Word study · Greek
aiōnios
eternal, of the age to come
Say it: eye-OH-nee-os (approximate)
αἰώνιος
What it means
From aion, "age." It describes what belongs to the coming age, and so what is lasting or without end. In the New Testament it usually modifies life ("eternal life") but here also fire and punishment. It can mean both "of the age to come" and "endless."
Open question Debated
How to understand "eternal punishment" (25:46), as endless or as belonging to the age to come, has been debated across church history.
Range of meaning
- Of the age to comeBelonging to God's future age.
- Without endLasting forever.
In Matthew
- Chapter 25
Eternal fire and eternal life (25:41, 25:46).
Every verse (5)
Verses where G0166 is tagged in the Hebrew text: STEPBible Data (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. About our sources