Lexical Summary
yatab: To be good, to do good, to be pleasing, to make well
Original Word:יָטַב
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:yatab
Pronunciation:yah-TAV
Phonetic Spelling:(yaw-tab')
KJV: be accepted, amend, use aright, benefit, be (make) better, seem best, make cheerful, be comely, + be content, diligent(-ly), dress, earnestly, find favour, give, be glad, do (be, make) good((-ness)), be (make) merry, please (+ well), shew more (kindness), skilfully, X very small, surely, make sweet, thoroughly, tire, trim, very, be (can, deal, entreat, go, have) well (said, seen)
NASB:well, do good, go well, prosper, thoroughly, amend, better
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to be (causative) make well, literally (sound, beautiful) or figuratively (happy, successful, right)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be accepted, amend, use aright, benefit, be make better, seem best
A primitive root; to be (causative) make well, literally (sound, beautiful) or figuratively (happy, successful, right) -- be accepted, amend, use aright, benefit, be (make) better, seem best, make cheerful, be comely, + be content, diligent(-ly), dress, earnestly, find favour, give, be glad, do (be, make) good((-ness)), be (make) merry, please (+ well), shew more (kindness), skilfully, X very small, surely, make sweet, thoroughly, tire, trim, very, be (can, deal, entreat, go, have) well (said, seen).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto be good, well, glad, or pleasing
NASB Translationadorned (1), amend (3), better (3), better he made (1), bless (1), celebrating* (1), deals well (1), do (1), do it well (1), do them good (1), do them good (1), do you good (1), do good (1), do good (12), do well (3), do...good (1), does (1), does...good (1), done good (1), done well (1), found favor (1), glad (1), go well (6), goes well (1), good (1), good (2), good that i do (1), good reason (3), happy (1), joyful (1), make (1), makes a cheerful (1), makes...acceptable (1), merry (3), pleasant (1), please (1), please the better (1), pleased (2), pleased* (9), pleases* (1), pleasing (2), prosper (4), reform (1), seemed good (2), seemed reasonable (1), seems (1), seems best (1), seems good (1), shown (1), skillfully (2), stately (2), surely prosper (1), thoroughly (4), treat you better (1), treated...well (1), trims (1), truly amend (1), very (1), very small (1), well (13), well you prepare (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (Aramaic Zinjirli DHM
Sendsch. 57) —
(Perfect not in use, see
)ImperfectGenesis 12:13 34t.,1 Samuel 24:5 3t.;Esther 2:4 2t.; (incorrect for Ges§ 70 R)Nahum 3:8; pluralGenesis 34:18; forInfinitive andParticiple see —
be glad, joyful,Judges 18:20;Judges 19:6,9;1 Kings 21:7;Ruth 3:7;Ecclesiastes 7:3.
be well placed,Nahum 3:8art thou better placed than No of Amon?
impersonal with ,be well for orwith, go well withGenesis 12:13 (J),Genesis 40:14 (E),Deuteronomy 4:40;Deuteronomy 5:16,26;Deuteronomy 6:3,18;Deuteronomy 12:25,28;Deuteronomy 22:7;2 Kings 25:24;Ruth 3:1;Jeremiah 7:23;Jeremiah 38:20;Jeremiah 40:9;Jeremiah 42:6.
be pleasingGenesis 34:18 (J),Genesis 41:37;Genesis 45:16 (E),Deuteronomy 1:23;Leviticus 10:19,20;Joshua 22:30,33 (P),1 Samuel 18:5;1 Samuel 24:5;2 Samuel 3:36;2 Samuel 18:4;1 Kings 3:10;Esther 1:21;Esther 2:4 (twice in verse);Esther 2:9; with ,be pleasing to,Psalm 69:32; with (late)Nehemiah 2:5,6;Esther 5:14.
