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). (
AS)