Will The Earth Remain Forever?

Will The Earth Remain Forever?
In Ecclesiastes 1, we read the Earth will remain forever; however, 2 Peter tells us it will pass away, so what is happening here?

Ecclesiastes 1:4

"A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever," (Ecclesiastes 1:4 NASB1995).

2 Peter 3:10

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up," (2 Peter 3:10 NASB1995).

To understand this supposed contradiction, we must understand the Hebrew word "olam" or "לְעוֹלָ֥ם". The Hebrew word "olam" in the text is translated as "forever"; however, this translation can be confusing for those who do not know the original language. "Olam" is not always definite.

As The Pulpit Commentary notes: "The term, "for ever," like the Greek εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, does not necessarily imply eternity, but often denotes limited or conditioned duration, as when the slave is engaged to serve his master "for ever" (Exodus 21:6), or the hills are called "everlasting" (Genesis 49:26). This verse gives one instance of growth and decay in contrast with insensate continuance. The following verses give further examples. Ecclesiastes 1:4," (Jones).

As the book, Cambridge Bible For Schools and Colleges, also notes: "but the earth which is in idea subject to him boasts a permanence which he cannot claim. In the Hebrew word which answers to “for ever” we have, as elsewhere, an undefined rather than an absolutely infinite duration," (Cambridge).

This is to say, the Hebrew word "Olam" does not always mean unto eternity, but can be used in a sense as hyperbole.

Works Cited:

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. United Kingdom, The University Press, 1905.

The Pulpit Commentary, Volume 8. United States, Delmarva Publications, Inc., 2015.