tempt, temptation

The Greek and Ge’ez that is typically translated as “tempt” or “temptation” in English is translated in Noongar as djona-karra or “reveal conduct” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang) and in Tibetan as nyams sad (ཉམས་​སད།), lit. “soul + test,” or in some cases as slu (སླུ།) or “lure / lead astray” (for instance in 1 Cor. 7:5 or Gal 6:1) (source: gSungrab website )

In Cherokee it is translated as “examined.” “‘Temptation’ is also translated using a traditional verb which means ‘to examine medically’ or ‘to interpret,’ as when divining or consulting a crystal. It expresses the idea that the tempted person is being ‘tested’ or examined.'” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 47)

In Kekchí, the word for “tempt” (alec) implies that the temptation was successful so here, especially in the narrative of Jesus’ temptation, the translation states that the temptation was unsuccessful (“Jesus never gave himself to be tempted”). (Source: Eachus 2006, p. 263)

See also tempted by Satan and tempted by God.

complete verse (1 Timothy 6:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Timothy 6:9:

  • Uma: “But people who want to be rich, they are easily tempted to commit sin, many desires bind them up. Those desires of theirs don’t have any use, they just bring disaster. In the end, people who want to be rich fall into sin(s), and get disaster.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But the people who want to be rich are easily tempted to sin. They are like trapped by their greedy-desire for all kinds of foolish things and what causes their ruin. Finally they will be destroyed not only in this world but including in the hereafter.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The people who want to become rich, they are easily successfully tempted and trapped. They have many worthless desires, and these can destroy. These can destroy them and can also be the means of their death.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But those who are greedy-to become-rich, they are easily tempted and it’s as if they have been snared/caught by the many foolish-things they crave which ruin them. And those-aforementioned things-they-crave, it’s as if that’s what sweeps-them -along (floodwater) to the punishment that has no end.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For those people for whom, what is big in their minds is, wanting to become rich, of course they can be caused to fall(fig.) into sin and be snared by evil. What they want to indulge in becomes many, things which cause hurt, and accomplish nothing, those being what take them to that great hardship/suffering which is punishment without end.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “But concerning the person who only wants to be rich, this is a person who is easily deceived to commit sin in obtaining money. It is like he gets into a trap because just desires which are of no value sit in their hearts and this what causes the person to be lost.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 6:9

In contrast to those who are contented with what they have, there are people who desire to be rich in a material way; these people are on their way to ruin and destruction; in fact, as the next verse shows, some of them have lost their faith because of this desire for wealth. Those who desire to be rich may also be expressed as “Those people who want lots of money.”

Grammatically temptation, snare, and desires are all governed by fall into, as the literal translation in Revised Standard Version shows. But the verse can also be understood as depicting a process: first, falling into temptation, and then being caught in a snare that consists of many senseless and hurtful desires (compare Good News Translation). As a result of all this, these people and others like them are pulled down to ruin and destruction.

To fall into means to be defeated, to succumb, to be overcome. Temptation refers to the desire to sin, that is, the desire to do evil things or to act against God’s will. Other ways to express this are “are tricked (or, deceived) into doing all sorts of sin,” “are conquered by the desire to do all sorts of sins,” or “Satan easily causes them to do all kinds of evil.” As already indicated, the snare consists of the desires that are senseless (that is, foolish, unwise, irrational, both in the intellectual and ethical sense) and hurtful (that is, injurious to life in general, and to morals in particular). Desires is here used in a bad sense and perhaps is related to the all-consuming wish to become rich. The phrases into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires may also be expressed as “they fall into (or, are caught in) as it were a trap which stands for the many foolish desires which will hurt them.” Such desires lead to their own destruction. Plunge is literally “to sink” as a ship or “to drown” but is used here in a causative sense, “to cause to sink,” “to drag down,” “to pull down” (see Good News Translation), with the cause of sinking being the harmful desires. The clause that plunge men into ruin and destruction may be expressed as “cause them to be completely destroyed,” “completely destroy them as if they were drowning,” or “… as if they were sinking like a ship.”

