Luke 16:9

Lord Mammon

The Greek term μαμωνᾶς (mamōnas), found in the New Testament, is often translated as "wealth" or "riches" and is personified as a master that competes with God for loyalty.  The etymology of "μαμωνᾶς" provides deeper insight into its meaning. It is derived from the Chaldean term מאמונא (mamona), which is associated with trust and reliance, being derived from the Hebrew אמן aman meaning to trust, believe, support. This led to certain interpretations of "money" or "wealth" as a common thing people trust in (according to Gesenius is contracted from the Hebrew word מטמון (matmon Strongs #4301), meaning "hidden treasure" or "buried treasure.").

The Hebrew term אמונה (amunah) means "faith/trust/confidence" 

The Hebrew word מאמונה (ma'amunā) comes from the root אמנ (’mn), which is related to ideas of faith, trust, and reliability (as seen in אמונה (emunah), meaning faith or trustworthiness). However, מאמונה has a distinct meaning, usually related to concepts of trust, reliability, or faithfulness in a more practical or functional sense.

The term μαμωνᾶς (mammon) derives from the Aramaic מאמוֹנא, itself apparently from the root אמן, meaning "to trust." Scholars such as Buxtorf and those cited in Thayer’s Lexicon understand the word as signifying “that which is trusted”, reflecting not merely wealth, but literally the object of trust or reliance, especially in a moral or religious context.

מאמונה Someone who is trusted:

1. Trust / Faithfulness – In Aramaic, מאמונה refers to the concept of being entrusted or reliable, often indicating someone who is trusted or someone appointed to a role of responsibility.

2. Appointed Overseer or Guardian – It can also refer to someone who is appointed to a position of responsibility, such as a steward, warden, or guardian. This is often the sense in Jewish Aramaic literature, particularly in the Talmud, where מַאֲמוּנָה might describe a guardian of something or someone entrusted with a task or responsibility.

Etymology and Morphology:

• Root: The root א־מ־נ (’mn) is connected to trust and faith, as seen in the related words אֱמוּנָה (emunah, faith) and מָמוֹנָא (māmōnā, wealth).

• Pattern: The word מאמונה would be a passive participle in Aramaic, derived from the root, and denotes something or someone that is entrusted, faithful, or reliable. Is it riches? Or, a person?

The key meaning here lies in the personification. Mammon is also personifed as a master or lord, and thus one representing the power of אמונה "faith", placed in a person of trust. As a master or lord, Mammon would thus be one demanding trust, devotion, faith. 

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The verb ἐκλείπω (ekleípō), from ἐκ ("out of") and λείπω ("to leave"), broadly means "to fail," "cease," or "abandon." Its uses span both literal and metaphorical contexts in classical and post-classical Greek. In a transitive sense, it can mean to omit, leave out, or forsake (cf. Herodotus, Aeschylus); intransitively, it often connotes failing or ceasing to function, especially of natural or divine phenomena.

Of particular note is its astronomical usage, where ἐκλείπειν refers to the eclipse of a celestial body, especially the sun or moon. This application appears in authors such as Thucydides and Herodotus—e.g., ὁ ἥλιος ἐκλιπὼν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἕδρην (“the sun departed from its seat in the sky,” Hdt. 7.37), describing the temporary darkening during an eclipse. The noun ἔκλειψις, later standardized in astronomical terminology, is derived directly from this verbal root and retains this specialized sense.

By extension, ἐκλείπω can also refer to death (as in ἐκλείπειν βίον, Sophocles), highlighting the metaphor of life being extinguished like a light. Its semantic field therefore encompasses absence, cessation, and disappearance, whether applied to light, presence, strength, or life itself.