What does αἰώνιος (aiṓnios) mean in the Bible?
αἰώνιος describes what belongs to the age, duration, or order that stands beyond the merely present. " The word should not be handled as a bare stopwatch term.
Greek · G166
αἰώνιος
Perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well)
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αἰώνιος G166
Pronunciation aiṓnios
What does αἰώνιος (aiṓnios) mean in the Bible?
αἰώνιος describes what belongs to the age, duration, or order that stands beyond the merely present. " The word should not be handled as a bare stopwatch term.
Reader summary
Full entry for αἰώνιος (G166) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G166?
The BSB source-word alignment has 70 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include eternal (49), of eternal (7), [is] eternal (3), [the] eternal (2), an eternal (2).
Where does αἰώνιος (aiṓnios) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 18:8. Its strongest book concentrations include John (17), 1 John (6), Hebrews (6), Matthew (6).
Are there verse guides for αἰώνιος (aiṓnios)?
This entry includes 2 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
αἰώνιος describes what belongs to the age, duration, or order that stands beyond the merely present. In the Pastoral Epistles, it appears in "eternal life," "eternal dominion," God's purpose before time began, and "eternal glory." The word should not be handled as a bare stopwatch term. It speaks of life promised by the God who cannot lie, life grasped by faith, dominion belonging to the immortal King, grace given before temporal history, and glory obtained in Christ Jesus.
Because αἰώνιος often modifies ζωή, it keeps Christian hope from shrinking to present usefulness or moral improvement. Because it also describes dominion and glory, it connects hope to God's reign and the final weight of salvation. The word teaches that the church's present faithfulness is accountable to a reality older than the ages and stronger than death, yet already promised and revealed in Christ.
How the Bible Uses It
In the Pastoral Epistles, αἰώνιος marks life, dominion, grace, and glory as belonging to God's enduring purpose rather than to the fragile present age. It gives salvation, endurance, and church faithfulness their eternal horizon.
- 1Tim.1.16
But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
Paul's mercy testimony points beyond bare rescue to the life that belongs to those who believe in Christ. The adjective guards the passage from being reduced to temporary survival or moral rehabilitation.
- 1Tim.6.12
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.
Timothy must take hold of eternal life. The word gives urgency to endurance and confession before witnesses.
- 1Tim.6.16
He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
Honor and eternal dominion belong to the immortal God. αἰώνιος here describes God's reign, not only the believer's future.
- 2Tim.1.9
He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.
Grace was granted in Christ Jesus before time began. The phrase reaches behind history to God's saving purpose.
- 2Tim.2.10
For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
Paul endures so the elect may obtain salvation with eternal glory. The adjective attaches endurance to final glory in Christ.
- Titus.1.2
In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
Eternal life rests on God's promise before time began. Hope is secured by the God who cannot lie.
- Titus.3.7
So that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
The inheritance promised to the justified is described with this adjective, so the hope is not merely improved earthly prospects. Eternal hope is inheritance language governed by God's saving mercy.
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 eternal 49× Matthew 18:8, Matthew 19:16, Matthew 19:29, Matthew 25:41
of eternal 7× John 6:68, Acts 13:46, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Titus 1:2
[is] eternal 3× Romans 6:22, Romans 6:23, 2 Corinthians 4:18
[the] eternal 2× Hebrews 9:14, Revelation 14:6
an eternal 2× 2 Corinthians 4:17, 2 Corinthians 5:1
began 2× 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2
[He will give] eternal 1× Romans 2:7
[of] eternal 1× Mark 3:29
for ages past 1× Romans 16:25
for good 1× Philemon 1:15
of [the] eternal 1× Hebrews 13:20
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 18:8 αἰώνιον to eternal Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular Matthew 19:16 αἰώνιον to eternal Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 19:29 αἰώνιον to eternal Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 25:41 αἰώνιον to eternal Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular Matthew 25:46 αἰώνιον to eternal Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 25:46 αἰώνιον to eternal Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular Mark 3:29 αἰωνίου to [of] eternal Adjective - Genitive Neuter Singular Mark 10:17 αἰώνιον to eternal Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular Mark 10:30 αἰώνιον to eternal Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular Luke 10:25 αἰώνιον to eternal Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 18:8
Aligned rows 70
Books represented 19
Matthew 6 Mark 3 Luke 4 John 17 Acts 2 Romans 6 2 Corinthians 3 Galatians 1 2 Thessalonians 2 1 Timothy 3 2 Timothy 2 Titus 3 Philemon 1 Hebrews 6 1 Peter 1 2 Peter 1 1 John 6 Jude 2 Revelation 1
Source forms
αἰώνιον 45x aiōnion Matthew 18:8, Matthew 19:16, Matthew 19:29, Matthew 25:41
αἰωνίου 14x aiōniou Mark 3:29, John 6:68, Acts 13:46, Romans 16:26
αἰώνιος 3x aiōnios John 17:3, Romans 6:23, 1 John 5:20
αἰωνίαν 2x aiōnian 2 Thessalonians 2:16, Hebrews 9:12
αἰωνίων 2x aiōniōn 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2
αἰώνια 1x aiōnia 2 Corinthians 4:18
αἰωνίοις 1x aiōniois Romans 16:25
αἰώνιός 1x aiōnios John 12:50
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular 40x Matthew 19:16, Matthew 19:29, Matthew 25:46, Mark 10:17
Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular 9x John 6:68, Acts 13:46, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 2:10
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular 4x Matthew 18:8, Matthew 25:41, 2 Corinthians 4:17, Revelation 14:6
Adjective - Genitive Neuter Singular 4x Mark 3:29, Hebrews 6:2, Hebrews 9:14, Jude 1:7
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular 4x John 12:50, John 17:3, Romans 6:23, 1 John 5:20
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular 2x 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Philemon 1:15
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural 2x 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural 1x Luke 16:9
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Let the eternal horizon strengthen present faithfulness without making present suffering seem unreal or small.
