H6931 H6931
Former or ancient (of time); eastern (of direction). An adjective bridging temporal priority and spatial orientation.
The adjective קַדְמֹנִי splits neatly between two semantic poles: 'eastern' in geographic contexts and 'former/ancient' in temporal ones, both deriving from the root קדם, whose basic notion is 'front' or 'before.' Since the ancient Israelite orientation placed east as the direction one faces, 'in front of' yielded both 'eastward' and 'earlier in time.' Ezekiel uses the word for the eastern gate of the Temple (Ezek 10:19; 11:1) and the eastern sea, i.e., the Dead Sea (Ezek 47:18). Joel 2:20 and Zechariah 14:8 likewise point eastward. On the temporal side, Isaiah 43:18 urges Israel not to remember 'former things,' Malachi 3:4 recalls 'former years,' and 1 Samuel 24:13 cites 'the proverb of the ancients.' Spanish 'oriental' versus 'antiguo' and French 'ancien' reveal how different languages carve up what Hebrew unites under one form.
Senses
1. eastern — Eastern, pertaining to the geographic direction of the east. Used of the eastern gate of the Temple in Ezekiel's vision (Ezek 10:19; 11:1), the eastern sea -- that is, the Dead Sea -- as a boundary marker (Ezek 47:18; Zech 14:8), and the 'northern one' driven toward the eastern sea in Joel 2:20. The root קדם links 'east' with 'front,' reflecting Israel's orientation. Spanish 'oriental' and German equivalents consistently mark this spatial sense. 5×
AR["الشَّرْقِيِّ", "الشَّرْقِيِّ،"]·ben["পূর্বদিকের", "পূর্বের"]·DE["[הקדמוני]", "[הקדמני]"]·EN["the-eastern"]·FR["ancien"]·heb["ה-קַדמוֹני", "ה-קדמוני"]·HI["पूरवी", "पूर्वी"]·ID["timur", "timur,"]·IT["l'orientale", "orientale"]·jav["wétan"]·KO["그-동쪽의", "그-동편", "동쪽의"]·PT["a-oriental", "o-oriental"]·RU["восточного", "восточному", "восточным", "восточных"]·ES["el-oriental", "la-oriental"]·SW["la-mashariki", "ya-mashariki"]·TR["doğu", "doğudaki", "doğunun"]·urd["مشرقی", "پورب-کے"]
2. former, ancient — Former or ancient, referring to what belongs to earlier times or past generations. In Isaiah 43:18, God commands Israel to stop dwelling on קַדְמֹנִיּוֹת, 'former things,' paired with רִאשֹׁנוֹת. Malachi 3:4 recalls שָׁנִים קַדְמֹנִיּוֹת, 'former years,' alongside 'days of old.' The substantivized plural in Job 18:20 designates 'those before' -- people of an earlier era who shudder at the wicked man's fate. In 1 Samuel 24:13, David cites מְשַׁל הַקַּדְמֹנִי, 'the proverb of the ancients.' Spanish 'antiguos/primeros' and French 'ancien' confirm the temporal reading. 5×
AR["القُدَماءِ", "الْقَدِيمَةِ", "قَدِيمَةٍ", "وَ-الْمُتَقَدِّمُونَ", "وَالقَدِيمَاتِ"]·ben["এবং-পূর্বেরগুলিকে", "এবং-পূর্বেররা", "প্রাচীন", "প্রাচীনের", "সেই-প্রাচীনের"]·DE["[וקדמניות]", "[וקדמנים]", "[קדמונים]", "[קדמניות]", "der-ancients"]·EN["and-ancient-things", "and-those-before", "former", "the-ancients"]·FR["[וקדמניות]", "ancien", "et-וקדמנים", "le-ancients"]·heb["ה-קדמוני", "ו-קדמוניות", "ו-קדמונים", "קדמוניות", "קדמונים"]·HI["और-पुरानीं", "पकड़ेगा", "पहले-के", "पुरानी", "प्राचीन"]·ID["dahulu", "dan-hal-hal-yang-kuno", "dan-yang-dulu", "kuno", "purba"]·IT["[וקדמניות]", "e-e-quelli-prima", "il-ancients", "orientale"]·jav["kina", "lan-ingkang-kina", "lan-tiyang-ngajeng", "rumiyin"]·KO["그리고-선대들이", "그리고-예전-것들을", "예전-의", "예전의", "옛날의"]·PT["antigos", "e-antigas", "e-os-de-antes", "os-antigos"]·RU["древние", "древняя", "и-древнее", "и-предыдущие", "прежние"]·ES["antiguos", "los-antiguos", "primeros", "y-las-antiguas", "y-los-de-antes"]·SW["na-waliokuja-kabla", "na-ya-zamani", "wa-kale", "ya-kale", "za-kale"]·TR["-eski", "ve-eski-seyleri", "ve-öncekiler", "önceki", "öncekinin"]·urd["اور-پرانی", "اور-پہلے-کے-لوگ", "قدیمی", "پرانے"]
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
† I. קַדְמֹנִי adj. former, eastern (on format. v. LagBN 195 BaNB, § 227 d);—abs. ק׳ 1 S 24:14 (Gi v 13), Jo 2:20; -מוֹנִי Ez 10:19 +; mpl. קַדְמֹנִים Jb 18:20, -מוֹנִים Ez 38:17; fpl. קַדְמֹנִיּוֹת Is 43:18; Mal 3:4;— 1. former, ancient, יָמִים ק׳ Ez 38:17 former days; שָׁנִים ק׳ Mal 3:4 (‖ יְמֵי עוֹלָם): fpl. as n., former things Is 43:18 (‖ רִאשֹׁנוֹת); ms. as n. coll. מְשַׁל הַקַּדְמֹנִי 1 S…