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Bible Dictionaries
Eternity
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
or ETERNITY.—There is no word either in OT Hebrew or in NT Greek corresponding to the abstract idea of eternity.
In Isaiah 57:15 both Authorized Version and Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 have the phrase ‘the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity.’ Massoretic Text has שֹׁכן עַר, lit. ‘dwelling for ever’—the thought of the writer being evidently the unchangeableness of God. עַר probably comes nearest of all Hebrew words to express permanence. Originally it was a substantive connected with Assyr. [Note: Assyrian.] adú, meaning ‘time,’ ‘passing time,’ ‘the present.’ But in OT it is used adverbially to express indefinite duration of time generally in the future. Its use is mainly poetical: of God (Isaiah 57:15), His law (Psalms 19:9), His attributes (Psalms 111:3; Psalms 111:10). But it is found also in connexion with things whose existence in Hebrew thought would be limited, e.g. a king’s life (Psalms 21:6, Proverbs 29:14), the lip of truth (Proverbs 12:19).
A word of wider meaning and more general application is עוֹלָב, connected with Assyr. [Note: Assyrian.] ullânu, meaning ‘remote time.’ עוֹלָם is frequently used of the fast-days (Isaiah 63:9; Isaiah 63:11, Micah 5:1; Micah 7:14 etc.), people (Isaiah 44:7, Jeremiah 5:15), hills (Genesis 49:26, Habakkuk 3:6). It is also used, like עַר, of God or His attributes as existing from the remote past (Psalms 93:2; Psalms 119:52, Isaiah 63:16; Isaiah 63:19) to the remote future (Psalms 138:8, Jeremiah 31:3, 1 Kings 10:9), specially in the phrase מֵהָעוֹלָם וְעַר הָעוֹלִם ‘from everlasting to everlasting’ (Psalms 90:2; Psalms 103:17, Nehemiah 9:5 etc.). But in the case of עוֹלָם also there are many places in OT where its meaning is obviously limited to the affairs and lives of human beings, e.g. of a slave (Deuteronomy 15:7, 1 Samuel 27:12), of careless dwellers (Psalms 73:12), and in the familiar phrase, ‘May the king live for ever’ (1 Kings 1:31, Nehemiah 2:3). Often, however, the word is used to indicate the writer’s hope or belief that a certain state of good [e.g. God’s covenant (Genesis 9:16), or His promises (Isaiah 40:8), or His relations to His people (Psalms 45:17; Psalms 85:8, etc.)], may continue indefinitely. Particularly is this true of the Messianic hope (Isaiah 9:6, Psalms 110:4; Psalms 45:3). Sometimes this thought of permanence is emphasized by the use of the plural (Isaiah 26:4; Isaiah 45:17, Daniel 9:24). In Ecclesiastes 3:11, a very difficult passage, (Revised Version margin) gives as an alternative rendering of הָעֹלָם ‘eternity.’
The other Hebrew phrases worthy of note are נ֪צַח ‘perpetuity’ in the frequent phrase לִנָצַח ‘for ever’ (Isaiah 13:20; Isaiah 25:8, Amos 8:7, Habakkuk 1:4 etc.), and אֹרְךְ יָמִים ‘length of days,’ Deuteronomy 30:20, Job 12:12, Psalms 21:4, and in the well-known passage Psalms 23:6 ‘I shall dwell in the house of the Lord ever.’ Here the meaning is disputed, but the probability is that the highest anticipation of the Psalmist was to have the joy of spending an indefinite period in the Temple in prayer and meditation. Similar to לְעוֹלָם is the phrase לִרֹר וַרֹך, lit. ‘to age and age,’ .e. to future ages (Exodus 3:15, Psalms 10:6; Psalms 33:11; Psalms 49:11). It is mainly poetical.
The idea of eternity, like the idea of immortality, was probably beyond the range of early Jewish thought. It arose after the Exile, partly through a natural development of the Hebrew conception of God, and partly through the force of circumstances. (1) The pious Jew, turning away more and more from the anthropomorphism of cruder religions, strove to differentiate the infinite God from finite man. God is transcendent—above the limitations of earthly existence. Hence He is eternal, from everlasting to everlasting. A thousand years in His sight are but as yesterday. (2) With the Exile came a decay of national ideals, and the Jew began to consider more his own personality and its relation to this eternal God. This thought developed slowly, and was mixed with various elements. The Jew found himself in an evil world. His own nation was oppressed, almost blotted out. Good men suffered; wicked men seemed to prosper. If the eternal, omnipotent God ruled the world, then all this must surely end. The Day of the Lord would come for oppressed Israel, for the oppressors, for the whole world, and (in Apocalyptic literature, Ps-Sol 3:16, 13:9 etc.) for the Jew himself. Then the present evil world (עוֹלִם הַוְּה) would give place to a new and glorious era (עוֹלִם הַכָּא, see Generation). Whether this עוֹלָם הַכָּא would be endless the Jew did not at first stop to inquire. Sufficient for him that it would come with countless blessings in ‘the end of the days’ (קץ הִיָמִים, cf. Matthew 13:39; Matthew 24:3). In the Book of Enoch, however, ‘Time’ is followed by ‘Eternity’ in the עוֹלָם הַכָא. Later Judaism developed the idea, probably borrowed from the Zend religion, of a series of world epochs (cf. the world empires of Daniel’s vision), followed by the Messianic age.
In the time of Christ, Jewish thought on the future had developed very much, and had assumed many forms (see Eschatology). Jesus must have sifted the various elements. He retained and perhaps developed the view of a new age (עוֹלָם חַפָא) about to dawn on the world as opposed to the present (עוֹלָם הַוָּה; Matthew 12:32, cf. Matthew 13:39; Matthew 28:20). ‘the kingdom of heaven’ (מַלְכוּח שָׁמַיִם) would be established. Jesus endeavoured to concentrate the thoughts of His hearers on their relation to this kingdom, and the desirability of sharing it (see Life, Eternal Life). Doubtless this kingdom would be for ever and its members live for ever (cf. Daniel 12:2 חַזֵי עוֹלָם ‘eternal life’). The vexed question of the absolute endlessness of this kingdom, with its rewards and punishments, would probably never be raised in the minds of Jesus’ hearers. At the same time, there is no evidence in the teaching of Jesus of any limit to the עוֹלָם הַבָּא, and while the frequent adjective αἰώνιος, ‘eternal,’ must be taken in the Gospels as referring in the first place to this coming kingdom, it may, so far as we know, be taken as implying also that quality of absolute permanence with which that kingdom has always been associated in the minds of men.
Literature.—The subject is practically part of the larger topic Eschatology, and all books dealing with this latter subject refer more or less to Eternity. On the OT and Apocalyptic views see Stade, Dic Alttest. Vorstellungen vom Zustand nach dem Tode; Schwally, Das Leben nach dem Tode; Schultz, OT Theology, vol. ii. pp. 364–398; Salmond, The Christian Doctrine of Immortality; Orelli, Die hebr. Synonyma der Zeit und Ewigkeit; Marti, Geschichte der Israel. Religion, pp. 270–310. On the NT see the various NT theologies, especially those of Beyschlag and H. Holtzmann. Ct. also Samuel Davidson, Doctrine of the Last Things; Toy, Judaism and Christianity; A. Beet, Last Things2 [Note: designates the particular edition of the work referred] ; Dalman, The Words of Jesus.
G. Gordon Stott.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Eternity'. Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdn/e/eternity.html. 1906-1918.
