Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] one-to-one rendering of olam
Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 16:51:32 -0600
I changed the subject line because we're straying from the original topic.
Please check the archives for previous discussions regarding the range of
meaning of עולם
It can indeed mean forever in some contexts, like when it describes God
himself (we can be relatively certain that El Olam doesn't mean "Temporary
God"). In other contexts, though, it means a relatively long time (as in the
case of a slave who commits to remain with his owner "forever"). In still
other contexts, it connotes, very simply, indefinite duration.