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קַדְמַי

𐤒𐤃𐤌𐤉

qadmay

H6933 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root קדם to precede, to be in front, to come before, to be ancient

Definition

Primarily an Aramaic masculine singular adjective or substantive meaning 'first,' 'former,' or 'ancient.' The term serves to denote something or someone that comes before others in time, order, or position, often used with reference to precedence (e.g., 'the first ones,' 'the former ones,' or 'ancestors'). The semantic range includes temporal priority, primacy in rank or order, and occasionally, ancestry or antiquity, depending on context.

Semantic Range

first, former, ancestor, earliest, ancient, in front, at the forefront

Root / Etymology

Aramaic term derived from the root קדם (k-d-m), meaning 'to precede,' 'to be in front,' or 'to come before.' While the Hebrew counterpart קָדַם shares the same root and basic meaning, קַדְמַי is a distinct Aramaic formation used primarily in exilic and post-exilic texts.

Historical & Contextual Notes

קַדְמַי occurs in the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible, notably in Ezra and Daniel, which reflect the Persian and early Hellenistic periods. Its function parallels that of Hebrew קָדוֹם or רִאשׁוֹן but is distinctively Aramaic in form. The word is commonly used in lists or narratives to indicate individuals or events that precede others, either in a sequence (temporal) or in terms of heritage (e.g., 'former kings'). English translations often render it as 'former' or 'first,' but 'ancestors' or 'those before' may be contextually accurate where reference to past generations is intended. Later religious or ethnic terms (such as 'Jew') do not occur in connection with this word; rather it pertains to order or time. The semantic range remains stable across the exilic and post-exilic Aramaic corpus, with minimal expansion or contraction compared to cognate Hebrew forms.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) from a root corresponding to קָדַם; first; first.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

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

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6933-03 קַדְמָיְתָ֣/א qademayeta AAafsd/Td The first [was] the former one 1
H6933-02 קַדְמָיֵ֔/א qademaye AAampd/Td the-first-ones the former ones 1
H6933-01 קַדְמָ֣יָתָ֔/א qademayata AAafpd/Td former the former ones 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6933-03 Daniel 7:4 קַדְמָיְתָ֣/א qademayeta AAafsd/Td The first [was] the former one
H6933-01 Daniel 7:8 קַדְמָ֣יָתָ֔/א qademayata AAafpd/Td former the former ones
H6933-02 Daniel 7:24 קַדְמָיֵ֔/א qademaye AAampd/Td the-first-ones the former ones
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