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)

a space of time; an age, eternity; forever; never; the worlds, the universe; the present age