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Study 7: Does "Forever" Mean Eternal?

The Hebrew Word Olam in the Old Testament

A Note on How to Study

Throughout this series, we distinguish between what the Bible explicitly says and what people infer from the Bible. These are not the same thing.

  • Explicit: You can point to a verse and quote it. The text directly says this.
  • Inference: Someone claims the Bible teaches something, but no single verse says it. They have drawn a conclusion — possibly a good one, possibly not — but the conclusion itself is not in the text.

This distinction is especially important in this study. The English word "forever" carries a strong sense of endlessness. But does the Hebrew word behind it always mean the same thing?

Section A: What Does "Forever" Actually Mean in Hebrew?

  1. The Hebrew word olam (H5769) is translated "forever," "everlasting," "perpetual," "of old," "ancient," and over 40 other ways in the KJV. What does this wide range of translations suggest about whether olam simply means "eternal"?

  2. Strong's Concordance defines olam as "properly, concealed, i.e. the vanishing point; generally, time out of mind." The root word alam means "to conceal" or "to hide." Based on this, does olam describe a specific length of time, or a time whose endpoint is hidden from view?

  3. Read Genesis 6:4. The "mighty men" are described as being "of old" — the Hebrew word is olam. Does olam here mean "eternal," or does it mean "ancient" / "long ago"?

  4. Read Deuteronomy 32:7 and Jeremiah 6:16. Both use olam for "old" or "ancient." If olam meant "infinite/endless," could it be used to describe the past?

Section B: Where "Forever" Clearly Ended

  1. Read Jonah 2:6. Jonah says "the earth with her bars was about me for ever" (olam). Now read Jonah 1:17. How long was Jonah actually in the fish?

  2. Read Exodus 21:6. A slave who chooses to stay with his master "shall serve him for ever" (olam). Does this mean the slave will serve for eternity, or for his remaining lifetime?

  3. Read 1 Samuel 1:22. Hannah says Samuel will "abide for ever" (olam) at the tabernacle. Now read 1 Samuel 25:1. What happened to Samuel?

  4. Read Exodus 40:15. The Aaronic priesthood is called "an everlasting priesthood" (olam). Now read Hebrews 7:12. What happened to this priesthood?

  5. Read 1 Kings 8:13 and 1 Kings 9:3. Solomon says the temple is God's dwelling "for ever" (olam). What happened to Solomon's temple in 586 BC? And again in AD 70?

  6. Read Genesis 17:13. Circumcision is called "an everlasting covenant" (olam). Now read Galatians 5:2-6. Is circumcision still required?

Section C: "Forever" Fire and Judgment

  1. Read Isaiah 34:10. The smoke of Edom's judgment goes up "for ever" (olam). Now read Isaiah 34:11-17. What creatures inhabit the same territory afterward? Can animals live in a place where fire is still burning?

  2. Read Jeremiah 17:4, 27. Fire will burn in Jerusalem's gates and "shall not be quenched" — it will burn olam. Nebuchadnezzar burned Jerusalem in 586 BC. Is that fire still burning today?

  3. Read Jude 1:7. Sodom and Gomorrah suffered "the vengeance of eternal fire." Are those cities still burning?

  4. Based on these three examples (Edom, Jerusalem, Sodom), what does "eternal fire" or "forever fire" describe — a fire that never stops burning, or a fire whose destructive results are permanent?

Section D: Revoked "Forever" Promises

  1. Read 1 Samuel 2:30. God says: "I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me." What happened to this olam promise?

  2. Read 1 Samuel 13:13-14. Samuel tells Saul: "The LORD would have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue." Why was Saul's olam kingdom taken away?

  3. If olam meant "unconditional and irrevocable," could God cancel an olam promise? What do these two examples tell you about whether olam guarantees permanence?

Section E: What Determines the Duration?

  1. Read Psalm 90:2. "From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Here olam is applied to God. Is God genuinely eternal? Does olam carry its full weight here?

  2. Now compare Psalm 90:2 (olam for God = genuinely eternal) with Exodus 21:6 (olam for slave service = one lifetime) and Jonah 2:6 (olam for Jonah's confinement = three days). The same word is used in all three cases. What determines the actual duration — the word olam itself, or the nature of the subject it describes?

Explicit or Inference?

For each statement below, decide: Does the Bible explicitly say this (you can point to a verse), or is it an inference (a conclusion someone draws that no verse directly states)?

A. "Olam is applied to subjects that have demonstrably ended — the Aaronic priesthood, Solomon's temple, slave service, and Jonah's three-day confinement." - [ ] Explicit — the Bible says this - [ ] Inference — someone concluded this

B. "When the Bible says 'forever,' it always means eternally without end." - [ ] Explicit — the Bible says this - [ ] Inference — someone concluded this

C. "God explicitly revoked two olam promises — to Eli's house and to Saul's kingdom." - [ ] Explicit — the Bible says this - [ ] Inference — someone concluded this

D. "The 'eternal fire' that destroyed Sodom and Edom is still burning today." - [ ] Explicit — the Bible says this - [ ] Inference — someone concluded this

E. "The duration of olam depends on the nature of the subject it describes, not on the word itself." - [ ] Explicit — the Bible says this - [ ] Neither — this unavoidably follows from what the Bible says - [ ] Inference — someone concluded this