UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: eternal

Semantic entry: 67.96

Semantic domains: Time

Subdomains: Duration of Time without Reference to Points or Units of Time: Time, Spend Time, Always, Eternal, Old, Immediately, Young

Definition: pertaining to an unlimited duration of time{N:001}

Notes: The most frequent use of αἰώνιος in the NT is with ζωή 'life', for example, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐν αὐτῷ ἔχω ζωὴν αἰώνιον ‘so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life’ RV JHN 3:15 · LV JHN 3:15 · Read together JHN 3:15. In combination with ζωή there is evidently not only a temporal element, but also a qualitative distinction. In such contexts, αἰώνιος evidently carries certain implications associated with αἰώνιος in relationship to divine and supernatural attributes. If one translates ‘eternal life’ as simply ‘never dying,’ there may be serious misunderstandings, since persons may assume that ‘never dying’ refers only to physical existence rather than to ‘spiritual death.’ Accordingly, some translators have rendered ‘eternal life’ as ‘unending real life,’ so as to introduce a qualitative distinction.

Sense 2: since all time, from all ages past, from the beginning of time

Semantic entry: 67.133

Semantic domains: Time

Subdomains: Duration of Time with Reference to Some Point of Time: Until, Delay, Still, From

Definition: an exceedingly long period of time from an assumed beginning up to the present

Collocations: πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων; χρόνοις αἰωνίοις

Sense 3: eternal life