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טוֹב

𐤈𐤅𐤁

ṭôwb

H2896 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root טוב to be good, to be pleasant, to benefit, to be beautiful

Definition

Positive quality, excellence, or value; conforms to an ideal standard or brings benefit. As an adjective, describes that which is pleasant, beneficial, skilled, beautiful, morally right, or desirable. As a noun, denotes a good thing, benefit, or what is desirable, or the state/condition of goodness. As an adverb, indicates acting well or successfully. The semantic range includes both moral and non-moral senses depending on context.

Semantic Range

good (moral or ethical), pleasant, beautiful, beneficial, prosperous, fitting, skilled, well, bountiful, desirable, happiness, welfare, material goods, favor, successful, attractive, joyful, kind, glad, proper, suitable, best, correct, (noun) benefit, advantage, prosperity, the good; (adverb) well, successfully

Root / Etymology

Root is טוב (tet-vav-bet), meaning 'to be good, pleasing, pleasant, beneficial.' The adjective טוֹב (ṭôb) is a direct formation from this root, used to indicate quality, benefit, or positive character. The same consonants are the basis for the verbal and nominal forms, though the root concept focuses on quality or benefit rather than solely moral goodness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In pre-exilic biblical Hebrew, טוֹב covered a broad semantic range including moral goodness (Gen 1:4 – creation pronounced good), aesthetic quality (pleasant or beautiful, e.g., Gen 2:12), or practical value (beneficial, useful, e.g., Gen 2:9). In some instances, it signals moral rightness or propriety (Mic 6:8), but often the emphasis is on something being desirable or well-suited for a purpose, including prosperity, welfare, or material goods. In wisdom literature and later texts, טוֹב frequently contrasts with רַע (evil, bad) to define choices, actions, or the human condition (e.g., Ecclesiastes). The translation 'good' can sometimes obscure whether the sense is aesthetic, practical, moral, or existential. Over time, the concept of טוֹב in Second Temple Hebrew continued this broad semantic range, and in some texts may assume more abstract overtones, influenced by Greek ethical thought, where 'the good' could indicate an ultimate principle of value. English translations often default to 'good,' but context determines whether a more specific term like 'prosperous,' 'beautiful,' 'well,' or 'beneficial' is preferable. As an adverb, 'well' is sometimes the best rendering. Noun uses ('good thing,' 'the good') appear frequently in Proverbs and wisdom texts. Unlike the English 'good,' טוֹב does not inherently imply perfection or absolute morality, but rather the positive, fitting, or beneficial nature of something or someone.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from טוֹב; good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well); beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, [idiom] fair (word), (be in) favour, fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, -liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving, merry, [idiom] most, pleasant, [phrase] pleaseth, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well(-favoured).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

טוב (ṭ-w-b) — to be good, to be pleasant, to benefit, to be beautiful

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2869 טָב good
H2895 טוֹב you did good
H2897 טוֹב good
H2898 טוּב in goodness
H2899 טוֹב אֲדֹנִיָּהוּ and good

Word Forms

40 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2896-20 ט֑וֹב tov HAamsa good good 272
H2896-06 הַ/טּ֣וֹב hatov HTd/Aamsa the good the good 50
H2896-21 טוֹבָֽה tovah HAafsa good good (feminine) 49
H2896-07 הַ/טּוֹבָ֔ה hatovah HTd/Aafsa the good the good (feminine) 40
H2896-26 טֹבִ֑ים tovim HAampa good good ones 23
H2896-33 וְ/ט֣וֹב vetov HC/Aamsa and good and good 15
H2896-16 לְ/טֹבָ֔ה letovah HR/Aafsa for good for goodness 15
H2896-15 לְ/ט֥וֹב letov HR/Aamsa for good for benefit 10
H2896-30 וָ/טוֹב֙ vatov HC/Aamsa and good good 8
H2896-27 טֹבֹ֖ת tovot HAafpa kindly good things 7

Occurrences in Scripture

565 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2896-20 Genesis 1:4 ט֑וֹב tov HAamsa was good good
H2896-20 Genesis 1:10 טֽוֹב tov HAamsa good good
H2896-20 Genesis 1:12 טֽוֹב tov HAamsa good good
H2896-20 Genesis 1:18 טֽוֹב tov HAamsa good good
H2896-20 Genesis 1:21 טֽוֹב tov HAamsa it was good good
H2896-20 Genesis 1:25 טֽוֹב tov HAamsa it was good good
H2896-20 Genesis 1:31 ט֖וֹב tov HAamsa good good
H2896-33 Genesis 2:9 וְ/ט֣וֹב vetov HC/Aamsa and good and good
H2896-20 Genesis 2:9 ט֥וֹב tov HAamsa good good
H2896-20 Genesis 2:12 ט֑וֹב tov HAamsa good good
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