PerfectGenesis 12:16;Joshua 24:20;1 Samuel 25:31; suffixDeuteronomy 30:5;Jeremiah 1:12;Ruth 3:10, etc.;Ezekiel 36:11 (for as if from Ges§ 70R);ImperfectNumbers 10:32 3t.;Proverbs 15:13 2t.;Job 24:21 (Ges§ 70R);1 Kings 1:47 (Ges§ 70R);Exodus 1:20; suffixEcclesiastes 11:9, etc.;ImperativePsalm 51:20;Isaiah 23:16, etc.;Infinitive absoluteJeremiah 7:5;Jeremiah 10:5;Genesis 32:13 10t.;Infinitive constructLeviticus 5:4 7t.;Jeremiah 32:41; suffixJeremiah 32:40, etc.;Participle1 Samuel 16:17;Psalm 119:68;Ezekiel 33:32, etc.; —
make glad, rejoiceJudges 19:22;Proverbs 15:13; the personEcclesiastes 11:9.
do good to, deal well with, a person usually with preposition: with ,Exodus 1:20;Joshua 24:20 (both E),Genesis 12:16;Numbers 10:29,32 (all J),Judges 17:13;1 Samuel 25:31;Psalm 49:19;Psalm 125:4; with ,Genesis 32:10;Genesis 32:13 (twice in verse);Numbers 10:32 (all J),Micah 2:7; with accusativeDeuteronomy 8:16;Deuteronomy 28:63;Deuteronomy 30:5;1 Samuel 2:32;Jeremiah 18:10;Jeremiah 32:40,41;Zechariah 8:15;Job 24:21;Psalm 51:20; absoluteEzekiel 36:11; opposed to (in prov. phrase, cannotdo good or ill, = cannot do anything at all; test of deity)Zephaniah 1:12;Isaiah 41:23;Jeremiah 10:5.
do well orthoroughly:they have done well (all)that they have spokenDeuteronomy 5:25;Deuteronomy 18:17;Micah 7:3their hands are upon the evil to do it well,i.e.diligently, thoroughly, literallymake (it) good, with play on ; especially as auxil. followed by infinitive;Proverbs 15:2 =know well;Jeremiah 1:12see well;play well, skilfully1 Samuel 16:17;Isaiah 23:16;Ezekiel 33:32;Psalm 33:3; compare participle construct followed by substantiveProverbs 30:29marching well, in a stately manner, soProverbs 30:29; infinitive absolute as adverb =thoroughly, with verbs:Deuteronomy 9:21,Deuteronomy 13:15,Deuteronomy 17:4;Deuteronomy 19:18,Deuteronomy 27:8,2 Kings 11:18.
make a thing good, right, beautiful: with accusative of thing: the head2 Kings 9:30;dress, trim: a lampExodus 30:7 (P);Hosea 10:1;Proverbs 17:22 a glad heartmaketh a good cure; followed by comparative, object1 Kings 1:47 ( =make it more glorious then);Ruth 3:10; followed by =course of life or actionJeremiah 2:33 (in order to win love);amend one's ways and doingsJeremiah 7:3;Jeremiah 18:11;Jeremiah 26:13;Jeremiah 35:15;Jeremiah 7:5.
do well, right, ethically, absolute:
of men,Genesis 4:7 (twice in verse) (J),Leviticus 5:4 (P),Psalm 36:4;Isaiah 1:17;Jeremiah 4:22;Jeremiah 13:23.
,good and doing goodPsalm 119:68; so infinitive absolute as adverbJonah 4:4,9art thou rightly angry ? followed byJonah 4:9. In1 Samuel 20:13 verb is apparently intransitive, =
,if it be pleasing unto my father, but
; point rather ; on this and on following see We Dr.
Topical Lexicon
Thematic OverviewStrong’s Hebrew 3190 (yāṭaḇ) portrays the idea of goodness expressed in action or condition: to be good, to do good, to be pleasing, to act rightly, or to experience well-being. The word spans every major division of the Old Testament—Law, Prophets, Writings—linking God’s character, covenant blessing, ethical conduct, and eschatological hope.
