Word study

Forever

15 Hebrew and 2 Greek words behind this English word

The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “forever”. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.

At a glance

How often each original word is translated “forever” or one of its forms.

Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side

Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)

  • עוֹלָם ôlâmlong duration, antiquity, futuritytranslated this way 158 times of its 341 uses · Strong’s H5769Noun  ·  Translated: forever 114, everlasting 60, endures forever 43, permanent 38

    Genesis 3:22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”

    Exodus 3:15 God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob — has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.

    Full study and all 324 verses →
  • עַד adas far as, even to, up to, until, whiletranslated this way 43 times of its 1,111 uses · Strong’s H5704Preposition  ·  Translated: until 348, to 278, far 48, forever 43

    Genesis 13:15 for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.

    Numbers 24:24 Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus; they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will perish forever.”

    Full study and all 1,024 verses →
  • עַד adperpetuitytranslated this way 18 times of its 41 uses · Strong’s H5703Noun  ·  Translated: forever 18, and ever 16

    1 Chronicles 28:9 As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

    Job 19:24 by an iron stylus on lead, or chiseled in stone forever.

    Full study and all 39 verses →
  • נֶצַח netsacheminence, enduring, everlastingness, perpetuitytranslated this way 16 times of its 31 uses · Strong’s H5331Noun  ·  Translated: forever 16, always 3

    Job 4:20 They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk; unnoticed, they perish forever.

    Psalm 13:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

    Full study and all 31 verses →
  • עָלַם âlamperpetuity, antiquitytranslated this way 8 times of its 17 uses · Strong’s H5957Noun  ·  Translated: forever 8, everlasting 3, ancient 2

    Daniel 2:4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

    Daniel 2:20 and declared: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him.

    Full study and all 14 verses →
  • כֹּל kôlthe whole, alltranslated this way 5 times of its 5,107 uses · Strong’s H3605Noun  ·  Translated: all 1,589, and all 471, whole 223, every 196Full study and all 4,112 verses →
  • הָיָה hâyâhfall out, come to pass, become, betranslated this way 5 times of its 2,848 uses · Strong’s H1961Verb  ·  Translated: will be 206, become 178, came 169, was 151Full study and all 2,573 verses →
  • יִשְׂרָאֵל YisrâêlIsraeltranslated this way 3 times of its 1,998 uses · Strong’s H3478Noun  ·  Translated: Israel 1,807, Israelites 111, caused israel 21, Israel's 19Full study and all 1,817 verses →
  • תָּמִיד tâmîdcontinuitytranslated this way 3 times of its 99 uses · Strong’s H8548Adverb  ·  Translated: always 26, regular 20, continually 14, regularly 7

    Psalm 69:23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.

    Proverbs 5:19 A loving doe, a graceful fawn— may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever.

    Full study and all 99 verses →
  • עַד adeven to, untiltranslated this way 3 times of its 28 uses · Strong’s H5705Preposition  ·  Translated: until 11, for 4, forever 3, as 2

    Daniel 7:18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever — yes, forever and ever.’

    Daniel 7:26 But the court will convene, and his dominion will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.

    Full study and all 26 verses →
  • בָּרַךְ bârakkneel, blesstranslated this way 2 times of its 323 uses · Strong’s H1288Verb  ·  Translated: blessed 155, bless 114, blesses 13, pronounce blessings 3

    2 Samuel 7:29 Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with Your blessing the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”

    Psalm 45:2 You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.

    Full study and all 289 verses →
  • זֶרַע zerasowing, seed, offspringtranslated this way 2 times of its 220 uses · Strong’s H2233Noun  ·  Translated: descendants 78, offspring 45, seed 34, children 10

    1 Kings 2:33 Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”

    Psalm 89:29 I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.

    Full study and all 201 verses →
  • חֶסֶד chesedgoodness, kindnesstranslated this way 2 times of its 247 uses · Strong’s H2617Noun  ·  Translated: loving devotion 175, kindness 31, according to your loving devotion 6, favor 4

    2 Chronicles 5:13 The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the LORD with one voice. They lifted up their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise to the LORD: “For He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.” And the temple, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud

    Psalm 106:1 Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.

    Full study and all 241 verses →
  • עָמַד âmadtake one's stand, standtranslated this way 2 times of its 508 uses · Strong’s H5975Verb  ·  Translated: stood 99, stand 95, standing 50, stands 12Full study and all 485 verses →
  • זָנַח zânachreject, spurntranslated this way 2 times of its 20 uses · Strong’s H2186Verb  ·  Translated: rejected 10, reject 2

    Psalm 44:23 Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever.

    Psalm 74:1 A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture?

    Full study and all 20 verses →

Greek words (New Testament)

  • αἰών aiṓnan age, a cycle of timetranslated this way 43 times of its 108 uses · Strong’s G165Noun  ·  Translated: forever 43, age 22, ever 21, ages 5

    Luke 1:33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”

    John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

    Full study and all 85 verses →
  • εἰς eisinto, in, among, till, fortranslated this way 3 times of its 1,383 uses · Strong’s G1519Preposition  ·  Translated: to 481, into 306, in 179, for 133Full study and all 1,235 verses →
How to study a word well
  1. Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
  2. Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
  3. Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
  4. Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
  5. See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
  6. Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
  7. Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.

Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.