H6924a H6924a
East or the eastern direction; ancient time or antiquity; before or in front of, spatially or temporally.
Qedem is a word whose two primary meanings -- 'east' and 'ancient time' -- are bound together by a single metaphor: in Hebrew thought, what is 'in front of' you is both the direction you face at sunrise and the past you can see stretching back. This double orientation runs through the word's 61 occurrences. When Genesis 2:8 says God planted a garden 'in Eden, in the east,' and when Micah 5:2 speaks of origins 'from of old, from ancient times,' the same root carries both meanings. Spanish captures this duality with 'oriente' for the spatial sense and 'antiguo' for the temporal one.
Senses
1. east, eastern direction — The east as a geographical direction or an eastern region. This sense appears from Genesis 2:8 ('a garden in the east') through prophetic literature (Isaiah 9:12, 'the Syrians from the east'). The 'sons of the east' (bene-qedem) in Judges 6:3, 7:12, and Job 1:3 designates tribes dwelling east and northeast of Canaan. Spanish renders it 'oriente,' French 'est' or 'orient,' and German 'Osten.' The directional force is clear in prepositional constructions like mi-qedem ('from the east') in Genesis 3:24 and 11:2. 29×
AR["الشَّرْقِ", "الـ-شَّرْق", "الْمَشْرِقِ", "شَرْقًا", "شَرْقَ", "مِنَ-الْ-مَشْرِقِ", "مِنْ-شَرْق", "ٱلشَّرْقِ"]·ben["-পূর্বের", "পুত্রদের", "পূর্ব-থেকে", "পূর্বে", "পূর্বের"]·DE["Osten", "Vorzeit", "der-Osten", "der-east", "des-Ostens", "im-Osten", "nach-Osten", "vom-Osten", "von-Osten", "vor", "östlich"]·EN["east", "from-east", "the-east"]·FR["de-est", "devant", "est", "le-east", "le-est", "orient"]·heb["מ-קדם", "קדם"]·HI["पुरब", "पुरब-से", "पूरब-के", "पूरव-के", "पूरवसे", "पूर्व-का", "पूर्व-के", "पूर्व-से", "से-पूर्व"]·ID["Timur", "dari-timur", "di-sebelah-timur", "di-timur", "ke-timur", "sebelah-timur", "timur"]·IT["da-est", "davanti-a", "est", "il-est", "oriente"]·jav["Wétan", "ing-wétan", "saking-wétan", "sisih-wétan", "wetan", "wétan"]·KO["동방-의", "동방의", "동쪽", "동쪽-에서", "동쪽에", "동쪽에서", "동쪽의", "에서-동쪽"]·PT["Oriente", "Qedem", "ao-oriente", "de-oriente", "de-oriente-de", "do-oriente", "oriente"]·RU["Востока", "востока", "восточных", "на-восток", "на-востоке", "на-востоке-от", "от-востока", "с-востока", "тебя"]·ES["al-oriente", "al-oriente-de", "desde-oriente", "el-oriente", "hacia-oriente", "oriente"]·SW["Mashariki", "kutoka-mashariki", "mashariki", "mashariki-ya", "na-kuliko", "upande-wa-mashariki", "ya-mashariki"]·TR["Doğu", "Doğu'nun", "diyerek", "dogunun", "doğuda", "doğudan", "doğunun", "doğusuna", "doğuya", "için-Novah", "ve-de-düşenler"]·urd["مشرق", "مشرق-سے", "مشرق-میں", "مشرق-کے"]
2. ancient time, of old — Ancient time, antiquity, or 'of old.' This temporal sense appears in Deuteronomy 33:27 ('the eternal God,' lit. 'God of qedem'), 2 Kings 19:25 ('have you not heard that long ago I determined it?'), and Psalm 74:12 ('God is my king from of old'). Spanish shifts to 'antiguo' or 'desde antiguo,' French to 'ancien,' and German to 'Vorzeit.' The metaphor underlying this meaning is profoundly Hebrew: the past lies 'in front' (qedem) because it is known and visible, while the future lies 'behind' because it is unseen. 29×
