“Money is the root of all evil”

The actual verse

1 Timothy 6:10 (BSB):

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

The KJV (1769):

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.

Where the shortened version circulates

“Money is the root of all evil” is one of the most-shortened Bible verses in English-language usage. It is routinely repeated as a Bible verse on social media and appears in song lyrics, headlines, and casual conversation, almost always in the compressed form rather than the wording of any translation.

What the paraphrase changes

The common phrase shortens the verse in three ways. It removes “the love of,” it changes “a root” to “the root,” and it removes “of all kinds of.” Each change shifts the meaning:

• “Money” vs. “love of money” — the verse names a disposition toward money, not money itself
• “the root” vs. “a root” — the verse names one root among many, not the single root
• “all evil” vs. “all kinds of evil” — the verse names the variety of evils that this disposition can produce, not all evil

Placed side by side, the two versions make different claims. “Money is the root of all evil” states that money causes every evil that exists. “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” states that a particular orientation toward money is one source of many varieties of evil.

Original language

The Greek of the opening clause is: ῥίζα γὰρ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία — transliterated rhiza gar pantōn tōn kakōn estin hē philargyria. Word by word: rhiza (a root) gar (for) pantōn tōn kakōn (of all the evils) estin (is) hē philargyria (the love of silver). A word-for-word English rendering: “For a root of all the evils is the love-of-silver.”

Three features of the Greek correspond to the three changes in the paraphrase.

Philargyria — the subject of the sentence. The grammatical subject is hē philargyria (ἡ φιλαργυρία), a compound of philos (loving, fond of) and argyros (silver). In the ancient world money was minted silver coinage, and argyros served as a standard word for money; the compound names a disposition toward it — “love of money, avarice” (BDAG s.v. philargyria). The subject of the Greek sentence is this disposition, not money as an object.

Rhiza — without the article. The noun rhiza (ῥίζα, root) is anarthrous — it carries no definite article — and in this position is most naturally read as indefinite. The BSB, NIV, NRSV, and ESV render it “a root”; the KJV renders it “the root,” in part because English idiom sometimes inserts “the” before abstract nouns where Greek omits it. The renderings differ in scope: “a root” presents the love of money as one source among possible others, while “the root” presents it as the single source.

Pantōn tōn kakōn — “all kinds of evil.” The phrase is a genitive plural with the definite article. Greek pas (all, every) with a plural article can mean either “the totality of” or “every kind of,” depending on context; with moral categories, as here, modern translations almost universally render the phrase “all kinds of evil” or “every kind of evil” rather than “all evil that exists.” The KJV’s “all evil” leaves both English readings open.

The surrounding passage

The verse sits within 1 Timothy 6:6–19, in Paul’s first letter to Timothy, his younger associate, regarding teaching in the church at Ephesus. The full passage (BSB):

6 Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 11 But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession in His testimony before Pontius Pilate, 14 to keep this commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which the blessed and only Sovereign — the King of kings and Lord of lords — 16 will bring about in His own time. He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. 17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and ready to share, 19 treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Read as a unit, the passage has a four-part structure around the famous verse:

1. Verses 6–8 open with a statement about gain: “godliness with contentment is great gain.” The word translated “gain” (porismos, πορισμός) also appears in verse 5, where Paul describes people who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. “Contentment” renders autarkeia (αὐταρκεία), “self-sufficiency, satisfaction with one’s own resources” — the same word group as Philippians 4:11 (“I have learned to be content”).
2. Verses 9–10 carry the warning. The subjects of the warning are those who want to be rich (Greek boulomenoi ploutein) and the love of money itself — both phrased as desires or dispositions.
3. Verses 11–16 turn to Timothy directly, listing qualities he is to pursue instead.
4. Verses 17–19 address “those who are rich in the present age.” The instruction given is not to divest but to avoid conceit, not to put hope in wealth, to do good, and to be generous and ready to share.

The famous verse is the middle of this longer argument; the standalone paraphrase circulates without any of the surrounding structure.

Money elsewhere in Paul’s letters

Paul’s other letters record a range of practical dealings with money. He thanks the Philippians for their financial support (Philippians 4:14–19), organizes a monetary collection for the church in Jerusalem (Romans 15:25–27; 2 Corinthians 8–9), and works as a tentmaker to support himself (1 Thessalonians 2:9; Acts 18:3). A closely parallel wording to 1 Timothy 6:10 appears in Hebrews 13:5: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.”

Read on Bible1.org

Read the full chapter on our companion site: 1 Timothy 6 on Bible1.org → — BSB text in context, all verses.