Eternal God (NIV) or Everlasting God (NASB, KJV) in Hebrew:
Everlasting God (El olam) in the Hebrew text of Genesis 21:33.
’El ‘olam
Strong’s Concordance numbers: 410, 5769
Bible reference: Gen. 21:33
Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. (Genesis 21:33, KJV)
Eternal God, is how the NIV translates the Hebrew name ’El ‘olam. The NASB has Everlasting God.
Twice, the Bible uses the Hebrew root word ‘alam for secret or undetected sins (Lev. 4:13; Ps. 90:8). ‘Olam is a related word that refers to time beyond sight, past or future. Three hundred times ‘olam refers to the future, twenty times to the past. Whether ‘olam refers to the past or future is indicated by other words, but it has the sense of remoteness in time. ‘Olam applies to individual life spans, the life span of the nation and covenant, and to God’s everlasting existence. In the latter sense, it extends beyond human life.
Another word, ‘ad, occurs in the name ’Avi‘ad, meaning Everlasting Father (Isa. 9:6). ‘Ad also means everlasting. The emphatic Hebrew phrase ‘olam wa‘ed, which means “forever and ever,” occurs nineteen times.
‘Olam is also used to describe certain things associated with God: His lovingkindness, covenant, truth, righteousness, kingdom, dominion, and ordinances.
The translators of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek translated ‘olam using aion. Older English versions rendered aion “world” but the words “age” or “aeon” are better. Aion represented a time period of indefinite length in contrast to one with an end, hence it can mean “forever.” Sometimes the Greek repeats aion for emphasis to arrive at our “forever and ever” (Dan 2:20). The latter may simply be a translation of the Hebrew original, ‘olam wa‘ed.
’Elohei qedem
Eternal God (Elohei qedem) in the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy 33:27.
Strong’s Concordance numbers: 430, 6924a
Bible reference: Deut. 33:27
“There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to your help,
And through the skies in His majesty.
The eternal God is a dwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:26-27)
Notice that in this blessing given by Moses, the name for God parallels the words “everlasting arms” (zero‘ot ‘olam).
The Message Bible uses the phrase “Ancient God” to translate the Hebrew name ’Elohei qedem.
Eternal God in Greek:
Eternal God (or Everlasting-God) in the Greek text of Romans 16:26.
Ho aiōnios Theos
Strong’s Concordance numbers: 166, 2316
Bible reference: Rom. 16:26 (Everlasting God KJV)
Paul talks of “the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith.” (Romans 16:25-26, NIV)
The word aiōnios describes an order of existence beyond time. It refers to the quality of life that belongs to God. When Jesus (Yeshua‘) said that He came to give us eternal life, He meant not just everlasting life but a share in the kind of life that God has.
The Old Testament uses other similar names for God: Eternal Father (Everlasting Father), Eternal Rock (Everlasting Rock) and Eternal King (Everlasting King). The descriptive phrase, “Him who lives forever,” (khei ha‘olam) in Daniel 12:7 is not really a name of God, but it expresses the same idea as the names on this page.
The New Testament has a related name for the Holy Spirit: Eternal Spirit.