Occurrences and Distribution
Approximately one hundred twelve occurrences cluster in Genesis–Deuteronomy (covenant formation), Samuel–Chronicles (leadership narratives), major and minor prophets (warning and restoration), and Psalms–Proverbs (wisdom and worship). The frequency underscores how central “goodness” is to biblical revelation and daily life.
Genesis: Foundations of Acceptable Living
1. Acceptance before God: “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” (Genesis 4:7). The first moral crisis hinges on yāṭaḇ, framing worship and obedience.
2. Preservation and blessing: Abraham requests, “Please say you are my sister, so that it may go well with me because of you” (Genesis 12:13). Though Abraham’s tactic is questionable, the text shows human concern for welfare under divine providence.
3. Covenant assurance: “I will surely do you good and make your offspring as the sand of the sea” (Genesis 32:12). God’s promise to Jacob elevates yāṭaḇ from personal fortune to redemptive plan.
Torah: Covenant Blessing and Responsibility
Deuteronomy repeatedly welds obedience to well-being: “Keep His statutes and commandments… so that it may go well with you and your children after you” (Deuteronomy 4:40). The formula appears in 6:3; 6:18; 12:25; 12:28; 19:13; 22:7, binding moral order to communal prosperity. InNumbers 10:29 Moses assures Hobab, “The LORD has promised good to Israel.” Yāṭaḇ thus anchors Israel’s national hope.
Historical Books: Divine Favor and Human Leadership
1 Samuel 18:5 notes that “David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him.” Political success is framed as God “making it good.” Conversely,2 Chronicles 24:16 commends Jehoiada the priest: “He did what was good in Israel.” Goodness becomes the yardstick of rulership; faithful leaders secure blessing, unfaithful ones forfeit it (2 Chronicles 12:12; 28:22).
Worship and Sacrifice
Psalm 51:18 pleads, “In Your good pleasure do good to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.” The psalmist roots communal restoration in God’s favorable disposition.Psalm 119 celebrates Torah obedience: “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes” (verse 71); trial refines goodness. Thanksgiving psalms (Psalm 16:2; 73:28) recognize that nearness to God is the ultimate good.
Wisdom Literature: Ethical Prudence and Reward
Proverbs extols tangible benefits of righteous conduct:
• “It will go well with those who convict the guilty” (Proverbs 24:25).
• “Blessings are on the head of the righteous” (Proverbs 10:6).
Ecclesiastes, while sober about life’s enigmas, still affirms, “It will be well for those who fear God” (Ecclesiastes 8:12).
Prophetic Usage: Warning, Consolation, and Eschatology
Jeremiah laments superficial religion: “Amend your ways and your deeds… and it will be well with you” (Jeremiah 7:3–7). Isaiah proclaims both sides: “Tell the righteous that it will be well with them” (Isaiah 3:10) yet condemns Judah’s rulers for calling evil good (Isaiah 5:20, antonymic contrast).Zechariah 8:15 contains a climactic promise: “So I have determined again in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.” Post-exilic hope rests on God’s irrevocable intent to “do good.”
Contrasts with Evil
Yāṭaḇ often stands opposite rāʿ (“evil”).Genesis 4:7 juxtaposes “do good” with the sin “crouching at your door.”Deuteronomy 30:15 sets “life and good” against “death and evil,” underscoring the covenantal choice.
Divine Initiative and Human Response
Ruth 3:10 models interpersonal kindness: “May you be blessed of the LORD… your last kindness is better than the first.” God “deals well” with midwives (Exodus 1:20) and with Joseph (Genesis 39:21). Human agents mirror divine goodness; Boaz invites his reapers, “I have commanded the young men not to touch you… may the LORD repay your work” (Ruth 2:9, 12). Ministry today likewise flows from received grace: believers are called to “trust in the LORD and do good” (Psalm 37:3).
