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טוּב

𐤈𐤅𐤁

ṭûwb

H2898 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A noun denoting goodness, wellbeing, or that which is desirable, excellent, or beneficial. Often refers to a state or quality of goodness, moral excellence, material prosperity, or positive circumstance. Can describe both abstract qualities (goodness, virtue) and concrete benefits (prosperity, good things, abundance), and is also used for beautiful or pleasing things and experiences.

Semantic Range

goodness, well-being, prosperity, beauty, excellence, abundance, welfare, moral goodness, material benefit, gladness, pleasantness, delight, the best (contextual superlative), good things

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root ט-ו-ב, which fundamentally means 'to be good,' 'be pleasant,' or 'be beneficial.' The noun formation טוּב denotes the quality, state, or result of being good or beneficial. The adjectival root meaning is closely related, but the noun emphasizes the outcome or manifestation of 'goodness' in the moral, aesthetic, or material sense.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, טוּב is deployed in a range of literary and historical contexts: it may refer to moral or ethical goodness (e.g., God's or a person's goodness), to tangible prosperity or abundance (especially of land, agricultural yields, or worldly prosperity), and to emotional well-being, gladness, or delight. It stands in contrast to רָע ('evil' or 'bad') and often parallels or is synonymous with שִׂמְחָה (joy) or חֶסֶד (kindness), though each with distinct nuance. Use of טוּב spans from the earliest Israelite traditions to later biblical writings and is found in various genres — legal, poetic, prophetic, narrative. In post-exilic and Second Temple texts, the term retains both its moral and material associations, sometimes corresponding to welfare or general prosperity. English translations often render it simply as 'goodness,' 'prosperity,' or 'good things,' which may not capture the term's fullness, especially where moral or aesthetic connotations are present. Later Jewish and Christian literature sometimes translate טוּב as 'the best,' but this is usually interpretive context rather than inherent superlative sense.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from טוֹב; good (as a noun), in the widest sense, especially goodness (superlative concretely, the best), beauty, gladness, welfare; fair, gladness, good(-ness, thing, -s), joy, go well with.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

טוב (ṭ-w-b) — goodness, pleasantness, benefit

Root טוב to be good, be pleasant, be beneficial
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2869 טָב good
H2895 טוֹב you did good
H2896 טוֹב in the good
H2897 טוֹב good
H2899 טוֹב אֲדֹנִיָּהוּ and good

Word Forms

12 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H2898-04 ט֥וּב tuv HNcmsc good goodness of goodness of 12
H2898-01 בְּֽ/טוּב betuv HR/Ncmsc in the good fortune in goodness in goodness 4
H2898-07 טוּבְ/ךָ֣ tuvekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms goodness your goodness your goodness 3
H2898-09 טוּב֖/וֹ tuvo HNcmsc/Sp3ms his good his goodness his goodness 3
H2898-08 טוּבִ/י֙ tuvi HNcmsc/Sp1cs My goodness my goodness my goodness 2
H2898-03 מִ/טּ֣וּב mituv HR/Ncmsc for goodness from goodness from the goodness 2
H2898-12 וְ/טוּבָ֑/הּ vetuvah HC/Ncmsc/Sp3fs and-its-goodness and her goodness and her goodness 1
H2898-05 טוּבָ֔/הּ tuvah HNcmsc/Sp3fs its goodness her goodness her goodness 1
H2898-11 וּ/בְ/טוּבְ/ךָ֨ uvetuvekha HC/R/Ncmsc/Sp2ms and-in/goodness-of-you and in your goodness and in your goodness 1
H2898-02 בְּ/טוּבְ/ךָ֥ betuvekha HR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms in your goodness in your goodness in your goodness 1

Occurrences in Scripture

32 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H2898-04 Genesis 24:10 ט֥וּב tuv HNcmsc good things goodness of good things
H2898-04 Genesis 45:18 טוּב֙ tuv HNcmsc best goodness of goodness of
H2898-04 Genesis 45:20 ט֛וּב tuv HNcmsc best goodness of best of
H2898-03 Genesis 45:23 מִ/טּ֣וּב mituv HR/Ncmsc with the best from goodness from the goodness
H2898-08 Exodus 33:19 טוּבִ/י֙ tuvi HNcmsc/Sp1cs My goodness my goodness my goodness
H2898-04 Deuteronomy 6:11 טוּב֮ tuv HNcmsa good things goodness of goodness
H2898-10 Deuteronomy 28:47 וּ/בְ/ט֣וּב uvetuv HC/R/Ncmsc and with goodness and in goodness-of and with goodness
H2898-04 2 Kings 8:9 ט֣וּב tuv HNcmsc good goodness of good things of
H2898-04 Isaiah 1:19 ט֥וּב tuv HNcmsc good goodness of good of
H2898-04 Isaiah 63:7 טוּב֙ tuv HNcmsa goodness goodness of goodness toward
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