MAMMON*

Aramaic word, meaning wealth or property, transliterated by the Gospel writers in Greek letters. Some English translations preserve the Greek form of the word in English (kjv, rsv, nasb); others translate it with the words “wealth” or “money” (neb, tev, niv, nlt). In Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13, “mammon” is personified as a rival to God for the loyalty of the disciples: To which master will obedience be given? In Luke 16:9-11 the term designates material wealth or property. Mammon itself does not carry a negative value, as the parallel phrasing in Luke 16:11 makes clear: “If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches?” (rsv).