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קָדִים

𐤒𐤃𐤉𐤌

qâdîym

H6921 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קדם to precede, to come before, to face, to be eastward

Definition

Primary lexical meaning: 'East, eastward, or in the direction of the rising sun.' The term denotes the direction from which the sun rises and is often associated with orientation, geography, or wind (the east wind). In context, it can refer to (1) the general direction of east, (2) the region or area located to the east of a reference point (such as the land east of Israel), or (3) the east wind (a prevalent and often harsh wind in the region).

Semantic Range

east, eastward, the east side or region, wind from the east (east wind), toward the front (in reference to orientation)

Root / Etymology

From the root קדם (q-d-m), meaning 'to be in front, to precede, to come before.' The noun form קָדִים (qadim) develops the spatial and geographical sense: 'that which is before in time or space,' thus 'east,' as the direction facing forward (toward the sunrise) when orienting oneself to the east. The word is directly built from the root without additional nominal suffixation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In ancient Israelite orientation, east (קָדִים) was often viewed as the 'front' since people were imagined as facing the sunrise. As a geographical term, קָדִים could refer both to the cardinal direction itself and to lands eastward of Israel (e.g., the Transjordan). When used for wind, the 'east wind' or 'wind from the east' was notorious for being dry, scorching, and destructive—prominent in biblical imagery as a harbinger of blight or judgment (e.g., Genesis 41:6, Exodus 10:13, Psalm 48:8). While most English translations render the term as 'east' or 'east wind,' the nuance of orientation and of the wind's destructive qualities can be lost. Differentiated from מִזְרָח (mizrach), which also means 'east' but emphasizes the process or place of sunrise rather than orientation. Over time, קָדִים mostly retains its spatial and meteorological senses throughout biblical texts. In post-biblical Hebrew, the directional use prevails, but some metaphorical senses develop as well.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or קָדִם; from קָדַם; the fore or front part; hence (by orientation) the East (often adverbially, eastward, for brevity the east wind); east(-ward, wind).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

קדם (q-d-m) — to precede, to come before, to face, to be eastward

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6917 קָדוּם those from before
H6923 קָדַם I will go ahead to meet
H6924 קֶדֶם the front
H6925 קֳדָם before you
H6926 קִדְמָה front/eastern region of

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6921-05 קָדִ֑ים qadim HNcmsa east east 28
H6921-06 קָדִ֔ימָ/ה qadimah HNcmsa/Sd eastward eastward 18
H6921-01 הַ/קָּדִ֑ים haqadim HTd/Ncmsa the east the east 17
H6921-08 וְ/קָדִ֗ימָ/ה veqadimah HC/Ncmsa/Sd and eastward and toward the east 2
H6921-03 לַ/קָּדִ֖ים laqadim HRd/Ncmsa to-the-east to the east 1
H6921-04 מֵֽ/הַ/קָּדִ֔ים mehaqadim HR/Td/Ncmsa from-the-east from the east 1
H6921-07 וְ/לַ/קָּדִ֑ים velaqadim HC/Rd/Ncmsa and-toward-the-east and to the east 1
H6921-02 הַ/קָּדִ֔ימָ/ה haqadimah HTd/Ncmsa/Sd the east toward the east 1

Occurrences in Scripture

69 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6921-05 Genesis 41:6 קָדִ֑ים qadim HNcmsa by the east wind east
H6921-05 Genesis 41:23 קָדִ֑ים qadim HNcmsa by the east wind east
H6921-01 Genesis 41:27 הַ/קָּדִ֑ים haqadim HTd/Ncmsa east wind the east
H6921-05 Exodus 10:13 קָדִים֙ qadim HNcmsa east east
H6921-01 Exodus 10:13 הַ/קָּדִ֔ים haqadim HTd/Ncmsa east the east
H6921-05 Exodus 14:21 קָדִ֤ים qadim HNcmsa east east
H6921-05 Isaiah 27:8 קָדִֽים qadim HNcmsa of east wind east
H6921-05 Jeremiah 18:17 קָדִ֥ים qadim HNcmsa east east
H6921-06 Ezekiel 11:1 קָדִ֔ימָ/ה qadimah HNcmsa/Sd eastward eastward
H6921-01 Ezekiel 17:10 הַ/קָּדִים֙ haqadim HTd/Ncmsa the east the east
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