A word of Semitic origin, probably derived from the word meaning "what is trusted in." On Saint Augustine's authority the same name for riches is found in Aramaic, Syriac, Samaritan, and Punic languages. In Matthew 6, and Luke 16, it is personified and opposed to God. The term "mammon of iniquity" (Luke 16) is applied to riches because of their tendency to lead men into sin.