---
title: עָלַם — perpetuity · The Biblical Aramaic dictionary
description: עָלַם (lemma:עָלַם), a word of Biblical Aramaic, used 20 times: perpetuity. BDB 1906: perpetuity. With 2 verses in Aramaic, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# עָלַם

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«עָלַם» in the Biblical Aramaic dictionary: **perpetuity** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 20 times · **Key:** lemma:עָלַם · **BDB:** עָלַם

### Glosses

forever (7); (the) (4); of.(the) (4)

### Meaning (OSHB)

perpetuity [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/aramaic/1506/lemma_3a_5e2_5b8_5dc_5b7_5dd/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

perpetuity [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/aramaic/1506/lemma_3a_5e2_5b8_5dc_5b7_5dd/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.\[m.\] perpetuity, antiquity (v. BH III. עלם, עוֹלָם);—ע׳ abs. Dn 3:33 +, cstr. 7:18; emph. עָֽלְמָא 2:20 +; pl. עָֽלְמִין 2:4 +, emph. עָֽלְמַיָּא 2:44; 7:18;—perpetuity in the future: מַלְכוּת ע׳ Dn 3:33; 7:27, cf. 4:31; 7:14; ע׳ as adv. for ever 4:31; עַד־עָֽלְמָא וְעַד־עָלַם עָֽלְמַיָּא 7:18; pl. לְע׳ for ever 2:4, 44(×2); 3:9; 5:10; 6:7, 22, 27; antiquity, מִן־יוֹמָת עָֽלְמָא Ezr 4:15, 19; of limitless time both past and future: מִן־ע׳ וְעַד־ע׳ Dn 2:20.

### Jastrow 1903

עָלַם III: eternity, world burial ground, cemetery in general way, merely their graves [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/aramaic/1506/lemma_3a_5e2_5b8_5dc_5b7_5dd/#m3)

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**The whole Jastrow entry:** \= h. עוֹלָם, eternity, world \&c. Targ. Gen. IX, 16. Targ. O. Ex. XXI, 6. Targ. Ps. LXI, 7; a. v. fr.—R. Hash. 31ᵃ שיתא אלפי שני הוי ע׳ וכ׳ the world shall last six thousand years, and one thousand years it will be waste. Gitt. 56ᵇ, v. חֲשֵׁב; a. v. fr.—Midr. Sam. ch. XXIV; Yalk. ib. 139 ע׳ דשקר the world of falsehood (this world); Lev. R. s. 26 (some ed. עולם, h. form); ע׳ דקושטא the world of truth (the hereafter). Sot. 10ᵇ, a. fr. ע׳ דאתי the world to come (= h. עולם הבא).—בית ע׳ the house of eternity (euphem. for ‘the house of death’) burial ground, cemetery. Lam. R. to I, 5. Lev. R. s. 12, beg.; a. e.—Kidd. 80ᵇ אינשי דע׳ common people (opp. to scholars).—כל ע׳, כולי ע׳ (abbrev. כ"ע), v. כּוֹלָּא. Ber. 36ᵇ כ"ע לא פליגי all the authorities mentioned agree; a. v. fr.—בְּעַלְמָא in a general way, merely. Targ. Y. Lev. XXVI, 24; 28.—Sabb. 103ᵇ, v. בגלטורי. Ib. 9ᵇ להזיע בע׳ merely to sweat (not to bathe); לעיוני בע׳ merely to examine (not to do any labor); a. v. fr.—Pl. עָלְמִין, עָלְמַיָּיא; constr. עָלְמֵי. Targ. Ps. IX, 8. Targ. O. Ex. XV, 18; a. fr.—Targ. Is. XLII, 11 בתי עַלְמֵיהוֹן their graves (v. supra).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 15 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (1 candidates); Jastrow: headword, part of speech agrees, 0 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses (13 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «עָלַם» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/aramaic/1506/lemma_3a_5e2_5b8_5dc_5b7_5dd/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Daniel 6:22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/DAN.6.22/)

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אֱדַ֙יִן֙ דָּנִיֶּ֔אל עִם־מַלְכָּ֖א מַלִּ֑ל מַלְכָּ֖א לְעָלְמִ֥ין חֱיִֽי׃

*Word for word:* then Daniel with the king he.spoke O king forever live!

*JPS 1917:* Then said Daniel unto the king: 'O king, live for ever!

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[Daniel 3:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/DAN.3.9/)

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עֲנוֹ֙ וְאָ֣מְרִ֔ין לִנְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֖ר מַלְכָּ֑א מַלְכָּ֖א לְעָלְמִ֥ין חֱיִֽי׃

*Word for word:* they.replied and.\[were\] saying to Nebuchadnezzar the king O king forever live!

*JPS 1917:* They spoke and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: 'O king, live for ever!

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- ← previous: [עֲלַל](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/aramaic/w/lemma_3a_5e2_5b2_5dc_5b7_5dc.md)
- next →: [עֵלָמִי](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/aramaic/w/lemma_3a_5e2_5b5_5dc_5b8_5de_5b4_5d9.md)
- ↑ back to [ע](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/aramaic/1506.md)