Luke 16:13

Luke 16:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
• New International Version (NIV)“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.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
• New King James Version (NKJV)“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Context of Luke 16:13

11Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” 14Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. 15And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

Luke 16:13 word by word

Οὐδεὶς οἰκέτης δύναται δυσὶν κυρίοις δουλεύειν· ἢ γὰρ τὸν ἕνα μισήσει καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀγαπήσει, ἢ ἑνὸς ἀνθέξεται καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου καταφρονήσει. οὐ δύνασθε θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ.¶Read the interlinear

• Noοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
• canδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410
• serveδουλεύωdouleuō · be a slaveG1398
• twoδύοduo · twoG1417
• mastersκύριοςkurios · lord: masterG2962
• for eitherἤē · orG2228
• he will hateμισέωmiseō · to hateG3404
• the oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
• and loveἀγαπάωagapaō · to loveG25
• the otherἕτεροςheteros · otherG2087
• he will be devotedἀντέχωantechomai · to cling toG472
• and despiseκαταφρονέωkataphroneō · to despiseG2706
• You cannotοὐou · noG3756
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• wealthμαμμωνᾶςmammōnas · wealthG3126

Cross-references for Luke 16:13

• Luke 9:50But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you.”
• Luke 11:23He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.
• Joshua 24:15If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
• Matthew 4:10Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
• Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
• Romans 6:16Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
• Romans 8:5For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
• James 4:4You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
• 1 John 2:15Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
• Luke 14:26“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

Commentaries on Luke 16:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13No servant can serve two masters - The heart will be either wholly taken up with God, or wholly engrossed with the world. See on Matthew 6:24; (note).Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13See the notes at Matthew 6:24.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-18Verses 13-18 To this parable our Lord added a solemn warning. Ye cannot serve God and the world, so divided are the two interests. When our Lord spoke thus, the covetous Pharisees treated his instructions with contempt. But he warned them, that what they contended for as the law, was a wresting of its meaning: this our Lord showed in a case respecting divorce. There are many covetous sticklers for the forms of godliness, who are the bitterest enemies to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13No servant can serve two masters: Complete love and devotion can be given only to one master.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. can serve--be entirely at the command of; and this is true even where the services are not opposed. hate ... love--showing that the two here intended are in uncompromising hostility to each other: an awfully searching principle!Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 16:13

• Consistency
• Decision
• Hypocrisy
• Jesus, the Christ
• Mammon
• Rich, the
• Servant
• Worldliness

In the dictionaries

• God
• Account
• Beg
• Beside
• Cool
• Deride
• Dig
• Fare
• Put
• Riches

Commentaries on Luke 16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings