Lexical Definition

‎קֶדֶם‎ qedem (keh'-dem) East ^H:N-M
or קֵדְמָה qêdᵉmâh (kayd'-maw); from ‎קָדַם‎

aforetime, ancient (time), before, east (end, part, side, -ward), eternal, [idiom] ever(-lasting), forward, old, past. Compare ‎קִדְמָה‎.

• the front, of place (absolutely, the fore part, relatively the East) or time (antiquity)
• often used adverbially (before, anciently, eastward)

n m
1) east, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime
1a) front, from the front or east, in front, mount of the East
1b) ancient time, aforetime, ancient, from of old, earliest time
1c) anciently, of old (adverb)
1d) beginning
1e) east
adv
2) eastward, to or toward the East

See Greek: αἰών · ἀνατολή · ἀρχαῖος · ἀρχή · ἔμπροσθεν · ἥλιος

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎קֶ֫דֶם‎ noun [masculine] front, east, aforetime; — absolute‎׳‎‎ק‎ Deut 33:27 +, ‎קֶ֑קֶם‎ Judg 8:10 +; construct ‎קֶדֶם‎ Prov 8:22 once plural construct ‎קַדְמֵי‎ vProv 8:23 —

1. location
a. front, ‎׳‎‎מִקּ‎ Isa 9:11* from the front (i.e. East), in front (opposed to ‎מֵאָחוֺר‎), ‎׳‎‎אָחוֺר וָק‎ Ps 139:5 behind and before; ‎אֶהֳלֹךְ‎ ‎׳‎‎ק‎ Job 23:8 I go forward (opposed to ‎אָחוֺר‎)
b. East: ‎׳‎‎הַרהַֿקּ‎ Gen 10:30 (J) mount of the East; ‎׳‎‎בְּנֵיקֿ‎ = dwellers in the east, tribes east or northeast of Canaan Gen 29:1 (E), Judg 6:3; Judg 6:33; Judg 7:12; Judg 8:10; 1Kgs 5:10*; Isa 11:14; Jer 49:28; Ezek 25:4; Ezek 25:10; Job 1:3 ‎׳‎‎הַרְרֵי ק‎ Num 23:7, see Di Sachau: Reise (1883), 159 ff.165 ff. Dr in Hast.^PETHOS; ‎׳‎‎אֶרֶץ ק‎ Gen 25:6 (J); ‎מָֽלְאוּ מִקֶּדֶם‎ Isa 2:6 they are full from the east (insert probably‎קֶסֶם‎, ‎מִקְסָם‎, or < ‎קֹסְמִים‎ before ‎׳‎‎מִקּ‎, compare Lo De Du Che^Hpt Di-Kit); elsewhere ‎׳‎‎מִקּ‎ =eastward: (I) in the east Gen 2:8 (2) on the eastern (side) Gen 12:8 (J) Zech 14:4 ‎לְ‎ ‎׳‎‎מִקּ‎ on the east of Gen 3:24 (J), Gen 12:8 (J), Num 34:1l (P), Josh 7:2 (JE), Judg 8:11; Ezek 11:23 = Jonah 4:5 (3) eastward, with verb of motion Gen 11:2; Gen 13:11 (both J).

2. temporal, ancient time, aforetime:
a. ‎׳‎‎הַרְרֵי ק‎ Deut 33:15 ancient mountains, compare ‎׳‎‎אֱלֹהֵי ק‎ vDeut 33:27, ‎׳‎‎מַלְכֵיקֿ‎ Isa 19:11, ‎׳‎‎בִּשְׁמֵי שְׁמֵיקֿ‎ Ps 68:34*.
b. ‎׳‎‎כִּימֵי ק‎ Ps 44:2* in ancient days; compare ‎׳‎‎מִימֵי ק‎ from of old Isa 23:7; Mic 7:20; Lam 1:7; Lam 2:17; Isa 37:26 = ‎׳‎‎לְמִימֵי ק‎) 2Kgs 19:25 (see ‎מִן‎ 9b (2)); ‎׳‎‎כִּימֵי ק‎ Isa 51:9; Jer 46:26 ‎׳‎‎יַרְחֵי ק‎ Job 29:2 months of old.
c. ‎׳‎‎מִקּ‎ from of old Mic 5:1*; Isa 45:21; Isa 46:10; Hab 1:12; Neh 12:46; Ps 77:12* ‎׳‎‎מִנִּיק‎ 7; Ps 8:2* springing out of, derived from, ancient times (compare Dr); ‎׳‎‎יָמִים מִקּ‎ Ps 77:6*; Ps 143:5 days from of old.
d. ‎׳‎‎ק‎ alone, as adverb anciently, of old Ps 74:2; Ps 119:152 ‎׳‎‎כְּק‎ Jer 30:20; Lam 5:21 ‎׳‎‎ישֵׁב ק‎ Ps 55:20* he that sitteth (enthroned from) of old.
e. beginning, ‎מִקַּדְמֵיאָֿ֑רֶץ‎ Prov 8:23 from the beginnings of the earth; ‎מִפְעָלָיו‎ ‎׳‎‎ק‎ Prov 8:22 the beginning of his works (|| ‎רֵאשִׁית‎).

[‎קֵ֫דֶם‎], with ‎ה‎ locative I. ‎קֵ֫דְמָה‎ adverb eastward, to, toward, the east; — Gen 25:6 (J), Lev 1:16; Lev 16:14; Num 34:3; Num 34:11; Num 34:15; Josh 19:12; Josh 19:13 (all P), 1Kgs 7:39 = 2Chr 4:10; 1Kgs 17:3 = 2Kgs 13:17; Ezek 8:16 (twice in verse); + north, south, west, Gen 13:14; Gen 28:14 (both J), Num 2:3; Num 3:28; Num 10:5 (north, west, in ᵐ5), Num 34:10 (all P); also as noun after ‎פְּאַת‎ = eastern side, Exod 27:13; Exod 38:13 (both P), + W Ezek 45:7 (strike out Co; read ‎קֶדֶם‎ Berthol Toy Krae), + north, south, west, Num 35:5; Josh 18:20 so ‎׳‎‎גְּבוּל ק‎ Josh 15:5 (all P).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References