I Timothy 6:9 · Bible study
1 Timothy 6:9 Commentary: The Danger of Desiring Wealth
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Exegetical study of 1 Timothy 6:9: the grammar of desire, the verb 'drown,' and whether this warns of eternal perdition or temporal ruin.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The determined desire for wealth leads inevitably to moral and spiritual ruin, not necessarily because riches are evil but because the craving itself ensnares and drowns.
- Key words: βουλόμενοι (deliberate desire), βυθίζω (plunge/drown), ἀπώλεια (destruction, often eternal).
- Main debate: Whether “ruin and destruction” primarily means temporal calamity (loss of health, family, reputation) or eternal perdition in hell; most commentators see both.
- Theological theme: Covetousness as spiritual adultery, a heart turned from God to mammon, with deadly consequences.
- Best use: A sobering warning in a sermon series on money, contentment, or the dangers of worldly ambition; also pairs with the positive call to flee and pursue (v.11).
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
WEB World English Bible 2000
But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation, a snare, and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction.
KJV King James Version 1769
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and those wishing to be rich, do fall into temptation and a snare, and many desires, foolish and hurtful, that sink men into ruin and destruction,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and many unwise and hurtful lusts, which plunge men into destruction and ruin.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For they that will become rich fall into temptation and into the snare of the devil and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which drown men into destruction and perdition.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque los que quieren enriquecerse, caen en tentación y lazo, y en muchas codicias locas y dañosas, que hunden á los hombres en perdición y muerte.
Mas os que querem ser ricos caem em tentação, armadilha, e em muitos desejos insensatos e nocivos, que afundam as pessoas na destruição e perdição.
Mais ceux qui veulent s’ enrichir tombent dans la tentation, dans le piège, et dans beaucoup de désirs insensés et pernicieux qui plongent les hommes dans la ruine et la perdition.
Denn die da reich werden wollen, die fallen in Versuchung und Stricke und viel törichte und schädliche Lüste, welche versenken die Menschen ins Verderben und Verdammnis.
Doch die rijk willen worden, vallen in verzoeking, en in den strik, en in vele dwaze en schadelijke begeerlijkheden, welke de mensen doen verzinken in verderf en ondergang.
Ma quelli che vogliono arricchire cadono in tentazione, in laccio, e in molte insensate e funeste concupiscenze, che affondano gli uomini nella distruzione e nella perdizione.
Bo którzy chcą bogatymi być, wpadają w pokuszenie i w sidło, i w wiele głupich i szkodliwych pożądliwości, które pogrążają ludzi na zatracenie i zginienie.
А желающие обогащаться впадают в искушение и в сеть и во многие безрассудные и вредные похоти, которые погружают людей в бедствие и пагубу;
但 那些想要 發財的人，就陷 在 迷惑、 落在網羅 和 許多 無知 有害的 私慾裡，叫 人 沉 在敗壞 和 滅亡 中。
But those who have a desire for wealth are falling into danger, and are taken as in a net by a number of foolish and damaging desires, through which men are overtaken by death and destruction.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · I Timothy 6:9
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse does not condemn the rich as such but those who purposefully desire wealth. The Greek present participle βουλόμενοι (boulomenoi) means 'deliberately willing' or 'resolved', a settled intention, not a passing wish. Barnes and Gill both stress that the apostle points to those who make riches their life aim, whether they succeed or not.
The cascade of consequences is emphatic: they fall into temptation (πειρασμός, peirasmos, the same word as in the Lord's Prayer) and into a snare (παγίς, pagis, the hidden trap of the devil, as in 1 Timothy 3:7). Then come many foolish (ἀνόητος, anoētos, morally senseless) and harmful (βλαβερός, blaberos) desires. The verb βυθίζω (buthizō) means 'to plunge into the deep,' used only here and of sinking ships in Luke 5:7. It conveys a violent drowning, not a gentle slide. The twin nouns ruin (ὄλεθρος, olethros) and destruction (ἀπώλεια, apōleia) cap the picture, though commentators differ on whether they point primarily to earthly calamity or eternal perdition.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Temporal ruin only: Emphasizes ὄλεθρος as physical ruin (1 Thessalonians 5:3) and the context of everyday misfortune (pierced with many sorrows, v.10).
- Eternal perdition: Points to ἀπώλεια as the usual term for eternal destruction (Matthew 7:13; Philippians 3:19) and the overall warning against apostasy (v.10, 'erred from the faith').
- Both temporal and eternal: Most commentators, including Wesley, Matthew Henry, and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, argue that the phrase encompasses destruction in this life and the next, as the desires 'drown men' comprehensively.
