Genesis 2:8 gives us our first cardinal direction to give us a sense of orientation. The garden is eastward, or on the east end of Eden.”East” will be a repeated theme throughout the text. Everything seems to move east.
The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.
Genesis 2:8 (NASB)
This Hebrew word “qedem” seems to carry an “origins” connotation with “East.” It seems to connect direction with time. East is the past.
qedem: East, ancient times, antiquity, front, before
“East” also feels very connected to “In the Beginning…”
Also, I wonder if this is related to the Hebrew language being written right to left. From “East” to “West.”