αἰών
aiōn
Modern Summary of Abbott-Smith’s Lexicon (1922)
The word *aiōn* primarily refers to a period of time, which can range from a lifetime or generation to an indefinitely long era or eternity. In the New Testament, it is used to describe both past and future ages, including concepts like "forever" or "never," and can also signify the present age or the age to come after Christ's return. Additionally, it can refer to the universe or the sum of all time periods, emphasizing the temporal aspect of existence rather than the physical world.
an age; an era, a period of time
Etymologically, aiōn traces to from the same as (ἀεί). In the King James Version, this word is translated as age, course, eternal, (for) ever(-more), (n-)ever, (beginning of the, while the) world (began, and without end).
Its Hebrew parallel is עוֹלָם (ôwlâm), revealing shared conceptual ground across the biblical languages.
The semantic range of aiōn — spanning meanings like age, course, eternal — suggests a word whose full significance cannot be captured by a single English term.
Lexical data derived from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. See full disclaimer
Word DNA
Meaning Layers
This word carries distinct senses across different contexts.
Connection Map
Nearest neighbors in the lexical network.
Compare This Word
Explore how aiōn relates to similar or contrasting biblical words.
Continue Exploring
Follow the thread — discover connected words and concepts.
Did this word study enrich your reading or teaching? Lemmalink is entirely funded by users like you. Help us keep this tool free and open for the global church.