3 ms·

Love of money is not the root of all evil.

bgilroy26 14y ago
I don't think the quote is meant to be anti-money. I think a true "love of money" would be recognizes it for what it is: a vehicle. The root of all evil is an obsessive/addictive love of money. Any addiction is classically considered evil, but love of money is the most dangerous because it is the most formless and abstract. Workaholism is pretty abstract, but at least you need to appear to be doing something. In our times as in all others, it is possible to chase money by doing nothing of value at all. Traditionally speaking (i.e. in the historical context of the Bible a la Dante et al) the only way for something to be bad is to take something good and twist it out of it's shape, or pull it from it's right place.
kbd 14y ago
The whole "the root of all evil" comes from bad translation in the King James. Modern translations usually translate it as "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (NIV) or "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils" (ESV). Here's a parallel comparison of the NIV, ESV, KJV, and the NKJV[1]. Note that the New King James even updated the phrase to be more accurate, and it now mirrors the other translations. [1] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206:10&version=NIV;ESV;KJV;NKJV http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206:...
- kbd 14y ago
  Since I can no longer edit: In fact, a better translation is probably "of all these evils", referring to those mentioned in the preceding context. The NASB notes that the literal is "the evils", and that's exactly how Young's Literal Translation translates it[1]. The Aramaic Bible in Plain English, which I've never heard of, has a great translation of this[2]. Here's Clarke's commentary[3] as well: > The love of money is the root of all evil - Perhaps it would be better to translate παντων των κακων, of all these evils; i.e. the evils enumerated above... Anyway, sorry for the diversion from "hacker news" territory but I think it's interesting to know that not only is this widely-quoted verse not as widely applicable as is usually quoted ("money (or love of money) is the root of all evil"), nor is it even a general statement about love of money ("love of money is a root of all kinds of evil"), but it seems to be specifically just about the evils mentioned in the immediate context ("love of money is the root of all these evils"). [1] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206:6-10&version=NASB;YLT;NIV http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206:... [2] http://aramaic-plain-english.scripturetext.com/1_timothy/6.htm http://aramaic-plain-english.scripturetext.com/1_timothy/6.h... [3] http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/clarke/ti1006.htm http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/clarke/ti1006.htm
  - MaysonL 14y ago
    Yes for the Aramaic plain english: those who desire to be rich fall into temptations and into traps, and into many foolish and harmful desires, and they sink the children of men into corruption and destruction. But the root of all these evils is the love of money, and there are some who have desired it and have erred from the faith and have brought themselves many miseries.

I don't think the quote is meant to be anti-money. I think a true "love of money" would be recognizes it for what it is: a vehicle. The root of all evil is an obsessive/addictive love of money. Any addiction is classically considered evil, but love of money is the most dangerous because it is the most formless and abstract. Workaholism is pretty abstract, but at least you need to appear to be doing something. In our times as in all others, it is possible to chase money by doing nothing of value at all. Traditionally speaking (i.e. in the historical context of the Bible a la Dante et al) the only way for something to be bad is to take something good and twist it out of it's shape, or pull it from it's right place.

kbd 14y ago

The whole "the root of all evil" comes from bad translation in the King James. Modern translations usually translate it as "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (NIV) or "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils" (ESV). Here's a parallel comparison of the NIV, ESV, KJV, and the NKJV[1]. Note that the New King James even updated the phrase to be more accurate, and it now mirrors the other translations. [1] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206:10&version=NIV;ESV;KJV;NKJV http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206:...

kbd 14y ago
Since I can no longer edit: In fact, a better translation is probably "of all these evils", referring to those mentioned in the preceding context. The NASB notes that the literal is "the evils", and that's exactly how Young's Literal Translation translates it[1]. The Aramaic Bible in Plain English, which I've never heard of, has a great translation of this[2]. Here's Clarke's commentary[3] as well: > The love of money is the root of all evil - Perhaps it would be better to translate παντων των κακων, of all these evils; i.e. the evils enumerated above... Anyway, sorry for the diversion from "hacker news" territory but I think it's interesting to know that not only is this widely-quoted verse not as widely applicable as is usually quoted ("money (or love of money) is the root of all evil"), nor is it even a general statement about love of money ("love of money is a root of all kinds of evil"), but it seems to be specifically just about the evils mentioned in the immediate context ("love of money is the root of all these evils"). [1] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206:6-10&version=NASB;YLT;NIV http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206:... [2] http://aramaic-plain-english.scripturetext.com/1_timothy/6.htm http://aramaic-plain-english.scripturetext.com/1_timothy/6.h... [3] http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/clarke/ti1006.htm http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/clarke/ti1006.htm
- MaysonL 14y ago
  Yes for the Aramaic plain english: those who desire to be rich fall into temptations and into traps, and into many foolish and harmful desires, and they sink the children of men into corruption and destruction. But the root of all these evils is the love of money, and there are some who have desired it and have erred from the faith and have brought themselves many miseries.