I couldn't find anything on the specific verse Lam 3:31 but here is more information on olam, hope this helps.
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php?action=post;topic=11639.0;num_replies=7 Look I have read the FAQ on your website, but i would like to know, besides the strongs conc. i have.... how do i look up the original meanings in greek or hebrew. are there more or different concordances?.... I heard you speak about the Lexicon but i'm not familiar with it. The thing that brought this about was when you said that the word everlasting carried a different meaning that what we think. I'd like to study that.
Dear Justin:AND LUPAC(mine)
You cannot learn the true meaning of such words as "ad, olam, aion, aionios," etc. by reading a commentary or lexicon, or concordance like Strong's. Dr. Strong defines "aion" as = "age" AND "eternity."
When the Christians (who have doctrines to defend) write dictionaries and commentaries, they often lie concerning the meaning of words that go against their false teachings. It takes a real teacher to point out these gross errors.
That's like defining "minute" as "hour" AND "century." It's nonsense. If all one had to do to learn the truth of these words was to look them up in a dictionary, I wouldn't need to even have a web site. You need to read and study (for a couple of hundred hours, at least) my paper: "Is EVERLASTING Scriptural?"
http://bible-truths.com/aeonion.htm You have to see how these words are USED, and have been USED, in Scripture, histories, etc. I do not, for example, teach the truth concerning the damnable Christian doctrine of hell, by simply consulting Strong's dictionaries or any other dictionaries. Dictionaries can be a starting point, but it involves a whole lot more than that.
God be with you,
Ray
http://bible-truths.com/email15.htmHi Ray!
I've been looking at these words 'aion' and 'aionan'--I've read your paper to John Hagee as well as read some other similar studies on the tentmaker site.
I came across an interesting paper with a slightly different take on these words. I think you may be interested to read this writing.
http://www.(see ray's email for the link I wont post here****org.uk
God bless!
Mike
[Ray Replies]
Dear Mike:
Thank you for the link on the "aions."
I have come to see over the years, that there are often well-meaning scholars who seem to be 100% accurate in their scholarship, when in reality, they have major flaws.
This researcher makes numerous assertions that he says are absolutely certain, that are not as he says.
Here are a couple, as I didn't read the whole paper, and don't have time to critique it in its entirety:
He states that Hebrew "olams" NEVER, EVER mean "age." That statement is NOT Scripturally true. Numbers 25:13 speaks of the priesthood of Aaron, and we read this: "And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an EVERLASTING [Heb. 'olam'] priesthood...." We now know for a Scriptural FACT that this priesthood was NOT "everlasting," but rather lasted for an "age"--a long period of time having a beginning and an ending. We see in the book of Hebrews that this very priesthood NO LONGER EXISTS! The temple is gone and the tribe of Levi is gone. And so, it was an "age-abiding" or "eonian" priesthood, not an "everlasting" one.
He states that Hebrew "olams" are always periods that CANNOT BE SEEN OR KNOWN. This likewise, is an UNscriptural statement. Often a man's lifetime is called an "olam," and when a person is born and when he dies is NOT an unknowable period of time. Likewise the three days of Jonah's trial was is absolutely KNOWABLE.
One more: to suggest that the context can determine whether an "olam" is a short period of time or an longer period of time, or ETERNITY, can be deduced from the context. Hence when speaking of God, olams ALWAYS MEAN ETERNAL OR EVERLASTING. That's just not true. NOwhere will you find a statement in either the Old Testament or the New Testament where olam or aion is used with reference to God and then inserts a restrictive word such as "only." When stating that God is an "eonian God," it never adds the word "only." As though God lives for the eons, ONLY! That is all unscriptural human reasoning. Statements of FACT are never statements of RESTRICTION unless there are restrictive words present!! That God is "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" by no means suggests that He is the God of these three men ONLY!!
Okay, one more: this author states that Heb. 1:2, "...makes the eons [ages]...." has to be translated world even though he concedes that God did "make the aions or ages." And his proof for this assertion? He has not proof. He just makes the statement that this is speaking of a material creation and ages aren't material. God also "breathed" into Adam (breath is not material). The finished product of man was "a living soul." The soul of man is not material. Let's go back further: "Let there be LIGHT." Is light made out of material? Besides, how could Jesus have "made the worldS." How many "worlds" are there? There is but ONE WORLD. It should be translated "ages" as even my King James says in the margin.
Thanks a gain, and God be with you,
Ray
Maybe I'll take another look at his paper another time.