עוֹלָם439 H5769
Long duration; eternity, forever; antiquity, ancient times; everlasting (attributive); age(s) or era(s).
Olam is one of the most theologically consequential nouns in the Hebrew Bible, yet its meaning is not simply 'eternity' in the philosophical sense. At its core, olam points to duration that stretches beyond ordinary sight — whether forward into an unlimited future ('forever'), backward into the mists of antiquity ('of old'), or qualitatively as a permanent attribute of covenants, statutes, and divine promises. The refrain le'olam chasdo ('his steadfast love endures forever') rings through Psalm 136 twenty-six times, yet the same word describes the 'ancient paths' of Jeremiah 6:16 and the 'men of old' in Genesis 6:4. Languages handle this range very differently: Arabic splits it between al-abad (prospective eternity) and al-qidam (antiquity), Korean between yeongwonhi (forever) and yennal (olden days), while Swahili milele covers the timeless dimension and zamani covers the ancient past. The word's genius is its refusal to collapse time into a single direction.
1. forever, to eternity — Prospective perpetuity: 'forever,' 'to eternity,' 'for all time.' The largest sense at 280 occurrences, most often in the prepositional phrase le'olam ('to/for eternity'). This is the olam of God's everlasting reign (Exod 15:18), of Israel's perpetual relationship with Yahweh (Exod 3:15), and of the solemn oath 'you are a priest forever' (Ps 110:4). Arabic ila al-abad, Spanish para siempre, Korean yeongwonhi, and Swahili milele all converge on unlimited future duration here, though none captures the Hebrew word's characteristic ambiguity about whether 'forever' means literally infinite or simply 'as far as the eye can see.' 280×
AR["إلى-الأَبَدِ","إِلى-الأَبَدِ","إِلَى-الأَبَدِ","إِلَى-الْأَبَدِ","لِلأَبَدِ","لِلْأَبَدِ"]·ben["-জন্য","sādā-sādāre","কারণ","চিরকাল","চিরকাল।","চিরকালের-জন্য","সদাপ্রভু"]·DE["auf-ewig","ewig","fuer-immer","in-Ewigkeit"]·EN["forever"]·FR["pour-toujours","à-jamais","éternité"]·heb["ל-עולם","ל-עלם"]·HI["सदा","सदा-के-लिए","सदा-के-लिए।","सदा-के-लिये","सर्वदा","हमेशा-के-लिए"]·ID["selama-lamanya","selamanya","untuk-selama-lamanya","untuk-selamanya"]·IT["eternità","per-sempre"]·jav["dhateng-salaminipun","ing-salaminipun","ing-salaminipun.","ing-salawas-lawasipun","kangge-salaminipun","kanggé-salaminipun","salaminipun","selami-laminipun"]·KO["에-영원히","영원히"]·PT["para-sempre","para-sempre-de"]·RU["вечно","вовек","навек","навеки"]·ES["para-perpetuidad","para-siempre"]·SW["kichwa-cha","milele"]·TR["icin-sonsuza","için-sonsuzca","sonsuza","sonsuza-dek"]·urd["ابد-تک","ابد-تک۔","ہمیشہ","ہمیشہ-تک","ہمیشہ-کو","ہمیشہ-کے-لیے"]
Gen 3:22, Gen 6:3, Exod 3:15, Exod 15:18, Exod 19:9, Exod 21:6, Deut 5:29, Deut 23:6, Deut 32:40, Judg 2:1, 2 Sam 7:29, 2 Sam 7:29 (+38 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
2. everlasting, perpetual (attributive) — Attributive or adjectival use: 'everlasting,' 'perpetual,' qualifying a noun with the sense of enduring permanence. Found 98 times modifying covenants (berit olam, Gen 9:16; 17:7), statutes (chuqqat olam, Exod 29:28), possessions (achuzzat olam, Gen 17:8), and priesthoods (kehunnat olam, Exod 40:15). The shift from adverbial 'forever' to adjectival 'everlasting' is marked cross-linguistically: Arabic abadiyy (adjective) versus ila al-abad (adverb), Korean yeongwonhan (attributive adjective) versus yeongwonhi (adverb), and Spanish eterno (adjective) versus para siempre (adverbial phrase). This sense is theologically central to the Abrahamic covenant structure. 98×
