قَبْلَكُمْbefore you

Example sentences

• اِنْطَلَقَ ثَلَاثَةُ رَهْطٍ مِمَّنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ

  Three men set out from among those who were before you.

  قَبْلَكُمْ — before you. A time-word 'before' fused with an attached plural 'you' pronoun, marking the listeners as the reference point. The word governs that suffix into a possessive-style link, so it fixes the earlier people as those who lived ahead of the audience in time.

  From: Trapped and Delivered →

• كَانَ فِيمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ

  There were among those who were before you.

  قَبْلَكُمْ — before you. This noun means 'before' and ends in the attached '-kum' (you, plural), a possessor pronoun glued on, giving 'before you (all)'. The '-kum' addresses the listening audience as a group, so the suffix sets the earlier people in time relative to the people being spoken to now.

  From: The Joy of Repentance →