Lexical Summary
alam: To conceal, hide, be hidden
Original Word:עָלַם
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:`alam
Pronunciation:ah-LAHM
Phonetic Spelling:(aw-lam')
KJV: for ((n-))ever (lasting), old
NASB:forever, everlasting, past, all ages, all ages to come, forever and ever, perpetrated
Word Origin:[(Aramaic) corresponding toH5769 (עוֹלָם עוֹלָם - forever)]
1. remote time, i.e. the future or past indefinitely
2. often adverb, forever
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
forever lasting, old
(Aramaic) corresponding toowlam; remote time, i.e. The future or past indefinitely; often adverb, forever -- for ((n-))ever (lasting), old.
see HEBREWowlam
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to
olamDefinitionperpetuity, antiquity
NASB Translationall ages (1), all ages to come (1), everlasting (4), forever (9), forever and ever (1), never* (1), past (2), perpetrated (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(see Biblical Hebrew III> , ); — absolute
Daniel 3:33 +, construct
Daniel 7:18; emphatic
Daniel 2:20 +; plural
Daniel 2:4 +, emphatic
Daniel 2:44;
Daniel 7:18; —
perpetuity in the future:
Daniel 3:33;
Daniel 7:27, compare
Daniel 4:31;
Daniel 7:14; as adverb
for everDaniel 4:31;
Daniel 7:18; plural
for everDaniel 2:4,44,44;
Daniel 3:9;
Daniel 5:10;
Daniel 6:7;
Daniel 6:22;
Daniel 6:27;
antiquity,
Ezra 4:15,19; of limitless time both past and future:
Daniel 2:20.
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Scope and Literary SettingAlthough its form is Aramaic, עָלַם functions in Ezra and Daniel the same way Hebrew עוֹלָם does elsewhere, describing unlimited duration in either direction—time past long gone or time stretching without end. The twenty occurrences cluster in the imperial correspondence ofEzra 4 and in the Aramaic narratives and visions ofDaniel 2–7. In every context the word accentuates permanence, whether of a problem that has plagued kings “from ancient times” (Ezra 4) or, far more significantly, of the living God, His rule, and the saints who will share it (Daniel).
Political and Historical Usage in Ezra
Persian officials use עָלַם to paint Jerusalem as a perennial source of rebellion:
•Ezra 4:15, 19 – “…a rebellious city… from ancient times.”
By appealing to a record of continuous insurrection, the accusers hope to halt the rebuilding of both city and temple. Here the word underlines a human perspective—‘we have always had this trouble’—and sets the stage for the later divine reply in Daniel that only God’s kingdom is truly everlasting.
Court Etiquette: “O King, Live Forever!”
Fourteen of the twenty occurrences appear in the Aramaic formula of court greeting (Daniel 2:4; 3:9; 5:10; 6:6, 21). The hyperbolic wish, “O king, may you live forever,” flatters mortal monarchs whose reigns will, in fact, end. Scripture allows the phrase to stand while simultaneously subverting it: every narrative in which it occurs demonstrates the fragility of human power before the God who actually lives forever.
Doxology and Worship
Daniel’s own praise contrasts sharply with the courtly formula.
•Daniel 2:20 – “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him.”
•Daniel 4:3 – “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion endures from generation to generation.”
•Daniel 4:34 – Nebuchadnezzar’s repentance climaxes in the confession that the Most High “lives forever.”
The repetition of עָלַם in these doxologies drives home the changelessness of God’s character and authority. He alone merits the adverb “forever”; kings receive it only in polite fiction.
The Everlasting Kingdom
Daniel’s prophetic material develops the concept further:
•Daniel 2:44 – The stone-cut-without-hands kingdom “will itself endure forever.”
•Daniel 6:26 – Darius acknowledges, “He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed.”
•Daniel 7:14 – Messiah’s “dominion is an everlasting dominion.”
•Daniel 7:18, 27 – “The saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever—yes, forever and ever… His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom.”
Here עָלַם anchors the major theological theme of Daniel: the transition from transient earthly rulers to the permanent reign of God and of His Anointed. The word appears at each turning point—dream, decree, vision—binding the book into a unified testimony about ultimate sovereignty.
Theological Significance
1. Divine Immutability. Every occurrence that speaks directly of God or His kingdom positions Him above time and beyond threat.
2. Eschatological Hope. Daniel’s visions promise an age when redeemed saints share in an everlasting dominion, anticipating New Testament teaching that believers will “reign with Christ” (compareRevelation 5:10; 22:5).
3. Judgment of the Nations. By employing the same term for temporal kings and the eternal God, Scripture exposes the limited lifespan of human empires and points to the final accountability all rulers face.
Ministry Application
• Worship. Let corporate worship adopt Daniel’s phrasing: blessing the name of God “forever and ever” redirects attention from temporal worries to eternal realities.
• Perseverance. Knowing that the kingdom “will never be destroyed” encourages steadfastness amid cultural pressure, just as it sustained the exiles in Babylon.
• Evangelism. The contrast between fleeting earthly glory and God’s everlasting dominion supplies a powerful apologetic: only a kingdom that cannot be shaken is worthy of ultimate allegiance.
• Discipleship. The promise that the saints will “possess it forever” motivates holy living, aligning personal priorities with the eternal reign already secured in Christ.
Summary
עָלַם in Ezra and Daniel is more than a time-marker; it is a theological beacon. Whether exposing the emptiness of political flattery or declaring the unbreakable covenant hope of an everlasting kingdom, the word fixes the reader’s gaze on the God who was, who is, and who is to come.
Forms and Transliterations
לְעָ֣לְמִ֔ין לְעָלְמִ֣ין לְעָלְמִ֥ין לְעָלְמִין֙ לְעָלְמַיָּֽא׃ לעלמיא׃ לעלמין עָ֣לְמָ֔א עָֽלְמָ֔א עָלְמַיָּֽא׃ עָלְמָ֑א עָלְמָ֖א עָלַ֔ם עָלַ֥ם עָלַם֙ עלם עלמא עלמיא׃ ‘ā·lam ‘ā·lə·mā ‘ā·lə·may·yā ‘ālam ‘āləmā ‘āləmayyā aLam alMa almaiYa lə‘āləmayyā lə‘āləmîn lə·‘ā·lə·may·yā lə·‘ā·lə·mîn leAleMin lealmaiYa lealMin
Links
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Englishman's Greek Concordance •
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