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Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #165 - αἰών
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- for ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity
- the worlds, universe
- period of time, age
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αἰών, ῶνος, ὁ, Ion. and also ἡ, as in Pi. P. 4.186, E. Ph. 1484: apocop. acc. αἰῶ, like Ποσειδῶ, restored by Ahrens (from AB 363) in A. Ch. 350: (properly αἰϝών, cf. aevum, v. αἰεί): — period of existence (τὸ τέλος τὸ περιέχον τὸν τῆς ἑκάστου ζωῆς χρόνον.. αἰὼν ἑκάστου κέκληται Arist. Cael. 279a25):
I
1.lifetime, life, ψυχή τε καὶ αἰών Il. 16.453; ἐκ δ' αἰ. πέφαται Il. 19.27; μηδέ τοι αἰ. φθινέτω Od. 5.160; λείπει τινά Il. 5.685; ἀπ' αἰῶνος νέος ὤλεο (Zenod. νέον) 24.725; τελευτᾶν τὸν αἰῶνα Hdt. 1.32, etc.; αἰῶνος στερεῖν τινά A. Pr. 862; αἰῶνα διοιχνεῖν Id. Eu. 315; συνδιατρίβειν Cratin. 1; αἰ. Αἰακιδᾶν, periphr. for the Aeacidae, S. Aj. 645 s. v. l.; ἀπέπνευσεν αἰῶνα E. Fr. 801; ἐμὸν κατ' αἰῶνα A. Th. 219.
2. age, generation, αἰ. ἐς τρίτον ib. 744; ὁ μέλλων αἰών posterity, D. 18.199, cf. Pl. Ax. 370c.
3. one's life, destiny, lot, S. Tr. 34, E. Andr. 1215, Fr. 30, etc.
II
1. long space of time, age, αἰὼν γίγνεται 'tis an age, Men. 536.5; esp. with Preps., ἀπ' αἰῶνος of old, Hes. Th. 609, Luke 1:70; οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰ. Ῥωμαῖοι D.C. 63.20; δι' αἰῶνος perpetually, A. Ch. 26, Eu. 563; all one's life long, S. El. 1024; δι' αἰῶνος μακροῦ, ἀπαύστου, A. Supp. 582, 574; τὸν δι' αἰ. χρόνον for ever, Id. Ag. 554; εἰς ἅπαντα τὸν αἰ. Lycurg. 106, Isoc. 10.62; εἰς τὸν αἰ. LXX Genesis 3:23, al., D.S. 21.17, John 8:35, Ps.- Luc. Philopatr. 17; εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος LXX Psalms 132:14(131).14; ἐξ αἰῶνος καὶ ἕως αἰῶνος ib. Jeremiah 7:7; ἐπ' αἰ. ib. Exodus 15:18; ἕως αἰῶνος ib. 1 Kings 1:22, al.: — without a Pr, τὸν ἅπαντα αἰ. Arist. Cael. 279a22; τὸν αἰῶνα Lycurg. 62, Epicur Ephesians 1 p.8U.; eternity, opp. χρόνος, Pl. Ti. 37d, cf. Metrod. Fr. 37, Ph. 1.496, 619, Plot. 3.7.5, etc.; τοὺς ὑπὲρ τοῦ αἰῶνος φόβους Epicur. Sent. 20.
2. space of time clearly defined and marked out, epoch, age, ὁ αἰὼν οὗτος this present world, opp. ὁ μέλλων, Matthew 13:22, cf. Romans 12:2; ὁ νῦν αἰ. 1 Timothy 6:17, 2 Timothy 4:10 : — hence in pl., the ages, i.e. eternity, Phld. D. 3 Fr. 84; εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰ. LXX To. 13.4; εἰς τοὺς αἰ.ib. Si. 45.24, al., Romans 1:25, etc.; εἰς τοὺς αἰ. τῶν αἰώνων LXX 4 Maccabees 18:24, Philippians 4:20, etc.; ἀπὸ τῶν αἰ., πρὸ τῶν αἰ., Ephesians 3:9, 1 Corinthians 2:7; τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰ. ib.10.11.
3. Αἰών, ὁ, personified, Αἰὼν Χρόνου παῖς E. Heracl. 900 (lyr.), cf. Corp.Herm. 11, etc.; as title of various divine beings, Dam. Pr. 151, al.; esp.=Persian Zervan, Suid. s.v. Ἡρασκος.
4. Pythag., = 10, Theol.Ar. 59. spinal marrow (perh. regarded as seat of life), h.Merc 42, 119, Pi. Fr. 111, Hp. Epid. 7.122; perh. also Il. 19.27.
