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αἰών

aiṓn

G165 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A segment, period, or span of time; in contexts, a specific era, epoch, or prescribed age, often with distinctive character or significance. αἰών can refer both to a finite lifetime, a historical period (such as a generation or age), or, more abstractly, to the totality of temporal existence ('world-age'). In some contexts, it can imply an ongoing perpetuity or a time of indefinite duration, and by extension, the world order or cosmos as structured within a given age.

Semantic Range

lifetime, era, epoch, age, period of time, indefinite duration, world order, perpetuity, eternity (in some contexts), world (archaic or poetic sense)

Root / Etymology

Related to ἀεί (always, ever), possibly through a form *αἰϝών; originally conveyed the sense of 'life' or 'lifetime,' then developed to signify age, era, or epoch. The precise origin is uncertain, but connection to Indo-European roots meaning 'vital force, life' has been suggested.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, αἰών most commonly referred to a lifetime or the duration of a person's life, or more abstractly, the span or era marking a significant period. By the Hellenistic and Koine periods, especially in the Septuagint and New Testament, αἰών frequently denotes a defined age or epoch (such as 'this present age' vs. 'the age to come'), sometimes marked by moral or cosmological transitions. It also developed the sense of an epochal world or cosmic order but is not synonymous with 'world' in a purely physical or spatial sense (for which κόσμος is standard). In various scriptural contexts, it can refer to an unspecified but significant future or enduring era, especially in expressions about ongoing or future realities (e.g., 'unto the ages of ages,' meaning 'forever'). Early English translations sometimes rendered αἰών as 'world,' but this can obscure the temporal nuance; 'age' or 'era' typically better reflects the original contexts. Not to be confused with χρόνος, which refers to chronological or measurable time.

Translation Consistency

primary "age" 50 occurrences

Most natural, flexible English noun covering lifetime, era, epoch, and the broader sense of a world-order or eternity. 'Age' is the simple base form that can be inflected to 'ages' or given possessives as needed, and matches the common usage patterns in the P2 data (55 occurrences of 'age' vs. 54 of 'ages'), so it best serves consistency and natural readability.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from the same as ἀεί; properly, an age; by extension, perpetuity (also past); by implication, the world; specially (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future):--age, course, eternal, (for) ever(-more), (n-)ever, (beginning of the , while the) world (began, without end). Compare χρόνος.

Root Family

αἰων- (aiṓn) — life (lifetime), age, epoch

Root αἰων- life (lifetime), age, epoch
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G166 αἰώνιος age-enduring things

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G165-01 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG age an age an age 31
G165-02 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ages ages ages 30
G165-04 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL ages of ages ages 27
G165-05 αἰῶνος aionos N GEN M SG age of an age age 25
G165-03 αἰῶνι aioni N DAT M SG age in the age age 8
G165-06 αἰῶσιν aiosin N DAT M PL ages to the ages ages 1

Occurrences in Scripture

122 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G165-05 Galatians 1:4 αἰῶνος aionos N GEN M SG age of an age age
G165-02 Galatians 1:5 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ages ages ages
G165-04 Galatians 1:5 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL ages of ages ages
G165-03 Ephesians 1:21 αἰῶνι aioni N DAT M SG age in the age age
G165-01 Ephesians 2:2 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG course an age an age
G165-06 Ephesians 2:7 αἰῶσιν aiosin N DAT M PL ages to the ages ages
G165-04 Ephesians 3:9 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL ages of ages ages
G165-04 Ephesians 3:11 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL ages of ages ages
G165-05 Ephesians 3:21 αἰῶνος aionos N GEN M SG age of an age age
G165-04 Ephesians 3:21 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL ages of ages ages
G165-02 Philippians 4:20 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ages ages ages
G165-04 Philippians 4:20 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL ages of ages ages
G165-04 Colossians 1:26 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL ages of ages ages
G165-04 1 Timothy 1:17 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL eternal of ages ages
G165-02 1 Timothy 1:17 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ever ages ages
G165-04 1 Timothy 1:17 αἰώνων aionon-2 N GEN M PL ever of ages ages
G165-03 1 Timothy 6:17 αἰῶνι aioni N DAT M SG age in the age age
G165-01 2 Timothy 4:10 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG world an age an age
G165-02 2 Timothy 4:18 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ages ages ages
G165-04 2 Timothy 4:18 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL ages of ages ages
G165-03 Titus 2:12 αἰῶνι aioni N DAT M SG age in the age age
G165-02 Hebrews 1:2 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL worlds ages ages
G165-01 Hebrews 1:8 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG age an age an age
G165-05 Hebrews 1:8 αἰῶνος aionos N GEN M SG age of an age of an age
G165-01 Hebrews 5:6 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG ever an age an age
G165-05 Hebrews 6:5 αἰῶνος aionos N GEN M SG age of an age age
G165-01 Hebrews 6:20 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG forever an age an age
G165-01 Hebrews 7:17 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG ever an age an age
G165-01 Hebrews 7:21 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG forever an age an age
G165-01 Hebrews 7:24 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG age an age an age
G165-01 Hebrews 7:28 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG forever an age an age
G165-04 Hebrews 9:26 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL of-ages of ages ages
G165-02 Hebrews 11:3 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL worlds ages ages
G165-02 Hebrews 13:8 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL forever ages ages
G165-02 Hebrews 13:21 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ages ages ages
G165-04 Hebrews 13:21 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL ever of ages ages
G165-01 1 Peter 1:25 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG age an age an age
G165-02 1 Peter 4:11 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ages ages ages
G165-04 1 Peter 4:11 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL ages of ages ages
G165-02 1 Peter 5:11 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ever ages ages
G165-05 2 Peter 3:18 αἰῶνος aionos N GEN M SG of eternity of an age of an age
G165-01 1 John 2:17 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG forever an age an age
G165-01 2 John 1:2 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG age an age an age
G165-01 Jude 1:13 αἰῶνα aiona N ACC M SG forever an age an age
G165-05 Jude 1:25 αἰῶνος aionos N GEN M SG time of an age age
G165-02 Jude 1:25 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ages ages ages
G165-02 Revelation 1:6 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ages ages ages
G165-02 Revelation 1:18 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ages ages ages
G165-04 Revelation 1:18 αἰώνων aionon N GEN M PL ages of ages ages
G165-02 Revelation 4:9 αἰῶνας aionas N ACC M PL ages ages ages
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