Bible Dictionaries
Year

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

is used (a) to mark a point of time at or from which events take place, e.g., Luke 3:1 (dates were frequently reckoned from the time when a monarch began to reign); in Galatians 3:17 the time of the giving of the Law is stated as 430 "years" after the covenant of promise given to Abraham; there is no real discrepancy between this and Exodus 12:40; the Apostle is not concerned with the exact duration of the interval; it certainly was not less than 430 "years;" the point of the argument is that the period was very considerable; Galatians 1:18; 2:1 mark events in Paul's life; as to the former the point is that three "years" elapsed before he saw any of the Apostles; in Galatians 2:1 the 14 "years" may date either from his conversion or from his visit to Peter mentioned in Galatians 1:18; the latter seems the more natural (for a full discussion of the subject see Notes on Galatians by Hogg and Vine, pp. 55ff.); (b) to mark a space of time, e.g., Matthew 9:20; Luke 12:19; 13:11; John 2:20; Acts 7:6 , where the 400 "years" mark not merely the time that Israel was in bondage in Egypt, but the time that they sojourned or were strangers there (the RV puts a comma after the word "evil"); the Genevan Version renders Genesis 15:13 "thy posterity shall inhabit a strange land for 400 years;" Hebrews 3:17; Revelation 20:2-7; (c) to date an event from one's birth, e.g., Mark 5:42; Luke 2:42; 3:23; John 8:57; Acts 4:22; 1 Timothy 5:9; (d) to mark recurring events, Luke 2:41 (with kata, used distributively); 13:7; (e) of an unlimited number, Hebrews 1:12 .

originally "a cycle of time," is used (a) of a particular time marked by an event, e.g., Luke 4:19; John 11:49,51; 18:13; Galatians 4:10; Revelation 9:15; (b) to mark a space of time, Acts 11:26; 18:11; James 4:13; 5:17; (c) of that which takes place every year, Hebrews 9:7; with kata [cp. (d) above], Hebrews 9:25; 10:1,3 .

denotes "a space of two years" (dis, "twice," and No. 1), Acts 24:27; 28:30 .

denotes "a space of three years" (treis, "three," and No. 1), Acts 20:31 .

Note: In Luke 1:7,18 , hemera, "a day," is rendered "years."

akin to A, No. 3, denotes "lasting two years, two years old," Matthew 2:16 .

denotes "a hundred years old," Romans 4:19 .

"last year, a year ago" (from pera, "beyond"), is used with apo, "from 2 Corinthians 8:10; 9:2 .

Note: In Hebrews 11:24 , AV, ginomai, "to become," with megas, "great," is rendered "when he was come to years" (RV, "when he was grown up").