AR["أَبَديًّا","أَبَدِيًّا","أَبَدِيٌّ","أَبَدِيٍّ","أَبَدِيَّةً","أَبَدِيَّةٍ","الأَبَدِ","الأَبَدِيَّةُ","الْأَبَدِ"]·ben["-কাছে","চিরকালের","চিরকালের।","চিরস্থায়ী"]·DE["Ewigkeit","auf-ewig"]·EN["burnings","eternity","everlasting","forever","is-YHWH"]·FR["à-jamais","éternité"]·heb["עולם"]·HI["अनन्त","अनन्त-के","अनन्तकालीन","सदा","सदा-का","सदा-की","सदा-के","सनातन","सनातन-का","सनातन-की"]·ID["kekal","yang-kekal"]·IT["eternita","eternita'","eternità","per-sempre"]·jav["ingkang-langgeng","langgeng","salami-laminipun","salaminipun"]·KO["영원-의","영원의","영원한"]·PT["eterna","eternas","eternidade","eterno","perpétua"]·RU["вечная","вечное","вечной","вечном","вечности","вечные","вечный","вечным"]·ES["de-eternidad","eterna","eternidad","eterno"]·SW["cha-milele","la-milele","milele","wa-milele","ya-milele"]·TR["ebedi","ebedinin","ebediu","ebediyet","sonsuz","sonsuza-dek","sonsuzlugun","sonsuzluğun","sonsuzun"]·urd["ابدی","ابدی-کے","ازلی","ہمیشہ-کی"]
Gen 9:16, Gen 17:7, Gen 17:8, Gen 17:13, Gen 17:19, Exod 12:14, Exod 12:17, 2 Sam 23:5, 1 Chr 16:17, Ps 24:7, Ps 24:9, Ps 78:66 (+38 more)
3. ancient times, of old — Bounded past antiquity: 'ancient times,' 'of old,' 'long ago.' Found 35 times, referring not to infinite past eternity but to historical ancientness within human memory or national tradition. The 'days of old' (yemei olam, Isa 63:9; Amos 9:11), 'ancient paths' (netivot olam, Jer 6:16), 'ancient gates' (pitchei olam, Ps 24:7), and the 'men of old' (anshei olam, Gen 6:4) all point to a remote but bounded past. Arabic al-qidami ('of antiquity') and Korean yennal ('olden times') select dedicated antiquity vocabulary distinct from their eternity words, confirming a real sense boundary. Micah 5:1 uses olam for the Messiah's origins 'from of old,' hovering suggestively between finite antiquity and something deeper. 35×
AR["-الْقِدَمِ","أَبَدِيَّةٍ","الأَبَدِ","الأَزَلِ","الدَّهْرِ","الْأَبَدِ","الْأَزَلِ","الْقَدِيمَ","الْقِدَمِ","مُنْذُ-الأَزَلِ","مُنْذُ-القِدَمِ","مِنَ-الأَزَلِ","مِنَ-الـ-قِدَمِ","مِنَ-الْقِدَمِ"]·ben["-পুরাকাল-থেকে","-প্রাচীনকাল-থেকে-","অনন্তকালের","চিরকাল-থেকে","চিরকালের","চিরকালের।","পুরাতন","প্রাচীন","প্রাচীনকাল-থেকে","প্রাচীনকালের"]·DE["Ewigkeit","von-Ewigkeit"]·EN["ancient-times","antiquity","eternity","from-ancient-times","from-everlasting","from-of-old","from-old","long-ago","of-old","old"]·FR["de-éternité","éternité"]·heb["מ-עולם","עולם"]·HI["पुरानी","पुरानी-की","पुराने","पुराने-के","पुराने-से","प्राचीन-काल-के","प्राचीन-काल-से","प्राचीनके","सदा","सदा-के","सदा-से","सनातन-की","से-सदा"]·ID["abadi","abadi;","dahulu-kala","dari-dahulu","dari-dahulu-kala","dari-zaman-dahulu","kekal","kuno","selama-lamanya,"]·IT["da-eternita","dall'eternita'","eternita","eternita'","eternità"]·jav["kang-langgeng","kina","kuna,","saking-kina","saking-rumiyin","salami-laminipun.","salaminipun"]·KO["에서-영원으로","영원","영원-의","영원-의-것-이니라","영원으로부터의","영원의","영원한","예부터","옛날