occurrences: Mat 27:63 — of Jesus by the chief priests; 2 Co 6:8; 1 Ti 4:1 — "seducing spirits"; 2 Jn 1:7 — "many deceivers are entered into the world").
G635 ἀποπλανάω (apoplanaō) — intensified: "to lead wholly astray" (Mk 13:22; 1 Ti 6:10).

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4106.

Antonyms¶

No direct antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4106.

Easily Confused / Overlapping Terms¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Domain/Translation	Key Difference
ἀπάτη (apatē)	G539	both "deceit" (31.002)	apatē emphasizes the deceptive act/lure (e.g., "deceitfulness of riches"); planē emphasizes the resulting erroneous state or teaching
ψεῦδος (pseudos)	G5579	antonym of truth	pseudos = the lie/falsehood as content; planē = the state of being misled or the deceiving power (paired in 2 Th 2:11 — "send them planē, that they should believe the pseudos")
δόλος (dolos)	G1388	"guile, deceit"	dolos = cunning/treachery in intent; planē = the error produced
πονηρία (ponēria)	G4189	moral corruption (domain 88)	ponēria = wickedness in general; planē = corruption via being misled
σκάνδαλον (skandalon)	G4625	cause of stumbling	skandalon = the trap/offense; planē = the wandering that results

OT "error" vocabulary (domain overlap, not LXX-derived): H7944 שַׁל (shal, "error/fault"), H7960 שָׁלוּ (shālû, Aramaic "error"), H8442 תּוֹעָה (tôʻâ, "error/mistake") — all render as English "error" but have no direct LXX→NT bridge to planē.

Hebrew Source¶

No direct Hebrew source recorded for G4106 via LXX mapping. The cognate verb G4105 πλανάω does render several Hebrew terms in the LXX (notably H8582 תָּעָה tāʿâ, "to wander, go astray," as in Isa 53:6; Psa 119:176), but the abstract noun planē is a NT-era nominal formation with no established OT Hebrew equivalent.