Lexical Summary
qadim: East wind
Original Word:קָדִים
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:qadiym
Pronunciation:kah-DEEM
Phonetic Spelling:(kaw-deem')
KJV: east(-ward, wind)
NASB:east, east wind, east side, forward
Word Origin:[fromH6923 (קָדַם - meet)]
1. the fore or front part
2. hence (by orientation) the East (often adverbially, eastward, for brevity the east wind)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
eastward, wind
Or qadim {kaw-deem'}; fromqadam; the fore or front part; hence (by orientation) the East (often adverbially, eastward, for brevity the east wind) -- east(-ward, wind).
see HEBREWqadam
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
qedemDefinitioneast, east wind
NASB Translationeast (55), east side (1), east wind (10), forward (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
69Hosea 13:15 ; — absolute
Genesis 41:6 +; with locative
Ezekiel 11:1 +,
Ezekiel 48:4 +; —
(apart from Ezekiel)East, especiallywind of the East, east wind, often as violent and scorching, from desert on southeast, = Arabicsirocco (
eastern), compare DrAmos 4:9:Exodus 10:13 (twice in verse) (JE),Exodus 14:21 (J),Jeremiah 18:17 (simile),Jonah 4:8;Psalm 48:8; also ( omitted) =east windGenesis 41:6,23,27 (E),Hosea 12:2;Hosea 13:15;Isaiah 27:8;Job 15:2;Job 27:21;Job 38:24;Psalm 78:26. —Habakkuk 1:9 is dubious, usuallyeastward, i.e.forward, but text probably corrupt, compare We Now Da, GASm proposes (see also [] p. 169 above). in Ezekiel (52 t.):
Easteast windEzekiel 17:10;Ezekiel 19:12;Ezekiel 27:26;east sideEzekiel 42:16 (+ north, south, west);Ezekiel 40:44 (+ north, south);Ezekiel 47:18, + westEzekiel 48:6,7,8, compareEzekiel 48:1 ( ; but read Co Toy and others), + north, south, west,Ezekiel 48:16; i.e.toward the eastEzekiel 40:10 7t.,Ezekiel 43:2;Ezekiel 40:23eastward (+ North)Ezekiel 41:14;Ezekiel 42:9on the East.
=East:Ezekiel 40:6;Ezekiel 45:7;Ezekiel 48:21 (+ west);Ezekiel 47:18, + westEzekiel 48:3 8t., + north, south, west,Ezekiel 48:32.
as adverbeastwardEzekiel 11:1;Ezekiel 44:1;Ezekiel 47:1; + westEzekiel 45:7 (strike out Berthol Krae),Ezekiel 48:18, + north, south, west,Ezekiel 48:10;Ezekiel 48:17; alsoeastwardEzekiel 40:19;Ezekiel 43:17;Ezekiel 46:1,12;Ezekiel 47:1,3, + northEzekiel 47:2.
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and Symbolic Overtonesקָדִים most often designates “east” or “east wind,” but its scriptural usage stretches beyond mere compass-point notation. The word evokes beginnings (Genesis 2:8), anticipated arrivals of light (Job 38:24), and forces of swift change (Jeremiah 18:17). Because the sun rises in the east, קָדִים easily connotes both origin and momentum—ideas that the inspired writers harness to portray the Lord’s creative initiative and His sudden acts of judgment or deliverance.
Geographical Orientation and Covenant Land
From Abraham’s arrival “as far as the oak of Moreh” (Genesis 12:6) to the tribal allotments east of Jordan (Joshua 13:8-32), קָדִים helps set Israel’s sacred map. When Scripture says the tabernacle entrance faced east (Exodus 27:13), worshippers were reminded that daily light—and therefore daily worship—comes from the direction God appointed. Ezekiel’s restored temple preserves that orientation (Ezekiel 40:6; 43:1-4), underscoring the continuity of God’s covenant presence.
The East Wind in Divine Judgments
More than any other meteorological term, קָדִים denotes God’s disciplinary agency. The hot, desiccating sirocco that blows from the Arabian Desert is the emblem of His consuming wrath:
• “God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head” (Jonah 4:8).
• “With an east wind You shattered the ships of Tarshish” (Psalm 48:7).
