What does αἰών (aiṓn) mean in the Bible?
Aion is the Greek noun for an age, era, world-order viewed through time, or an indefinitely continuing span. English translations may render it age, world, forever, or ages, depending on the phrase.
Greek · G165
αἰών
An age: age
Reading a lexicon entry
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αἰών G165
Pronunciation aiṓn
What does αἰών (aiṓn) mean in the Bible?
Aion is the Greek noun for an age, era, world-order viewed through time, or an indefinitely continuing span. English translations may render it age, world, forever, or ages, depending on the phrase.
Reader summary
Full entry for αἰών (G165) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G165?
The BSB source-word alignment has 124 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include forever (43), age (20), ever (20), . . . (13), ages (5).
Where does αἰών (aiṓn) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 12:32. Its strongest book concentrations include Revelation (26), Hebrews (15), John (13), 1 Corinthians (8).
Are there verse guides for αἰών (aiṓn)?
This entry includes 2 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
Aion is the Greek noun for an age, era, world-order viewed through time, or an indefinitely continuing span. English translations may render it age, world, forever, or ages, depending on the phrase. The noun does not mean abstract eternity in every occurrence, nor does one fixed English gloss fit every context. Jesus contrasts this age with the age to come. Paul warns believers not to take the present age’s pattern as their mold and describes hostile spiritual rule operating within it.
Hebrews speaks of Christ appearing at the culmination of the ages. In formulas such as “forever and ever,” repeated age-language expresses unbounded duration and praise. The New Testament’s age vocabulary therefore helps readers see redemptive history: the present order remains marked by sin and death, the powers of the coming age have arrived through Christ, and final resurrection life still awaits His consummating reign.
How the Bible Uses It
Aion names temporally structured orders and appears in several idioms. Singular references may distinguish this age from the coming age; plural forms can survey redemptive history; formulaic combinations can express enduring praise or reign. Translation must follow grammar and context. The word’s flexibility cannot by itself settle debates about final judgment, eternal life, or the duration of the age to come.
- Matt.12.32
Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.
Jesus distinguishes the present age from the coming one. The contrast establishes a two-age horizon while the warning’s force comes from the sin described in context.
- Rom.12.2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
The BSB renders aion as “world” here, emphasizing the present age’s pattern. Paul commands renewed discernment, not withdrawal from created life or human society.
- Eph.2.2
In which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience.
The former walk belonged to the age-shaped order under hostile influence. Redemption changes allegiance and conduct without treating material creation as evil.
- Heb.9.26
Otherwise, Christ would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
The plural ages places Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice at redemptive history’s decisive culmination. The phrase magnifies finality rather than providing a timetable.
- Luke.20.35
But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.
Jesus joins the coming age to bodily resurrection and transformed life. The comparison concerns resurrection conditions, not the goodness of marriage in this age.
- Rev.22.5
There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.
The concluding vision uses an intensified ages formula for the saints’ enduring reign under God’s light. Its literary setting is the consummated new creation.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It forever 43× Luke 1:33, Luke 1:55, John 6:51, John 6:58
age 20× Matthew 12:32, Matthew 13:40, Matthew 13:49, Matthew 24:3
