αἰών

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), 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 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": He :12 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, see word, αἰ.; Cremer, 74, 620; MM, VGT).