←
qdm (qḏām, qŭḏām) prep. before
1
before
Common Aramaic
BT Er 63a(53)↗ כל דמותיב מילה קדם רביה‏ : anyone who gives an answer (to a legal question) in the presence of his teacher
(1)
spatial
Common Aramaic
Fakh.1↗ dmwtˀ | zy | hdysˁy | zy | šm | qdm | hddskn : the statue of RN that he installed before DN ; UrukInc 11↗ quda—am ; BhBS.E Econ 3.3.4 ܘܐܢܗܘ ܕܩܕܡܘܗܝ ܚܐܪ‏ : and if he is one who looks in front of himself ; BT San 31b(40)↗ עוקבן הבבלי ק{{י}}בל קדמנא על ירמיה אחוהי‏ : PN, the Babylonian, complained to us about PN2, his brother
(1)
in the presence of, with a high official or divinity reflecting respect and distance
Common Aramaic
TAD B2.3 R.24↗ על ארקא זך כזי רשה עליה קדם דיניא‏ : concerning that land about which he lodged a claim before the judges ; Ezra 7:19↗ הַשְׁלֵם קֳדָם אֱלָהּ יְרוּשְׁלֶם‏ : turn them over to the God of Jerusalem ; 4QpapTob ar19.6.2=00:80122↗ ו]ש̇יזפן קדם אסרחריב מלך אתור‏ ; TgO Gen4:13↗ וַאֲמַר קַיִן קְדָם יוי‏ ; P Gn6:13↗ ܩ݂ܨܐ ܕܟܠ ܒܣܪ ܥܠ ܩܕܡܝ‏ : the end of all flesh has come before me
(2)
reflecting close relationship to a king or god
Common Aramaic
Nerab.2.2↗ šˀgbr kmr šhr bnrb znh ṣlmh bṣdqty qdmwh šmny šm ṭb whˀrk ywmy : PN priest of the Moon-god in GN; this is his statue; because of my righteousness before him he granted me a good name and lengthened my days ; TAD D.20.3:2↗ קדם אוסרי אלהא‏ : before the god Osiris
(2)
temporal
Common Aramaic
Dan 7:7↗ וְהִיא מְשַׁנְּיָה מִן־כָּל־חֵיוָתָא דִּי קָדָמַיהּ‏ : it was different from all the beasts that were before it
(1)
before a relative clause as a conjunction
Common Aramaic
TgO Gen36:31↗ קְדָם דִימלוֹך מַלכָא לִבנֵי יִשרָאֵל‏ : before any Israelite king would rule ; FTP Gen11:4↗ קודם דנתבדר‏ : before we are scattered †
(3)
with various nouns characterizing them as being in front or previous to something
Syr
Ps-Clem Recogs 3.210:15↗ ܠܟ ܒܙܒܢ ܐܚܪܝܢ ܡܠܬܐ ܕܥܠ ܩܕܡ ܚܘܪܩܢܐ ܐܫ݂ܠܡܬ‏ : at another time I delivered to you a statement about predestination
2
as a substantive : front part
Sam, Syr
SamTgJ Num19:4↗ לכבון קדם משכן זימונה‏ : in the direction of the front of the tent of meeting ; Am7 113:16↗ ܒܩܕܡܝܗ݀ ܕܟܘܣܝܬܐ ܨܠܝܒܐ ܕܐܪܓܘܢܐ‏ : a purple cross on the front part of the cowl ; IshExod 56:17↗ ܐܢܕܝܢ ܒܣܬܪ̈ܐ ܘܩ̈ܕܡܐ ܐܝܬ ܠܐܠܗܐ܂ ܡܣܝܟܐ ܗܘ‏ : but if God has backs and fronts, He is limited
§▶
Syr ܩܕܵܡ‏; CPA ܩܘܕܡ; Mandaic (especially in late texts) with many variants: qam, gam, aqam, agam
☛▶
🔍▶
✎▶
See also s.vv. ˀqm, qwmy. In Syriac with pronominal suffixes the noun quḏmā may appear instead; q.v.
Page refs. in other dictionaries: LS2: 1318[647]DJPA: 478aDJBA: 985bJastrow: 1316Drower/Macuch: 401a, 33a, 76bPayne-Smith: 3492J. Payne-Smith: 490Levy Ch-W: 2:345Tal Sam: 755DNWSI: 988DCPA[Schulthess]: 364[174[DJA: 76bQumran: 205

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Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:47:14 -0500