6:10a

For: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For indicates that 6:10 gives the reason for the statement in 6:9. In other words, it gives the reason that those who want to become rich incur the problems listed in 6:9.

Here, Paul used a proverb to give the reason for 6:9. (Knight, page 257, reports that a “widely attested” ancient Greek proverb says “The love of money is the mother-city of all evil.” Paul modifies the proverb, but still keeps it in proverb form.)

the love of money: In some languages, it is not possible to love an object like money. If this is true in your language, it may be possible to say something like “wanting money,” or “wanting to become rich.” Or it may be possible to use a word like “greed.” See the note on 3:3d.

the root of all kinds of evil: To say that “the love of money” is the root of all kinds of evil is a figure of speech. It means that it causes much evil. For example, when people want to become rich, they may easily become selfish. They may cheat, lie, steal, envy, or quarrel. They may hate people, hurt them, and even kill them.

It is not clear from the Greek grammar here whether the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the root should be translated as:

(1) a root, that is, one source or cause of evil among many possible sources or causes.

(New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

(2) “the root,” that is, the only source or cause of evil.

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word)

The Greek text is ambiguous. However, Paul was probably implying that there were other causes of evil as well as the love of money. So it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

all kinds of evil: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as all kinds of evil can be understood in two ways:

(1) It means all sorts or kinds of evil. In other words, the love of money can result in different sorts of evil behavior.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

(2) It means all evil. In other words, the love of money is the cause of every evil behavior.

(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, Revised English Bible, NET Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

6:10b

By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith: Paul knew that some people in Ephesus had wandered from the faith because they were eager for money. It is possible that he was referring to the false teachers. These teachers thought that godliness was a means to financial gain (6:5c). Paul may also have been referring to those who had been influenced by them.

wandered away from the faith: The form of the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wandered away from literally means “have been led astray.” Here Paul used the Greek verb figuratively, It refers to a person who has allowed money to hinder him from following Christian teaching. See the note on 1:6a and 6:21b.

the faith: When Paul referred to the faith, he was referring to the true teachings about God and about Christ. See the note on “the faith” in 3:9.

6:10c

and: This part of the verse gives the second thing that happens when people are “crave” money.

pierced themselves with many sorrows: Paul was using a figure of speech here to help the believers understand his point. People suffer physically if they pierce or stab themselves. In the same way, people who are eager for money often suffer terribly. For example, some people work so hard to become rich that they lose friends.

In some languages, it may be necessary to make the comparison explicit. For example, one way to do this is:

[they have] caused themselves to suffer as greatly as if they had pierced themselves with a weapon

If you have no suitable figure of speech in your language, you can translate only the meaning. For example, the New Century Version says:

they have caused themselves much sorrow

© 2003 by SIL International®

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.