H2896c H2896c
Goodness, welfare, benefit; concrete good things or deeds; divine bounty — the feminine noun form of the adjective 'good.'
This feminine noun gives abstract weight to the Hebrew concept of 'good,' moving beyond the simple adjective to name the thing itself — goodness, welfare, benefit. When Joseph tells his brothers that God turned their evil intent 'for good' (Gen 50:20), the word carries the full theological freight of divine providence redirecting harm into blessing. It appears in covenant blessings (Deut 28:11; 30:9), prophetic judgments contrasting welfare with calamity (Jer 21:10; Amos 9:4), and the psalmist's intimate confession that all personal welfare depends on the Lord (Ps 16:2). The plural forms can name concrete blessings or good deeds, while possessive suffixes addressed to God elevate it to 'Your bounty' (Ps 65:11; 68:10).
Senses
1. goodness, moral good — The abstract quality of goodness or moral good — what is right, beneficial, and praiseworthy. Often appearing with the article ('the good') or in construct chains, this sense dominates the distribution (41 occurrences). English 'goodness,' Spanish 'bien/bueno,' French 'bien/bon,' and German 'Gutes' all converge on the same abstract moral concept. Key passages include Judges 8:35, where Israel fails to repay the goodness Gideon showed, and 1 Samuel 24:17, where Saul acknowledges David's moral goodness toward him. 41×
AR["الخَيرَ", "الـ-خَيْر", "الـ-خَيْرِ", "الْخَيْرَ", "الْخَيْرِ", "خَيراً", "خَيرًا", "خَيرٍ", "خَيْرًا"]·ben["-কে", "-মঙ্গল", "এই-মঙ্গল", "ভালো", "ভালোর", "মঙ্গল", "মঙ্গলের", "সেই-ভালো"]·DE["Gutes", "[הטובה]", "der-goodness", "der-gut", "der-gut-Ding", "gut", "gute"]·EN["good", "goodness", "the-good", "the-good-thing", "the-goodness"]·FR["bien", "bon", "le-bon", "le-bon-chose", "le-bonté"]·heb["ה-טוב", "ה-טובה", "טוב", "טובה"]·HI["अच्छाई", "भलाई"]·ID["baik", "kebaikan"]·IT["bene", "buono", "il-buono", "il-buono-cosa", "il-goodness"]·jav["kabecikan", "kasaenan", "kasaènan", "kasaénan", "sae"]·KO["그-선하심을", "그-선함", "그-선함을", "그-좋음", "선-을", "선을", "선한-것과", "선한-것을", "선함을", "좋은-것-을", "좋음을"]·PT["bem", "o-bem"]·RU["-благо", "·-благо", "блага", "благо", "добре", "добро", "доброе", "добром", "добру"]·ES["bien", "bueno", "del-bien", "el-bien"]·SW["jema", "mema", "mtumishi-wake", "wema"]·TR["-iyilik", "-iyiliği", "de-iyiliğin", "iyilik", "iyiliği", "iyiliği-o", "iyiliğin", "iyiliğin-o"]·urd["اچھائی", "بھلائی", "بھلائی-کی", "بھلائی۔"]
Gen 44:4, Exod 18:9, Num 24:13, Judg 8:35, 1 Sam 24:17, 1 Sam 24:18, 1 Sam 24:19, 1 Sam 25:21, 1 Sam 25:30, 2 Sam 2:6, 2 Sam 7:28, 2 Sam 16:12 (+29 more)
2. benefit, welfare, well-being — Good directed toward a specific beneficiary as welfare, benefit, or well-being. The preposition lamed ('for good') and possessive suffixes ('their good') signal this relational, directional sense. Genesis 50:20 is the paradigmatic example: 'God intended it for good.' Spanish 'para bien' and German 'Gutes' with prepositional framing confirm the benefactive orientation. Deuteronomy's covenant promises (28:11; 30:9) deploy this sense for national prosperity contingent on obedience. 17×
AR["بِ-خَيْرٍ", "لِ-الْخَيْرِ", "لِ-خَيْر", "لِ-خَيْرٍ", "لِخَيْرٍ", "لِلْخَيْرِ", "وَ-خَيْرَهُم", "وَخَيْرَهُمْ"]·ben["-ভালোর-জন্য", "-মঙ্গলের-জন্য", "আর-তাদের-মঙ্গল", "এবং-তাদের-মঙ্গল", "ভালোতে", "ভালোর-জন্য", "মঙ্গলের-জন্য"]·DE["Gutes", "[וטובתם]", "[לטובה]", "fuer-gut", "und-ihr-gut", "zu-Gutes", "zu-gut", "zum-Guten"]·EN["and-their-good", "for-good"]·FR["bien", "bon", "et-bon", "et-leur-bon", "pour-bon", "pour-bonne", "à-bien"]·heb["ו-טוב-ם", "ו-טובתם", "ל-טוֹבה", "ל-טוב", "ל-טובה"]·HI["और-भलाई-उनकी", "के-भलाई", "के-लिए-भलाई", "के-लिए-भलाई।", "को-भलाई", "भलाई-के-लिए", "या-भलाई"]·ID["dan-kebaikan-mereka", "untuk-kebaikan"]·IT["[לטובה]", "bene", "buono", "e-buono", "e-loro-buono", "per-buono"]·jav["dados-kasaenan", "kangge-kasaenan", "kangge-kasaénan", "kangge-sae", "kanggé-kabeciking", "kanggé-kasaenan", "kanggé-kasaenaning", "kanggé-kasaénan", "kanggé-saé", "lan-kabecikenipun", "lan-kasaenanipun"]·KO["(전)-선함으로", "그리고-그들의-냸을", "그리고-그들의-복을", "로-선", "로-선하게", "복을-위하여", "선을-위하여", "선하게", "선함-을-위한", "에-선", "에-선으로", "에-선을-위하여", "에-선함", "에게-선함으로"]·PT["e-seu-bem", "para-bem", "para-bem.", "para-o-bem"]·RU["и-блага-их", "к-добру", "ко-благу"]·ES["para-bien", "y-su-bien", "y-su-bienestar"]·SW["kwa-mazuri", "kwa-mema", "kwa-uzuri", "kwa-wema", "kwangu", "mema", "na-ustawi-wao", "ya-wema"]·TR["-için-iyilik", "iyilik-icin", "iyilik-için", "iyiliğe", "iyiye", "için-iyilik", "ve-iyiliklerini"]·urd["اور-اُن-کی-بھلائی", "اور-بھلائی-اُن-کی", "بھلائی-کے-لئے", "بھلائی-کے-لیے", "لِ-بھلائی"]
3. good things, good deeds — Concrete, countable instances of good — good things, blessings, or good deeds — marked by plural morphology. Jeremiah 12:6 warns that even family members who 'speak good things' may be treacherous, while 2 Kings 25:28 and Jeremiah 52:32 describe the favorable treatment given to King Jehoiachin. Spanish 'cosas buenas' ('good things') and English 'good deeds' distinguish this countable, tangible sense from the abstract singular. 4×
AR["خَيْرًا", "خَيْرَاتٍ", "صالِحاتِهِ", "طَيِّبَاتٍ"]·ben["তার-ভালো-গুণগুলি", "ভাল", "ভালো"]·DE["Gutes", "[טובתיו]", "gut-Dinge"]·EN["good-things", "his-good-deeds"]·FR["bien", "bon", "bon-choses"]·heb["טוב-ו", "טובות"]·HI["अच्छी-बातें", "उसकी-भलाइयां", "भलाई", "भली-बातें"]·ID["dengan-baik", "hal-hal-baik", "kebaikan", "kebaikan-kebaikannya"]·IT["bene", "buono", "buono-cose"]·jav["kasaenanipun", "sae", "sae-sae", "tembung-sae"]·KO["그의-선행들을", "선한-것들을", "좋은-것들을"]·PT["boas-coisas", "boas.", "bondades", "suas-bondades"]·RU["благодеяния-его", "добро", "доброе"]·ES["bien", "cosas-buenas", "sus-bondades"]·SW["maneno-mazuri", "mazuri", "mema", "mema-yake"]·TR["iyilikler", "iyiliklerini"]·urd["اُس-کی-نیکیاں", "اچھی-باتیں"]
4. bounty, divine goodness — Divine bounty or generous goodness, addressed directly to God with second-person possessive suffixes. In Psalm 65:11 the year is crowned with 'Your bounty' and in Psalm 68:10 God provides from 'Your goodness' for the poor. English shifts from 'goodness' to 'bounty,' and Spanish from 'bien' to 'tu bondad,' signaling an intensified, worshipful register that sets this sense apart as doxological rather than merely ethical. 2×
AR["بِ-جودِكَ", "جودِكَ"]·ben["তোমার-মঙ্গলে", "তোমার-মঙ্গলের"]·DE["dein-gut", "in-dein-gut"]·EN["Your-bounty", "in-Your-goodness"]·FR["bien", "dans-bien"]·heb["ב-טובתך", "טובתך"]·HI["अपनी-भलाई-से"]·ID["dengan-kebaikan-Mu", "kebaikan-Mu"]·IT["bene"]·jav["kasaénan-Panjenengan", "sarana-kasaénan-Panjenengan"]·KO["주-의-선하심-으로", "주-의-선하심-의"]·PT["em-tua-bondade", "tua-bondade"]·RU["благости-Твоей", "по-благости-Твоей"]·ES["con-tu-bondad", "tu-bondad"]·SW["kwa-wema-wako", "wema-wako"]·TR["iyiliğinin", "iyiliğinle-"]·urd["بِ-اپنی-بھلائی-سے", "تیری-بھلائی-کا"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† טוֹבָה n.f. welfare, benefit, good things, good;—abs. ט׳ Dt 28:11 + 54 times; cstr. טוֹבַת ψ 106:5; sf. טוֹבָתִי ψ 16:2 etc. + 4 times sfs.; pl. טוֹבוֹת Je 12:6; טֹבוֹת 2 K 25:28; Je 52:32; sf. טוֹבֹתָיו Ne 6:19;— 1. welfare, prosperity, happiness: ‖ שׁלום Dt 23:7; Je 33:9; Ezr 9:12; La 3:17; יוֹם טובה Ec 7:14 day of prosperity; טוֹבָתִי בַּל־עָלֶיךָ ψ 16:2 is not my welfare dependent upon…