- Use the word to steady hope, not to satisfy curiosity about matters the text does not explain.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that αἰώνιος always carries only one English sense in every passage.
- Do not claim that eternal life is merely endless existence without reference to God, Christ, promise, and inheritance.
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.
John 3:15 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον. aionion perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well) The adjective agrees with life and qualifies the promised object as eternal in the purpose clause. Read verse guide John 3:16 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον. aionion perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well) The form clarifies what receives or completes the action in the local phrase. Read verse guide Evidence Summary
Greek word. Eternal quality without end; applied to punishment, life, and God's attributes in eschatological contexts.
Source Gloss
perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 71 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 18:8 Adjective Accusative Singular Neuter
αἰώνιον. aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse Matthew 19:16 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον; aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse Matthew 19:29 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse Matthew 25:41 Adjective Accusative Singular Neuter
αἰώνιον, aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse Matthew 25:46 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον· aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse Matthew 25:46 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον. aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse Mark 3:29 Adjective Genitive Singular Feminine
αἰωνίου aiwniou
eternal, unending
Read verse Mark 10:17 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse Mark 10:30 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον. aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse Luke 10:25 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse Luke 16:9 Adjective Accusative Plural Feminine
αἰωνίους aiwniouv
eternal, unending
Read verse Luke 18:18 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse Luke 18:30 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον. aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse aiwnion
eternal, unending
Read verse John 3:36 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον· aiwnion
eternal, unending
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 10 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 10 Aligned forms 69 Case pattern Accusative (47) Number pattern Singular (65)
Nominative · Singular · Feminine John 12:50 · John 17:3 · Rom 6:23 · 1 John 5:20 4×
Nominative · Plural · Neuter 2 Cor 4:18 1×
Nominative · Singular · Neuter 1 Tim 6:16 1×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Mark 16:8 · John 6:68 · Acts 13:46 · 1 Tim 6:12 · 2 Tim 2:10 · Titus 1:2 · Titus 3:7 · Heb 5:9 · Heb 9:15 · Heb 13:20 10×
Genitive · Singular · Neuter Mark 3:29 · Heb 6:2 · Heb 9:14 · Jude 1:7 4×
Genitive · Plural · Masculine 2 Tim 1:9 · Titus 1:2 2×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Matt 19:16 · Matt 19:29 · Matt 25:46 · Mark 10:17 · Mark 10:30 · Luke 10:25 · Luke 18:18 · Luke 18:30 · John 3:15 · John 3:16 · John 3:36 · John 4:14 · John 4:36 · John 5:24 · John 5:39 · John 6:27 40×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter Matt 18:8 · Matt 25:41 · 2 Cor 4:17 · Rev 14:6 4×
Accusative · Singular · Masculine 2 Thess 1:9 · Phlm 1:15 2×
Accusative · Plural · Feminine Luke 16:9 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Witnesses
Mark 10:23–31 αἰώνιος aiṓnios
eternal, everlasting
Mark 3:20–30 αἰώνιος aiṓnios
eternal
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 69 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
αἰώνιος is built from this root:
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
αἰώνιος gives the Pastoral Epistles their scale of time and worth. Paul writes to men serving in ordinary churches, dealing with false teaching, households, leadership, money, and suffering. Yet the adjective keeps those ordinary concerns inside God's eternal horizon. Eternal life is promised by the God who cannot lie and is to be taken hold of by faith. Eternal dominion belongs to the God who alone is immortal.
Grace was given in Christ before time began, so salvation is not a late repair plan. Eternal glory stands beyond Paul's chains and gives meaning to endurance for the elect. This word therefore protects the church from short sightedness. It does not invite speculation about timelines. It teaches that God's saving purpose precedes history, governs ministry, and ends in life and glory that cannot be measured by the present age.
Anchor passage
Titus.1.2
Doctrinal connections
- G2222 Zoe: The most frequent Pastoral Epistles pairing is eternal life, hope promised and inherited in Christ.
- G5485 Charis: 2 Timothy 1:9 says grace was granted in Christ Jesus before time began.
- G1391 Doxa: 2 Timothy 2:10 links salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
- G2962 Kyrios: The Lord's reign and rescue are framed by eternal dominion and final kingdom hope.
- G4102 Pistis: Eternal life is received by those who believe in Christ and is taken hold of in the good fight of faith.
- G5281 Hypomone: Endurance gains its theological weight because eternal glory stands beyond suffering.
αἰώνιος is an adjective related to age or enduring duration. Context decides whether the emphasis falls on unending duration, the character of the age to come, God's pre-temporal purpose, or divine dominion. In these letters it modifies life, dominion, times, and glory, so one narrow English gloss cannot carry every usage.
From Old to New Testament
The Old Testament repeatedly contrasts human frailty with the enduring reign and covenant faithfulness of God. The New Testament brings that enduring horizon into Christ, where eternal life, pre-temporal grace, and eternal glory are promised and secured.
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