Lexical Summary
qedem: East, ancient times, antiquity, front, before
Original Word:קֶדֶם
Part of Speech:noun masculine; adverb; noun
Transliteration:qedem
Pronunciation:keh'-dem
Phonetic Spelling:(keh'-dem)
KJV: aforetime, ancient (time), before, east (end, part, side, -ward), eternal, X ever(-lasting), forward, old, past
Word Origin:[fromH6923 (קָדַם - meet)]
1. the front, of place (absolutely, the fore part, relatively the East) or time (antiquity)
2. often used adverbially (before, anciently, eastward)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
aforetime, ancient time, before, east end, part, side eternal, everlasting, forward,
Or qedmah {kayd'-maw}; fromqadam; the front, of place (absolutely, the fore part, relatively the East) or time (antiquity); often used adverbially (before, anciently, eastward) -- aforetime, ancient (time), before, east (end, part, side, -ward), eternal, X ever(-lasting), forward, old, past. Compareqidmah.
see HEBREWqadam
see HEBREWqidmah
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; — absolute
Deuteronomy 33:27 +,
Judges 8:10 +; construct
Proverbs 8:22; once plural construct
Proverbs 8:23; —
location
front,Isaiah 9:11from the front (i.e. East),in front (opposed to ),Psalm 139:5behind and before;Job 23:8I go forward (opposed to )
East:Genesis 10:30 (J)mount of the East; = dwellers in the east, tribes east or northeast of CanaanGenesis 29:1 (E),Judges 6:3,33;Judges 7:12;Judges 8:10;1 Kings 5:10;Isaiah 11:14;Jeremiah 49:28;Ezekiel 25:4,10;Job 1:3;Numbers 23:7, see Di Sachau: Reise (1883), 159 ff.165 ff. Dr in Hast.PETHOS;Genesis 25:6 (J);Isaiah 2:6they are full from the east (insert probably, , or < before , compare Lo De Du CheHpt Di-Kit); elsewhere =eastward: (I)in the eastGenesis 2:8 (2) on the eastern (side)Genesis 12:8 (J)Zechariah 14:4;on the east ofGenesis 3:24 (J),Genesis 12:8 (J),Numbers 34:(P),Joshua 7:2 (JE),Judges 8:11;Ezekiel 11:23 =Jonah 4:5; -3eastward, with verb of motionGenesis 11:2;Genesis 13:11 (both J).
temporal,ancient time, aforetime:
Deuteronomy 33:15ancient mountains, compareDeuteronomy 33:27,Isaiah 19:11,Psalm 68:34.
Psalm 44:2in ancient days; comparefrom of oldIsaiah 23:7;Micah 7:20;Lamentations 1:7;Lamentations 2:17;Isaiah 37:26 = )2 Kings 19:25 (see (2));Isaiah 51:9;Jeremiah 46:26;Job 29:2months of old.
from of oldMicah 5:1;Isaiah 45:21;Isaiah 46:10;Habakkuk 1:12;Nehemiah 12:46;Psalm 77:12 7;Psalm 8:2springing out of, derived from, ancient times (compare Dr);Psalm 77:6;Psalm 143:5days from of old. alone, as adverbanciently, of oldPsalm 74:2;Psalm 119:152;Jeremiah 30:20;Lamentations 5:21;Psalm 55:20he that sitteth (enthroned from)of old.
,Proverbs 8:23from the beginnings of the earth;Proverbs 8:22 the beginning of his works ("" ).
[], with locative I.
; —Genesis 25:6 (J),Leviticus 1:16;Leviticus 16:14;Numbers 34:3,11,15;Joshua 19:12,13 (all P),1 Kings 7:39 2Chronicles 4:10;1 Kings 17:3 =2 Kings 13:17;Ezekiel 8:16 (twice in verse); + north, south, west,Genesis 13:14;Genesis 28:14 (both J),Numbers 2:3;Numbers 3:28;Numbers 10:5 (north, west, in ),Numbers 34:10 (all P); also as
after =eastern side,Exodus 27:13;Exodus 38:13 (both P), + WEzekiel 45:7 (strike out Co; read Berthol Toy Krae), + north, south, west,Numbers 35:5;Joshua 18:20 soJoshua 15:5 (all P).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewקֶדֶם (Qedem) functions in Scripture with a dual nuance: spatially as “east” or “front,” and temporally as “ancient” or “everlasting.” Across roughly eighty-seven Old Testament occurrences, the Spirit employs the term to reveal the ordered cosmos, God’s eternal nature, covenantal continuity, and mission strategy for His people.
Semantic Range
1. Physical orientation: the direction of the rising sun, the region that lies before one facing east.
2. Temporal scope: primeval antiquity reaching back to creation and forward to unending eternity.
3. Qualitative description: the venerable, time-tested ways of God and His purposes.
Spatial Orientation: Eastward Direction
Facing east organized life for patriarchs and pilgrims alike. Eden was planted “in the east” (Genesis 2:8), anchoring humanity’s beginning in Qedem. The tabernacle faced east (Numbers 3:38), directing worship toward the dawn that daily proclaims new mercies. Even judgment scenes retain the axis: when Cain was driven “east of Eden” (Genesis 4:16), the vocabulary underscored exile from God’s presence.
Geographical Designations
Qedem identifies peoples and territories:
• “The land of the east” where the patriarchs sought wives (Genesis 29:1).