Men translates the generic word for people. There is a definite article before “people”; this has led some interpreters to identify these people with those who want to be rich in the first part of the verse (so Jerusalem Bible “eventually plunge them,” Phillips “their souls”). Others translate literally, with the result that the word for “people” becomes generic, referring to everyone, including those who desire to be rich (in addition to Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version, see also New Revised Standard Version, New English Bible). Ruin and destruction are synonyms, both referring to violent and extensive destruction; the combination of these two terms together stresses the intensity and severity of the destruction. In translating these two terms, the translator can use two synonymous words, provided that this would capture the intensity of destruction that is intended in the text. If this is not achieved, then the translator could use one term combined with an intensifier; for example, “terrible destruction” or “fatal destruction.”

In many languages it will be impossible to use the idea of fall to describe the various things that will happen to people who desire riches. Good News Translation‘s model is a good one. Other alternative translation models are the following:
• But these people who want to get lots of money are deceived into doing all sorts of evil (or, sins). They are also caught as it were in a trap which represents the many foolish desires that will hurt them. These desires will completely destroy them as if they were drowning (or, like a sinking ship).

Or:
• But Satan causes those people who want to be rich to do all kinds of evil things. They are caught as it were in a trap….

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 6:9

6:9a

Those who want to be rich: When Paul referred to Those who want to be rich, he was referring to people, like the false teachers, who wanted to be rich more than they wanted to follow God.

however: The Greek particle de connects 6:8 and 6:9. In this context, this particle indicates that there is a contrast between these two verses. The contrast is between those who are content (6:8) and those who want to become rich (6:9). The Berean Standard Bible translates this with the word however. If in your language you have a way to show this contrast, you should use it to connect these verses.

6:9b

fall into temptation: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fall into temptation is a figure of speech. It means to give in to temptation, that is, when a person is tempted to do something wrong, they choose to do the wrong thing and so sin.

become ensnared: This is another figure of speech. Paul had used the metaphor of a snare already, in 3:7c. He also used it in 2 Timothy 2:26. The desire to be rich is like a snare or trap that catches an animal. The person caught in such a trap cannot get free by himself.

6:9c

many foolish and harmful desires: There are two ways to understand this phrase:

(1) This is a third trap into which the people who want to become rich fall.

(New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised Standard Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, NET Bible)

(2) This is what the trap mentioned in 6:9b consists of. For example, the Good News Translation says:

the trap of many foolish and harmful desires

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

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

foolish…desires: People who want to become rich also have many foolish…desires, that is, they start to want things that are wrong, unwise, and sinful. This is what happens to people when they want to become rich more than they want to follow God.

harmful desires: The desires that these people have are not only foolish, but also harmful. They want to do things that could hurt or damage themselves or other people.

6:9d

that plunge them into ruin and destruction: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as plunge means to push someone or something under water. Paul was using a figure of speech here. He meant that the desires of 6:9c often cause overwhelming ruin and destruction. In some languages, it may be necessary to remove the figure of speech and translate only the meaning. One way to do this is:

that cause people to be ruined and destroyed

ruin and destruction: Scholars interpret these two words in different ways:

(1) They say that both words refer to suffering on this earth. (Moore, page 55, classifies this as a synonymous doublet.)

(2) They say that ruin refers to suffering before death and destruction refers to suffering after death, in hell.
Either interpretation is possible and it is recommended that you translate them in as general a way as possible.

These two words translated ruin and destruction mean almost the same thing. In some languages it may be necessary to combine these two terms into one expression. For example:

absolute ruin

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Commentaire sur la traduction de 1 Timothée 6.9

Paul continue la pensée commencée en 6.5b. Il contraste encore une fois le destin de ceux qui se contentent de ce qu’ils ont et ceux qui ne cherchent qu’à s’enrichir. Dans 1 Tim 6.6 tout en condamnant ceux qui veulent à tout prix gagner de l’argent, Paul affirme que le contentement est lié à la piété, c’est-à-dire, la foi en Dieu. Les biblistes croient que Paul ne parle pas de cas hypothétiques, mais soulève des problèmes réels dans les communautés chrétiennes qu’il connaît.

