1 Timothy 6:10

Context

In 1 Timothy 6:3–10, Paul warns against false teachers who treat godliness as a means of gain (6:5; KJV: "supposing that gain is godliness"). He declares that "godliness with contentment is great gain" (6:6) and urges that "having food and raiment let us be therewith content" (6:8). He then warns that "they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts" (6:9), and in verse 10 he gives the reason: "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." Later, in 6:17–19, he charges the rich not to be "highminded" but to "be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate."

Interpretation

• "The love of money," not "money": The verse is often shortened to "money is the root of all evil," but the subject in the original is "the love of money" (Greek philargyria). The common interpretation is that the verse does not regard money itself as evil but condemns the covetous desire for it. Interpreters also cite 6:17–19, where the rich are not condemned but exhorted to share, in support of this reading.
• The meaning of "all evil": The phrase rendered in the Korean Revised Version as "ten thousand evils" can be translated from the original as "all evil" or "all kinds of evil." Many recent translations take it to mean not that every evil comes from the love of money, but that the love of money is a root from which all kinds of evil spring.
• Read as a warning to ministers: Because the context is a warning against false teachers, some interpreters read the verse as directed first to those who teach and to church leaders, and only then to ordinary believers.

Controversies and Debates

Critics of prosperity theology argue that teaching which makes faith a means to material success is precisely the treatment of godliness as a means of gain that this passage warns against. Those sympathetic to prosperity theology counter that the verse warns only against greed, not against the accumulation of wealth, and that the material blessings God grants are given to be used for good works. In addition, church reform movements frequently cite the verse in debates over the transparency of church finances, pastoral compensation, and coerced giving.

In the Korean Church

The verse is frequently cited by critics when problems such as financial misconduct in churches and hereditary succession of church leadership come to light, and it serves as a foundational text for stewardship education and for sermons on economic ethics.

Related Passages

• 1 Timothy 6:6–9
• 1 Timothy 6:17–19
• Hebrews 13:5
• Matthew 6:24