“Eternal,” “Everlasting” and “Forever” (Aiōnios)
The words “ eternal, ” “ everlasting ” and “ forever ” are translations of the Greek word αι ̓ ω ́ νιος ( aio ̄ nios ), which is the adjective of the Greek noun αι ̓ ω ́ ν ( aio ̄ n ) meaning “age” or “eon.” Thus, αι ̓ ω ́ νιος ( aio ̄ nios ) never carries the sense of “ eternal ” in Scripture, and literal translations that accurately convey its meaning render it “ age-during ” (YLT), “ age-abiding ” ( REB ), “ age-lasting ” ( ED ), and “ eonian ” ( CV ). A further investigation into the Greek word aio ̄ nios would be benefited by the book An Analytical Study of Words” by Louis Abbott (1915-1996). This in-depth study on various words that have been translated as “eternal,” “everlasting,” “judgment,” “hell” etc., is an invaluable study tool. It is available here: https://www.studyshelf.com/hell.htm#0622