King James Bible
"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."
Jesus declares the impossibility of divided loyalty, using the master-slave relationship familiar to his audience. In ancient society, a slave belonged entirely to one master, making dual allegiance not just impractical but impossible. The parallel structure emphasizes how competing loyalties force a choice—'hate' and 'despise' here mean to reject or give lesser priority rather than emotional hatred. This Hebrew idiom of comparison shows that neutrality between two masters is an illusion. Jesus makes the specific application explicit: mammon (Aramaic for wealth or material possessions) stands as a rival deity demanding devotion. The personification of wealth as a potential master reveals how money can enslave those who pursue it above God's kingdom.