La conjonction δέ de indique une transition et un certain contraste, exprimés en français par Quant à. Plusieurs versions (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie, Nouvelle Bible Segond) disent « mais ».

ceux qui veulent s’enrichir rend un participe, « ceux voulant être riches ».

Paul explique les conséquences de ce désir de richesse : ces gens tombent litt. « en tentation et piège et désirs nombreux insensés et destructeurs qui plongent les gens dans la ruine et la perdition ».

ils tombent dans le piège de la tentation : le grec dit litt. « ils tombent dans tentation et piège », reformulé par la Traduction œcuménique de la Bible comme le piège de la tentation. Pour piège, voir 1 Tim 3.7.

Le mot grec πειρασμός peirasmos a deux sens, renvoyant soit à la tentation comme le mot qui figure dans le « Notre Père » (« …ne nous laisse pas entrer en tentation » ; Matt 6.13) soit à une épreuve. Voir 1 Cor 10.13 et Jacques 1.2. Bien que la Nouvelle Bible Segond opte pour ce second sens, la majorité des commentaires et versions optent pour tentation, un piège où l’on peut tomber. On pourrait présenter deux actes logiquement liés : ces gens « s’exposent… à la tentation et tombent dans le piège… » (La Bible du Semeur) ; ils « tombent dans la tentation, ils sont pris au piège… » (Bible en français courant). Si possible les traducteurs devraient garder les deux expressions.

dans de multiples désirs insensés et pernicieux : la Traduction œcuménique de la Bible pense que ces personnes tombent dans des désirs mauvais (le verbe précédent), tandis que d’autres pensent qu’« elles sont pris au piège par de nombreux désirs… ». Les traducteurs devraient utiliser des expressions naturelles dans leur langue, tout en gardant le langage figuré si possible. Sinon, on serait obligé de parler des riches qui « sont sujets à » ou « subissent » de nombreux désir.

Ces désirs sont stupides et pernicieux. Le mot insensés est la forme négative du mot « intelligent », ainsi « sans intelligence », contraire à la raison et au bon sens. Voir aussi Gal 3.1.

pernicieux est un autre mot qui ne figure qu’ici dans tout le NT. Il décrit des éléments nuisibles ou néfastes, ayant la capacité de faire du mal. La Parole de Vie dit que ces désirs sont « dangereux ». Mais l’emphase n’est pas sur les dégâts que ces désirs pourraient faire à l’avenir, mais le mal qu’ils ont en train d’infliger au présent.

qui plongent les hommes dans la ruine et la perdition décrit les mauvais désirs. Certains coupent la phrase et reprennent, « ces désirs plongent les gens… » Le verbe plonger est rare, et ailleurs a un sens littéral, lorsqu’en Luc 5.7 les barques s’enfonçaient dans l’eau. Ici le sens est figuré. La Parole de Vie dit que ces mauvais désirs « conduisent les gens vers la mort » ou « précipitent les hommes dans la ruine » (La Bible du Semeur). Le mot grec rendu par hommes est un terme générique renvoyant à tout le monde, hommes et femmes.

Les termes ruine (1 Cor 5.5 ; 1 Thess 5.3 ; 2 Thess 1.9) et perdition semblent synonymes. Souvent associés au jugement dernier, ces mots renvoient à la destruction. Il est possible de les combiner en parlant d’une « ruine épouvantable ». Voir aussi Phil 3.19.

Source: Zogbo, Lynell & Ellingworth, Paul La première lettre à Timothée – Manuel de traduction – Commentaire linguistique et exégétique de la Bible. Alliance biblique universelle, 2021.