• “Sons of the east” appearing as traders (Genesis 25:6), counselors (Job 1:3), or invading armies (Judges 6:3).
• Desert steppes east of Jordan (Numbers 23:7;Ezekiel 25:4).
These references remind readers that God governs history beyond Israel’s borders, summoning or restraining eastern nations to accomplish His plans (Isaiah 46:11).
Temporal Dimension: Antiquity and Eternity
Qedem often points to the remote past, yet simultaneously highlights timelessness:
• “Remember the days of old; consider the years of generations past” (Deuteronomy 32:7).
• “The everlasting God is your dwelling place” (Deuteronomy 33:27).
The prophets extend the line forward: “His goings forth are from of old, from the days of eternity” (Micah 5:2). Thus Qedem situates Messiah’s origins outside temporal limits while affirming His incarnational entrance in Bethlehem.
Character of God: Eternal Majesty
By attributing Qedem to the LORD, Scripture proclaims His self-existence. Habakkuk glimpses a theophany: “God comes from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise” (Habakkuk 3:3). The parallelism links Teman (south) and Qedem (east) to frame creation within His radiant glory.
Covenantal and Redemptive Themes
God’s ancient promises ground present assurance. Isaiah comforts exiles with the pledge: “I call a bird of prey from the east, a man for My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass” (Isaiah 46:11). Cyrus’s rise from the east manifests the steadfast word given long ago. The same term appears inPsalm 74:12: “Yet God is my King from of old, working salvation on the earth.”
Prophetic and Eschatological Usage
Ezekiel’s climactic vision shows the glory of the LORD returning “from the east” (Ezekiel 43:2), reversing the earlier departure (Ezekiel 10:19). Zechariah echoes: “I will bring them back... from the east and from the west” (Zechariah 8:7), adumbrating the final ingathering. Revelation picks up the typology: “I saw another angel descending from the rising of the sun” (Revelation 7:2), signaling sealing grace that shields the servants of God.
Wisdom Literature Perspective
Proverbs esteems the “ancient boundary stone” (Proverbs 22:28), urging fidelity to foundational truth. Job’s companions hail from Qedem (Job 2:11), embodying early Near-Eastern wisdom; yet their limited grasp contrasts with divine counsel “older than the earth” (Job 15:7). True wisdom issues from the Lord of Qedem (Job 12:13).
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Worldview: Orient life toward the Lord who stands at the beginning and the end.
2. Worship: Face each day with expectancy, mindful that the sunrise bears witness to His steadfast love renewed “from ancient times.”
3. Mission: Trust God’s sovereign reach into every culture “east of” one’s current horizon, confident He summons servants from unexpected quarters.
4. Counseling: Invite believers to rest in the “eternal arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27), transforming fear of the unknown future into faith in the Ancient of Days.
Key Occurrences for Study
Genesis 2:8;Genesis 13:11;Genesis 25:6;Exodus 27:13;Deuteronomy 33:27;Joshua 7:2;Judges 6:3;1 Chronicles 9:18;Job 1:3;Psalm 74:12;Psalm 78:12;Proverbs 8:22;Isaiah 9:12;Isaiah 41:2;Isaiah 46:11;Jeremiah 2:6;Ezekiel 43:2;Micah 5:2;Zechariah 8:7;Malachi 1:11.
Summary
Qedem integrates geography with theology, time with eternity, and covenant history with eschatological hope. As believers trace its thread, they are invited to behold the God who, from earliest ages and eastern horizons, orders redemption’s account and calls His people into the unfolding dawn of His everlasting kingdom.
Forms and Transliterations
הַקֶּֽדֶם׃ הקדם׃ וָקֵ֖דְמָה וָקֵ֥דְמָה וָקֶ֣דֶם וּמִקֶּ֖דֶם ומקדם וקדם וקדמה כְּקֶ֔דֶם כְּקֶֽדֶם׃ כקדם כקדם׃ מִקֶּ֑דֶם מִקֶּ֔דֶם מִקֶּ֖דֶם מִקֶּ֗דֶם מִקֶּ֛דֶם מִקֶּ֜דֶם מִקֶּ֣דֶם מִקֶּ֥דֶם מִקֶּ֨דֶם מִקֶּדֶם֒ מִקַּדְמֵי־ מקדם מקדמי־ קֵ֑דְמָה קֵ֔דְמָה קֵ֖דְמָה קֵ֙דְמָה֙ קֵ֚דְמָה קֵ֣דְמָה קֵ֥דְמָה קֵֽדְמָה׃ קֶ֑דֶם קֶ֔דֶם קֶ֖דֶם קֶ֗דֶם קֶ֙דֶם֙ קֶ֜דֶם קֶ֣דֶם קֶ֤דֶם קֶּ֗דֶם קֶֽדֶם׃ קדם קדם׃ קדמה קדמה׃ hakKedem haq·qe·ḏem haqqeḏem kə·qe·ḏem Kedem Kedemah keKedem kəqeḏem mikkadmei mikKedem miq·qaḏ·mê- miq·qe·ḏem miqqaḏmê- miqqeḏem qê·ḏə·māh qe·ḏem qeḏem qêḏəmāh ū·miq·qe·ḏem umikKedem ūmiqqeḏem vaKedem vaKedemah wā·qê·ḏə·māh wā·qe·ḏem wāqeḏem wāqêḏəmāh
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