αἰώνaiṓn
properly, an age; by extension, perpetuity (also past); by implication, the world; specially (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future)
Greek (New Testament) · G165
Meanings
1. in classical Greek, like Lat. aevum, a space of time, as, a lifetime, generation, period of history, an indefinitely long period; in NT of an indefinitely long period, an age, eternity, usually with preposition
(a) of the past: ἀπ’ αἰ. (cf. Heb. מֵעוֹלָם), Luke 1:70
(b) of the future: εἰς τ. αἰ. (cf. לְעוֹלָם), forever, Matthew 21:19; id., with neg., never, John 4:14; more strongly, εἰς τὸν αἰ. τοῦ αἰ., Hebrews 1:8(LXX); εἰς τοὺς αἰ., Matthew 6:13; εἰς τοὺς αἰ. τῶν αἰ. (cf. Isaiah 45:17, עַד־עוֹלְמֵי עַד), Romans 16:27, LT; cf. also Ephesians 3:21, 2 Peter 3:18, Jude 1:25, Revelation 14:11.
2. οἱ αἰ., the worlds, the universe, "the sum of the periods of time, including all that is manifested in them": Hebrews 1:2, Hebrews 11:3 (cf. 1 Timothy 1:17, where τῶν αἰ. are prob. "the ages or world-periods which when summed up make eternity".
3. the present age (Heb. הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה): ὁ αἰ., Matthew 13:22; ὁ αἰ. οὗτος, Matthew 12:32; ὁ νῦν αἰ., 1 Timothy 6:17; ὁ ἐνεστὼς αἰ., Galatians 1:4; similarly, of the time after Christ's second coming (הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא), ὁ αἰ. ἐκεῖνος, Luke 20:35; ὁ αἰ. μέλλων, Matthew 12:32; ὁ αἰ. ὁ ἐρχόμενος, Mark 10:30.
Synonyms
κόσμος, the ordered universe, the scheme of material things; οἰκουμένη, the inhabited earth; in contrast with both of which αἰ. is the world under aspects of time (cf. Westc. on Hebrews 1:2; Tr., Syn., §lix; Thayer, under that word, αἰ.; Cremer, 74, 620; MM, VGT).
Same root
Where it appears
Appears 121 times in the Bible.
- Matthew 12:32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.
- Matthew 13:22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.
- Matthew 13:39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.
- Matthew 13:40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.
- Matthew 13:49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous,
- Matthew 21:19 and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.
See every passage
- Matthew 12:32, 13:22, 13:39, 13:40, 13:49, 21:19, 24:3, 28:20
- Mark 3:29, 4:19, 10:30, 11:14
- Luke 1:33, 1:55, 1:70, 16:8, 18:30, 20:34, 20:35
- John 4:14, 6:51, 6:58, 8:35, 8:51, 8:52, 9:32, 10:28, 11:26, 12:34, 13:8, 14:16
- Acts 3:21, 15:18
- Romans 1:25, 9:5, 11:36, 12:2
- 1 Corinthians 1:20, 2:6, 2:7, 2:8, 3:18, 8:13, 10:11
- 2 Corinthians 4:4, 9:9, 11:31
- Galatians 1:4, 1:5
- Ephesians 1:21, 2:2, 2:7, 3:9, 3:11, 3:21
- Philippians 4:20
- Colossians 1:26
- 1 Timothy 1:17, 6:17
- 2 Timothy 4:10, 4:18
- Titus 2:12
- Hebrews 1:2, 1:8, 5:6, 6:5, 6:20, 7:17, 7:21, 7:24, 7:28, 9:26, 11:3, 13:8, 13:21
- 1 Peter 1:25, 4:11, 5:11
- 2 Peter 3:18
- 1 John 2:17
- 2 John 1:2
- Jude 1:13, 1:25
- Revelation 1:6, 1:18, 4:9, 4:10, 5:13, 7:12, 10:6, 11:15, 14:11, 15:7, 19:3, 20:10, 22:5
Source: G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), public domain.