1 Timothy 6:10

Contextual Overview

⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁶ But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. ⁶But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. ⁶But those who ride with a pure heart and contentment are the real ones who will prosper. ⁶ But true faith, with peace of mind, is of great profit: ⁶ But piety with contentment *is* great gain. ⁶ But godliness with contentment is a great gain. ⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁶ But godliness with content is great gain.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the love: Genesis 34:23, Genesis 34:24, Genesis 38:16, Exodus 23:7, Exodus 23:8, Deuteronomy 16:19, Deuteronomy 23:4, Deuteronomy 23:5, Deuteronomy 23:18, Judges 17:10, Judges 17:11, Judges 18:19, Judges 18:20, Judges 18:29-31, 2 Samuel 4:10, 2 Samuel 4:11, Proverbs 1:19, Isaiah 1:23, Isaiah 56:11, Jeremiah 5:27, Jeremiah 5:28, Ezekiel 13:19, Ezekiel 16:33, Ezekiel 22:12, Micah 3:11, Micah 7:3, Micah 7:4, Malachi 1:10, Matthew 23:14, Acts 1:16-19, Titus 1:11, Revelation 18:13

coveted: 1 Timothy 6:21, 2 Timothy 4:10, Jude 1:11, Revelation 2:14, Revelation 2:15

erred: or, been seduced

and pierced: Genesis 29:14, Genesis 29:26, Genesis 29:31-35, 2 Kings 5:27, Psalms 32:10, Proverbs 1:31, 2 Peter 2:7, 2 Peter 2:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 29:27 - week Genesis 34:27 - spoiled Numbers 22:7 - rewards of divination Numbers 22:19 - General Numbers 31:8 - Balaam Deuteronomy 5:21 - General Deuteronomy 7:25 - snared Joshua 7:21 - I coveted Joshua 7:24 - took Achan Judges 16:5 - we will Judges 16:18 - brought money 1 Samuel 8:3 - but turned 2 Samuel 16:3 - day 1 Kings 2:40 - arose 1 Kings 21:6 - Because 2 Chronicles 16:4 - hearkened Job 27:8 - General Job 31:24 - General Psalms 10:3 - whom Psalms 119:36 - and not to Proverbs 1:13 - General Proverbs 21:6 - getting Proverbs 28:20 - but Ecclesiastes 5:10 - He that Ecclesiastes 5:13 - riches Jeremiah 9:23 - rich Jeremiah 22:17 - covetousness Ezekiel 28:16 - the multitude Ezekiel 33:31 - but their Hosea 12:7 - the balances Micah 2:2 - they covet Matthew 6:24 - mammon Matthew 12:44 - he findeth Matthew 13:22 - the care Matthew 19:23 - That Matthew 22:5 - one Matthew 26:15 - What Matthew 28:15 - they took Mark 4:7 - General Mark 4:19 - the deceitfulness Mark 10:22 - for Mark 14:11 - and promised Luke 8:14 - and are Luke 14:18 - I have Luke 16:9 - mammon Luke 18:24 - How Luke 22:5 - and covenanted Acts 5:2 - kept Acts 16:16 - which Acts 16:19 - the hope Acts 19:24 - brought Acts 24:26 - hoped 1 Corinthians 5:11 - or covetous Ephesians 5:3 - covetousness Ephesians 5:5 - who is Philippians 4:17 - because 1 Timothy 1:3 - charge 2 Timothy 2:18 - concerning 2 Timothy 2:26 - out Hebrews 12:1 - let us lay Hebrews 13:5 - conversation James 4:2 - lust James 5:1 - ye James 5:19 - err 1 Peter 2:11 - war 1 John 2:15 - Love not

Cross-References

Genesis 5:32
After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Genesis 5:32
After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Genesis 5:32
And Noah was 500 years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 5:32
Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 5:32
Noah was fiue hundreth yere olde, & Noah begate Sem, Ham, & Iapheth.

Genesis 5:32
After Noah was 500 years old, he had sons named Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 5:32
After Noah was five hundred years old, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 5:32
Forsothe Noe whanne he was of fyue hundrid yeer gendride Sem, Cham, and Jafeth.

Genesis 5:32
And Noah was fiue hundred yeeres olde: and Noah begate Sem, Ham, and Iapheth.