αἰών, (ῶνος, ὁ (as if Αιε — poetic for ἀεί — ὤν, so teaches Aristotle, de caelo 1, 11, 9, vol. i., p. 279{a} 27; (so Proclus book iv. in Plato, Timaeo, p. 241; and others); but more probable is the conjecture (cf. Etym. Magn. 41, 11) that αἰών is so connected with ἄημι to breathe, blow, as to denote properly that which causes life, vital force; cf. Harless on Ephesians 2:2). (But αἰών ( = αἰϝών) is now generally connected with αἰεί, ἀεί, Sanskrit evas (aivas), Latinaevum, Goth. aivs, German ewig, English aye, ever; cf. Curtius, § 585; Fick, Part i., p. 27; Vanicek, p. 79; Benfey, Wurzellex, i., p. 7f; Schleicher, Compend. edition 2, p. 400; Pott, Etymologicum Forsch., edition 2, 2:2, p. 442; Ebeling, Lex. Homer under the word; Liddell and Scott, under the word ἀεί; Cremer, edd, 2, 3 ,4 (although in edition 1 he agreed with Prof. Grimm); Pott and Fick, however, connect it with Sanskrit ayus rather than evas, although both these forms are derived from i to go (see Pott, Sehleicher, Fick, Vanicek, as above).) In Greek authors:
1. age (Latinaevum, which is αἰών with the Aeolic digamma), a human lifetime (in Homer, Herodotus, Pindar, Tragic poets), life itself (Homer Iliad 5, 685 με καί λίποι αἰών etc.).
2. an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity, (Plato, Tim., p. 37 d. 38 a.; Tim. Locr., p. 97 d. (quoted below); Plutarch, others). With this signification the Hebrew and rabbinical idea of the word עולָם (of which in the Sept. αἰών is the equivalent) combines in the Biblical and ecclesiastical writings Hence, in the N. T. used:
1.
a. universally: in the phrases εἰς τόν αἰῶνα, לְעולָם (Genesis 6:3), forever, John 6:51, 58; John 14:16; Hebrews 5:6; Hebrews 6:20, etc.; and strengthened εἰς τόν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, Hebrews 1:8 (from Psalm 44:7
b. in hyperbolic and popular usage: ἀπό τοῦ αἰῶνος (מֵעולָם Genesis 6:4, cf. Deuteronomy 32:7) from the most ancient time down (within the memory of man), from of old, Luke 1:70; Acts 3:21; Acts 15:18 (Tobit 4:12 οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀπό τοῦ αἰῶνος; Longinus, 34 τούς ἀπ' αἰῶνος ῥήτορας); also ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος, John 9:32 (1 Esdr. 2:19, 22 (23); Diodorus 4:83 of the temple of Venus τήν, ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀρχήν λαβόν, 17, 1 τούς ἐξ αἰῶνος βασιλεῖς (excerpt. de legat, xl.), p. 632 τήν ἐξ αἰῶνος παραδεδομένην ἐλευθερίαν).
2. by metonymy of the container for the contained, οἱ αἰῶνες denotes the worlds, the universe, i. e. the aggregate of things contained in time (on the plural cf. Winers Grammar, 176 (166); Buttmann, 24 (21)): Hebrews 1:2; Hebrews 11:3; and (?) 1 Timothy 1:17; (Revelation 15:3 WH text; cf. Psalm 144:13
3. As the Jews distinguished הַזֶּה הָעולָם the time before the Messiah, and הַבָּא הַעולָם, the time after the advent of the Messiah (cf. Riehm, Lehrb. d. Hebraerbr., p. 204ff; (Schürer, § 29, 9)), so most of the N. T. writers distinguish ὁ αἰών οὗτος this age (also simply ὁ αἰών, Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19 G L T Tr WH; ὁ ἐνεστὼς αἰών, Galatians 1:4; ὁ νῦν αἰών, 1 Timothy 6:17; (2 Timothy 4:10); Titus 2:12), the time before the appointed return or truly Messianic advent of Christ (i. e., the παρουσία, which see), the period of instability, weakness, impiety, wickedness, calamity, misery — and αἰών μέλλων the future age (also ὁ αἰών ἐκεῖνος, Luke 20:35; ὁ αἰών ὁ ἐρχόμενος, Luke 18:30; Mark 10:30; οἱ αἰῶνες οἱ ἐπερχόμενοι, Ephesians 2:7), i. e., the age after the return of Christ in majesty, the period of the consummate establishment of the divine kingdom and all its blessings: Matthew 12:32; Ephesians 1:21; cf. Fritzsche on Romans, vol. 3:22f. Hence, the things of 'this age' are mentioned in the N. T. with censure: ὁ αἰών οὗτος, by metonymy, men controlled by the thoughts and pursuits of this present time, Romans 12:2, the same who are called υἱοί τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου in Luke 16:8; Luke 20:34; κατά τόν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου conformably to the age to which this (wicked) world belongs, Ephesians 2:2 (cf. Trench, § 59 under the end); ἀγαπᾶν τόν νῦν αἰῶνα, 2 Timothy 4:10 (see ἀγαπάω); ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, 1 Corinthians 2:6 (see ἄρχων); ὁ Θεός τοῦ αἰ. τούτου, the devil, who rules the thoughts and deeds of the men of this age, 2 Corinthians 4:4; αἱ μέριμναι τοῦ αἰῶνος, the anxieties for the things of this age, Mark 4:19; πλούσιος ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, rich in worldly wealth, 1 Timothy 6:17; σοφία ... τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου such wisdom as belongs to this age — full of error, arrogant, hostile to the gospel, 1 Corinthians 2:6; συζητητής τοῦ αἰ. τούτου, disputer, sophist, such as we now find him, 1 Corinthians 1:20; συντέλεια τοῦ αἰ. τούτ., the end, or rather consummation, of the age preceding Christ's return, with which will be connected the resurrection of the dead, the last judgment, the demolition of this world and its restoration to a more excellent condition (cf. 4 Esdr. 7:43 [
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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).
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
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.
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