What is clear: The determined desire for wealth leads to a cascade of harmful consequences that are catastrophic, regardless of how one reads the final terms.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The subject of the warning | The verse targets those who actively desire and purpose to be rich, not merely those who already have wealth. | Some emphasize that even the desire (without attainment) is dangerous; others note that the rich are explicitly addressed separately in v.17, suggesting the warning here is about the pursuit, not possession. |
| Meaning of 'ruin and destruction' | Both terms indicate total loss and catastrophic outcome. | Christians in the Wesleyan tradition (e.g., Wesley) see a double reference: temporal ruin (destruction of the body) and eternal perdition (loss of the soul). Reformed commentators like Calvin (on the general theme) and later Reformed exegetes lean toward eternal judgment as the primary meaning. Others, citing the use of ὄλεθρος in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 and elsewhere, argue for a more focused temporal reading, with ἀπώλεια occasionally referring to earthly ruin. |
| Whether the 'snare' includes the devil | The imagery evokes a trap set by an enemy. | Several manuscripts add 'of the devil' after 'snare,' paralleling 1 Timothy 3:7. Most modern translations follow the shorter reading, but some commentators (e.g., Clarke, Cambridge) note the textual variant exists and see the devil as the implied agent regardless. |
Historical & Cultural Context
First Timothy was written to Paul’s protégé Timothy, who was overseeing the church in Ephesus, a wealthy commercial city famous for its temple of Artemis (Acts 19) and for the love of money that pervaded its trade guilds and religious life. In the immediate context (1 Timothy 6:3, 5), Paul has already rebuked those who treat godliness as a way to financial gain. Then he turns to the antidote: godliness with contentment (v.6), the brevity of life (v.7), and the sufficiency of food and clothing (v.8).
Against this backdrop, verse 9 functions as a warning: the desire to be rich is not a harmless ambition but a spiritual trap. The Cambridge Bible notes that in Ephesus, teachers were especially tempted to adapt their doctrine to popular tastes in order to maintain a following and an income. Chrysostom, the fourth-century preacher, is cited by the same source as emphasizing that Paul does not attack money itself but the desire for it, a point echoed consistently in the commentaries.
Literarily, the verse forms a chiasm with verse 10: verse 9 describes the descent (temptation → snare → desires → drowning), while verse 10 names the root (love of money) and the fruit (apostasy and sorrow). The whole passage is a pastoral call to flee these things (v.11) and pursue righteousness instead. Understanding the commercial atmosphere of Ephesus helps modern readers see that the warning was not abstract, it addressed a real, daily pressure to conflate faith with financial security.
Textual Notes
The Nestle-Aland Greek text has no variant that affects the meaning of this verse. However, a significant number of manuscripts (including D*, F, G, the Vulgate, and several church fathers) add τοῦ διαβόλου (“of the devil”) after the word “snare.” This longer reading likely arose by assimilation to 1 Timothy 3:7, where Paul warns that a novice may fall “into the snare of the devil.” Most critical editions (and modern translations like the WEB) omit the phrase, but it is arguably implied in the context (see also 2 Timothy 2:26). No other textual issue is noted in the supplied sources.
Reception History
The early church, beginning with Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria, read this verse as a call to detachment from material goods, emphasizing the ascetic discipline of simplicity. Chrysostom, whose homilies on the Pastoral Epistles are referenced in the Cambridge commentary, stressed that Paul condemns not the rich but the greedy, using the verse to urge generous almsgiving. In the medieval period, Thomas Aquinas incorporated the passage into his treatment of the vice of avarice, citing it as a proof that the root of evil is not money itself but the disordered love for it.
During the Reformation, both Luther and Calvin used the text to critique the prosperity teaching of certain mendicant orders and to promote contentment with one’s calling. The Puritans, especially Matthew Henry, integrated verse 9 into their sermons on the vanity of worldly wealth, linking the “drowning” imagery to the shipwreck of faith. In modern evangelical and Pentecostal contexts, the verse is often cited in teaching against the “prosperity gospel,” while Wesleyan traditions highlight the two-fold ruin of body and soul.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The peril of purposeful desire. The Greek βουλόμενοι is not casual wanting but a fixed resolve to get rich, whatever the cost. This sets the heart against contentment and opens the door to moral compromise.
- The cascade of consequences. Temptation, a snare, and then a flood of foolish, harmful desires, not one but many. Each step deepens the entanglement until the person is drowning.
- The end game. Ruin and destruction, two weighty nouns that echo the language of judgment. Whether temporal collapse or eternal loss, the outcome is catastrophic.
Five-point outline
- It’s about the desire, not the money. Abraham and Job were wealthy but not ensnared. The danger lies in making riches the aim (Gill, Barnes).
- The snare is hidden. Like a trap suddenly sprung, the pursuit of wealth catches the unwary before they realize they are caught.
- Foolish desires multiply. One covetous wish breeds many others, for display, status, luxury, power. Each is irrational in light of eternity.
- The verb “drown” is violent. βυθίζω means to sink a ship. This is not a gentle drift but a thrashing descent into destruction.
- Contrast with godly gain. Verses 6, 8 provide the alternative: godliness with contentment is “great gain.” The greedy end with nothing; the contented gain everything.
