16:13

This verse is almost exactly the same as Matthew 6:24. Jesus compared those who wanted to be his disciples to servants or slaves. He warned them that if they love money so that it controls what they do and say and think, then they do not truly love God. The opposite is also true: if they love God so that he controls them, then they do not also love money. They must choose between the two.

16:13a

No servant can serve two masters: The phrase No servant can serve two masters implies that no one can serve as a slave to two masters or owners at the same time with the same degree of loyalty. Consider whether it is necessary to make some of this information explicit in the text. For example:

It is not possible for a slave ⌊properly⌋ to serve two masters ⌊at the same time⌋.

In some languages it may be redundant to have words such as servant, serve, and masters in the same sentence. If your language has a natural way to express this idea with less redundancy, you may use it here. For example:

A slave cannot have two masters
-or-
A person cannot make himself the slave of two men

servant: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as servant refers here to a household or personal servant. In Jesus’ time these household servants were usually slaves rather than free, employed workers. The word servant that is used in this verse is a different Greek word than the word translated as “servants” in 12:37a. It is also different from the words translated as “menservants” and “maidservants” in 12:45c. But in this context the meaning is almost the same.

16:13b–c

Either…or: These two verse parts contain parallel ideas with similar meanings. The word Either in 16:13b introduces the contrasting attitudes (“hate” and “love”) of a servant who was trying to serve two masters. The word or in 16:13c introduces a parallel set of contrasting attitudes (“be devoted” and “despise”). These two pairs of attitudes are parallel ideas that function together to produce emphasis and poetic effect.

If an “either…or” construction wrongly implies that a servant must choose either one set of attitudes or the other, you will need to translate these lines differently. Some other translation options are:

• Use a word like “also,” rather than “either/or.” For example:

He may hate one master and love the other. He may also be devoted to one master and despise the other.

• Put “hate” and “despise” in one statement, and “love” and “be devoted to” in the other statement. For example:

He will hate and despise one master, and he will love and be devoted to the other master.

• Use a comparison. For example:

He will be more loving and devoted to one master than to the other.

See the note in 16:13b on “hate…love.”

16:13b

In Greek, this verse part begins with a conjunction that most English versions translate as “for.” This conjunction introduces the reason why a slave cannot serve two masters. The Berean Standard Bible makes this conjunction implicit. Use a natural way in your language to introduce a reason.

he will hate the one and love the other: This clause implies a situation in which a slave tries to serve two masters at the same time. In some languages, this information may need to be made explicit. For example:

if he tries to do that… (Translator’s Reference Translation)
-or-
if he did have two masters… (Translator’s Reference Translation)

hate…love: Jesus probably used these strong opposites here in a comparative sense. By comparison with a slave’s feeling of love for one master, his feeling for the second master would seem like hatred. One way to translate this as a comparative is:

he will love one master more than the other

Consider whether it will be more effective to use the absolute terms hate and love or a comparative statement.

the one…the other: In this context, the phrases the one and the other refer to “one master” and “the other master.” The God’s Word shows another way to refer to these two masters:

the first master…the second (God’s Word)

16:13c

he will be devoted to the one and despise the other: This verse part is parallel to 16:13b. It expresses a similar idea using other words. The verbs be devoted to and despise express ideas that are similar to “love” and “hate” in 16:13b. However, here in 16:13c the ideas are reversed for poetic effect. If in your language it is not natural to reverse the order of the ideas in this way, you may keep the same order as in the previous verse part. For example:

he will despise one and be devoted to the other

If it is more natural to state a positive action or attitude before a negative one, you may reorder the 16:13b instead. For example:

he will love the one and hate the other

devoted to: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as devoted to in this context means to be loyal to.

despise: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as despise means to look down on a person and treat him with scorn and contempt.

16:13d

You cannot serve both God and money: This clause is a specific conclusion to the more general statements in 16:13a–c. The pronoun You indicates that Jesus was applying this conclusion directly to the disciples. In some languages it may be necessary to introduce a conclusion like this with a specific word or phrase. For example:

⌊Therefore/So⌋ you cannot serve…
-or-

⌊In the same way,⌋ you cannot serve…

A slave could not give his undivided loyalty to two masters at the same time. In the same way, it was impossible for the disciples to serve God and money at the same time. In some languages a person cannot serve money, so it will be necessary to use different expressions for “serve God” and “serve money.” For example:

You cannot be faithful to God and also do everything possible to become wealthy.
-or-
If money is the most valuable thing to you, you cannot also work for God.
-or-
It is not possible for you to truly serve God if gaining money/riches is important in your mind.

money: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as money is literally “mammon.” The Revised Standard Version and several other English versions translate it that way. See the note on “worldly wealth” in 16:9b.

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