as part of a morning, afternoon or evening greeting,
in Hebrew:
Boker tov = בּוֹקֶר טוֹב. = Good morning
Erev tov = ערב טוב = Good evening
Layla tov = לילה טוב = Good night
or even as an exclamation:
‘good heavens’ or ‘goodness me!’
We may also be familiar with the term:
mazel tov – מזל טוב,
An Israeli expression of:
congratulations and best wishes.
There are numerous references to where the word
good
is used and it depends on which translation of the Bible we read.
The KJV has the word good appearing about 809 times. In Romans Paul used the expression good news 12 times.
Another familiar scripture isPs. 133:1:
Behold how good and how pleasing
Hinneh mah tovumah na’im: הִנֵּה מַה טוֹב וּמַה נָּעִים:
For brothers (people) to dwell/sit together in unity.
But what does good mean when it is used according to scripture?
The word for good in Hebrew is tob or tov
Strong’s Hebrew: 2895. טוֹב (tob) –
to be pleasing or good
טוב good tov/tob, ṭôb, tobe.
Recall that in Hebrew either b and v can be used in a word as they are the same letter, and it can be spelled either with or without a
vav – טוֹב orטב
From Strongs H2895; 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, X fair (word), (be in) favor, fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving, merry, X most, pleasant, + pleaseth, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well ([-favored]).
In scripture, the first time we read of anything being called
good
is in Genesis/B’resheet
verse 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good
31 And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.
What does good- tov mean?
In the first chapter of Genesis YHWH calls His handiwork good – tov. He is describing what He sees after completing various acts of creation.
The word tov in Day 3 of creation shows us what tov is.
As Hebrew often uses
descriptions of things as relating to their purpose;
so the word tov
could be translated with the word
functional.
When our Heavenly Father, the Creator, looked at His accomplishments, He did not simply see that it was good, He saw that it was functional, and would do what He had designed it to do; similar to a piece of machinery that is both finely tuned and well lubricated so it can operate for its’ intended function and purpose.
Another well known use of the word good
is in reference to one of the trees in the garden.
In contrast to the word for good/tob/tov is the Hebrew word ra. These two words, tov and ra are used for the tree of the knowledgeof good and evil.
While ra is often translated as evil
it may be better translated as dysfunctional.
In the first part of 1 Kings 3:9, in the account of the 2 mothers and the surviving baby; we see what tov looks like in action.
When Solomon says “Shall You then give to Your servant an understanding heart to rule Your people, to discern between good [tov] and evil?
The words frequently translated as
an understanding mind
are לֵב שֹׁמֵ
it is pronounced: lev shomea,
and literally translated
in Biblical Hebrew לֵב שֹׁמֵע
is
‘a hearing heart’.
The purpose for our Heavenly Father giving Solomon
a hearing heart
is so he can govern Gods’ people and have
the ability to discern between good /tov and evil/ra.
There is further use of the word good inGenesis 1:11–12
And Elohim said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the plant that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth.” And it came to be so. And the earth brought forth grass, the plant that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And Elohim saw that it was good [tov].”
These two verses, reveal a wonderful explanation of how things in His earth are to unfold by calling forth the seeds He has implanted; His creation does so with the seeds of future life/chaim within them, and He sees this process as tov.
The plants and trees must have seeds inside them because, at the perfect time, those same plants and trees will release their seeds into the earth; continuing the cycle of creating and producing life/chaim.
As part of our Heavenly Fathers creation, it is our turn to bring forth the seeds of His life/chaim, that are planted within us. These seeds are designed to intercede for, and to encourage and teach others, etc. We are to plant seeds of life/chaim into others lives…
It could be true to say that people who struggle to find meaning and fulfillment in life, are not bringing forth what has been planted inside of them; and which our Father intended for them to bring forth.
It is up to each individual to choose..
Do we have a hearing heart like Solomon, and will we choose to walk with God in obedience allowing Him to bring forth more seeds from His life/chaim that are already planted inside of us?
Could we then say that anything that produces life and contains the potential for more life within it, would be what our Heavenly Father calls good?
As previously noted the Hebrew word tov does not simply mean ‘pleasant’ or ‘pleasurable’. It means:
capable of,
presently engaged in the process of,
and destined for,
completely fulfilling the Divine purpose for which it was created.
