φιλαργυρία
philargyría
G5365 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The state or quality of loving or desiring money; covetousness or avarice, especially focused on the accumulation or attachment to wealth. The core sense is an excessive desire for material riches (especially silver or money), which in different contexts can imply greediness, acquisitiveness, or a preoccupation with the acquisition and possession of money.
Semantic Range
love of money, avarice, greed, covetousness (for wealth), miserliness, fondness for wealth, excessive materialism
Root / Etymology
From the compound of φίλος ('loving, fond of') and ἄργυρος ('silver, money'), thus 'love of silver/money.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
φιλαργυρία is attested in later classical Greek and more commonly in Hellenistic and Koine texts, often in ethical discussions warning against greed or an excessive desire for wealth. In the New Testament (1 Timothy 6:10), it is listed as a vice, mirroring similar moral cautions in Greco-Roman philosophical literature. The term's association is specifically with monetary or material gain, removing it from a broader sense of 'desire' to a particular, culturally-contemned love of wealth. Standard English translations as 'love of money' or 'avarice' capture most of the sense but may miss the particularity of personal moral failing understood in ancient contexts. The related adjective φιλάργυρος refers to a person who is greedy for money or miserly. φιλαργυρία is not generally used to describe systemic or societal greed, but a personal vice or character flaw. Unlike other terms for greed (e.g., πλεονεξία), φιλαργυρία narrows in on monetary/material wealth, not just general acquisitiveness.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from φιλάργυρος; avarice:--love of money.
Root Family
φιλαργυρ- (philargyría) — to love, to be fond of (materially), to desire money, to value silver
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5365-01 |
φιλαργυρία | philarguria | N NOM F SG |
love of money | love of money | love of money | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5365-01 |
1 Timothy 6:10 | φιλαργυρία | philarguria | N NOM F SG |
love of money | love of money | love of money |