Illustration hooks
- A person working 70-hour weeks to afford a lifestyle they never enjoy, missing their children’s lives, the “foolish and harmful desires” that seemed urgent but delivered only loss.
- The phenomenon of lottery winners who lose friendships, family, and peace within years, a real-world picture of desires that “drown” their possessor.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Is it wrong to want to be financially secure? Where is the line between prudence and the desire to be rich?”
- “What does it look like to be wealthy without loving money? Can someone with a large income be free of this snare?”
- “If I already have more than I need, what does contentment mean for me practically?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at the hinge of Paul’s argument against covetousness and for contentment. Before reading, review verses 6, 8 to see the alternative Paul offers. The question is not whether money is evil but whether our hearts are set on it. The verb “drown” suggests that the desire for wealth is not a minor fault, it is a life-wrecking force.
Discussion questions
- Read 1 Timothy 6:6, 10 aloud. How does Paul contrast godliness with the desire to be rich? What words stand out to you?
- The Greek word βουλόμενοι (boulomenoi) implies a settled purpose, not just a wish. How does this change the way you understand “those who want to be rich”?
- Paul says these people “fall into temptation and a snare.” What are some specific temptations that come with a driving ambition for wealth, even if the methods are legal?
- The desires are called “foolish and harmful.” Why would a desire for more money be foolish from a Christian perspective? What harm does it cause beyond the obvious?
- The verb “drown” (βυθίζω) is used only here and of sinking boats in Luke 5:7. What does this violent image tell you about the seriousness of covetousness?
- Does “ruin and destruction” refer to earthly disaster, eternal judgment, or both? How does your church tradition understand this? What evidence in the text supports your view?
- How can a Christian who has financial means guard against the mindset Paul warns about? What would contentment look like in your own situation this week?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 13:10 | Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. |
| Genesis 13:13 | Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh. |
| Numbers 22:17 | for I will promote you to very great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Please come therefore, and curse this people for me.’” |
| Numbers 22:19 | Now therefore please stay here tonight as well, that I may know what else Yahweh will speak to me.” |
| Numbers 31:8 | They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. |
| Deuteronomy 7:25 | You shall burn the engraved images of their gods with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourself, lest you be snared in it; for it is an abomination to Yahweh your God. |
| Joshua 7:11 | Israel has sinned. Yes, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them. Yes, they have even taken some of the devoted things, and have also stolen, and also deceived. They have even put it among their own stuff. |
| Joshua 7:24 | Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasizes that the apostle targets not only the dishonest but anyone determined to get rich, even by honest means. Such persons make wealth their life's aim, going beyond basic needs like food and clothing. This commitment itself becomes a hidden trap, drawing them into unforeseen temptations and foolish desires.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that the Greek word for "will" implies a deliberate purpose to become rich, not a vague future wish. This ruling desire entraps people like a snare or a sinking ship, leading to complete ruin of virtue, reputation, and the soul. Even observing the cares of the wealthy should teach contentment with a lowly lot.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that when the gospel announced brotherhood in Christ, slaves eagerly assumed it meant freedom from their masters. Paul writes to correct that misunderstanding: the spiritual equality of believers does not overturn social roles. Slaves must still honor their masters willingly, because how they live affects whether God's teaching is honored or disgraced.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible commentary warns that in a wealthy city like Ephesus, teachers faced a strong temptation to shape their doctrine to please popular tastes for financial gain. The danger lies not in being rich but in desiring wealth, which leads into temptation and spiritual ruin like a drowning man.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes stress that the danger lies in the willful desire to be rich, not in wealth itself. Those who set their hearts on riches inevitably fall into temptation, foolish cravings, and destructive snares that drown them in spiritual ruin and final destruction.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws a sharp distinction between those who are already rich and those who are determined to become rich at any cost. The warning applies not to wealthy people who do good, but to anyone resolved on getting riches no matter the means. This driving desire leads them into temptation and ultimately to spiritual ruin.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the danger is not in having riches but in the settled determination to be rich at any cost. This strong desire itself, not wealth, becomes the fatal root that leads believers step by step into temptation, the devil's snare, and finally utter destruction.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that Christianity does not abolish slavery by force but transforms the slave's heart, making him a living letter of commendation for the gospel. He also warns that false teachers distort godliness into a trade, while true piety combined with contentment is the real gain.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws a sharp line between those who treat Christianity as a trade for worldly advantage and those who follow it as a life's calling. The first group will be disappointed, but the second finds true gain, because godliness paired with contentment holds the promise of both this life and the next.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent draws a careful distinction: it is not the possession of wealth but the desire for it that leads into temptation. He traces the Greek words for "foolish" and notes that "drown" is a strong image for greed's outcome. He also warns against drawing too firm a line between "destruction" and "perdition."
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the desire for more than one needs as the root of ruin. It first banishes all contentment, then drags a person through temptation and foolish cravings, ending in the destruction of the body and the loss of the soul. The progression is tragically inevitable.