1 Timothy 6:9 (LSB)

Passage

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

Nearby Context

1 Timothy 6:7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.

1 Timothy 6:8 And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

1 Timothy 6:9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evils, and some by aspiring to it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, gentleness.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "want", "rich", "fall", "temptation", "snare", "foolish", "harmful", and "desires". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "want" and "rich", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And if we have food and covering..." into verse 10's "For the love of money is a...", so "want" and "rich" belong inside that flow. In 1 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "want" and "rich" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.