A5957 — עָלַם (ʻâlam) [Aramaic]¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H5957
Original: עָלַם
Transliteration: ʻâlam
Pronunciation: aw-lam'
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: Cognate of H5769 עוֹלָם (ʻôwlâm) — same Semitic root; "concealed" → remote time
Occurrences: 15 unique verses (20 tokens) in OT
Books: Daniel (13), Ezra (2)
First Occurrence: Ezr 4:15 — "find in the book of the records of thy fathers...that this city of old time hath made insurrection"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

(Aramaic) corresponding to H5769; remote time, i.e. the future or past indefinitely; often adverb, forever:—for (n-)ever (lasting), old.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
for ever	8	53.3%
everlasting	4	26.7%
ever	2	13.3%
old	2	13.3%
and ever	1	6.7%
never	1	6.7%

(Percentages exceed 100% due to multi-token occurrences in same verse)

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Daniel	13	3.6
Ezra	2	0.7

Concentrated in the Aramaic sections of Daniel (chs. 2–7) and Ezra (4:15, 4:19). Absent from the Hebrew portions of both books.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Eternal Duration — "for ever (and ever)"¶

Used adverbially or adjectivally of God, His name, His kingdom, and His living nature as endless.

Dan 2:20 — "Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his"
Dan 7:18 — "the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever"
Dan 2:44 — "a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed"
Dan 6:26 — "he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom...shall not be destroyed"

2. Everlasting Kingdom / Dominion¶

Collocates with מַלְכוּ (kingdom, 7x) and שׁלְטָן (dominion, 5x) to assert the indestructibility of God's reign.

Dan 4:3 — "his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation"
Dan 4:34 — "his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation"
Dan 7:14 — "his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed"
Dan 7:27 — "his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him"

3. Court Formula — "O king, live for ever"¶

A frozen diplomatic greeting (לְעָלְמִין חֱיִי) addressed to Babylonian and Persian kings; the word anchors a formulaic loyalty expression.

Dan 2:4 — "Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever"
Dan 3:9 — "They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever"
Dan 6:6 — "assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever"
Dan 6:21 — "Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever"

4. Ancient / Past Time ("old")¶

The backward-facing use, denoting remote antiquity (the same semantic pole as H5769 בִּימֵי עוֹלָם "days of old").

Ezr 4:15 — "find in the book of the records...that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings"
Ezr 4:19 — "it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
מֶלֶךְ (melek)	H4430	8x	"O king, live for ever"; "everlasting kingdom"
מַלְכוּ (malkuw)	H4437	7x	"his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom"
חֲיָא (chaya)	H2418	5x	"live for ever" — royal court formula
שׁלְטָן (sholtan)	H7985	5x	"everlasting dominion"
עַד (ʻad)	H5705	3x	intensifying "for ever and ever" (עַד עָלְמָא וְעָלְמִין)
אֱלָהּ (ʼelah)	H426	3x	"the name of God for ever"; "the God who lives for ever"
שָׁמַיִן (shamayin)	H8065	3x	"God of heaven...his kingdom everlasting"
חֲבַל (chabal)	H2255	3x	negation: "shall not be destroyed...everlasting kingdom"

Word Family / Cognates¶

H5769 עוֹלָם (ʻôwlâm) — Hebrew cognate; the same word in Hebrew form (406x in OT); same meaning; used throughout all OT genres

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for A5957.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for A5957.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
עוֹלָם (ʻôwlâm)	H5769	"for ever," "everlasting," "ever," "old"	Hebrew form of the same root (406x); ʻâlam is its Aramaic equivalent (15x, only Daniel/Ezra)
עַד (ʻad)	H5703	"for ever" (25x)	ʻad = a terminus or endpoint; used with ʻôwlâm/ʻâlam to intensify: לְעָלְמִין וְעַד עָלְמָא ("for ever and ever")

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[002002002010] Time — the broad time-reference field that covers remote past, indefinite future, and everlasting duration.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occ	PMI Score	Notes
αἰών (aiṓn) G165	12	5.70	Primary rendering; "age, eternity" — the standard LXX/NT counterpart
αἰώνιος (aiṓnios) G166	4	5.75	Adjectival form; "everlasting, eternal"
βασιλεία (basileia) G932	7	5.36	Co-occurring (kingdom collocate), not a direct rendering

The Theodotion/OG versions of Daniel render ʻâlam as αἰών and αἰώνιος — the same Greek words that carry the concept into NT "eternal life" and "eternal kingdom" language.