Former

Former - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

FORM'ER, n. He that forms; a maker; an author.

FOR'MER, a. comp. deg.

1. Before in time; preceding another or something else in order of time; opposed to latter.

Her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled. Deu 24.

2. Past, and frequently ancient, long past.

For inquire,I pray thee, of the former age. Job 8.

3. Near the beginning; preceding; as the former part of a discourse or argument.

4. Mentioned before another.

A bad author deserves better usage than a bad critic; a man may be the former merely through the misfortune of want of judgment; but he cannot be the latter without both that and an ill temper.

for'-mer:

The word in the sense of "maker," "framer," occurs only in Jer 51:19, "He is the former (from yatsar, "to form") of all things." The adjective, in the sense of preceding in the order of time, is commonly in Hob the translation of ri'shon, "first," "foremost" (Ge 40:13; Nu 21:26; De 24:4, etc.); in Greek of proteros (Eph 4:22; Heb 10:32; 1Pe 1:14); and in two cases (Ac 1:1; Re 21:4) of protos, where the Revised Version (British and American) has (in Ac in the margin) "the first." As denoting place or position the word occurs in the Old Testament in Zec 14:8, "the former sea" as translation of qadhmoni, "in front," where the Revised Version (British and American) has "eastern," i.e. the Dead Sea, in contrast with the Mediterranean, or western sea (compare Eze 47:18; Joe 2:20). For "former iniquities" (Ps 79:8) the Revised Version (British and American) has simply "the iniquities"; Other changes may be seen in Nu 6:12; Isa 65:7; Eze 36:11; Mic 4:8; Hag 2:3.

W. L. Walker