Lukas 16:13-15

16:13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate ¹  the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise ²  the other. You cannot serve God and money.” ³ 

More Warnings about the Pharisees

16:14 The Pharisees ⁴  (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed ⁵  him. 16:15 But ⁶  Jesus ⁷  said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, ⁸  but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized ⁹  among men is utterly detestable ¹⁰  in God’s sight.

[16:13]  ¹ sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.

[16:13]  ² tn Or “and treat [the other] with contempt.”

[16:13]  ³ tn Grk “God and mammon.” This is the same word (μαμωνᾶς, mamwnas; often merely transliterated as “mammon”) translated “worldly wealth” in vv. 9, 11.

[16:13]  sn The term money is used to translate mammon, the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. God must be first, not money or possessions.

[16:14]  ⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[16:14]  ⁵ tn A figurative extension of the literal meaning “to turn one’s nose up at someone”; here “ridicule, sneer at, show contempt for” (L&N 33.409).

[16:15]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[16:15]  ⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:15]  ⁸ tn Grk “before men.” The contrast is between outward appearance (“in people’s eyes”) and inward reality (“God knows your hearts”). Here the Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used twice in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, but “men” has been retained in the text to provide a strong verbal contrast with “God” in the second half of the verse.

[16:15]  ⁹ tn Or “exalted.” This refers to the pride that often comes with money and position.

[16:15]  ¹⁰ tn Or “is an abomination,” “is abhorrent” (L&N 25.187).