This middle voice verb means to use sophistry or cunning to gain advantage over someone, to outwit by clever manipulation. Acts 7:19 describes the pharaoh who 'dealt craftily with our fathers,' exploiting Israel through forced labor and infanticide. The aorist participle suggests decisive, deliberate action. Classical usage shows outwitting by fallacious arguments or evading through quibbling. The cross-linguistic witnesses emphasize cunning and craft. Stephen's speech identifies this Egyptian oppression as calculated, malicious policy rather than mere harsh governance. The 'dealing craftily' involves both forced exposure of infants and systematic exploitation.