Original Word: טֶרֶם
Part of Speech: Preposition
Transliteration: terem
Pronunciation: TEH-rem
Phonetic Spelling: (teh'-rem)
KJV: before, ere, not yet
NASB: before, yet, nor, prior
Word Origin: [from an unused root apparently meaning to interrupt or suspend]

1. (properly) non-occurrence
2. used adverbially, not yet or before

before, ere, not yet

From an unused root apparently meaning to interrupt or suspend; properly, non-occurrence; used adverbially, not yet or before -- before, ere, not yet.

Word Origin
a prim. adverb
Definition
not yet, ere, before that
NASB Translation
before (45), before* (3), no* (2), nor (1), prior (1), yet (6).

Essence of the Term

טֶרֶם (terem) is an adverb of time meaning “not yet” or “before.” It signals the crucial moment just prior to an anticipated action, event, or state. Scripture uses the word to highlight divine initiative, human preparedness, impending judgment, and covenant fulfillment.

Distribution in Scripture

The term appears about fifty-six times, scattered through the Torah, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and Prophets. Its reach from Genesis to Zephaniah shows a consistent biblical concern with what happens in the pregnant space “before” decisive moments.

Major Thematic Threads

1. Creation and Cosmic Precedence

Genesis 2:5 opens the human account with a double “not yet,” establishing that the earth awaited both rain and a cultivator: “No shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprouted”. Psalm 90:2 echoes the same cosmic sense: “Before the mountains were born… You are God.” Terem here magnifies divine eternality and sovereignty—God precedes all.

2. Covenant Preparation

Terem often frames the prelude to covenant actions. In Genesis 24:15,45 the servant testifies that Rebekah appeared “before I had finished praying,” underscoring the Lord’s proactive provision of Isaac’s wife. Joshua 2:8 records, “Before the spies lay down,” Rahab confessed faith, signaling coming salvation for her household amid Jericho’s judgment.

3. Human Readiness and Responsibility

1 Samuel 2:15 rebukes Eli’s sons who seized meat “before the fat was burned,” violating worship order. Proverbs 18:13 warns, “He who answers before he hears—it is folly and shame.” Terem thus becomes a moral marker against presumption and impatience.

4. Divine Foreknowledge and Call

Jeremiah 1:5 proclaims, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,” grounding prophetic ministry in God’s prior choosing. Isaiah 65:24 promises, “Before they call I will answer,” assuring believers of the Lord’s readiness to respond.

5. Impending Judgment or Deliverance

Numbers 11:33 describes plague striking Israel “while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed.” Zephaniah 2:2 warns, “Before the decree takes effect… seek the LORD.” Terem heightens urgency: repentance must precede the day of wrath.

6. Prophetic Signposts of Messiah

Isaiah 8:4 foretells Assyria’s speed: “Before the boy knows to cry ‘My father,’” possessions will be carried off—a temporal marker pointing forward to the greater Immanuel prophecy. Such “before” oracles foreshadow the precise timing of messianic events, confirming Scripture’s unity.

Representative Passages

• Genesis 19:4 – “Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city… surrounded the house.”
• Numbers 11:33 – “While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD burned.”
• 1 Samuel 3:3 – “The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD.”
• Psalm 119:67 – “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.”
• Isaiah 17:14 – “In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning they are no more.”
• Zephaniah 2:2 – “Before the decree takes effect… gather yourselves together.”

Historical Observations

In Israelite worship, agriculture, warfare, and legal practice, critical actions waited for a proper “before” moment: morning sacrifices before sunrise, reconnaissance before attack, covenant reading before conquest. These rhythms instilled dependence on God’s timing rather than human impulse.

Ministry Significance

1. Encourages prayerful patience. Like Abraham’s servant, believers trust God’s provision in the “not yet.”
2. Warns against premature action. Leaders examine motives “before” executing plans (Proverbs 18:13; Luke 14:28 principle).
3. Grounds assurance of calling. God’s foreknowledge of Jeremiah typifies every believer’s place in His redemptive plan (Ephesians 1:4).
4. Fuels evangelistic urgency. Zephaniah’s plea—seek the Lord “before” judgment—drives proclamation of the gospel while the window of grace remains (2 Corinthians 6:2).
5. Strengthens eschatological hope. God’s promise to answer “before they call” anticipates New Jerusalem realities where need is met even prior to request.

Conclusion

טֶרֶם frames the sacred interval between promise and performance, warning and fulfillment, human petition and divine response. By attending to this biblical “before,” the church learns to wait faithfully, act wisely, and proclaim urgently, confident that the God who was there before all things controls every moment that follows.

בְּטֶ֖רֶם בְּטֶ֙רֶם֙ בְּטֶ֛רֶם בְּטֶ֣רֶם בְּטֶ֣רֶם ׀ בְּטֶ֤רֶם בְּטֶ֤רֶם ׀ בְּטֶ֥רֶם בְּטֶ֨רֶם בְּטֶרֶם֩ בְּטֶרֶם֮ בטרם הֲטֶ֣רֶם הטרם וְטֶ֛רֶם וּבְטֶ֙רֶם֙ וּבְטֶ֛רֶם ובטרם וטרם טֶ֖רֶם טֶ֚רֶם טֶ֣רֶם טֶ֥רֶם טֶ֨רֶם טֶֽרֶם־ טֶרֶם֮ טרם טרם־ לְנֶ֣גֶד לנגד מִטֶּ֧רֶם מטרם bə·ṭe·rem beTerem bəṭerem hă·ṭe·rem haTerem hăṭerem lə·ne·ḡeḏ leNeged ləneḡeḏ miṭ·ṭe·rem mitTerem miṭṭerem ṭe·rem ṭe·rem- Terem ṭerem ṭerem- ū·ḇə·ṭe·rem ūḇəṭerem uveTerem veTerem wə·ṭe·rem wəṭeremInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts