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קַדְמֹנִי

𐤒𐤃𐤌𐤍𐤉

Qademoni

H6935 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קדם to precede, come before, be in front

Definition

Adjective or gentilic noun indicating belonging to ancient times or former times, often used as a designation for an early or original inhabitant, especially one of the indigenous peoples of Canaan predating the Israelite settlement. At times, specifically refers to the Kadmonite tribe, considered part of the ancient inhabitants of the land.

Semantic Range

ancient, of former times, original inhabitant, aboriginal; specifically, member of the Kadmonite people

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root קדם (q-d-m), which means 'to precede, come before, be in front', with the adjectival or gentilic ending ־ִי (-î). Thus, קַדְמֹנִי conveys the idea of one who is from former times or earliest times, or belonging to the front/earliest ones.

Historical & Contextual Notes

קַדְמֹנִי appears primarily in a gentilic sense in Genesis 15:19 to refer to the Kadmonites, one of the peoples listed as inhabitants of the land promised to Abraham's descendants, indicating a distinct group among the pre-Israelite population. The term carries the nuance of 'ancient' or 'original'—those who were present before later arrivals, such as the Israelites. This is supported by its adjectival use elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, where derivations of the same root (like קַדְמוֹנִי, qadmōnî) refer generally to what is former, earlier, or ancient (e.g., as in 'the former prophets'). English translations sometimes render the noun as 'Kadmonites,' but this may not fully capture its contextual sense as members of an ancient population rather than a specific nation. The later application of 'Kadmonites' as an ethnic label is due to translation tradition, but the term is more accurately descriptive of origin or antiquity. The word does not denote Israelite, Judahite, Judean, or later identities—rather, it marks those considered indigenous or 'original' to the land.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as קַדְמוֹנִי; ancient, i.e. aboriginal; Kadmonite (collectively), the name of a tribe in Palestine; Kadmonites.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

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

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

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6935-01 הַ/קַּדְמֹנִֽי haqademoni HTd/Ngmsa Kadmonites the ancient one 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6935-01 Genesis 15:19 הַ/קַּדְמֹנִֽי haqademoni HTd/Ngmsa Kadmonites the ancient one
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