Vine Old Testament Dictionary :: Good

This adjective denotes "good" in every sense of that word. For example, tôb is used in the sense "pleasant" or "delightful": "And he saw that [a resting place] was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear [burdens]…" (Gen 49:15). An extension of this sense appears in Gen 40:16, where tôb means "favorable" or "in one's favor": "When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph…." in 1Sa 25:8, the emphasis is on the nuance "delightful" or "festal": "…Let the young men find favor in thine eyes: for we come in a good day…." God is described as One who is "good," or One who gives "delight" and "pleasure": "But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works" (Psa 73:28).

in 1Sa 29:6, this word describes human activities: "…As the Lord liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the [army] is good in my sight…." Tôb can be applied to scenic beauty, as in 2Ki 2:19: "Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren." 2Chron 12:12 employs a related nuance when it applies the word to the conditions in Judah under King Rehoboam, after he humbled himself before God: "… Things went well."

Tôb often qualifies a common object or activity. When the word is used in this sense, no ethical overtones are intended. in 1Sa 19:4, tôb describes the way Jonathan spoke about David: "And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been [toward thee] very good." First Samuel Let 25:15 characterizes a people as "friendly" or "useful": "But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields…" Often this word bears an even stronger emphasis, as in 1Ki 12:7, where the "good word" is not only friendly but eases the life of one's servants. God's "good word" promises life in the face of oppression and uncertainty: "… There hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant" (1Kings 8:56). Tôb often characterizes a statement as an important assertion for salvation and prosperity (real or imagined): "Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians for it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness" (Exod 14:12). God judged that man's circumstance without a wife or helpmeet was not "good" (Gen 2:18). Elsewhere tôb is applied to an evaluation of one's well-being or of the well-being of a situation or thing: "And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness" (Gen 1:4, the first occurrence).

Tôb is used to describe land and agriculture: "And I am come down to deliver them out of the [power] of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good [fertile] land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey…" (Exod 3:8). This suggests its potential of supporting life (Deut 11:17). Thus the expression "the good land" is a comment about not only its existing, but its potential, productivity. In such contexts the land is viewed as one aspect of the blessings of salvation promised by God; thus the Lord did not permit Moses to cross the Jordan and enter the land which His people were to inherit (Deut 3:26-28). This aspect of the "good land" includes overtones of its fruitfulness and "pleasantness": "And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them…" (1Sam 8:14).

Tôb is used to describe men or women. Sometimes it is used of an "elite corps" of people: "And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses…" (1Sam 8:16). in 2Sa 18:27, Ahimaaz is described as a "good" man because he comes with "good" military news. in 1Sa 15:28, the word has ethical overtones: "The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou" (cf. 1Kings 2:32). In other passages, tôb describes physical appearance: "And the damsel was very fair to look upon [literally, "good of appearance"]…" (Gen 24:16). When applied to one's heart, the word describes "well-being" rather than ethical status. Therefore, the parallel idea is "joyous and happy": "… and they … went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David…" (1Kings 8:66). Dying "at a good old age" describes "advanced age," rather than moral accomplishment, but a time when due to divine blessings one is fulfilled and satisfied (Gen 15:15).

Tôb indicates that a given word, act, or circumstance contributes positively to the condition of a situation. Often this judgment does not mean that the thing is actually "good," only that it is so evaluated: "When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good…" (Gen 40:16). The judgment may be ethical: "It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen. . ." (Neh 5:9). The word may also represent "agreement" or "concurrence": "The thing proceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good" (Gen 24:50).

Tôb is often used in conjunction with the Hebrew word ra‘â ("bad; evil"). Sometimes this is intended as a contrast; but in other contexts it may mean "everything from good [friendly] to bad [unfriendly]," which is a way of saying "nothing at all." In other contexts, more contrast is suggested: "And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad…" (Num 13:19). In this case, the evaluation would determine whether the land could support the people well or not. In Gen 2:9, tôb contrasted with evil has moral overtones: "… the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." The fruit of this tree, if consumed, would reveal the difference between moral evil and moral "good." This reference also suggests that, by eating this fruit, man attempted to determine for himself what "good" and evil are.

Usage Number: 2
Part of Speech: Verb
Strong's Number: H3190
Original Word: yatab

Usage Notes: "to go well, be pleasing, be delighted, be happy." This verb appears 117 times in the Old Testament. The meaning of the word, as expressed in Neh 2:6, is "pleased."

Usage Number: 3
Strong's Number: H2895
Original Word: tôb

Usage Notes: "to be joyful, glad, pleasant, lovely, appropriate, becoming, good, precious." Tôb has cognates in Akkadian and Arabic. The verb occurs 21 times in the Old Testament. Job 13:9 is one example of the word's meaning, "to be good": "Is it good that he should search you out"