1 Timothy 6:10

My Notes

What Does 1 Timothy 6:10 Mean?

1 Timothy 6:10 is one of the most frequently misquoted verses in the Bible. It doesn't say money is the root of all evil. It says: "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

The Greek philargyria — "love of money" — is literally silver-love. The sin isn't possession. It's affection. The diagnosis is about the heart, not the wallet. A poor person can love money they don't have just as fiercely as a rich person loves money they do have. The problem isn't the metal. It's the attachment.

"Root of all evil" — riza pantōn tōn kakōn. Paul doesn't say the only root. He says a root of all kinds of evil. Money-love is a root system that feeds every category of sin: lying (to protect wealth), exploitation (to acquire it), broken relationships (when money becomes more important than people), and apostasy ("erred from the faith" — apeplanēthēsan, wandered away, were seduced from the path).

The final image is physical: "pierced themselves through with many sorrows" — periepeiran heautous odynais pollais. The verb means to impale, to run through. And it's reflexive — they pierced themselves. Nobody did this to them. The love of money is a sword you fall on voluntarily.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Is your relationship with money about possession or affection? Do you love money — whether you have a lot or a little?
• 2.Can you trace a sin or compromise in your life back to money-love as its root? What grew from that underground system?
• 3.Paul says they 'pierced themselves.' Have you volunteered for the sword of money-love and experienced the sorrows it produces?
• 4.What would it look like to hold money loosely — to use it without loving it? What specific change would that require this week?

Devotional

The love of money. Not money itself. The love of it. The distinction matters because it puts the blame where it belongs: on the heart, not the bank account.

You can have very little money and love it desperately — obsessing over it, resenting those who have more, making every decision through the lens of financial calculation. And you can have significant wealth and hold it loosely — giving generously, using it as a tool, refusing to let it define your identity or your decisions. The amount doesn't determine the sin. The affection does.

Paul calls it a root — not the root, but a root of all kinds of evil. Money-love sits underground, invisible, feeding whatever grows on the surface. The lie you told at work? Follow the root — was there money underneath it? The relationship you sacrificed? Follow the root. The ethical corner you cut? Follow the root. The compromise you made that you said was pragmatic? Follow the root. Money-love is the underground system that nourishes an enormous variety of surface-level sins.

"Pierced themselves through with many sorrows" — they. Themselves. Nobody forced this. The love of money is a sword you volunteer to fall on. It promises security and delivers anxiety. It promises freedom and delivers slavery. It promises satisfaction and delivers a hunger that deepens with every acquisition.

If you've been pierced — if the pursuit of financial security or financial advancement has produced sorrows you didn't expect — Paul says: look at the root. The money didn't do this to you. Your love of it did. And the sword is still in your hand. You can put it down.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture