# H5769 - olam **Strong's:** [H5769](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h5769/) · BLB lookup **Pronunciation:** o-lawm' **Part of speech:** masculine noun (often functioning adverbially) **OT occurrences:** ~439 **Greek equivalent (LXX):** *aiōn* (G165), overwhelmingly; *aiōnios* (G166) for the adjectival sense ## Semantic range 1. **Long duration / age / time-stretching-out-of-sight**, the basic etymological force 2. **Forever, eternally**, when applied to God / divine attributes 3. **Of old, ancient times**, backwards-looking 4. **Forever, perpetuity**, forwards-looking The base sense is **time-out-of-sight**, duration so long the endpoint is hidden / out of view. Whether bounded or unbounded depends on context. ## Theological force ### *Olam* of God Applied to God, *olam* signals **eternity**, God's existence has no temporal limits: - **[Genesis 21:33](/codex/genesis-21-33/)**, *El Olam*, "the Eternal God" - **[Deuteronomy 33:27](/codex/deuteronomy-33-27/)**, "the eternal God is a dwelling place" - **[Psalm 90:2](/codex/psalms-90-2/)**, "*me-olam ad-olam attah El*", "from everlasting to everlasting You are God" - **[Psalm 41:13](/codex/psalms-41-13/); 90:2; 93:2; 100:5; 103:17; 106:48**, repeated *me-olam ad-olam* / "from eternity to eternity" - **[Isaiah 9:6](/codex/isaiah-9-6/)**, "*Avi-Ad*", "Father of Eternity" - **[Isaiah 26:4](/codex/isaiah-26-4/)**, "the LORD GOD, *tzur olamim*", "the Eternal Rock" - **[Isaiah 40:28](/codex/isaiah-40-28/)**, "the *Olam* God, the LORD" - **[Isaiah 57:15](/codex/isaiah-57-15/)**, "He who lives forever, whose name is Holy" - **[Habakkuk 1:12](/codex/habakkuk-1-12/)**, "are You not from *olam*, O LORD, my God, my Holy One?" - **[Daniel 7:13-14](/codex/daniel-7-13-14/)**, "*malkut olam*", eternal kingdom (of the Son of Man) ### *Olam* of God's promises and covenants God's covenants are characterized as *olam*: - **[Genesis 9:16](/codex/genesis-9-16/)**, Noahic *berith olam* - **[Genesis 17:7-8](/codex/genesis-17-7-8/), [13](/codex/genesis-17-13/), [19](/codex/genesis-17-19/)**, Abrahamic *berith olam* - **[Exodus 31:16-17](/codex/exodus-31-16-17/)**, Sabbath as *berith olam* - **[2 Samuel 23:5](/codex/2-samuel-23-5/)**, Davidic *berith olam* (cf. [2 Sam 7:13](/codex/2-samuel-7-13/), [16](/codex/2-samuel-7-16/)) - **[Numbers 18:19](/codex/numbers-18-19/); 25:13**, priestly *berith olam* - **[Isaiah 55:3](/codex/isaiah-55-3/); 61:8; [Jeremiah 32:40](/codex/jeremiah-32-40/); 50:5**, eschatological-new *berith olam* The pattern: God's covenants endure permanently; His promises do not fail. ### *Olam* and Messianic prophecy - **[Psalm 110:4](/codex/psalms-110-4/)**, "You are a priest *l'olam*", Christ's eternal Melchizedekian priesthood - **[Isaiah 9:6-7](/codex/isaiah-9-6-7/)**, "of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom… *me-attah v'ad-olam*" - **[Daniel 7:14](/codex/daniel-7-14/)**, "His dominion is *shaltan olam*", eternal dominion - **[Micah 5:2](/codex/micah-5-2/)**, "from old, from the days of *olam*", pre-existence of the Messianic ruler These OT *olam*-passages anchor the NT proclamation of Christ's eternal kingship and priesthood. ## *Olam* and the duration debate The interpretive dispute: when *olam* / *aiōnios* / *aiōn* describe punishment (e.g., the eternal punishment of [Matthew 25.46](/codex/matthew-25-46/)) or salvation (eternal life, [John 3.16](/codex/john-3-16/)), do they signal **infinite duration** or merely **age-long / lengthy duration**? - **Annihilationist position**, *olam* / *aiōnios* can mean "age-long" / "of the age"; the punishment may be of finite duration with eternal consequences (extinction) - **Traditionalist (ECT) position**, *olam* / *aiōnios* applied to *both* eternal life and eternal punishment in the same parallel construction ([Mt 25:46](/codex/matthew-25-46/)) requires identical semantic force; if life is unending, punishment is unending See [Hell and Eternal Punishment](/codex/hell-and-eternal-punishment/) for the broader debate. Linguistic evidence: *olam* / *aiōnios* of God in OT is uncontroversially *unending*; identical-construction-parallel application to eschatological states most naturally retains that force. ### *Olam* and the structured-cosmology / creation *Olam* in late OT and rabbinic usage develops toward **the world / world-age** (cf. Greek *aiōn*). This usage anticipates the NT distinction between *ho aiōn houtos* (this present age) and *ho aiōn ho mellōn* (the age to come). - [Ecclesiastes 3:11](/codex/ecclesiastes-3-11/), God "set *olam* in their heart" (humanity's awareness of eternity / the world) - [Psalm 73:12](/codex/psalms-73-12/), "the wicked at peace *olam*", the worldly age - Late-rabbinic Hebrew: *olam ha-zeh* (this world) / *olam ha-ba* (the world to come) ## Notable verses - **[Genesis 9:12](/codex/genesis-9-12/), [16](/codex/genesis-9-16/)**, *berith olam* (Noahic) - **[Genesis 17:7](/codex/genesis-17-7/), [13](/codex/genesis-17-13/), [19](/codex/genesis-17-19/)**, *berith olam* (Abrahamic) - **[Genesis 21:33](/codex/genesis-21-33/)**, *El Olam* - **[Exodus 3:15](/codex/exodus-3-15/)**, "this is My name *l'olam*" - **[Psalm 90:2](/codex/psalms-90-2/)**, *me-olam ad-olam* - **[Psalm 100:5](/codex/psalms-100-5/)**, *u-le-olam hasdo*, "His lovingkindness endures forever" - **[Psalm 110:4](/codex/psalms-110-4/)**, eternal priesthood - **[Psalm 119:89](/codex/psalms-119-89/)**, "*l'olam* O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven" - **[Psalm 136:1](/codex/psalms-136-1/)**, *ki l'olam hasdo* (refrain throughout the Hallel) - **[Isaiah 9:6-7](/codex/isaiah-9-6-7/)**, eternal kingdom - **[Isaiah 26:4](/codex/isaiah-26-4/)**, eternal Rock - **[Isaiah 40:28](/codex/isaiah-40-28/)**, *Olam* God - **[Isaiah 51:6](/codex/isaiah-51-6/)**, God's salvation *l'olam* - **[Daniel 7:14](/codex/daniel-7-14/)**, eternal dominion - **[Daniel 12:2](/codex/daniel-12-2/)**, "*chayyei olam*" / "*deraon olam*", eternal life / eternal contempt - **[Micah 5:2](/codex/micah-5-2/)**, Messianic-pre-existence ## Patristic / scholarly note The *olam* / *aiōn* trajectory is central to OT-NT eschatology debates. See [G0166 - aionios](/codex/g0166-aionios/) for the parallel discussion. Modern OT theology engagement: extensive in eschatological literature. ## See also - [G165 - aion](/codex/g0165-aion/), Greek age / age-long - [G0166 - aionios](/codex/g0166-aionios/), Greek eternal (adjective) - H5957 - alam (Aramaic), Aramaic cognate - [Hell and Eternal Punishment](/codex/hell-and-eternal-punishment/), eschatological debate - [Matthew 25.46](/codex/matthew-25-46/), eternal life / eternal punishment parallel - [John 3.16](/codex/john-3-16/), eternal life - [Psalms 110](/codex/psalms-110/), eternal priesthood - [Isaiah 9.6](/codex/isaiah-9-6/), eternal Father / eternal king - [Micah 5.2](/codex/micah-5-2/), pre-existence ## Notes _Lexical workspace for olam._