-의","옛의","옛적-의","옛적부터","오래-전-에","옥날"]·PT["antigamente","antigo","antiguidade","antiguidade,","de-eternidade","de-outrora","desde-a-antiguidade","desde-a-eternidade","desde-antigamente","desde-sempre","eternas","eternidade"]·RU["века","вечной","вечности","вечный","древние","из-древности","издавна","издревле","от-века","с-древних-времён"]·ES["antigua","antiguas","antiguo","antigüedad","desde-antiguo","desde-antigüedad","desde-la-antigüedad","desde-siempre","eterna","eternidad","la-antigüedad","la-eternidad"]·SW["la-zamani","milele","tangu-zamani","vya-kale","wa-zamani","ya-kale","ya-zamani","za-kale","za-milele","zamani"]·TR["ebedi","ebedî","eski-zamanlardan","eskiden","eskiden-beri","eskiliğin","eskinin","ezelden","sonsuzluğun","çoktan-beri"]·urd["ابدی","ازل-سے","ازل-کے","دیرینہ","قدیم","قدیم-سے","قدیم-کے","مدتوں-سے","پرانی","پرانے-سے"]
Gen 6:4, Josh 24:2, 1 Sam 27:8, Job 22:15, Ps 119:52, Ps 143:3, Prov 22:28, Prov 23:10, Isa 42:14, Isa 44:7, Isa 46:9, Isa 57:11 (+23 more)
4. from everlasting (past eternity) — Past-directed eternity: 'from everlasting,' pre-eternity. Found 17 times with the preposition min ('from'), typically describing God's eternal self-existence reaching back without beginning. The doxological formula 'from everlasting to everlasting' (min ha'olam ve'ad ha'olam, 1 Chr 16:36; Ps 90:2) frames God's being as unbounded in both temporal directions. Arabic min al-azal specifically selects pre-eternity vocabulary, and Swahili tangu milele ('since forever') captures the backward-looking infinite duration. Abraham plants a tamarisk at Beersheba and calls on the name of Yahweh el olam, 'the Everlasting God' (Gen 21:33), one of the most ancient divine epithets in Scripture. 17×
AR["ال-أَبَدِ","ال-أَزَلِ","الأَبَد","الأَزَل","الْأَبَدِ","الْأَزَلِ","الْأَزَلِيِّ","عُولَمُو","مُنْذُ-الأَزَلِ","مِنَ-الأَزَل","مِنَ-الأَزَلِ","مِنَ-الْأَبَدِ","مِنْ-الْأَبَدِ","مِنْ-الْأَزَلِ","وَضَعَهُ","وَمِنَ-الْأَزَلِ"]·ben["-অনন্তকাল-থেকে","অনন্ত","অনন্তকাল","অনন্তকাল-থেকে","এবং-চিরকাল-থেকে","চিরকাল","চিরকাল-থেকে","তার-চিরকালের","রাজ্য-আমার"]·DE["Ewigkeit","der-Ewigkeit","und-von-Ewigkeit","von-Ewigkeit"]·EN["Everlasting","and-from-everlasting","from-everlasting","from-forever","from-of-old","his-eternity","the-eternity","the-everlasting","the-forever"]·FR["de-éternité","et-de-éternité","le-éternité","son-éternité-lui","Éternel","éternité"]·heb["ה-עולם","ה-עלם","ו-מ-עולם","מ-ה-עולם","מ-עולם","עולם","עולמו"]·HI["-से-सदा","अनन्तकाल-से","अनन्तता","अपनी-अनंतता-के","और-सदा-से","युगानुयुग","सदा","सदा-तक","सदा-से","सनातन","से-अनादिकाल"]·ID["Dari-kekekalan","dan-dari-kekal","dari-dahulu-kala","dari-kekal","dari-selamanya","kekal","kekalnya","kekekalan"]·IT["Everlasting","da-eternità","dall'eternita'","e-da-eternita'","eternita'","eternità","eternità-suo","il-eternita'","il-eternità"]·jav["ing-kalanggengan","kalanggengan","lan-saking-salaminipun","langgeng","langgeng-ipun","saking-ing-kalanggengan","saking-ing-salaminipun","saking-salalanggengipun","saking-salami-laminipun","saking-salaminipun","salami-laminipun"]·KO["-영원-에서","그-영원","에서-영원히","영원-부터","영원-에서","영원하신","영원함","영원함-그","영원함-그의-의"]·PT["'Olam","Desde-eternidade","a-eternidade","de-eternidade","desde-a-eternidade","desde-sempre","eternidade-sua","