tov · good

What it means

tov (טוֹב) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “good”.

In the widest sense: pleasant, beautiful, useful, right, of good quality. As a noun, "good", "good things", "well-being".

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. What is as it should be and gives delight: sound, useful, beautiful or valuable.
2. What is right and just, which God approves, the opposite of evil.
3. What is fitting: "it is not good for man to be alone".
4. Light of spirit and at ease, with a peaceful heart.
5. Worth more or more profitable than something it is compared with.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Good, in the widest sense. BDB notes that it is also used as a noun (“good”, “good things”, “goods”) and as an adverb (“well”). It serves for what is pleasant, useful, beautiful and right. From the same family is יָטַב, “be good, do well” (H3190).

• Good in God's sight: Elohim saw “that it was good” Genesis 1:4
• Fitting: “not good that the man should be alone” Genesis 2:18
• “Good” over against “evil” Genesis 2:9
• “Good in the eyes of” someone: what seems right to him Genesis 16:6
• In comparisons, “better”; said of YHWH, “good” Proverbs 15:16Psalms 34:8

How we translate it

“Good” 445 times, “better” 76, “well” 12, “best” 7, “beautiful” 6. The expression טוֹב בְּעֵינֵי is translated literally, “good in your eyes”, like its opposite, “evil in the eyes of”. When the Hebrew sentence compares (“good… more than”), English needs “Better” (Proverbs 15:16).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• good ×445
• better ×76
• well ×12
• best ×7
• beautiful ×6
• fine ×4
• goodness ×3
• handsome ×3
• was merry ×3
• glad ×2
• others ×3

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×41
• Exodus×5
• Leviticus×5
• Numbers×7
• Deuteronomy×28
• Joshua×8
• Judges×14
• Ruth×3
• 1 Samuel×37
• 2 Samuel×26
• 1 Kings×24
• 2 Kings×12
• 1 Chronicles×7
• 2 Chronicles×23
• Ezra×6
• Nehemiah×10
• Esther×18
• Job×12
• Psalms×69
• Proverbs×62
• Ecclesiastes×52
• Song of Songs×3
• Isaiah×14
• Jeremiah×37
• Lamentations×7
• Ezekiel×9
• Daniel×2
• Hosea×5
• Joel×1
• Amos×4
• Jonah×2
• Micah×4
• Nahum×2
• Zechariah×4
• Malachi×1

• Genesis 1:4

  And Elohim saw the light, that it was good; and Elohim separated the light from the darkness.

• Genesis 1:10

  And Elohim called the dry ground “Earth,” and the gathering of the waters he called “Seas.” And Elohim saw that it was good.

• Genesis 1:12

  And the earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit that has its seed in it, according to its kind. And Elohim saw that it was good.

• Genesis 1:18

  and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And Elohim saw that it was good.

• Genesis 1:21

  And Elohim created the great sea monsters and every living being that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And Elohim saw that it was good.

• Genesis 1:25

  And Elohim made the animals of the earth according to their kind, and the livestock according to their kind, and every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind. And Elohim saw that it was good.

• Genesis 1:31

  And Elohim saw everything that he had made, and look, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

• Genesis 2:9

  And YHWH Elohim made every tree sprout from the ground that is pleasing to the sight and good for food, and the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

• Genesis 2:12

  And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.

• Genesis 2:17

  but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat from it, for in the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.”

• Genesis 2:18

  And YHWH Elohim said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make for him a helper corresponding to him.”

• Genesis 3:5

  for Elohim knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like Elohim, knowing good and evil.”

• Genesis 3:6

  And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable for gaining insight; and she took of its fruit and ate, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

• Genesis 3:22

  And YHWH Elohim said, “Look, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, so that he does not reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever—”

• Genesis 6:2

  that the sons of Elohim saw that the daughters of human beings were beautiful; and they took for themselves wives from all whom they chose.

• Genesis 15:15

  As for you, you will go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.

• Genesis 16:6

  But Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your slave woman is in your hand; do to her what is good in your eyes.” So Sarai afflicted her, and she fled from her presence.

• Genesis 18:7

  And to the herd Abraham ran, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the young man, who hurried to prepare it.

• Genesis 19:8

  Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as is good in your eyes; only to these men do not do anything, for that is why they have come under the shadow of my roof.”

• Genesis 20:15

  And Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you; live wherever it is good in your eyes.”

• Genesis 24:16

  The girl was very beautiful in appearance, a virgin, and no man had known her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up.

• Genesis 24:50

  Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The matter has come from YHWH; we cannot speak to you bad or good.

• Genesis 25:8

  Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, old and satisfied, and he was gathered to his people.

• Genesis 26:7

  The men of the place asked about his wife, and he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is beautiful in appearance.”

• Genesis 26:29

  that you will not do us harm, just as we have not touched you and just as we have done to you only good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of YHWH.’”

• Genesis 27:9

  Go, please, to the flock and get me from there two good young goats, and I will make them into tasty food for your father, such as he loves.

• Genesis 29:19

  Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I give her to another man; stay with me.”

• Genesis 30:20

  Leah said, “Elohim has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.

• Genesis 31:24

  But Elohim came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to speak with Jacob either good or bad.”

• Genesis 31:29

  It is in the power of my hand to do you harm; but the Elohim of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak with Jacob either good or bad.’

• Genesis 40:16

  When the chief of the bakers saw that he had interpreted well, he said to Joseph, “In my dream I too saw, and look, three baskets of white bread were on my head.

• Genesis 41:5

  He fell asleep and dreamed a second time, and look, seven ears of grain were coming up on one stalk, plump and good.

• Genesis 41:22

  I saw in my dream, and look, seven ears coming up on one stalk, full and good.

• Genesis 41:24

  The thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. I told it to the magicians, but there is no one who can declare it to me.”

• Genesis 41:26

  The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dream is one.

• Genesis 41:35

  Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up grain under the hand of Pharaoh, as food in the cities, and let them keep it.

• Genesis 44:4

  They had gone out of the city and had not gone far when Joseph said to the one over his house, “Get up, pursue the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

• Genesis 49:15

  He saw a resting place, that it was good, and the land, that it was pleasant; so he bent his shoulder to bear burdens and became subject to forced labor.

• Genesis 50:20

  As for you, you planned evil against me; Elohim planned it for good, in order to bring about what is happening today: keeping alive many people.

• Exodus 2:2

  The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw him, that he was beautiful, she hid him three months.

And 524 more times.