The difference between how our modern society uses the word good and how our Father uses the word good seems to be extreme; as it’s not uncommon to hear good being used to describe a new fashion trend, movie or restaurant.
Scripture is considerably more selective when it comes to applying the word good – tov to something.
Two scriptures we are familiar with are:
John 10:11 and 10:27.
I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd gives His life for HIS sheep.
Messiah Jesus/Yeshua calls Himself a good shepherd.
There are a few words in Greek and about 4 words in Aramaic that are rendered as good.
Aramaic words are: hana = pleasurable, beautiful, fine, excellent.
and taqan = honest, blameless, high moral character.
These would be possibly be the best match for the Greek word kalos,
that is used in John 10 11.
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep.” Good: Greek: kalos
Kalos kagathos or kalokagathos
Ancient Greek : καλὸς κἀγαθός [kalòs kaːɡatʰós],
of which kalokagathia (καλοκαγαθία)
is the derived noun, is a phrase used by classical Greek writers to describe:
Definition: beautiful, good Usage: beautiful, as an outward sign of the inward good, noble
It is interesting to note that the Aramaic New Testament uses the word:
TAWA (perfect harmony) instead.
Jesus/Yeshua spoke these words in Aramaic and John heard them in Aramaic and perhaps translated them into Greek if he did not write them down in Aramaic first.
So why was the Greek word Kalos chosen?
Looking at all the Greek words that could be rendered as good, none really expressed the basic idea of tawa which is similar to the Hebrew word tov.
The Greek writer would have chosen the best possible Greek word for tawa and yet that still falls short of the full meaning.
Why?
Because the Aramaic word TAWA is: rooted in a relationship!
Aramaic: tawa’ – A relationship with someone or something that is perfectly harmonious and in sync.
In all the Greek words, there doesn’t seem to be any that would express that of a relationship, which is the idea of tawa’ being similar to the Hebrew word tov. All of them point to a persons’ character, courage or appearance.
Messiah called Himself the good shepherd, and surely the whole idea of Him describing Himself as a shepherd conveys the idea of a relationship, and in contrast, doesn’t speak of His appearance, moral character or courage.
So maybe in light of this, the word good is possibly not the best one to use?
A good shepherd can be defined by, understanding the ancient culture and what a shepherds’ responsibility was.
In Messiahs’ day there were two types of shepherds;
there were the hired shepherds
and the self-employed shepherds who owned their own sheep.
A shepherd was a highly respected occupation in the ancient Eastern culture; and for mothers to see their sons become shepherds was something they desired.
A man would be forced to hire a stranger to watch his sheep if he had no sons and this was not the best option because being a shepherd was a very dangerous job. A shepherd had to protect a flock of not so smart animals from attacks by wolves, robbers, bad weather and any number of other threats; yet, if a man’s personal livelihood, his wife, children and his future was threatened, he would take the risk. Recall Davids’ experiences protecting the sheep in his charge.
There were plenty of courageous, honorable hired shepherds, but they did not have a relationship with their sheep, their relationship was with the promised wages. As shepherding was much more of a common occupation, if a shepherd was dismissed from the job, he would simply move to another area of the country.
Messiah Jesus is not only our Good Shepherd, He is far far more. And we can say for certain that He is not the shepherd who is looking for the wages and Who would abandon His sheep the first time one wanders off, or has to face hungry predators. We should further remember that, He is also a role model for those in Pastoral and Christian leadership positions.
It is sad to say that these days, there are fewer pastors who would go into a drug house and pick up one of the young people from his church assembly and take him home. Not many pastors would get up in the middle of the night during a storm and drive to the home of someone who urgently needed prayer. Just how many pastors would take a cut in their wages during a recession, so congregation members would not be burdened? How many work and don’t use ‘the church’ as their financial source? It makes one wonder just how many pastors and church leaders are truly tawa’ shepherds (good shepherds) and not hired shepherds who will abandon the sheep at the first sign of trouble or leave them to go for the offer of a bigger church and higher wages?
“I am the good shepherd;
the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep.”
John 10:11:
Maybe we really need to define good?
