H6923 H6923
To come in front of, meet, confront; in Piel, to anticipate or go before; in Hifil, to give beforehand.
Qadam captures the dynamic of getting out in front — whether in hostility, welcome, worship, or temporal anticipation. In battle, enemies 'confront' the psalmist (2 Sam 22:6; Ps 18:5), but the same verb describes going out to meet a friend with bread and water (Isa 21:14) or coming before the LORD with burnt offerings (Mic 6:6). The multilingual evidence is revealing: Spanish splits between confrontar for the hostile sense and presentarse/venir for worship, while German and French both struggle to find a single equivalent, resorting to paraphrases. The Psalms' use of qadam in 119:147-148 — rising before dawn to cry out, anticipating the night watches — beautifully captures the verb's core energy of eager, purposeful getting-ahead, whether toward an enemy or toward God.
Senses
1. confront hostilely — Piel with hostile intent: to come upon or confront someone aggressively, of enemies, snares, or calamity descending upon a person. The cords of death and torrents of destruction 'confronted' David (2 Sam 22:6, 19; Ps 18:5, 19), and the psalmist asks God to 'confront' the wicked and bring them down (Ps 17:13). Spanish Me-confrontaron and English 'confront' converge clearly, while French devancer preserves the spatial 'getting ahead of' even in hostile contexts — revealing how the root spatial metaphor persists beneath the adversarial coloring. 7×
AR["استَقبَلَتنِي", "بَادَرَتْنِي", "بَادَرُونِي", "تَقَدَّمْ", "وَ-لَا-تُبَادِرُ", "وَاجَهَتْنِي", "وَاجَهُونِي"]·ben["আগে-যান", "আমার-সামনে-পড়েছিল", "ও-পৌঁছবে", "তারা-আমার-সামনে-পড়েছিল", "মুখোমুখি-হয়েছিল-আমি", "মুখোমুখি-হয়েছে-আমাকে", "সামনে-এসেছিল-আমার"]·DE["[ותקדים]", "[קדמני]", "confront", "confronted-mich", "sie-confronted-mich"]·EN["and-confront", "confront", "confront-me", "confronted-me", "they-confronted-me"]·FR["aller-au-devant-moi", "confronta-moi", "devancer", "et-devancer", "ils-confronta-moi"]·heb["ו-תקדים", "יקדמו-ני", "יקדמוני", "קדמה", "קידמו-ני", "קידמוני"]·HI["आ-गए", "आ-गए-मुझ-पर", "आ-पड़े-मुझ-पर", "आ-पहुंचे-मुझे", "और-पहुँचेगी", "सामना-कर"]·ID["Mereka-menjumpai-aku", "hadapilah-", "mendahului-aku", "mendatangiku", "menjumpai-aku", "mereka-mendahului-aku"]·IT["[ותקדים]", "ando'-incontro", "confront-me-mio", "confronted-me", "essi-confronted-me"]·jav["Piyambak-ipun-methuki-kula", "Piyambakipun-methukaken-kula", "lan-boten", "methukaken-kula", "methukana", "methuki-kula", "nemoni-kula"]·KO["그리고-앞질러-오지", "다가왔다-나에게", "맞서소서", "맞아들다-나를", "맞아들였다-나를", "맞이했도다", "맞이했었도다"]·PT["Confrontaram-me", "confronta", "confrontaram-me", "e-adiantará"]·RU["встретили-меня", "встречают-меня", "выступи-навстречу", "и-не-предстанет", "они-встречали-меня"]·ES["Me-confrontaron", "confronta", "me-confrontaron", "ni-nos-alcanzará"]·SW["Walinishika", "mkabili", "na-kutupita", "walinikabili", "zilinikabili", "zilinishika", "zimenipata"]·TR["karşıla", "karşıladı-beni", "karşıladılar-beni", "ve-öne-geçecek"]·urd["آ-دبوچے-مجھے", "اور-نہ-آگے-آئے-گی", "سامنا-کر", "سامنے-آئے-میرے", "ملے", "وہ-سامنے-آئے-میرے"]
2. go out to meet — Piel with social or welcoming intent: to go out to meet someone, whether in friendship, hospitality, or formal encounter. Moab and Ammon did not 'meet' Israel with bread and water (Deut 23:4; Neh 13:2); Job asks why knees 'received' him at birth (Job 3:12). Spanish salir-al-encuentro ('go out to meet') and German meet-ihn capture the warm interpersonal dynamic. The same verb structure as sense 1, but the context flips the emotional valence entirely — an important reminder that Hebrew verbs of motion often derive their positive or negative force from context, not morphology. 7×
AR["اسْتَقْبَلَتْني", "اِسْتَقْبِلُوا", "تُقَدِّمُهُ", "تُلَاقِيكَ", "تُلَاقِينَا", "يُقَدِّمُوا"]·ben["অগ্রসর-হও", "আপনি-তার-সামনে-আসেন", "আমাদের-কাছে-আসুক", "আসেনি", "তোমার-কাছে-আসে", "সামনে-এসেছিল", "স্বাগত-জানিয়েছিল-আমাকে"]·DE["[קדמו]", "[קדמוני]", "du-meet-ihn", "kommt-vor-du", "lass-meet-uns", "sie-met"]·EN["comes-before-you", "did-receive-me", "let-meet-us", "meet", "they-met", "you-meet-him"]·FR["[קדמו]", "aller-au-devant-moi", "devancer", "ils-met"]·heb["יקדמונו", "קדמו", "קידמו", "קידמוני", "תקדמך", "תקדמנו"]·HI["आगे-आए-मुझे", "आगे-मिले", "उन्होंने-स्वागत-किया-था", "तुझ-तक-पहुँचे", "मिलता-है-तू-उसे", "मिलो", "हमें-मिलें"]·ID["datang-mendahului-kami", "mendahului-Mu", "menyambutku", "mereka-menyambut", "temuilah"]·IT["[קדמו]", "ando'-incontro", "did-receive-me-mio", "essi-met"]·jav["Panjenengan-methuki-piyambak-ipun", "badhé-nyongsong-Panjenengan", "mapag", "mapagna", "methuk-kawula", "mugi-ngademaken-kawula-sedaya", "nyegah"]·KO["당신-을-맞으리라", "맞아주소서-우리-를", "맞았는가-나를", "맞이하라", "맞이하셨음이라", "맞이하였다", "맞이했다"]·PT["anteciparam-me", "encontraram", "o-precedeste", "receberam", "te-antecipa", "venham-nos-ao-encontro", "vos-encontraram"]·RU["Ты-встречаешь-его", "встретили", "встречайте", "да-встретят-нас", "предваряет-Тебя", "приняли-меня"]·ES["le-saliste-al-encuentro", "me-recibieron", "os-salieron-al-encuentro", "salgan-a-nuestro-encuentro", "salid-al-encuentro-de", "salieron-al-encuentro-de", "te-anticipará"]·SW["itukutane", "mkutane", "umemtangulia", "walikutana-nanyi", "walilaki", "yalinipokea", "yatakukuta"]·TR["karsiladilar", "karşıladılar", "karşıladılar-beni", "karşılar-seni", "karşılarsın-onu", "karşılasın"]·urd["استقبال-کرو", "انہوں-نے-پیش-کیا", "تجھ-تک-پہنچتی-ہے", "تُو-اُس-سے-پہلے-آیا", "ملے-تھے", "ملے-مجھے", "پہلے-آئیں-ہم-تک"]
3. go before, precede — Piel with temporal or spatial priority: to go before, precede, anticipate, or be early. The psalmist 'rises before' dawn (Ps 119:147) and 'anticipates' the night watches (Ps 119:148). Jonah fled 'beforehand' to Tarshish (Jonah 4:2), and singers 'went before' the procession (Ps 68:25). Spanish adelantarse ('to get ahead') nails this temporal-priority sense, as does French devancer. The cluster is coherent: in all five occurrences the subject acts in advance of a reference point in time or position. 5×
AR["بَادَرْتُ", "تَقَدَّمَ", "سَبَقَتْ", "سَبَقْتُ", "يَسْبِقَانِ"]·ben["আগে-আসে", "আগে-উঠেছে", "আমি-ঘুম-থেকে-উঠেছি", "তাড়াতাড়ি-করেছি", "সামনে"]·DE["[קדמתי]", "gehen-vor", "haben-anticipated", "ich-aufstehen-vor"]·EN["I-fled-beforehand", "I-rise-before", "go-before", "have-anticipated"]·FR["devancer"]·heb["יקדמו", "קידמו", "קידמתי"]·HI["आगे-जाते-हैं", "मैं-ने-पहले-जल्दी-की"]·ID["Aku-mendahului", "Mendahului", "aku-mendahului", "mendahului"]·IT["[קדמתי]", "ando'-incontro"]·jav["Kula-tangi-gasik", "Lumebet-rumiyin", "Tangi-gasik", "kula-rumiyin", "lumampah-ing-ngajeng"]·KO["내가-서둘렀나이다", "앞서-가나이다", "앞서-왔나이다", "앞서갔도다"]·PT["Anteciparam-se", "Antecipei-me", "Iam-à-frente", "apressei-me", "vão"]·RU["Предупредил-я", "Предупредили", "впереди-шли", "поспешил", "предшествуют"]·ES["Iban-delante", "Me-adelanté", "Se-adelantaron", "me-adelante", "van-delante-de"]·SW["Walitangulia", "nilikimbia-kwanza", "nimetangulia", "vinaenda-mbele-ya", "zilitangulia"]·TR["önceden-", "önceledi", "önceledim", "öncüsüdür", "önden-gitti"]·urd["آگے", "آگے-آئے", "آگے-آگے-چلتیں-ہیں", "آیا-میں", "جلدی-کی"]
4. meet with provision or favor — Piel with benefactive nuance: to come to meet someone bearing provision, favor, or blessing. God 'meets' the king with blessings of goodness (Ps 21:3), and the anticipation that God's lovingkindness 'will meet' the psalmist (Ps 59:10). This sense also includes coming against a city in siege (2 Kgs 19:32; Isa 37:33), where the benefactive target is ironic — the 'meeting' is an arrival with military force. The Spanish enfrentar and German confront show how siege-context occurrences pull toward hostility, while the psalm passages clearly carry divine favor. 3×
AR["يَتَقَدَّمُهَا", "يَسبِقُني", "يُقَدِّمُهَا"]·ben["অগ্রসর-হবে-তাকে", "আমার-অগ্রে-যাবে", "তাকে-আগে-যাবে"]·DE["[יקדמנה]", "wird-confront-es", "wird-meet-mich"]·EN["he-shall-come-before-it", "will-confront-it", "will-meet-me"]·FR["[יקדמנה]", "devancer", "fera-confront-cela"]·heb["יקדמנה", "יקדמני"]·HI["आगे-आएगा", "आगे-आएगा-उसके", "मिलेगा-मुझे"]·ID["akan-mendahuluinya", "mendahului-ia"]·IT["[יקדמנה]", "ando'-incontro", "vorrà-confront-esso"]·jav["dipun-ngajengaken", "kula-badhé-nganti", "tameng"]·KO["맞닥뜨린다-그것을", "맞이하시리이다", "맞이하지"]·PT["a-precederá", "enfrentará-a", "irá-adiante-de-mim"]·RU["достигнет-его", "предварит-меня", "предстанет-пред-ним"]·ES["la-enfrentará", "me-anticipará"]·SW["atanikutana", "hatakuja", "uje-mbele-yake"]·TR["karsilar-onu", "önden-gidecek-bana", "önünde-duracak-ona"]·urd["آئے-گا-اُس-کے-سامنے", "آگے-ہو-گا-اُس-سے", "مِلے-مُجھے"]
5. come before God, approach — Piel in liturgical context: to come before the presence of God in worship or supplication. Micah's rhetorical question 'With what shall I come before the LORD?' (Mic 6:6, used twice) and the invitation to 'come before his presence with thanksgiving' (Ps 95:2) represent this distinctly theophanic usage. Spanish presentarse and German kommen-vor ('come before') both select formal-approach vocabulary rather than hostile-encounter terms. The shift from physical movement to spiritual posture marks a real semantic specialization within the Piel. 3×
AR["أَأَتَقَدَّمُهُ", "أَتَقَدَّمُ", "نَتَقَدَّمَ"]·ben["আমরা-আসি", "আমি-আসব", "আমি-কি-তাঁর-কাছে-আসব"]·DE["[אקדם]", "[האקדמנו]", "lass-uns-kommen-vor"]·EN["let-us-come-before", "shall-I-come-before", "shall-I-come-before-Him"]·FR["devancer"]·heb["אקדם", "ה-אקדמנו", "נקדמה"]·HI["क्या-मैं-आऊँ-उसके-सामने", "मैं-आऊँ-सामने", "हम-आएँ"]·ID["Haruskah-aku-menghadap-Dia", "Marilah-kita-mendahului", "aku-akan-menghadap"]·IT["[אקדם]", "[האקדמנו]", "ando'-incontro"]·jav["Kita-ngadhep", "kula-badhé-marak", "punapa-kula-badhé-marak"]·KO["나아가리", "우리-나아가자", "이냐-나아가리"]·PT["Apresentemo-nos", "Virei-diante-dele", "virei-diante-de"]·RU["Предстану-ли-перед-Ним", "предстанем", "предстану"]·ES["Vengamos", "me-presentaré", "¿Me-presentaré"]·SW["je-nimkaribie", "nimkaribie", "tuje"]·TR["karşılayacağım", "karşılayalım", "mı-karşılayacağım-onu"]·urd["ملوں", "کیا-ملوں-اُس-سے", "ہم-آئیں"]
6. give beforehand (Hifil) — Hifil causative: to give to someone first or in advance, to anticipate with a prior gift. A single occurrence in Job 41:11 (English 41:3): 'Who has confronted me that I should repay?' — meaning 'who has given to me beforehand?' The Hifil stem marks the causative explicitly, and the multilingual evidence reflects the shift: Spanish anticipar and French aller-au-devant-moi retain the 'getting ahead' metaphor but apply it to the act of giving rather than physical movement. This is the only Hifil occurrence and represents a genuine lexical extension from spatial priority to transactional priority. 1×
AR["سَبَقَنِي"]·ben["আমাকে-আগে-দিয়েছে"]·DE["[הקדימני]"]·EN["has-confronted-Me"]·FR["aller-au-devant-moi"]·heb["הקדימני"]·HI["मुझे-पहले-दिया"]·ID["mendahuluiKu"]·IT["has-confronted-Me-mio"]·jav["ingkang-sampun-rumiyin-maringi-dhateng-Kawula"]·KO["내게-먼저-주었느냐"]·PT["me-antecipou"]·RU["предварил-Меня"]·ES["me-anticipó"]·SW["amenitolea-kwanza"]·TR["önceledi-beni"]·urd["مجھے-پہلے-دیا"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)H5927 1. go up, ascend (Qal) (779×)H7971 1. to send, dispatch (Qal) (701×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)G2064 1. come / arrive (physical movement toward) (588×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H5307 1. Qal: fall down physically (339×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H5375 1. Qal: to lift up, raise (330×)H5975 1. to stand, stand up (310×)H5674a 1. Qal: pass by, pass through (256×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [קָדַם] vb. Pi. denom. (Gerber130) come or be in front, meet;—Pf. 1 s. קִדַּמְתִּי Jon 4:2 ψ 119:147; 3 pl. קִדְּמוּ Dt 23:5 +, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. sf. יְקַדְּמֵנִי ψ 59:11; 3 fs. sf. תְּקַדְּמַךָּ ψ 88:14; 1s. אֲקַדֵּם Mi 6:6; Imv. ms. קַדְּמָה ψ 17:13;— 1. a. meet, confront (with hostility) c. acc. pers. 2 S 22:6, 19 = ψ 18:6, 19, Jb 30:27, c. acc. פָּנָיו ψ 17:13; of hostile approach to city…