AR["القِدَمِ", "الْقَدِيمِ", "الْقِدَمِ", "قَديماً", "كَقَدِيمٍ", "مُنْذُ-القَديمِ", "مُنْذُ-الْقِدَمِ", "مِنَ-القَديمِ", "مِنَ-الْقَدِيمِ", "مِنْ-قَدِيمٍ"]·ben["পুরাকাল", "পূর্বে-থেকে", "পূর্বের", "পূর্বের-মত", "প্রাচীনকাল", "প্রাচীনকাল-থেকে", "প্রাচীনকালে", "প্রাচীনকালের", "প্রাচীনের", "বংশ"]·DE["Osten", "Vorzeit", "ancient", "ancient-Zeiten", "von-alt"]·EN["ancient", "ancient-time", "ancient-times", "antiquity", "as-of-old", "from-of-old", "from-old", "of-old", "old"]·FR["[מקדם]", "ancien", "de-ancien", "de-devant", "devant", "orient"]·heb["כ-קדם", "מ-קדם", "קדם"]·HI["जैसे-पहले", "पुराने", "पुराने-से", "पूर्व", "पूर्व-की", "पूर्व-के", "पूर्व-से", "प्राचीन", "प्राचीन-काल", "प्राचीन-काल-में", "मि-केदेम"]·ID["Dahulu", "dahulu", "dahulu-kala", "dari-dahulu,", "dari-dahulu-kala", "kuno", "purba", "seperti-dahulu"]·IT["[מקדם]", "ancient", "antichita'", "dall'antichita'", "davanti-a", "oriente"]·jav["Wiwit-biyen", "kados-rumiyin", "kina", "kuna", "rumi-yin", "rumiyin", "saking-kawitan", "saking-kina", "saking-kuna"]·KO["에서-옛적", "에서-옛적에", "옆날", "옆날-부터", "옆날-에", "옆날-에서", "옆날-의", "예로부터", "예로부터-의", "예전-의", "옛", "옛날의", "옛날처럼", "옛의", "옛적-의", "오래-전-에"]·PT["Desde-a-antiguidade", "antigamente", "antiguidade", "como-antigamente", "de-outrora", "desde-a-antiguidade", "desde-antigamente", "outrora"]·RU["Издревле", "древле", "древние", "древний", "древних", "древности", "из-древности", "издревле", "как-прежде", "от-древности"]·ES["Desde-antiguo", "antiguamente", "antiguo", "antiguos", "antigüedad", "como-antes", "desde-antgüedad", "desde-antiguo", "desde-antigüedad"]·SW["kale", "kama-zamani", "kutoka-zamani", "tangu-zamani", "wa-zamani", "za-kale", "za-zamani", "zamani"]·TR["başlangıcın", "başlangıçtan", "eski", "eski'nin", "eskiden", "eskiden-beri", "eskinin", "eskisi-gibi", "kadim"]·urd["ازل-کا", "جیسے-پہلے", "قدیم", "قدیم-سے", "قدیم-کے", "مِن-قدیم", "مِن-قدیم-سے", "پہلے-سے"]
Deut 33:15, Deut 33:27, 2 Kgs 19:25, Neh 12:46, Job 29:2, Ps 44:1, Ps 55:19, Ps 68:33, Ps 74:2, Ps 74:12, Ps 77:5, Ps 77:11 (+17 more)
3. before, in front of — Before or in front of, in either a spatial or temporal sense. Psalm 139:5 places God 'behind and before (qedem)' the psalmist, a spatial encirclement. Proverbs 8:22-23 declares that Wisdom was established 'from the beginning' (mi-qedem), before the earth existed -- a temporal 'in front of' all creation. Spanish uses 'antes de' and 'delante,' French 'devant,' capturing the positional nuance. With only three clear occurrences in this specific sense, it represents the root meaning from which both the directional and the temporal senses derived. 3×
AR["قَبْلَ", "مِنْ-قَدِيمِ-", "وَمِنْ-أَمَامٍ"]·ben["ও-সামনে", "পূর্বে", "প্রাচীন-থেকে-"]·DE["Vorzeit", "und-vor"]·EN["and-before", "before", "from-the-beginning-of"]·FR["de-orient", "et-ancien", "orient"]·heb["ו-קדם", "מ-קדמי־", "קדם"]·HI["और-आगे", "पहले", "पहले-"]·ID["dan-depan", "dari-sebelum-", "sebelum"]·IT["da-oriente", "e-antichita'", "oriente"]·jav["lan-ngajeng", "saderengipun", "saking-wiwitan-saking"]·KO["그리고-앞-을", "예전-부터", "전-에"]·PT["antes", "desde-os-primórdios-de", "e-por-diante"]·RU["и-спереди", "прежде", "прежде-древних-"]·ES["antes-de", "desde-antes-de", "y-delante"]·SW["kabla-ya", "na-mbele"]·TR["ve-önden", "öncesinde", "öncesinden-"]·urd["اور-آگے", "قدیم-ترین", "پہلے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† קֶ֫דֶם n.[m.] front, east, aforetime;—abs. ק׳ Dt 33:27 +, קֶ֑דֶם Ju 8:10 +, cstr. קֶדֶם Pr 8:22; once pl. cstr. קַדְמֵי v 23;— 1. loc. a. front, מִקּ׳ Is 9:11 from the front (i.e. East), in front (opp. מֵאָחוֹר), אָחוֹר וָק׳ ψ 139:5 behind and before; ק׳ אֶהֱלֹךְ Jb 23:8 I go forward (opp. אָחוֹר). b. East: הַר־הַקּ׳ Gn 10:30 (J) mount of the East; בְּנֵי־ק׳ = dwellers in the E., tribes E. or…