1 Timothy 6:10 · Major
Various Pains or Many Pains
Codex H changes one adjective in a warning about love of money.
Thesis: Codex H matters in 1 Timothy 6:10 because it reads 'various' pains where SBLGNT reads 'many' pains; the warning stays the same while the nuance changes.
The finding in 1 Timothy 6:10 is a single adjective. Codex H reads ποικίλαις, 'various,' where SBLGNT reads πολλαῖς, 'many.'
This is a good example of a major row that is not dramatic. It matters because translators must choose an English word.
Where the verse sits: contentment against greed
The verse appears in a warning about people who want to be rich and fall into destructive desires.
Paul's line about pains names the result of craving money and wandering from the faith.
What Codex H changes: kind rather than quantity
Codex H reads 'various pains.' SBLGNT reads 'many pains.'
Both readings are severe. One emphasizes variety; the other emphasizes number.
The verse with and without the change: 1 Timothy 6:10 changes many to various
Without the Codex H adjective: Some who crave money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
With the Codex H adjective: Some who crave money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with various pains.
Book and chapter context: godliness with contentment
First Timothy 6 contrasts godliness with contentment against false teaching, conceit, and greed.
The warning about money is practical and pastoral. It is about the damage desire can do to faith.
Scholarship snapshot: pain adjective row with NA28 unchecked
The audit classifies the row as major because the adjective changes, while NA28 status remains unchecked.
That means the safe claim is narrow: Codex H differs from SBLGNT at this adjective and affects translation nuance.
What this adds: a clearer translation note
Codex H helps readers see how a single adjective can shift emphasis without changing the moral warning.
This is exactly the kind of row that belongs in a note rather than a headline.
Synthesis: the warning keeps its force
Whether the pains are described as many or various, the warning remains sharp.
Codex H adds nuance to the wording. It does not change the danger Paul names.