o-sempre","é-desde-a-eternidade"]·RU["-вечности","·-века","·-вечности","От-века","вечного","вечности","вечности-своей,","вечность","и-от-века","от-века"]·ES["Olam","desde-eternidad","desde-la-eternidad","la-eternidad","su-eternidad","y-desde-eternidad"]·SW["kutoka-milele","milele","na-tangu-milele","ni-wa-milele","tangu-milele","umilele","wa-milele"]·TR["ezelden","sonsuz","sonsuza","sonsuzdan","sonsuzlugu","sonsuzluktan","sonsuzluktan-","sonsuzluğa","sonsuzluğun","ve-sonsuzdan"]·urd["ابد","ابدی","ابدیت","ازل","ازل-سے","اور-مِن-ازل","اپنی-ابدیت-کے","ہمیشہ"]
Gen 21:33, 1 Chr 16:36, 1 Chr 16:36, 1 Chr 17:14, 1 Chr 29:10, Neh 9:5, Neh 9:5, Ps 25:6, Ps 41:13, Ps 90:2, Ps 93:2, Ps 103:17 (+5 more)
5. age(s), long era(s) — Discrete ages, eras, or long periods — a bounded but extended temporal span, often in the plural olamim. Found 8 times, these occurrences foreground the idea of successive generations or epochs rather than undifferentiated eternity. Deut 32:7 exhorts 'remember the days of old, consider the years of generation and generation (shenot dor vador)' — where olam parallels 'generations' rather than 'eternity.' Isa 26:4 calls God 'the Rock of Ages' (tsur olamim), and Ps 145:13 declares his kingdom endures 'throughout all ages' (le-khol-olamim). Arabic ad-duhur ('epochs') and Korean sedaedeul ('generations') both select era-based vocabulary, while Swahili vizazi ('generations') confirms the periodized, countable quality of this usage. 8×
AR["أَبَدِ","الأَبَدِ","الأَجْيَالِ","الأَزَلِ","الأَزَلِيَّةِ","الدَّهْرِ","الدُّهُورِ","الَّتِي"]·ben["-কি","-চিরকাল","-চিরকালের","চিরকালের","প্রাচীনত্বের","প্রাচীনের","যুগসমূহে","যুগের"]·DE["Ewigkeit","eternity"]·EN["ages","ages-of","eternity","for-ages","of-ages","of-long-ago"]·FR["à-éternité","éternité"]·heb["ל-עולמים","עולם","עולמי","עולמים"]·HI["ओलामीम","पुराने-के","युगों","युगों-का","युगों-के","युगों-में","सदा-का"]·ID["kekal","kekekalan","sejak-dahulu-kala","selama-lamanya","zaman"]·IT["eternita","eternita'","eternity","per-eternità"]·jav["ing-jaman-rumiyin","ingkang-langgeng","jaman","kina","kuna","langgeng","rumiyin","selaminipun"]·KO["세대들-에","영원들의","영원의","영원한"]·PT["antigos","eternidade","eternidades","eternidades-de","os-séculos","para-os-séculos"]·RU["в-веках","веков","вечная","вечности","вечным","древние"]·ES["antigüedad","en-los-siglos","eternidades","eternidades-de","siglos"]·SW["kwa-vizazi","milele","wa-milele","ya-zamani","zamani"]·TR["caglar-once","ebediyet","ebediyetler","eski","olaklerin","sonsuzlarin","çağların"]·urd["ابد","ابدی","دُور-کے","دہروں-کی","زمانوں-میں","پرانے"]
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)G3568 1. now (147×)G2193 1. until (143×)G3825 1. (141×)G3752 1. (123×)H6153 1. evening, time of day (123×)H0227a 1. then (122×)G5610 1. hour / time / moment (106×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
עוֹלָם439 n.m. long duration, antiquity, futurity;—ע׳ Gn 9:12 + 405 times; עֹלָם 3:22 + 19 times; עֵילוֹם 2 Ch 33:7, read prob. עוֹלָם (for other explan. v. note in KitHpt); sf. עֹלָמוֹ Ec 12:5; pl. עוֹלָמִים Is 26:4 + 7 times, עֹלָמִים ψ 145:13 + 2 times; cstr. עוֹלְמֵי Is 45:17;— †1. of past time: a. ancient time: יְמֵי ע׳ days of old Is 63:9, 11 Am 9:11 Mi 5:1; 7:14 Mal 3:4; יְמוֹת ע׳ Dt 32:7;…