A most important scripture that helps us define good is in
Luke 18:18-19 and Mark 10:18
where Jesus Himself said that only God is good.
None is good except One, God.
No one is good except God alone. Jesus answered,
“Why do you call me good? Only God is good [No one is good except One—God;”
Tov = good in Matthew 19:16,17 Why do you call me good there is none good but god?
Greek – kalos = beautiful, fine, excellent, blameless, high moral character.
Aramaic –TAWA= a relationship with someone or something, that is perfectly harmonious and in sync!
So in saying Only God is good could be read as:
Only God is in perfect harmony, relationship and frequency with ALL of His creation.
Why do you call Me good? ONLY God is TAWA
GOOD (SHEPHERD) – TAWA’ tet vav alef
alef vav tet
Next a closer look at the word Tov/tob
and the letters that make up the word for
good: tet vav bet
in
Strongs 2896 1186.
The letter
ט
T- tet
And in the pictographs.
ט – tet is a picture of:
a basket or tote, used to contain or
surround something food or belongings.
It means:
twist, basket, snake, surround, store, contain,
mud, clay, below, womb.
The letter sound of “T” and a word picture of a snake, serpent, surrounding something, coiling or a curving line;
a snake surrounds and is inside, no deception – it is the same outside and inside.
Tet – The ‘Seal’ or Mark of the ‘Master’.. His claim of ‘ownership’ and promise of completion.. to be restored to Him forever.. Jesus Messiah/Yeshua HaMashiach, (The Word; come in the flesh) He is The Seal, The Confirmation… We must be ‘IN’ Mashiach/In Christ – ‘access by compliance’ – Hazon/Revelation 22:14.
The pictograph for the letter
vet/bet ב is
It is the Hebrew word for house – bayit/beit/bet
and means:
house inside, household
or family also used as the words in and into.
It is a picture of a tent or house, or floor-plan of a tent.
The Hebrews lived in goat hair tents, which were divided into two halves, male and female sections, and divided by a wall.
Bet – House – The Container;
Body – Habitation of The Power of His Ruach/Spirit.
טב
The 2 letters combined can mean: surround the house.
The house is surrounded by: grace, beauty, love, health and prosperity, something that is functional.
The tent was supported by ropes attached to pegs driven into the ground. These pegs were made of a branched piece of hardwood. No English word is derived from this letter but the picture is similar to the hand of a man waving.
Sound: w, ow, uw
Picture of a peg: VAV
Ancient Name: Waw
The Instrument to bind or binding together –
One doing the work of:
weaving-knitting together (as in a womb- two become ‘one’)… fastening together…
think Jesus Messiah/HaMashiach Yeshua!
This could read – What surrounds and is inside.
This word good/tov is used many times and it apparently means exactly the same in Aramaic – tova, as it does in Hebrew.
We could conclude that Good is:
to be in harmony with something or someone.
When God created the fish of the sea, He saw it was good or in harmony with Him. He created man and woman and saw they were good together or together were in harmony with Him.
In scripture we are told that if a man finds a wife he finds a good thing. We should not think of any woman, especially a wife as a ‘thing’. Wouldn’t it be preferable to translate it as: a man who finds a wife finds someone who brings him into harmony with his Heavenly Father?
In the Semitic root of the Hebrew the word is tov has the idea of being in harmony or in tune. We could read it as:
our Heavenly Father created the birds of the air and saw that they werein tune with or in harmony with Him.
All of His creation is in harmony with Him.
The plethora of colors, intricate details and designs show the un-paralleled beauty of all He has made and in the complexity and infinite variety of His creative thoughts even in a tiny insect.
His love is evident in the nurturing care that His creations have for their young.
Sometimes Romans 8:28 is just something we quote, not because we really believe it, but because we don’t know what else to say in a situation and sometimes, it can be really be irritating in the sense that many times a situation does not work out for good or what we perceive as good!
Isn’t what Paul is saying really that, every event and every circumstance in our life is meant to bring us into harmony with our Heavenly Father?
Only God is good and we can be certain when we are in right relationship with Him, and we are in perfect harmony and synchronized with His will and plan and purpose for our lives; the God that is only good, will fulfill His promises according to His Word, surrounding the house/body we live in with all of His Goodness!
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
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