Messianic and Redemptive Trajectory
Though yāṭaḇ is not a technical Messianic title, it frames the redemptive expectation: ultimate “good” arrives when the Servant restores justice (Isaiah 42:3-4) and when the New Covenant is enacted (Jeremiah 32:40-41, “I will rejoice over them to do them good”). In Jesus Christ—the One who “went around doing good” (Acts 10:38)—the Old Testament ideal reaches its consummation.
Pastoral and Ministry Application
1. Assurance of God’s benevolence:Isaiah 55:2 calls the weary to delight in “what is good.” Preaching should ground believers in the Father’s gracious intent.
2. Ethical exhortation:Micah 6:8, though not using yāṭaḇ itself, distills the concept—“He has shown you, O man, what is good.” The pastor equips saints for the “good works” God prepared (Ephesians 2:10).
3. Counseling amid suffering:Psalm 119:71 andGenesis 50:20 (“God meant it for good”) teach that divine goodness can overrule evil circumstances.
4. Vision for mission:Zechariah 8 links God’s resolved goodness toward Zion with worldwide blessing (8:23). Gospel outreach extends that goodness to the ends of the earth.
Summary
Yāṭaḇ binds the account of Scripture together: God is good, His purposes are good, and He commands His people to embody and extend that goodness. Whether in covenant stipulations, royal histories, prophetic promises, or wisdom aphorisms, the term signals harmony with God’s will and the flourishing that results. The Old Testament refrain “that it may go well with you” reverberates into New Testament fulfillment, urging believers to “not grow weary in doing good” (Galatians 6:9) until the eternal kingdom where everything will, finally and forever, be “very good” once more.
Forms and Transliterations
אֵיטִ֖יב איטיב בְּהֵיטִיב֛וֹ בהיטיבו הֲתֵֽיטְבִי֙ הֵיטִ֖יב הֵיטִ֖יבוּ הֵיטִ֣יבָה הֵיטִ֤יבִי הֵיטִ֤יבוּ הֵיטִ֥יב הֵיטִ֥יבוּ הֵיטֵ֑ב הֵיטֵ֔ב הֵיטֵ֖יב הֵיטֵ֛ב הֵיטֵ֥ב הֵיטֵֽב׃ הֵיטֵיב֙ הֵיטַ֛בְתְּ הֵיטַ֣בְתָּ הַהֵיטֵ֖ב הַהֵיטֵ֥ב הַיִּיטַ֖ב ההיטב היטב היטב׃ היטבת היטיב היטיבה היטיבו היטיבי הייטב התיטבי וְאֵיטִ֥יבָה