Word Study for H6923 (קָדַם) | Strong's Concordance

qâdam /kaw-dam'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto project (one self), i.e. precede; hence, to anticipate, hasten, meet (usually for help)

KJV usagecome (go, (flee)) before, meet, prevent.

Idioms & phrasesphrase disappoint

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of qâdam — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word qâdam, represented by H6923, is a primitive root meaning to precede or project oneself forward. It appears 26 times across 25 unique verses in the Bible. Its meaning is dynamic, encompassing actions like anticipating, hastening, or meeting someone, which can be for either help or confrontation. The word is often translated as to come before, prevent, meet, or disappoint.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical usage, H6923 describes a variety of encounters. It is used for the act of approaching God in worship, as when the prophet asks, "Wherewith shall I come before the LORD" Micah 6:6, or the psalmist encourages, "Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving" Psalms 95:2. The term also depicts being met or confronted by circumstances. This can be positive, as when God preventest the faithful with "blessings of goodness" Psalms 21:3. Conversely, it can describe being overtaken by hardship, such as when the "snares of death prevented me" 2 Samuel 22:6 or when enemies prevented the psalmist in his day of calamity Psalms 18:18.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the contexts in which H6923 is used:

H1272 bârach (to flee suddenly): This word is used in direct connection with H6923 in Jonah's confession, where he admits he tried to "fled before" to Tarshish, highlighting the idea of preceding something to escape it Jonah 4:2.
H4937 mishʻên (a support; stay): This word provides a powerful contrast to the hostile sense of "prevent." While enemies may prevent someone in their calamity, the LORD acts as a stay Psalms 18:18, a source of support that meets them in their trouble.
H8426 tôwdâh (thanksgiving): The act of coming before God is often qualified by the manner of approach. Believers are called to come H6923 before His presence specifically with thanksgiving Psalms 95:2.
H2617 chêçêd (kindness; mercy): God's character of mercy often precedes His actions. The psalmist declares that God's mercy H2617 will prevent him Psalms 59:10, and that mercy and truth go before God's face Psalms 89:14.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H6923 lies in its focus on proactive encounters between God, humanity, and the forces of life and death.

Divine Initiative: God is often the one who "prevents" or comes before humanity. He meets his people with blessings Psalms 21:3 and His mercy goes before Him Psalms 59:10. This portrays a God who does not wait passively but actively engages with His creation.
The Urgency of Prayer: The act of prayer is described as "preventing" God, as in rising early to have one's prayer prevent God in the morning Psalms 88:13. This implies a deliberate and eager effort to meet with God before the day's troubles or distractions begin.
Confrontation with Calamity: The word is used to express the overwhelming nature of suffering, where affliction Job 30:27, calamity 2 Samuel 22:19, and even the snares of death Psalms 18:5 are personified as forces that meet and confront an individual.

Summary

In summary, H6923 qâdam is a multifaceted term that signifies more than simple arrival. It illustrates the critical nature of who precedes whom. Whether it is a worshipper deliberately coming before God, the Lord meeting His people with mercy, or calamity confronting the afflicted, the word captures the dynamic of anticipation and encounter that is central to the biblical narrative of faith, hardship, and divine intervention.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 26 occurrences, inflected in 11 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Piel Perfect 3rd Plural common gender 9×
Piel Imperfect 3rd Plural Masculine 4×
Piel Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 3×
Piel Imperfect 1st Singular common gender 2×
Piel Perfect 1st Singular common gender 2×
Hiphil Conjunction+Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 1×
Hiphil Perfect 3rd Singular Masculine 1×
Piel Imperative 2nd Singular Masculine 1×
Piel Imperfect 1st Plural common gender 1×
Piel Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 1×
Piel Imperfect 3rd Singular Feminine 1×

Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
common gender: Either gender — the form does not distinguish.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Perfect: A completed act whose results continue.
Imperative: A command or entreaty.
Piel: The intensive stem — strengthened or emphatic action.
Hiphil: The causative stem — the subject causes the action.
Conjunction+Imperfect: Imperfect joined by a simple "and".

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 25 verses across 10 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Psalms (12 verses); never once in the other 29.

Deuteronomy

2 Samuel

2 Kings

Nehemiah

Job

Psalms

Isaiah

Amos

Jonah

Micah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.