H2896a H2896a
Good, pleasant, agreeable; of moral quality, practical suitability, beauty, or emotional gladness; also substantivized as 'goodness' or 'welfare.'
Few Hebrew words are as pervasive or as deceptively simple as tov. Appearing over 400 times, it covers everything from God's declaration that creation is 'good' (Gen 1:4) to a woman being 'beautiful to look at' (Gen 26:7) to a heart that is 'merry' with wine (Judg 16:25). The comparative form ('better than') is especially prominent in Wisdom literature, where Ecclesiastes and Proverbs repeatedly weigh one condition against another. What makes tov fascinating across languages is how translators must constantly choose between moral, aesthetic, and emotional vocabulary: Arabic splits between khayr (moral good), hasan (beautiful), and tayyib (pleasant); Korean alternates between 좋은 (general good), 나은 (better), and 아름다운 (beautiful); Spanish toggles between bueno, mejor, and hermosa. The word's unity in Hebrew — a single root spanning all these domains — is itself a theological statement about the coherence of God's created order.
1. good (quality or moral) — The core adjectival sense: morally upright, practically suitable, or inherently desirable quality. This massive cluster (305 occurrences) anchors the word's usage from Genesis 1 ('God saw that it was good') through the Deuteronomic exhortations to do 'what is good and right' (Deut 6:18; 12:28). The convergence of English 'good,' Spanish bueno, French bon, German gut, Arabic khayr, and Korean 좋은 across these contexts confirms a single, stable core meaning. When applied to land it means fertile (Exod 3:8), to counsel it means wise (2 Sam 17:14), to a word it means fitting or true (1 Kgs 2:38). 305×
AR["جَيِّدًا","جَيِّدٌ","جَيِّدٍ","جَيِّدَةٌ","جَيِّدَةٍ","حَسَنًا","حَسَنٌ","خَيْرًا"]·ben["ভাল","ভালো","সুন্দর"]·DE["Gutes","gut","gutes","sehr-gut"]·EN["good"]·FR["bon"]·heb["טוב","טובה"]·HI["अचचा","अच्छा","अच्छी","सुन्दर"]·ID["baik","yang-baik"]·IT["buono"]·jav["sae","saé"]·KO["좋게","좋다","좋다고","좋았다","좋은","좋은-것과","좋은-것을","좋지-않다"]·PT["bem","boa","bom","é-bom"]·RU["добрым","хорош","хорошего","хорошее","хороший","хорошим","хорошо","хорошую"]·ES["buena","bueno"]·SW["jema","kuwa-nzuri","mzuri","njema","nzuri","vizuri","zuri"]·TR["iyi"]·urd["اچھا","اچھی","اچھے","بھلا","خوبصورت"]
Gen 1:4, Gen 1:10, Gen 1:12, Gen 1:18, Gen 1:21, Gen 1:25, Gen 1:31, Gen 2:12, Gen 2:18, Gen 3:6, Gen 24:50, Gen 30:20 (+38 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
2. better (comparative degree) — The comparative and superlative degree: 'better than,' 'best of.' With 64 occurrences, this is a robust sub-sense marked formally by min-comparisons and contextually by evaluative judgment. Arabic khayrun (comparative) and Spanish mejor both deploy dedicated comparative morphology rather than the base adjective, confirming this is a lexicalized usage rather than a contextual inference. Especially prominent in Ecclesiastes (e.g., Eccl 4:3, 6, 9, 13) and Proverbs (e.g., Prov 15:16-17; 16:16, 19), where 'better-than' sayings form a distinct literary genre. Korean 낫다 and Swahili bora similarly select specialized comparative vocabulary. 64×
AR["أَفْضَلُ","خَير","خَيْرٌ","خَيْرٌ-","صالِحٌ"]·ben["ভাল","ভালো","ভালো-"]·DE["Gutes","gut"]·EN["better","better-is","good"]·FR["bon"]·heb["טוב","טוב־","טובה"]·HI["अच्छा","अच्छा-है-","अच्छी","अच्छी-हैं","उत्तम","उत्तम-","उत्तम-है"]·ID["Lebih-baik","Lebih-baik-","baik","lebih-baik","yang-lebih-baik"]·IT["buono"]·jav["Langkung-saé","langkung-saé","saé"]·KO["낫다","선하도다","선하시도다","좋다","좋으냐","좋으니라","좋으니라-","좋은"]·PT["Melhor","Melhor-","bom","bons","melhor"]·RU["Лучше","лучше","лучше-"]·ES["Mejor","Mejor-un","mejor","mejor-","mejores"]·SW["afadhali","bora","faida-yake","ni-bora","nzuri","vizuri"]·TR["-iyi","daha-iyi","iyi","iyi-","iyidir","iyidir-"]·urd["اَچّھی","اچھا","بہتر","بہتر-","بہتر-ہے"]
Gen 29:19, Exod 14:12, Num 14:3, Judg 8:2, Judg 9:2, Judg 15:2, Ruth 4:15, 1 Sam 9:2, 1 Kgs 19:4, 2 Kgs 5:12, Ps 63:3, Ps 84:10 (+38 more)
3. goodness (substantive noun) — Nominalized or substantive use: 'the good,' 'goodness,' 'welfare,' 'prosperity' as an abstract entity. Appearing 28 times, this sense treats tov not as a descriptor but as the thing itself — what is good, the good that one does or experiences. Arabic al-khayr (the good, with definite article) and Korean 선함/선 (goodness as noun) mark the nominalization clearly. Key passages include God's warning to Laban not to speak 'good or bad' to Jacob (Gen 31:24, 29), and the Deuteronomic promise that God will rejoice over Israel 'for good' (Deut 30:9). Hindi bhalai ('goodness/welfare') and Swahili wema similarly shift to abstract noun forms. 28×
AR["الخَيرَ","الصَّالِحَ","الصَّالِحُ","الصَّالِحِ","الـ-جَيِّدِ","الـ-حَسَنَ","الـ-حَسَنُ","الـ-حَسَنِ","الْ-حَسَنَ","الْحَسَنَ","ٱلْحَسَنَ"]·ben["-ভালো","-সেই-ভালো","উত্তম","ভাল","ভালো","মঙ্গল","মঙ্গলময়","যা-ভালো"]·DE["das-Gute","der-gut","der-gute"]·EN["the-good"]·FR["le-bon"]·heb["ה-טוב","הַ-טּוֹב"]·HI["अचच","अच्छा","की-अच्छा","जो-अच्छा","जो-भला","भला","भलाई","हत्तोव"]·ID["-yang-baik","Yang-baik","apa-yang-baik","yang-baik"]·IT["il-buono"]·jav["ing-sae","ingkang-sae","ingkang-saé","kasaénan","sae","sang-sae"]·KO["-좋은-것을","그-선한-것","그-선한-것과","그-선한-것을","그-좋은","그-좋은-것과","그-좋은-것을","그-좋은것","좋은-것을"]·PT["bom","o-bem","o-bom"]·RU["-доброе","·-благое","благой","доброе","доброму","хорошее","что-добро","что-хорошо"]·ES["Lo-bueno","el-bien","el-bueno","lo-bueno"]·SW["hatּwob","jema","kilicho-chema","kilicho-kizuri","lililo-jema","lililo-zuri","mema","yaliyo-mema"]·TR["-iyi-olanı","-iyiyi","iyi","iyi-o","iyi-olan","iyi-olanı","iyilik","iyiyi"]·urd["-بھلا","اچھا","اچھا-جو","اچھا-ہو","اچھے-جو","بھلا","بھلائی","جو-اچھا-ہو","جو-اچھا-ہے","جو-بھلا-ہے","نیکی"]
Gen 16:6, Gen 31:24, Gen 31:29, Deut 12:28, Deut 30:9, Judg 9:16, Judg 10:15, Judg 19:24, 1 Sam 1:23, 1 Sam 3:18, 1 Sam 11:10, 1 Sam 14:36 (+16 more)
4. fair or beautiful (appearance) — Aesthetic beauty or physical attractiveness, especially of persons or land. Only 8 occurrences, but distinctly marked cross-linguistically: Arabic hasan/jamilat ('beautiful'), Korean 아름다운 ('beautiful'), and Spanish hermosa all select beauty-specific vocabulary rather than general 'good' words. The phrase tovat mar'eh ('good of appearance') in Gen 24:16; 26:7 is virtually a technical formula for feminine beauty. In Gen 6:2 the 'daughters of men' are tovot — and the languages agree this means 'beautiful,' not 'morally good.' The land descriptions (Exod 3:8; Num 14:7) shade from beauty toward desirability and fertility. 8×
AR["جَمِيلَاتٌ","حَسَنَاتُ","حَسَنَةَ","حَسَنَةُ","حَسَنَةِ"]·ben["সুন্দর","সুন্দরী","সুন্দরী-"]·DE["gut","schön","war-gut-von","war-schön"]·EN["good","good-of","was-good-of"]·FR["[טובות]","[טובת]","bon","bon-de","fut-bon-de","était-bon-de"]·heb["טוב","טובת"]·HI["सुंदर","सुन्दर"]·ID["baik","cantik","sangat-cantik","yang-cantik"]·IT["buono","buono-di","era-buono-di","fu-buono-di"]·jav["sae"]·KO["아름다운","아름다웠다","좋은","좋음-의"]·PT["bela-de","belas","boa-de","boas-de","de-boa"]·RU["доброй","красива","красивая","красивы","красивых","хороша"]·ES["buena-de","buenas-de","hermosa-de","hermosas"]·SW["mzuri","mzuri-wa","nzuri","walikuwa-wazuri","wazuri"]·TR["güzel"]·urd["اچھی","حسین","خوبصورت","خوبصورت-تھی"]
5. glad or merry (of heart) — Emotional state of gladness or merriment, confined to the idiom lev tov ('the heart was good'). With only 5 occurrences, this is a compact but unmistakable sense: the heart becomes 'good' through feasting, wine, or joyful occasion (Judg 16:25; 2 Sam 13:28; Esth 1:10). Arabic taba ('to become pleasant/glad'), Hindi prasanna ('delighted'), and Spanish alegraron ('they were gladdened') all shift to emotion-specific vocabulary, confirming this is not mere quality judgment but a felt psychological state. The Chronicler's note that the people departed 'glad of heart' after Solomon's temple dedication (2 Chr 7:10) shows the idiom at its most theologically resonant. 5×
AR["[طاب]","حينَ يَطيبُ-","كَ-طِيبِ","وَ-طَيِّبُ-","وَ-طَيِّبِي"]·ben["এবং-ভালো-","ও-ভালো","ভাল","যখন-ভালো","যখন-ভালো-ছিল"]·DE["[gut]","[וטובי]","und-gut","wann-ist-gut","wie-gut"]·EN["[good]","and-glad-of","but-good-of","when-is-good","when-was-good"]·FR["[bon]","[וטובי]","et-bon","quand-est-bon","quand-fut-bon"]·heb["ו-טוב","ו-טוב־","טוב","כ-טוב"]·HI["[प्रसन्न]","और-अच्छा","और-प्रसन्न","जब-अच्छा-हो","जब-प्रसन्न-था"]·ID["[qere]","dan-senang","ketika-baik","ketika-gembira","tetapi-yang-baik-"]·IT["[buono]","e-buono","quando-fu-buono","quando-è-buono"]·jav["[sae]","lan-bungah","lan-sae-","nalika-sae","nalika-sak"]·KO["그러나-좋은-","그리고-좋은","에-좋을-때","좋았다","좋았을-때에"]·PT["[bom]","e-bom-","e-bons-de","quando-bom"]·RU["[хорошо]","а-добрый-","и-с-добрым","когда-развеселится","когда-хорошо-было"]·ES["cuando-bueno","cuando-esté-alegre","se-alegraron","y-bueno-de","y-buenos-de"]·SW["[mioyo]","lakini-mwenye-furaha","moyo","na-wenye-furaha","wakati-uzuri-wa"]·TR["iyi","iyi-olduğunda","neşeli-olduğunda-","ve-iyi-"]·urd["[ketiv]","اور-اچھے-","اور-خوش","جب-اچھا-ہو","جب-خوش-تھا"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. טוֹב adj. pleasant, agreeable, good (v. LagBN 26; Aramaic טַב, Palm. טב Vog No. 81, טבא Vog No. 75)—m. ט׳ Gn 2:12 + 22 times, טוֹבָם Mi 7:4; f. טוֹבָה Est 8:5 + 50 times, טֹבָה Dt 6:18 + 2 times; cstr. טוֹבַת Gn 26:7 + 6 times, טֹבַת Gn 24:16; pl. טוֹבִים Je 44:17 + 28 times; טֹבִים Gn 27:9 + 4 times; cstr. טוֹבֵי Dn 1:4 + 2 times; pl. טוֹבוֹת Est 2:2, טֹבוֹת Je 24:2 + 6 times, טֹבֹת Gn 6:2…