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G983 · Greek · New Testament
βλαβερός
Blaberos
Adjective
Harmful, hurtful, injurious

Definition

Blaberos (βλαβερός) means harmful, injurious, or hurtful — causing damage or loss. It appears once in the New Testament, in 1 Timothy 6:9, describing the desires of those who want to get rich: "harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." The word is related to blaptō (to harm, damage).

Usage & Theological Significance

The single occurrence of blaberos in 1 Timothy 6:9 sits within Paul's most direct teaching on the spiritual dangers of the love of money. He calls foolish and harmful desires those that "plunge people into ruin and destruction" — the Greek bythizō means to drown or submerge, like being pulled under by a weight. This vivid imagery pictures wealth-lust as a drowning trap. The warning is not against wealth itself but against the love of money (6:10 — philargyria), which uproots people from faith. The antidote is "godliness with contentment" (6:6).

Key Bible Verses

1 Timothy 6:9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Proverbs 23:5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Related Words

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