αἰών

Definition

αἰών, -ῶνος, ὁ,
[in LXX chiefly for עַד ,עוֹלָם ;]
1. in cl., like Lat. aevum (LS, MM, VGT, see word), 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 prep. (MM, VGT);
(a) of the past: ἀπ᾽ αἰ. (cf. Heb. מֵעוֹלָם), Luk.1:70;
(b) of the future: εἰς τ. αἰ. (cf. לְעוֹלָם), forever, Mat.21:19; id., with neg., never, Jhn.4:14; more strongly, εἰς τὸν αἰ. τοῦ αἰ., Heb.1:8 (LXX); εἰς τοὺς αἰ., Mat.6:13; εἰς τοὺς αἰ. τῶν αἰ. (cf. Isa.45:17, עַד־עוֹלְמֵי עַד), Rom.16:27, LT; cf. also Eph.3:21, 2Pe.3:18, Ju 25, Rev.14:11.
2. οἱ αἰ., the worlds, the universe, "the sum of the periods of time, including all that is manifested in them": He :12 11:3 (cf. 1Ti.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., Mat.13:22; ὁ αἰ. οὗτος, Mat.12:32; ὁ νῦν αἰ., 1Ti.6:17; ὁ ἐνεστὼς αἰ., Gal.1:4; similarly, of the time after Christ's second coming (הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא), ὁ αἰ. ἐκεῖνος, Luk.20:35; ὁ αἰ. μέλλων, Mat.12:32; ὁ αἰ. ὁ ἐρχόμενος, Mrk.10:30.
SYN.: 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 Heb.1:2; Tr., Syn., §lix; Thayer, see word, αἰ.; Cremer, 74, 620; MM, VGT).

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