• “I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind” (Jeremiah 18:17).
Pharaoh’s Egypt experienced the plague of locusts after “the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night” (Exodus 10:13). Likewise, Joseph interpreted the seven thin ears “blighted by the east wind” (Genesis 41:23, 27) as years of famine. Each account underscores the Lord’s sovereign prerogative to marshal creation as His instrument.
Association with Barren Wilderness and Exile
Because קָדִים comes from desert regions, prophetic literature links it to spiritual sterility. Hosea describes Ephraim as “pursuing the east wind all day long” (Hosea 12:1)—chasing what cannot satisfy. Likewise, “an east wind will come, a wind from the LORD rising up from the wilderness, and his fountain will dry up” (Hosea 13:15). The imagery warns that departure from covenant loyalty leads back into the barrenness from which God originally rescued His people.
Lexical Pairings and Poetic Parallelism
Hebrew poetry frequently sets קָדִים in parallel with adversity or vanishing substance:
• “The east wind carries him away, and he is gone” (Job 27:21).
• “You blow with Your wind; the sea covered them” (Exodus 15:10)—the song of Moses juxtaposes east wind with Red Sea deliverance.
In wisdom texts, the term couples with scorched plants (Psalm 103:15-16) to remind readers of life’s frailty apart from divine favor.
Redemptive-Historical Trajectory
While קָדִים often signals judgment, it also frames salvation history. The Lord “planted a garden toward the east, in Eden” (Genesis 2:8), pointing to humanity’s original fellowship. Cherubim stationed east of Eden (Genesis 3:24) guard the path back to life, prefiguring the future re-entry granted through Christ. Zechariah foresees a day when living waters flow “toward the eastern sea” (Zechariah 14:8), reversing the curse dramatized by the parched east wind.
Practical Application for Ministry
For preaching and teaching, קָדִים offers vivid imagery:
1. Divine Sovereignty—God commands the forces no human can restrain.
2. Spiritual Vigilance—what begins as a gentle morning breeze can, by rebellion, become a scorching blast.
3. Hope in Restoration—the same directional motif that marked expulsion (Genesis 3:24) also heralds the rising Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2).
Representative Occurrences
Genesis 2:8; 3:24; 41:6, 23, 27
Exodus 10:13; 14:21; 15:10
Job 27:21; 38:24
Psalm 48:7; 103:15-16
Isaiah 27:8; 41:2
Jeremiah 18:17
Ezekiel 40:6; 43:1-4
Hosea 12:1; 13:15
Jonah 4:8
Zechariah 14:8
Forms and Transliterations
הַקָּדִ֑ים הַקָּדִ֔ים הַקָּדִ֔ימָה הַקָּדִ֖ים הַקָּדִ֗ים הַקָּדִ֛ים הַקָּדִֽים׃ הַקָּדִים֙ הקדים הקדים׃ הקדימה וְלַקָּדִ֑ים וְקָדִ֗ימָה וְקָדִ֙ימָה֙ ולקדים וקדימה לַקָּדִ֖ים לקדים מֵֽהַקָּדִ֔ים מהקדים קָ֭דִים קָדִ֑ים קָדִ֑ימָה קָדִ֔ים קָדִ֔ימָה קָדִ֖ים קָדִ֗ים קָדִ֗ימָה קָדִ֙ימָה֙ קָדִ֛ים קָדִ֛ימָה קָדִ֛מָה קָדִ֡ים קָדִ֣ים קָדִ֤ים קָדִ֥ים קָדִֽים׃ קָדִֽימָה׃ קָדִים֙ קָדִים֩ קָדִימָה֒ קדים קדים׃ קדימה קדימה׃ קדמה hakkaDim hakkaDimah haq·qā·ḏî·māh haq·qā·ḏîm haqqāḏîm haqqāḏîmāh kaDim kaDimah lakkaDim laq·qā·ḏîm laqqāḏîm mê·haq·qā·ḏîm mehakkaDim mêhaqqāḏîm qā·ḏi·māh qā·ḏî·māh qā·ḏîm qāḏîm qāḏimāh qāḏîmāh vekaDimah velakkaDim wə·laq·qā·ḏîm wə·qā·ḏî·māh wəlaqqāḏîm wəqāḏîmāh
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