"The love of money is the root of all evil" — from 1 Timothy 6:10 — is one of the most quoted and most misquoted verses in the Bible.
The common shortened version, "Money is the root of all evil," is wrong.
Paul never said that.
The exact phrase, the exact meaning, and the warning behind it are sharper than most people realize.
What 1 Timothy 6:10 actually says "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.
It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs." — 1 Timothy 6:10 (ESV) Two things to notice immediately: It's "the love of money," not money itself.
It's "a root of all kinds of evils," not "the root of all evil." (The KJV's "the root of all evil" is a slightly looser rendering of the Greek.) The original Greek The phrase is philargyria — literally "love of silver" — combining phileo (affection, love) and argyrion (silver/money).
Paul is naming a specific spiritual disease: the heart's affection set on money as a primary object of love .
The construction rhiza pantōn tōn kakōn is best translated "a root of all kinds of evils" — Paul is not saying every evil in the world traces back to money-love (murder, lust, pride, etc. have other roots), but that money-love is a source from which many kinds of evil grow .
Money is not the problem — the love of it is Scripture is consistent: money itself is morally neutral — a tool.
Abraham, Job, David, Solomon, Joseph of Arimathea, Lydia and others were wealthy and faithful.
The Bible never condemns wealth as such; it condemns the posture of the heart toward it.
Money can build hospitals, support missionaries, feed the poor, run a household.
The love of money can corrupt judges, divide families, betray friends, drown the soul (1 Timothy 6:9).
Confusing the two leads to two equal-and-opposite errors: prosperity gospel (treating wealth as a sign of favor) and poverty piety (treating wealth as a sign of corruption).
Both miss the verse.
The full passage in context (1 Timothy 6:6-10) Paul is writing to Timothy about contentment and false teachers.
The full flow: v. 6 — "Godliness with contentment is great gain." v. 7 — "We brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world." v. 8 — "Having food and clothing, with these we will be content." v. 9 — "Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." v. 10 — The famous "love of money" verse.
Read in context, Paul is not anti-money.
He is anti- desire-to-be-rich — the craving that displaces God as the primary object of love and trust.
Common misquotes "Money is the root of all evil." ❌ Paul didn't say this.
He said the love of money is a root of many kinds of evil. "Christians should be poor." ❌ The verse warns against love of money, not against possessing it.
Many wealthy figures in Scripture are godly. "Wanting to make money is sinful." ❌ Paul rebukes the craving , not honest ambition.
Diligent work is praised throughout Scripture.
How to know if money has become an idol Anxiety.
Constant worry about money, even when you have enough.
Greed. "Just a little more" never satisfies (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Compromise.
Willingness to bend integrity for a payout.
Stinginess.
Reluctance to give, even when prompted.
Comparison.
Measuring worth by net worth — yours vs others.
Trust displacement.
Trusting savings more than the Savior.
If several of these resonate, the love of money may have taken root.
The cure isn't shame; it's generosity .
Giving, especially the tithe, is the most reliable heart-cleanser God has built into the Christian life.
See our biblical tithing guide .
A balanced biblical view of money God owns it all (Psalm 24:1; 1 Chronicles 29:14).
Hard work is honored (Colossians 3:23).
See our 35 verses on hard work .
Wealth is not condemned, but it is dangerous (Mark 10:23-25).
Generosity is commanded (2 Cor 9:7) and rewarded (Proverbs 11:24-25).
Contentment is the antidote to money-love (1 Tim 6:6; Phil 4:11).
See our 30 verses on contentment .
You cannot serve both God and money (Matt 6:24) — but you can use money to serve God.
The deeper warning Paul's final phrase is haunting: "some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs." The love of money doesn't just corrupt the wallet — it wounds the soul.
People shipwreck their faith over it.
Marriages end over it.
Friendships die over it.
That is why Jesus talked about money more than almost any other topic — not because He wanted His followers poor, but because He wanted their hearts free.
The verse is not a condemnation of wealth.
It is a love letter to the soul, warning it away from its deadliest rival affection.