Biblical Hebrew Forum

[George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>]

> Indeed, which is why it makes sense to think of olam as
> conveying the notion of time continuing beyond all measure.

Not necessarily. (oLaM simply means 'always'. This may indicate infinite 
time. However, it might just be a rhetorical way of indicating a fixed norm 
(e.g., "I always lock the door when I leave"), or a way of saying 'as far as 
I can see' (e.g. "This will always be a problem"). That is, it refers to a 
period of time which is not going to be measured, even if that is in fact a 
finite span of time.

It must not be interpreted as always (excuse the pun) indicating 'forever' - 
that is, without end. This is within the semantic range of the word, but as 
with any particular nuance, it must be determined from the given context.

To take a biblical example: Deut 15.17 states "Take an awl and pierce it 
through his ear into the door, and he becomes your slave forever [ L:(oLaM)." 
This verse cannot possible mean that the person becomes a slave for eternity. 
In this case it means 'always' in the sense of 'for life' (cf. Holman CSB 
translation).

As I always tell my students: "Context is your best friend!"


Regards,

GEORGE ATHAS
Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)
www.moore.edu.au