6931. qadmoni
Lexical Summary
qadmoni: east, eastern, former

Original Word: קַדְמוֹנִי
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: qadmowniy
Pronunciation: kad-mo-nee
Phonetic Spelling: (kad-mo-nee')
KJV: ancient, they that went before, east, (thing of) old
NASB: east, eastern, former, ancients, eastward, things of the past
Word Origin: [from H6930 (קַדמוֹן - eastern)]

1. (of time) anterior or (of place) oriental

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ancient, they that went before, east, thing of old

Or qadmoniy {kad-mo-nee'}; from qadmown; (of time) anterior or (of place) oriental -- ancient, they that went before, east, (thing of) old.

see HEBREW qadmown

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from the same as qedem
Definition
former, eastern
NASB Translation
ancients (1), east (3), eastern (3), eastward (1), former (2), things of the past (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. קַדְמֹנִי adjective former, eastern (on formation see LagBN 195 BaNB, § 227d); — absolute ׳ק 1 Samuel 24:14 (Gi v.1 Samuel 24:13), Joel 2:20; מ֑וֺנִי Ezekiel 10:19 +; masculine plural קַדְמֹנִים Job 18:20, מ֑וֺנִים Ezekiel 38:17; feminine plural קַדְמֹנִיּוֺת Isaiah 43:18; Malachi 3:4; —

1 former, ancient, ׳יָמִים ק Ezekiel 38:17 former days; ׳שָׁנִים ק Malachi 3:4 ("" יְמֵי עוֺלָם): feminine plural as n., former things Isaiah 43:18 ("" רִאשֹׁנוֺת); masculine singular as collective noun מְשַׁל הַקַּדְמֹנִי 1 Samuel 24:14 a proverb of the ancients.

2 eastern: of שַׁעַר Ezekiel 10:19; Ezekiel 11:1, יָם (i.e. Dead Sea) Ezekiel 47:18 and (opposed to הַיָּם הָאַחֲרוֺן) Zechariah 14:8; Joel 2:20; masculine plural as noun Easterns, those of the east (opposed to west) Job 18:20 (so Ew De Hi Di Bae Du; Vrss earlier and later, so Da and others [both future], Bu former Generations [now in Sh®°ôl], and future).

Topical Lexicon
Overview

קַדְמוֹנִי appears ten times across the Old Testament, functioning either in a temporal sense (“former,” “ancient”) or a geographical sense (“eastern”). Together these uses highlight Yahweh’s lordship over both history and space, linking the “days of old” with the prophetic future and orienting worshippers toward the presence of God that enters from the east.

Semantic Range Within Scripture

1. Temporal: denoting events, persons, or offerings from “earlier times” (1 Samuel 24:13; Isaiah 43:18; Ezekiel 38:17; Malachi 3:4).
2. Geographical: indicating the direction of the sunrise and what lies “eastward” (Job 18:20; Ezekiel 10:19; 11:1; 47:18; Joel 2:20; Zechariah 14:8).

Historical Occurrences and Themes

1 Samuel 24:13 records David quoting “the proverb of the ancients,” showing how Israel valued ancestral wisdom while David refrained from vengeance.
Job 18:20 contrasts “those in the west” and “those in the east,” underlining universal dread at divine judgment.
Isaiah 43:18 urges Israel, “Do not remember the former things,” calling the nation to expect a new redemptive act surpassing the Exodus.
Malachi 3:4 looks forward: “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in days of old and years gone by,” combining hope for covenant renewal with reverence for past fidelity.

Geographical and Cultic Orientation

Ezekiel repeatedly places divine activity at the “east gate”:
Ezekiel 10:19 pictures the glory of the LORD departing that gate in judgment.
Ezekiel 11:1 depicts prophetic vision at the same location, confirming that true counsel comes only from God.
Ezekiel 47:18 sets the “eastern border” of the restored land, reinforcing God’s sovereign re-allocation of territory.

The “eastern sea” of Joel 2:20 and Zechariah 14:8 (the Dead Sea) frames both judgment on invading armies and the eschatological flow of “living waters,” signifying cleansing and life emerging from the temple mount toward the place of death.

Prophetic and Eschatological Dimensions

Ezekiel 38:17 reminds Gog that his downfall was “spoken of in former times by My servants the prophets,” grounding end-time expectations in centuries-old revelation. Joel and Zechariah depict an east-west axis in which the curse of locusts and foreign invaders is reversed, and the life-giving river of God permanently heals the land. These passages anticipate Christ’s triumph, when living water flows to all nations (John 7:37-38) and when He comes “as lightning that comes from the east” (Matthew 24:27).

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

1. Memory Disciplined by Hope: Isaiah 43:18 warns against nostalgia that paralyzes faith; believers cherish testimony of “former things” yet press on to God’s new mercies.
2. Reverence for Foundational Wisdom: David’s citation of “the ancients” commends respect for godly tradition while prioritizing righteousness over retaliation.
3. Orientation of Worship: The temple’s east gate scenes teach congregations to approach God in ordered worship, anticipating His returning glory.
4. Holistic Salvation: The rivers flowing to the “eastern sea” illustrate salvation’s reach to the most desolate places, encouraging missions to spiritual “Dead Seas” today.

Connections to New Testament Fulfillment

The temporal sense of קַדְמוֹנִי meets its goal in Jesus Christ, “the first and the last” (Revelation 1:17), who embodies both ancient promise and final reality. Geographically, His anticipated return “from the east” aligns with Old Testament expectation of glory re-entering from that direction, completing the cycle begun in Ezekiel.

Key References

1 Samuel 24:13; Job 18:20; Isaiah 43:18; Ezekiel 10:19; Ezekiel 11:1; Ezekiel 38:17; Ezekiel 47:18; Joel 2:20; Zechariah 14:8; Malachi 3:4.

Suggested Further Study

Compare “east” imagery in Genesis 2:8, Matthew 24:27, and Revelation 7:2; trace “former things” language in Isaiah 41–48; study temple orientation in Second Temple literature for deeper insight into Ezekiel’s visions.

Forms and Transliterations
הַקַּדְמֹנִ֔י הַקַּדְמוֹנִ֔י הַקַּדְמוֹנִ֖י הַקַּדְמוֹנִי֙ הקדמוני הקדמני וְ֝קַדְמֹנִ֗ים וְקַדְמֹנִיּ֖וֹת וקדמניות וקדמנים קַדְמֹנִיּֽוֹת׃ קַדְמוֹנִ֗ים קדמונים קדמניות׃ hakkadmoNi haq·qaḏ·mō·nî haq·qaḏ·mō·w·nî haqqaḏmōnî haqqaḏmōwnî kadmoNim kadmoniYot qaḏ·mō·nî·yō·wṯ qaḏ·mō·w·nîm qaḏmōnîyōwṯ qaḏmōwnîm vekadmoNim vekadmoniYot wə·qaḏ·mō·nî·yō·wṯ wə·qaḏ·mō·nîm wəqaḏmōnîm wəqaḏmōnîyōwṯ
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Samuel 24:13
HEB: יֹאמַ֗ר מְשַׁל֙ הַקַּדְמֹנִ֔י מֵרְשָׁעִ֖ים יֵ֣צֵא
NAS: As the proverb of the ancients says,
KJV: the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness
INT: says as the proverb of the ancients condemn comes

Job 18:20
HEB: נָשַׁ֣מּוּ אַחֲרֹנִ֑ים וְ֝קַדְמֹנִ֗ים אָ֣חֲזוּ שָֽׂעַר׃
NAS: at his fate, And those in the east are seized
KJV: at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.
INT: are appalled the west the east are seized horror

Isaiah 43:18
HEB: תִּזְכְּר֖וּ רִֽאשֹׁנ֑וֹת וְקַדְמֹנִיּ֖וֹת אַל־ תִּתְבֹּנָֽנוּ׃
NAS: Or ponder things of the past.
KJV: neither consider the things of old.
INT: call the former things not ponder

Ezekiel 10:19
HEB: בֵּית־ יְהוָה֙ הַקַּדְמוֹנִ֔י וּכְב֧וֹד אֱלֹהֵֽי־
NAS: at the entrance of the east gate
KJV: at the door of the east gate
INT: house of the LORD'S of the east and the glory of the God

Ezekiel 11:1
HEB: בֵּית־ יְהוָ֤ה הַקַּדְמוֹנִי֙ הַפּוֹנֶ֣ה קָדִ֔ימָה
NAS: me up and brought me to the east gate
KJV: and brought me unto the east gate
INT: house of the LORD'S to the east faced eastward

Ezekiel 38:17
HEB: דִּבַּ֜רְתִּי בְּיָמִ֣ים קַדְמוֹנִ֗ים בְּיַד֙ עֲבָדַי֙
NAS: of whom I spoke in former days through
KJV: [Art] thou he of whom I have spoken in old time
INT: spoke days former through my servants

Ezekiel 47:18
HEB: עַל־ הַיָּ֥ם הַקַּדְמוֹנִ֖י תָּמֹ֑דּוּ וְאֵ֖ת
NAS: from the [north] border to the eastern sea
KJV: from the border unto the east sea.
INT: and sea to the eastern shall measure side

Joel 2:20
HEB: אֶל־ הַיָּם֙ הַקַּדְמֹנִ֔י וְסֹפ֖וֹ אֶל־
NAS: And its vanguard into the eastern sea,
KJV: with his face toward the east sea,
INT: about sea the eastern rear about

Zechariah 14:8
HEB: אֶל־ הַיָּם֙ הַקַּדְמוֹנִ֔י וְחֶצְיָ֖ם אֶל־
NAS: of them toward the eastern sea
KJV: half of them toward the former sea,
INT: toward sea the eastern half toward

Malachi 3:4
HEB: עוֹלָ֔ם וּכְשָׁנִ֖ים קַדְמֹנִיּֽוֹת׃
NAS: of old and as in former years.
KJV: of old, and as in former years.
INT: of old years former

10 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6931
10 Occurrences


haq·qaḏ·mō·nî — 6 Occ.
qaḏ·mō·w·nîm — 1 Occ.
qaḏ·mō·nî·yō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·qaḏ·mō·nîm — 1 Occ.
wə·qaḏ·mō·nî·yō·wṯ — 1 Occ.

6930
Top of Page
Top of Page