ever 20× Galatians 1:5, Ephesians 3:21, Philippians 4:20, 1 Timothy 1:17
. . . 13× Matthew 21:19, Mark 3:29, Mark 11:14, John 4:14
ages 5× Acts 15:18, 1 Corinthians 10:11, Ephesians 2:7, Colossians 1:26
ages past 2× Luke 1:70, Ephesians 3:9
universe 2× Hebrews 1:2, Hebrews 11:3
- 1× John 13:8
[again] 1× 1 Corinthians 8:13
[and] ever 1× Revelation 14:11
[the] eternal 1× Ephesians 3:11
[world] 1× 2 Timothy 4:10
age [to come] 1× Luke 20:35
and ever 1× Hebrews 1:8
before 1× John 9:32
eternal 1× 1 Timothy 1:17
eternity 1× Jude 1:25
life 1× Matthew 13:22
long ago 1× Acts 3:21
of eternity 1× 2 Peter 3:18
of the age 1× Matthew 13:39
of this life 1× Mark 4:19
time 1× Jude 1:25
time [began] 1× 1 Corinthians 2:7
ways 1× Ephesians 2:2
world 1× Romans 12:2
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 12:32 αἰῶνι to age Noun - Dative Masculine Singular Matthew 13:22 αἰῶνος to life Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Matthew 13:39 αἰῶνός to of the age Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Matthew 13:40 αἰῶνος to age Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Matthew 13:49 αἰῶνος to age Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Matthew 21:19 αἰῶνα to . . . Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Matthew 24:3 αἰῶνος to age Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Matthew 28:20 αἰῶνος to age Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Mark 3:29 αἰῶνα to . . . Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Mark 4:19 αἰῶνος to of this life Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 12:32
Aligned rows 124
Books represented 22
Matthew 8 Mark 4 Luke 7 John 13 Acts 2 Romans 6 1 Corinthians 8 2 Corinthians 3 Galatians 3 Ephesians 7 Philippians 2 Colossians 1 1 Timothy 4 2 Timothy 3 Titus 1 Hebrews 15 1 Peter 5 2 Peter 1 1 John 1 2 John 1 Jude 3 Revelation 26
Source forms
αἰῶνα 30x aiōna Matthew 21:19, Mark 3:29, Mark 11:14, Luke 1:55
αἰῶνας 30x aiōnas Luke 1:33, Romans 1:25, Romans 9:5, Romans 11:36
αἰώνων 26x aiōnōn 1 Corinthians 2:7, 1 Corinthians 10:11, Galatians 1:5, Ephesians 3:9
αἰῶνος 24x aiōnos Matthew 13:22, Matthew 13:40, Matthew 13:49, Matthew 24:3
αἰῶνι 8x aiōni Matthew 12:32, Mark 10:30, Luke 18:30, Romans 12:2
αἰώνων 2x aiōnōn 1 Peter 5:11, Revelation 1:6
αἰῶνα» 1x aiōna John 14:16
αἰῶνός 1x aiōnos Matthew 13:39
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular 31x Matthew 21:19, Mark 3:29, Mark 11:14, Luke 1:55
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural 30x Luke 1:33, Romans 1:25, Romans 9:5, Romans 11:36
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural 29x Romans 16:27, 1 Corinthians 2:7, 1 Corinthians 10:11, Galatians 1:5
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular 25x Matthew 13:22, Matthew 13:39, Matthew 13:40, Matthew 13:49
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular 8x Matthew 12:32, Mark 10:30, Luke 18:30, Romans 12:2
Noun - Dative Masculine Plural 1x Ephesians 2:7
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Living for the age to come means faithful presence under Christ now, not neglect of present responsibilities.
- Already-and-not-yet language should produce hope and endurance, not triumphal claims that suffering and death are absent.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that aion always means a finite age and therefore disproves every doctrine of unending life or judgment.
- Do not claim that the present age makes material creation, human culture, or the body inherently evil.
Key Verse and Form Guides
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Revelation 22:5 Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
αἰῶνας aionas an age: age The form helps the verse sound like a sustained duration phrase, reinforcing the idea of continuing reign without letting morphology replace the context. Read verse guide Revelation 22:5 Noun Genitive Plural Masculine
αἰώνων. aionon an age: age The form strengthens the sense that the reign is portrayed as enduring beyond ordinary human time. Read verse guide Evidence Summary
Greek word. An age or era; theologically, either the present evil age or the future eternal age to come.
