Protos

What does "Eternal" mean in the Bible?

The word translated "eternity" is in Hebrew olam, which means "hidden;" in Greek, aion, which has primary reference to a period as "a lifetime." The difference between them consists in the fact that olam usually means the world in time, although the only place where it is so rendered in our version is Eccl 3:11. Eternal appears in 62 verses across 17 books of the Bible.

What does the Bible say about Eternal?

ETERNAL, ETERNITY. The word translated "eternity" is in Hebrew olam, which means "hidden;" in Greek, aion, which has primary reference to a period as "a lifetime." The difference between them consists in the fact that olam usually means the world in time, although the only place where it is so rendered in our version is Eccl 3:11. But Ps 90:1 is literally "from world to world," Ps 145:13, "kingdom of all worlds," Deut 33:27; "the arms of the world" (English Version, "everlasting arms"). The underlying thought in these passages is that of immense time movements exhibiting God's great work. The Hebrew and Greek words both had plurals, which proves that they did not in themselves denote absolute endlessness. They are likewise applied to finite things. Gen 17:8; Isa 49:26; Ex 12:14. When they are applied to God and spiritual things they indicate the endless succession of ages, which is the popular and necessary conception of eternity. The idea of absolute eternity is impressed in the Bible by language which implies finality. It is this which renders Matt 25:46 so impressive. The verse sets forth the last act of the great drama of human life, and the rewards and penalties are awarded irreversibly. Here the curtain falls.

Definition text: Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible · 1898. Public domain.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

What is the Greek word for Eternal?

Greek · G166

αἰώνιος

aiōnios

eternal

TBESG, from Abbott-Smith (1922). Public domain.

Where does Eternal appear in the Bible?

Eternal is referenced in 62 verses across 17 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Showing the first 24 of 62.

Open all 62 references in Protos

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Eternal.

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Eternal?

Eternal appears in 62 verses across 17 books, most often in John, which accounts for 17 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Eternal?

John, 1 John, Hebrews, Matthew, Romans, Luke, 1 Timothy, 2 Corinthians, and 9 more.

Where can I read every verse about Eternal?

This page lists 24 of them. Protos carries all 62, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read John with "Eternal" explained on the verse.

Tap any name, place, or word you do not recognize and the background opens on the verse you are reading. No second tab, no search, no losing your place.

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"People don't give up on the Bible for lack of discipline. They give up because they don't understand what they read. So they skim past it and jump straight to what it means for them, before they have listened to what God is saying through the words, the story, and the voice of the writer. It happens so often that theology has a name for it: eisegesis."
Fabio Jonathan ArifinFabio JonathanFounder of Protos · Portland Bible College graduate

Protos is the answer to that. Every explanation you read was written by a scholar and published in a reference work, credited right on the page.

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