וְהֵטַ֣בְנוּ וְהֵטַ֥בְנוּ וְהֵיטִ֣יבוּ וְהֵיטִ֤ב וְהֵיטִ֥יבוּ וְהֵיטִֽבְךָ֥ וְיִ֥יטַב וְיִטַ֣ב וְיִטַ֥ב וְיִיטַ֣ב וְיִיטַ֥ב וְתִיטַ֣ב וִֽיטִֽיבְךָ֤ וַיִּֽיטְב֥וּ וַיִּיטַ֖ב וַיִּיטַ֣ב וַיִּיטַ֤ב וַיִּיטַ֥ב וַיִּיטַ֧ב וַיִּיטַב֙ וַיֵּ֥יטֶב וַתִּיטַ֨ב וַתֵּ֣יטֶב וּלְהֵיטִ֖יב ואיטיבה והטבנו והיטב והיטבך והיטיבו ויטב ויטיבך וייטב וייטבו ולהיטיב ותיטב יְיֵטִֽיב׃ יִ֣יטַב יִ֥יטַב יִֽיטַב־ יִטַ֣ב יִיטַ֣ב יִיטַ֤ב יִיטַ֥ב יִיטַ֨ב יֵיטִ֔יבוּ יֵיטִ֖יב יֵיטִ֣ב יֵיטִ֥יב יֵיטִ֧יב יֵיטִ֨ב יֵיטֵ֨ב יטב ייטב ייטב־ ייטיב ייטיב׃ ייטיבו לְהֵיטִ֔יב לְהֵיטִ֗יב לְהֵיטִ֣יב לְהֵיטִ֥יב לְהֵיטִֽבְךָ֖ לְהֵיטִֽיב׃ לְהֵיטִיבִ֖י להיטבך להיטיב להיטיב׃ להיטיבי מֵיטִ֣יב מֵיטִ֣יבֵי מֵיטִ֥בֵי מֵיטִיבִ֣ים מיטבי מיטיב מיטיבי מיטיבים תִּיטַב֙ תֵּיטִ֔יבוּ תֵּיטִ֣יב תֵּיטִ֣יבוּ תֵּיטִ֥בִי תֵּיטִיב֙ תֵיטִ֔יב תֵיטִ֥יב תיטב תיטבי תיטיב תיטיבו ’ê·ṭîḇ ’êṭîḇ bə·hê·ṭî·ḇōw beheitiVo bəhêṭîḇōw eiTiv ha·hê·ṭêḇ hă·ṯê·ṭə·ḇî haheiTev hahêṭêḇ haiyiTav hateiteVi hăṯêṭəḇî hay·yî·ṭaḇ hayyîṭaḇ hê·ṭaḇ·tā hê·ṭaḇt hê·ṭêḇ hê·ṭî·ḇāh hê·ṭî·ḇî hê·ṭî·ḇū hê·ṭîḇ heiTavt heiTavta heiTeiv heiTev heiTiv heiTivah heiTivi heiTivu hêṭaḇt hêṭaḇtā hêṭêḇ hêṭîḇ hêṭîḇāh hêṭîḇî hêṭîḇū lə·hê·ṭî·ḇî lə·hê·ṭîḇ lə·hê·ṭiḇ·ḵā leheiTiv leheitivCha leheitiVi ləhêṭîḇ ləhêṭîḇî ləhêṭiḇḵā mê·ṭi·ḇê mê·ṭî·ḇê mê·ṭî·ḇîm mê·ṭîḇ meiTiv meiTivei meitiVim mêṭîḇ mêṭiḇê mêṭîḇê mêṭîḇîm tê·ṭi·ḇî tê·ṭî·ḇū tê·ṭîḇ ṯê·ṭîḇ teiTiv teiTivi teiTivu têṭîḇ ṯêṭîḇ têṭiḇî têṭîḇū tî·ṭaḇ tîṭaḇ tiTav ū·lə·hê·ṭîḇ uleheiTiv ūləhêṭîḇ vaiYeitev vaiyiTav vaiyiteVu vatTeitev vattiTav veeiTivah veheiTiv veheitivCha veheiTivu veheTavnu vetiTav veyiTav vitiveCha wat·tê·ṭeḇ wat·tî·ṭaḇ wattêṭeḇ wattîṭaḇ way·yê·ṭeḇ way·yî·ṭaḇ way·yî·ṭə·ḇū wayyêṭeḇ wayyîṭaḇ wayyîṭəḇū wə’êṭîḇāh wə·’ê·ṭî·ḇāh wə·hê·ṭaḇ·nū wə·hê·ṭî·ḇū wə·hê·ṭiḇ wə·hê·ṭiḇ·ḵā wə·ṯî·ṭaḇ wə·yi·ṭaḇ wə·yî·ṭaḇ wəhêṭaḇnū wəhêṭiḇ wəhêṭiḇḵā wəhêṭîḇū wəṯîṭaḇ wəyiṭaḇ wəyîṭaḇ wî·ṭî·ḇə·ḵā wîṭîḇəḵā yê·ṭêḇ yê·ṭî·ḇū yê·ṭiḇ yê·ṭîḇ yə·yê·ṭîḇ yeiTev yeiTiv yeiTivu yêṭêḇ yêṭiḇ yêṭîḇ yêṭîḇū yəyêṭîḇ yeyeTiv yi·ṭaḇ yî·ṭaḇ yî·ṭaḇ- yiṭaḇ yîṭaḇ yîṭaḇ- yitav
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