Originally Posted by
JeffDoles
Not apo but pro. Apo would mean more like "from" times eternal.
"Before times eternal" is a legitimate way to translate it. Young's has it as "before times of ages." Wuest, "before eternal times." CEV has "Then they will have the hope of eternal life that God promised long ago." Lamsa has, "ages ago." Barnes, in his Bible commentary, understands it as before the secular times, not before time itself. Adam Clarke, in his commentary, understands it as before the foundation of the world, which he takes to mean the Jewish economy, the time before the law. Marvin Vincent, in his word studies, understands it, not as before time, but as "before time began to be reckoned by aeons." Robertson's Word Pictures takes it as "long ages ago."
The point is not that there once was no time at all, and God made a promise in that state of timelessness. But, rather, that God made a promise a very long time ago.
God made a promise about eternal life -- but to whom did he make it? Keener locates the recipient of the promise as the prophets from the beginning (IVP Bible Background Commentary). It was to human beings, within time, that the promise was made. That being so, then the point when the promise was made was not a point within some timeless state, which human beings do not inhabit, but a point within time. So pro chronos aionion would more naturally be understood within the context of verse 2 as a long time ago. A long time ago, God made a promise concerning eternal life to human beings -- within the realm of time.