Love of Money, Not Money, Is the Root
The phrase attributed to Paul in 1 Timothy circulates without the part that gives it meaning: "the love of."
The phrase exists; the verse doesn't. "Money is the root of all evil" echoes in memes, sermons, and after-dinner conversations, and it's attributed to Paul. But in 1 Timothy 6 the text doesn't condemn money: it condemns the love of money.
The complete verse
Verse 10 says: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils" (1 Timothy 6:10, ESV). The subject isn't the bill, but the affection. The Greek uses philarguria, which translates as greed; according to the lexicon of Bible Hub, it appears only once in the New Testament. Paul wasn't writing an economic proverb, but a description of a heart.
The context confirms it. In 1 Timothy 6:6-9 the theme is contentment and the warning to those who want to get rich. In 6:17-18, Paul addresses the rich and doesn't ask them to empty their accounts: he asks them not to trust in uncertain riches and to be "generous and ready to share" (1 Timothy 6:18, ESV). The BibleRef commentary points to the same: the danger is in trusting where it doesn't belong. The root of evil is sin, not the currency.
«The root of evil is sin, not the currency.»
Where the short version came from
The phrase traveled from English. The King James Version of 1611 says "For the love of money is the root of all evil," and from there came the saying "money is the root of all evil," which Wiktionary records as a common saying. When translated into Spanish, the part that matters was dropped and a short, neat phrase, foreign to Scripture, remained.
Why does it catch on so easily? Because it confirms a comfortable suspicion: that faith fights with money. It sounds pious, demands nothing, and leaves the one who repeats it at ease. And it feeds two opposite errors: believing that money is dirty, or believing that the problem is never the heart.
How to check the next quote
You don't need to be a theologian; you need to open the Bible. Look for the exact reference: if no one gives it to you, that's the first sign. Then read the complete verse and the paragraph around it, because almost all twisted quotes fall apart there. And distrust the short phrase that makes you feel good because it points to someone else. Scripture discomforts before it comforts.
Contentment isn't bought or decreed. It's a gift from God, and it's asked for in prayer. This week, before repeating a verse, open it and read it completely. And answer honestly: do you love what you have, or do you love having?