Genesis 5:32
And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For the love of money is the root of all evil,.... Of all the evils before mentioned, and of others; not money itself, as silver and gold, which are God's creatures, and his gifts, and may be used to, and answer many good purposes; but the love of it, and not any love of it; for there may be a lawful love of it, and desire after it, so far as it is requisite to the necessaries of life, to answer the calls of Providence, the duties we owe to God and men, to serve the interest of Christ, and do good to fellow creatures and fellow Christians: but it is an immoderate insatiable desire after it, and an inordinate love of it, which is here meant, such as is properly idolatry: as when a man loves it, not only besides, but above God; serves it as if it was God, and places his trust and confidence in it, independent of God, and his providence; such love of it is the source and spring of all iniquity, as above; it was the sin of Judas, and the root of all his iniquity. The phrase is Jewish. So idolatry is said to be עיקר כל עונות, "the root of all iniquities" q; see Hebrews 12:15

which while some coveted after; in a greedy and insatiable way:

they have erred from the faith; the doctrine of faith. Observing that the professors of it are generally poor, they have declined that path, and have not so much as heard the word; and if they have heard and embraced it, yet when persecution arises because of it, they drop their profession of it; or else their minds are so filled with worldly cares, and deceitful riches, that the word is choked, and becomes unprofitable, and by and by, Demas like, they forsake it, having loved this present world.

And pierced themselves through with many sorrows; riches are therefore fitly compared to thorns, which give great trouble and uneasiness, both in getting and keeping them; and oftentimes the reflection upon the unlawful ways and means made use of to obtain them, gives very pungent pain and distress; see Job 20:15. The apostle seem to allude to the Hebrew word בצע, used for a covetous man, which signifies one that pierces, cuts, and wounds, as such an one does both himself and others.

q R. David Kimchi in Isa. xxvii. 9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For the love of money is the root of all evil - That is, of all kinds of evil. This is evidently not to be understood as literally true, for there are evils which cannot, be traced to the love of money - the evils growing out of ambition, and intemperance, and debasing lusts, and of the hatred of God and of goodness. The expression here is evidently a popular saying - “all sorts of evils grow out of the love of money.” Similar expressions often occur in the classic writers; see Wetstein, in loc, and numerous examples quoted by Priceaus. Of the truth of this, no one can doubt. No small part of the crimes of the world can be traced to the love of gold. But it deserves to be remarked here, that the apostle does not say that “money is the root of all evil,” or that it is an evil at all. It is the “love” of it which is the source of evil.

Which while some coveted after - That is, some who were professing Christians. The apostle is doubtless referring to persons whose history was known to Timothy, and warning him, and teaching him to warn others, by their example.

They have erred from the faith - Margin, “been seduced.” The Greek is, they have been led astray from; that is, they have been so deceived as to depart from the faith. The notion of deception or delusion is in the word, and the sense is, that, deceived by the promises held out by the prospect of wealth, they have apostatized from the faith. It is not implied of necessity that they were ever real Christians. They have been led off from truth and duty, and from all the hopes and joys which religion would have imparted.

And pierced themselves through with many sorrows - With such sorrows as remorse, and painful reflections on their folly, and the apprehension of future wrath. Too late they see that they have thrown away the hopes of religion for that which is at best unworthy the pursuit of an immortal mind; which leads them on to a life of wickedness; which fails of imparting what it promised when its pursuit is successful, and which, in the great majority of instances, disappoints its votaries in respect to its attainment. The word rendered “pierced themselves through” - περιέπειραν periepeiran - occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, and is a word whose force and emphasis cannot be well expressed in a translation. It is from πείρω peirō, and is made more emphatic by the addition of the preposition περι peri. The word πείρω peirō, means, properly, “to pierce through from one end to another,” and is applied to meat that is “pierced through” by the spit when it is to be roasted (Passow); then it means to pierce through and through. The addition of the preposition περι peri to the word, conveys the idea of doing this “all round;” of piercing everywhere. It was not a single thrust which was made, but they are gashed all round with penetrating wounds. Such is the effect on those who cast off religion for the sake of gold. None can avoid these consequences who do this. Every man is in the hands of a holy and just God, and sooner or later he must feel the effects of his sin and folly.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 10. The love of money is the root of all evil — Perhaps it would be better to translate παντωντωνκακων, of all these evils; i.e. the evils enumerated above; for it cannot be true that the love of money is the root of all evil, it certainly was not the root whence the transgression of Adam sprang, but it is the root whence all the evils mentioned in the preceding verse spring. This text has been often very incautiously quoted; for how often do we hear," The Scripture says, Money is the root of all evil!" No, the Scripture says no such thing. Money is the root of no evil, nor is it an evil of any kind; but the love of it is the root of all the evils mentioned here.

While some coveted after — ορεγομενοι. Insatiably desiring.

Have erred from the faith — απεπλανηθησαν. Have totally erred-have made a most fatal and ruinous departure from the religion of Christ.

And pierced themselves through with many sorrows. — The word περιεπειραν signifies to be transfixed in every part; and is an allusion to one of those snares, παγιδα, mentioned 1 Timothy 6:9, where a hole is dug in the earth, and filled full of sharp stakes, and, being slightly covered over with turf, is not perceived; and whatever steps on it falls in, and is pierced through and through with these sharp stakes, the οδυναις πολλαις, the many torments, mentioned by the apostle. See note on 1 Timothy 6:9.