Source Gloss
an age: age
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 128 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 6:13 Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
αἰῶνας. aiwnav
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Matthew 12:32 Noun Dative Singular Masculine
αἰῶνι aiwni
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Matthew 13:22 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
αἰῶνος aiwnov
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Matthew 13:39 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
αἰῶνός aiwnov
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Matthew 13:40 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
αἰῶνος aiwnov
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Matthew 13:49 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
αἰῶνος· aiwnov
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Matthew 21:19 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
αἰῶνα. aiwna
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Matthew 24:3 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
αἰῶνος; aiwnov
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Matthew 28:20 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
αἰῶνος. aiwnov
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Mark 3:29 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
αἰῶνα, aiwna
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Mark 4:19 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
αἰῶνος aiwnov
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Mark 10:30 Noun Dative Singular Masculine
αἰῶνι aiwni
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Mark 11:14 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
αἰῶνα aiwna
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Luke 1:33 Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
αἰῶνας, aiwnav
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Luke 1:55 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
αἰῶνα. aiwna
an age, a cycle of time
Read verse Luke 1:70 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
αἰῶνος aiwnov
an age, a cycle of time
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 6 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 6 Aligned forms 122 Case pattern Accusative (60) Number pattern Singular (64)
Genitive · Plural · Masculine 1 Cor 2:7 · 1 Cor 10:11 · Gal 1:5 · Eph 3:9 · Eph 3:11 · Eph 3:21 · Phil 4:20 · Col 1:26 · 1 Tim 1:17 · 2 Tim 4:18 · Heb 9:26 · 1 Pet 4:11 · 1 Pet 5:11 · Rev 1:6 · Rev 1:18 · Rev 4:9 28×
Genitive · Singular · Masculine Matt 13:22 · Matt 13:39 · Matt 13:40 · Matt 13:49 · Matt 24:3 · Matt 28:20 · Mark 4:19 · Luke 1:70 · Luke 16:8 · Luke 20:34 · Luke 20:35 · John 9:32 · Acts 3:21 · Acts 15:18 · 1 Cor 1:20 · 1 Cor 2:6 25×
Dative · Singular · Masculine Matt 12:32 · Mark 10:30 · Luke 18:30 · Rom 12:2 · 1 Cor 3:18 · Eph 1:21 · 1 Tim 6:17 · Titus 2:12 8×
Dative · Plural · Masculine Eph 2:7 1×
Accusative · Singular · Masculine Matt 21:19 · Mark 3:29 · Mark 11:14 · Luke 1:55 · John 4:14 · John 6:51 · John 6:58 · John 8:35 · John 8:51 · John 8:52 · John 10:28 · John 11:26 · John 12:34 · John 13:8 · John 14:16 · 1 Cor 8:13 31×
Accusative · Plural · Masculine Luke 1:33 · Rom 1:25 · Rom 9:5 · Rom 11:36 · 2 Cor 11:31 · Gal 1:5 · Phil 4:20 · 1 Tim 1:17 · 2 Tim 4:18 · Heb 1:2 · Heb 11:3 · Heb 13:8 · Heb 13:21 · 1 Pet 4:11 · 1 Pet 5:11 · Jude 1:25 29×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
age, world system, present era
Showing 1 selected witness from 122 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
αἰών is built from this root:
ἀεί G104
Why This Word Matters
Demas' love for the present age illustrates the spiritual danger of prioritizing worldly values over gospel faithfulness. 2 Timothy 4:9-15
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Aion helps the church speak about time as Scripture tells the story of redemption. The present age is not merely a calendar period; it is an order whose rebellious patterns press people toward conformity. Yet Christians are not rescued by escaping created life. Romans 12 calls for renewed minds that discern God’s will while living here. Christ’s appearing and sacrifice mark the decisive turning point of the ages, so believers already receive forgiveness, the Spirit, and new allegiance.
At the same time, Luke locates resurrection fullness in the age to come. This overlap guards two truths: the gospel has truly brought new creation power into the present, and the church has not yet reached consummation. Formulaic age-language in Revelation then stretches praise and reign beyond any ordinary horizon. Teachers should therefore resist making the word carry more than its phrase allows.
Aion contributes a temporal framework, but the passage, the form, and the canon determine whether the emphasis is present order, coming resurrection, historical culmination, or enduring reign.
Anchor passage
Matt.12.32
Doctrinal connections
- Daniel 7:13-14 supplies kingdom imagery for dominion that will not pass away and frames later age-to-come expectation.
- Matthew 12:32 distinguishes this age from the coming age within Jesus’ solemn warning about opposition to the Spirit.
- Romans 12:1-2 calls for embodied worship and renewed discernment rather than conformity to the present age’s pattern.
- Ephesians 1:20-23 and 2:1-10 place Christ above every rule in both the present and coming age and unite believers to His life.
- Hebrews 9:26 presents Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice as the decisive event at the culmination of the ages.
- Revelation 21:1-22:5 portrays the consummated order in which God dwells with His people and their reign endures.
Aion is a noun whose sense depends heavily on number, prepositions, articles, and idiom. “This age,” “the age to come,” “the ends of the ages,” and “to the ages of the ages” are distinct constructions. The related adjective aionios is G166 and should not be treated as though every occurrence were the noun G165.
From Old to New Testament
The Old Testament describes God’s enduring reign, covenant faithfulness, and the promised restoration that outlast present kingdoms. Daniel’s visions sharpen the contrast between temporary beastly powers and the Son of Man’s lasting dominion. The New Testament names the present and coming ages more explicitly, centers their turning point in Christ’s death and exaltation, and anticipates resurrection and new creation as the coming order’s fullness.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain