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.
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"]
▼ 5 more senses below
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"]
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"]
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…