Bible Lexicons

αἰών , -ῶνος , ὁ ,

[in LXX chiefly for H5769, H5703;]

1. in cl., like Lat. aevum (LS, MM, VGT, s.v.), 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 c. prep. (MM, VGT);

(a) of the past: ἀπ , αἰ . (cf. Heb. H5769), Luke 1:70;

(b) of the future: εἰς τ . αἰ . (cf. H5769), forever, Matthew 21:19; id., c. neg., never, John 4:14; more strongly, εἰς τὸν αἰ . τοῦ αἰ ., Hebrews 1:8 (LXX); εἰς τοὺς αί ., Matthew 6:13; εἰς τοὺς αί . τῶν αί . (cf. Isaiah 45:17, H5704 H5769 H5703), Romans 16:27, LT; cf. also Ephesians 3:21, 2 Peter 3:18, Judges 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 proh. "the ages or world-periods which when summed up make eternity".

3. the present age (Heb. H1933 H5769): 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 (H935 H5769), ὁ αἰ . ἐκεῖνο s, Luke 20:22; ὁ αἰ . μέλλων , Matthew 12:32; ὁ αἰ . ὁ ἐρχόμενος , Mark 10:30.

SYN.: κόσμος G2889, the ordered universe, the scheme of material things; οἰκουμένη , the inhabited earth; in contrast with both of which al is the world under aspects of time (cf. Westc. on Hebrews 1:2; Tr., Syn., § lix; Thayer, s.v., αἰ .; Cremer, 74, 620; MM, VGT).

Magn 180.3 ff. (ii/A.D.) μόνος τῶν ἀπ᾽ αἰῶνος νεικήσας Ὀλύμπια, etc.—the athlete is claiming to have made a record : cf. the description of a certain ἀρχιερεὺς τῶν θεῶν in Syll 363.6 (i/A.D.), as διὰ βίου πρῶτον τῶν ἀπ᾽ αἰῶνος, and ib. 686.48 (ii/A.D.) ἣν μόνος ἀπ᾽ αἰῶνος ἀνδρῶν ἐποίησεν. P Oxy I. 33iii. 9 (ii/A.D.) θεωρήσατε ἕνα ἀπ᾽ αἰῶνος ἀπαγόμ [ενο ]ν, ";behold one led off to death,"; literally ";from life."; Minns Ios PE i. 22.88 τῶν ἀπ᾽ αἰῶνος. Preisigke 1105 (i/A.D.) ἐπ᾽ ἀγαθῷ εἰς τὸνι (l. τὸν) αἰῶνα. P Giss I. 13.19 (ii/A.D.) ὅπω [ς ] πλουτή [σ ]ῃς εἰς αἰῶ [να ] ";for the rest of your life."; P Oxy I. 41 (iii/iv A.D.) is a curious report of a public meeting at Oxy-rhynchus, punctuated with cries of Ἄγουστοι κύριοι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ";the Emperors for ever!"; : cf. OGIS 515.55 (iii/A.D.) Succlam(atum) est : ἰς αἰῶ [να ] with Dittenberger’s note. So Syll 376.50 (i/A.D.) Διὶ Ἐλευθερίῳ [Νέρων ]ι εἰς αἰῶνα : also Magn 139.7 ff. (i/B.C.) εὐεργέτην δὲ [γ ]εγονότα τοῦ δήμου κατὰ πολλοὺς [τ ]ρόπους πρὸς τὸν αἰῶνα, OGIS 383.44 (i/B.C.) εἰς τὸν ἄπειρον αἰῶνα —passages which are sufficient to show how thoroughly ";Greek"; the prepositional combinations with αἰών are. Reference should be made to Syll 757 (i/A.D.), an interesting inscription dedicated to Αἰών as a deity. For αἰών = period of life, cf. Syll 364.9 (A.D. 37) ὡς ἂν τοῦ ἡδίστου ἀνθρώποις αἰῶνο (ς) νῦν ἐνεστῶτος. On the Rosetta stone, OGIS 90 (B.C. 196), Ptolemy V is described as αἰωνόβιος : cf. P Lond 3.19 (B.C. 146 or 135) ( = I. p. 46) ἐπὶ βασιλέως αἰωνοβίου. So P Giss I. 36.20 (B.C. 161) βασιλεύ (οντος) αἰωνοβίο (υ) of Ptolemy Philometor. See below on αἰώνιος, where also there are remarks on etymology.

 

αιών αιωνα αιώνα αιώνά αἰῶνα αιωνας αιώνας αἰωνας αἰῶνας αιωνι αιώνι αἰῶνι αιωνος αιώνος αιώνός αἰῶνος αἰῶνός αιωνων αιώνων αἰώνων αιώσι αιωσιν αἰῶσιν ἐθνῶν aiona aiôna aiōna aiō̂na aionas aiônas aiōnas aiō̂nas aioni aiôni aiōni aiō̂ni aionon aiōnōn aiṓnon aiṓnōn aionos aiônos aiônós aiōnos aiō̂nos aiō̂nós aiosin aiôsin aiōsin aiō̂sin ethnon ethnôn ethnōn ethnō̂n