Exapatao is used of misleading people, including oneself, through persuasive speech, craftiness, or sin's action.

The attested use describes misleading a person, oneself, or the hearts and minds of others: it appears in warnings against being misled, in accounts of the serpent and sin misleading, and in the description of smooth speech directed at innocent hearts.

1. Misleading persons, hearts, or oneself · dominant

   In 1 Corinthians 3:18 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3, present and aorist active forms occur in prohibitions that the APB renders "Let no one deceive himself" and "Let no one deceive you in any way." In Romans 16:18, the present active plural form is set alongside smooth talk and praise directed at "the hearts of the innocent"; in 2 Corinthians 11:3 and Romans 7:11, aorist active forms describe the serpent's action toward Eve and sin's action through the commandment. In 1 Timothy 2:14, the aorist passive participle identifies the woman as the one who was misled.

   1 Corinthians 3:182 Thessalonians 2:3Romans 16:182 Corinthians 11:3Romans 7:111 Timothy 2:14

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the occurrences, the APB repeatedly uses "deceive" or "deceived," including self-directed, passive, and plural-object clauses. Because the APB is a whole-verse translation text, these renderings confirm the clauses' overall presentation without isolating a separate English equivalent in every case.