KJV King James Version
No man 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.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
Matthew 6:24
No man 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.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
No one can serve two masters: 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 both God and money.
WEB World English Bible
“No one 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 can’t serve both God and Mammon.
ASV American Standard Version
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
‘None is able to serve two lords, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one, and despise the other; ye are not able to serve God and Mammon.
Surrounding context — Matthew 6
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!
24 No man 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.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
ΟὐδεὶςG3762 · oudeisnoneδύναταιG1410 · dunamaibe ableδυσὶG1417 · duotwoκυρίοιςG2962 · kurioslord: Godδουλεύειν·G1398 · douleuōbe a slaveἢG2228 · ēorγὰρG1063 · garforτὸνG3588 · hothe/this/whoἕναG1520 · ehisoneμισήσειG3404 · miseōto hateκαὶG2532 · kaiandτὸνG3588 · hothe/this/whoἕτερονG2087 · heterosotherἀγαπήσειG25 · agapaōto loveἢG2228 · ēorἑνὸςG1520 · ehisoneἀνθέξεταιG472 · antechōto cling toκαὶG2532 · kaiandτοῦG3588 · hothe/this/whoἑτέρουG2087 · heterosotherκαταφρονήσει.G2706 · kataphroneōto despiseοὐG3756 · ounoδύνασθεG1410 · dunamaibe ableθεῷG2316 · theosGodδουλεύεινG1398 · douleuōbe a slaveκαὶG2532 · kaiandμαμωνᾷ.¶G3126 · mammōnaswealth
Cross-references
1 John 2:15-16Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.Luke 16:13No 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.James 4:4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.1 Timothy 6:9-10But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.Joshua 24:15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.Galatians 1:10For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.Romans 6:16-22Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?Matthew 4:10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.Luke 16:11If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true [riches]?1 Kings 18:21And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD [be] God, follow him: but if Baal, [then] follow him. And the people answered him not a word.Joshua 24:19-20And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he [is] an holy God; he [is] a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.1 Timothy 6:17Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;1 Samuel 7:3And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, [then] put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.2 Kings 17:33-34They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.2 Kings 17:41So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.Luke 16:9And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.Ezekiel 20:39As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter [also], if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.2 Timothy 4:10For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
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