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קַדְמָה

𐤒𐤃𐤌𐤄

qadmâh

H6928 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קדם to precede, come before, be ancient

Definition

An earlier or preceding time, the past; denotes former times or an earlier era, particularly in contrast with the present moment. Used to refer to times that have gone by, often with an emphasis on antiquity or previous events.

Semantic Range

ancient time, former time, the past, aforetime, previously, antiquity

Root / Etymology

From the root קדם, which carries the primary sense of 'to precede, go before, be in front.' The form קַדְמָה, as an Aramaic noun, appears in biblical Aramaic and is derived from this root. It is related to the Hebrew cognate קֶדֶם (qedem, 'east' or 'antiquity/past').

Historical & Contextual Notes

קַדְמָה occurs only in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Daniel), primarily in the expression 'from former times' or 'previously.' The term is used to describe the past or antiquity, often emphasizing a time before the current era or reigning authority. Its Hebrew counterpart קֶדֶם is found in more diverse contexts, including geographic (east) and temporal (ancient days) meanings. English translations typically render קַדְמָה as 'former times' or 'the past,' but may not fully capture the nuance of its focus on precedence or antiquity. The use of קַדְמָה in the Aramaic portions of the biblical text reflects both continuity with and differentiation from the Hebrew term, showing how the concept of 'the past' was expressed by Israelites during the exilic and early Persian periods, when Aramaic became an administrative language.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to קַדְמָה; former time; afore(-time), ago.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

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

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6917 קָדוּם those from before
H6921 קָדִים the east
H6923 קָדַם I will go ahead to meet
H6924 קֶדֶם the front
H6925 קֳדָם before you

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6928-01 מִ/קַּדְמַ֤ת miqademat AR/Ncfsc ago from former time of 1
H6928-02 קַדְמַ֖ת qademat ANcfsc before former-time of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6928-02 Daniel 6:11 קַדְמַ֖ת qademat ANcfsc before former-time of
H6928-01 Ezra 5:11 מִ/קַּדְמַ֤ת miqademat AR/Ncfsc ago from former time of
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