#3. The Ages. The words aiõn and olam.

     Much has been written regarding “eternity.”  Some teachers and preachers give one the impression, by their emphasis and repetition, that the soundness of their doctrine, their estimate of salvation, and their abhorrence of sin, will be largely gauged by the frequency and the vehemence with which the words eternity and eternal are employed. 

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     We have not only of eternal life, eternal punishment, eternal gospel, eternal purpose, etc., which, as they are quoted from the A.V. may in some degree be excused, but we hear also of eternal sin, eternal death, and other phrases which find no warrant even in the A.V.  Those for whom these papers are written should acquaint themselves with the fact that the words rendered eternal, everlasting, for ever, etc., signify a period or periods of time, which have had or will yet have a beginning, and which have had or will yet have an end;  which are not only spoken of in the singular, but in the plural.   In volume.I, pp.82-86, we touched just briefly upon the meaning of the Hebrew word olam, and the Greek word aiõn, words translated as of eternity, but words which by meaning and usage are limited to time.  Our object then was a consideration of the teaching of Scripture relative to punishment;  our object now is to consider the teaching of Scripture which is connected with these words themselves so far as they are fundamental to dispensational truth. 

          In the great majority of cases the word translated “everlasting”, “eternal”, “for ever”, are renderings of the Greek aiõnios, aiõn, and the Hebrew olam.  The A.V. renders aiõn by “world”, “course”, “age”, “eternal”, and, in conjunction with various prepositions, etc., “since the world began”, “while the world standeth”, “world without end”, “from the beginning of the world”, “for ever”, “for evermore”, and “for ever and ever”.

     The translation of a word that ranges from a world which had a beginning and will have an end, to an eternity which confessedly has neither beginning nor end, is too wide to be of service, especially when the choice of translation largely depends upon the bias of the translator.  Olam, the Hebrew word, comes from a word meaning something hidden or secret (see “secret faults”,  Psa.xix.12),  and indicates a period of undefined limits.  Aiõn, the Greek word, is used by the translators of the Septuagint to render the Hebrew olam into Greek, and this is the only true consistent meaning that we can give the word. 

     Students of the purpose of the ages will often find themselves turning the pages of Ecclesiastes, realizing in THE PREACHER one whose problems and experiences with regard to these things are often much like their own.  In Ecclesiastes the word olam occurs seven times, and is translated by the A.V. as follows:--

i. 4.         “The earth abideth for ever.”

i. 10.      “It hath been already of old time.”

ii. 16.     “There is no remembrance of the wise more than 
                          of the fool for ever.”

iii. 11.    “He hath set the world in their heart.”

iii. 14.    “I know that whatsoever God doeth, 
                          it shall be for ever.”

ix. 6.      “Neither have they any more a portion for ever.”

xii. 5.     “Man goeth to his long home.”

     Here we have “for ever”, “old time”, “world”, and “long” as translations of the one word olam.  Such a variety of renderings gives no connected thought, and consequently the evident relation of these passages is missed.  Supposing we take the original word in each passage and translate it by the word “age”, we at once realize that seven such references may contain much helpful teaching.  Their order and connection likewise are made apparent, and their claim upon our attention is emphasized.   

Olam   in   Ecclesiastes. 

A   |   i. 4.  The earth abideth to the age.—The passing generation. 

     B   |   i. 10.  It hath been already in or to the ages.—

                            Nothing new under the sun. 

          C   |   ii. 16.  No remembrance of the wise more than 
                                                            of the fool to the age.—

                               Forgotten in the days to come. 

               D   |   iii. 11.  He hath set the age in their heart.—

                                      Beginning to end of God’s work past finding out. 

          C   |   iii. 14.  Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be to the age.—
                               God’s work remains. 

     B   |   ix. 6.  Neither have they any more a portion to the age.—

                             No portion under the sun. 

A   |   xii. 5.  Man goeth to his age home.—The passing generation. 

     Leaving these passages until we are more prepared to consider their teaching in detail, we pass on to another cluster of seven, this time in New Testament, namely, in Ephesians.  There the word aiõn is translated as inconsistently as we found its parallel olam in Ecclesiastes. 

i. 21.        “This world.”

ii. 2.         “The course of this world.”

ii. 7.         “The ages to come.”

iii. 9.        “From the beginning of the world.”

iii. 11.      “Eternal purpose.”

iii. 21.      “Throughout all ages world without end.”

vi. 12.      “Rulers of the darkness of this world.”

     Here we have a strange assortment.  This world, which had a beginning, but which has no end, the course of this world, and the eternal purpose.  Translate the word aiõn consistently, and order, light, and instruction take place of human tradition and confusion. 

Aiõn   in   Ephesians. 

A   |   i. 21.  Rulers of this and the coming age.—

                     Subject to Christ in resurrection. 

     B   |   ii. 2.  The age of the world.—
                             Satanic energy (energõ). 

          C   |   ii. 7.  Ages to come.—
                               Display of divine grace (future). 

               D   |   iii. 9.  Hid since the ages.—The mystery. 

          C   |   iii. 11.  The purpose of the ages.—
                               Display of divine wisdom (now). 

     B   |   iii. 21.  The generations of the age of the ages.—
                             Divine energy (energõ). 

A   |   vi. 12.  Rulers of the darkness of this age.—

                      Withstood by believers in resurrection power. 

     All lovers of the Word must see how great is the loss which we all have sustained through the traditional translation.  “The eternal purpose” sounds very grand, it gives a certain sound of reality and indefectibility to the purpose of God, yet it is a double violation.  The noun aiõn is translated as though it were the adjective aiõnion, apart from the mistake of putting eternity where age should have been.  What we have to learn is that the Bible does not speak of eternity.  It was not written to tell us of eternity.  Such a consideration is entirely outside the scope of revelation.  Many, many undreamed wonders will doubtless be unfolded when the ages are no more.  What they will be and what they will involve is idle and profitless speculation.  The Word of God as it has been given is a complete system of teaching for us;  it does not treat fully of the creation around us, much less of the time before or after.  While we acknowledge that there is much which our curiosity would tempt us to ask about, we do most heartily bow before the divine boundaries of our studies, realizing that by the repeated emphasis upon the teaching of the ages, and the absence of teaching concerning eternity, that the Lord is still showing us (as is expressed in Ecclesiastes) that the time has not yet arrived when we may “find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.”

     We have already, in Answers to Correspondents (p.79), indicated that our minds are likely to bring unscriptural notions along with the words “age” and “age-long”, beside the fact that aiõnios means something more than length of time.  Therefore, while retaining in the title the English “ages”, in the articles themselves we shall transliterate the word and use aiõn, allowing the reader the same liberty and scope that he would have were he reading the original.