Topical Encyclopedia
The term "goodly" is used in the Bible to describe something that is pleasing, attractive, or of high quality. It often conveys a sense of beauty, desirability, or excellence. The word appears in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, highlighting both physical beauty and moral or spiritual excellence.
Old Testament UsageIn the Old Testament, "goodly" is frequently used to describe physical appearance or material possessions. For example, in
Genesis 39:6, Joseph is described as "handsome in form and appearance," which in some translations is rendered as "goodly." This description emphasizes Joseph's physical attractiveness, which plays a significant role in the narrative of his life in Egypt.
The term is also used in reference to material wealth or possessions. In
Genesis 27:15, Rebekah takes "the best clothes of her older son Esau," which are described as "goodly" garments. This indicates the quality and desirability of the clothing, underscoring the importance of the blessing Jacob is about to receive.
In
Numbers 24:5, Balaam, upon seeing the encampment of Israel, exclaims, "How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel!" The word "beautiful" here is often translated as "goodly," reflecting the splendor and order of the Israelite camp, which is seen as a sign of God's favor and blessing.
New Testament UsageWhile the term "goodly" is less common in the New Testament, the concept it conveys is present in the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. The emphasis shifts from physical beauty to moral and spiritual qualities. For instance, in the parable of the pearl of great price (
Matthew 13:45-46), the merchant seeks "fine pearls," which can be understood as "goodly" pearls. This parable illustrates the value of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is worth sacrificing all to obtain.
Theological ImplicationsThe use of "goodly" in the Bible often points to the inherent value and worth of what is being described, whether it be physical beauty, material wealth, or spiritual truth. In a theological context, it serves as a reminder of the goodness of God's creation and the excellence of His gifts. The term encourages believers to appreciate and seek after what is truly valuable, both in the material and spiritual realms.
Moral and Spiritual ExcellenceIn a broader sense, "goodly" can also refer to moral and spiritual excellence. The Bible encourages believers to cultivate qualities that are pleasing to God, such as righteousness, holiness, and love. These attributes are considered "goodly" in the eyes of the Lord and are to be pursued with diligence and devotion.
ConclusionThe term "goodly" in the Bible encompasses a range of meanings, from physical beauty and material wealth to moral and spiritual excellence. It serves as a reminder of the value and worth of God's creation and His gifts, encouraging believers to seek after what is truly good and pleasing in His sight.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Goodly trees
Boughs of, were to be carried in festive procession on the first day of the feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:40). This was probably the olive tree (Nehemiah 8:15), although no special tree is mentioned.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
adv.) Excellently.
2. (superl.) Pleasant; agreeable; desirable.
3. (superl.) of pleasing appearance or character; comely; graceful.
4. (superl.) Large; considerable; portly; as, a goodly number.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
GOODLYgood'-li Tobh; kalos, lampros): In the Old Testament various words are translated "goodly," the most of them occurring only once; Tobh (the common word for "good") is several times translated "goodly," chiefly in the sense of form or appearance e.g "a goodley child" (Exodus 2:2); "that goodly mountain" (Deuteronomy 3:25); yapheh ("fair") is similarly translated inGenesis 39:6, the Revised Version (British and American) "comely," and mar'oh in2 Samuel 23:21. Other words, such as 'addir imply excellence, honor, etc., e.g.Ezekiel 17:23, "bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar"; hodh, "his goodly horse" (Zechariah 10:3); others imply beauty, ornament, such as peer "goodly bonnets," the Revised Version (British and American) "headtires" (Exodus 39:28); shaphar ("bright," "fair"), "a goodly heritage" (Psalm 16:6); once 'El ("God of might") is employed, the Revised Version (British and American) "cedars of God," margin "goodly cedars" (Psalm 80:10); renanim ("joyous soundings or shoutings") is translated inJob 39:13 "goodly wings," probably from the sound made in flying or flapping; the English Revised Version has "The wing of the ostrich rejoiceth," the American Standard Revised Version (wings) "wave proudly." For "goodly castles" (Numbers 31:10) the Revised Version (British and American) has "encampments"; "goodly vessels" (2 Chronicles 32:27) for "pleasant jewels"; "goodly" is substituted for "good" (Psalm 45:1Songs 1:3); "goodly things" for "all the goods" (Genesis 24:10); "goodly frame," the American Standard Revised Version for "comely proportion" (Job 41:12).
In the New Testament kalos ("beautiful") is translated "goodly" inMatthew 13:45, "goodly pearls" andLuke 21:5 "goodly stones"; lampros ("bright") inJames 2:2, "goodly apparel," the Revised Version (British and American) "fine clothing," andRevelation 18:14, "dainty and goodly" the Revised Version (British and American) "dainty and sumptuous." InHebrews 11:23, the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "goodly" for "proper."
"Goodly" occurs in Apocrypha, 1 Esdras 4:18; Judith 8:7 (horaios); 2 Maccabees 9:16, "goodly gifts," kallistos, the Revised Version (British and American) "goodliest."
W. L. Walker
GOODLY TREES
(peri`ets hadhar, "the fruit (the King James Version "boughs") of goodly (= beautiful or noble) trees"): One of the four species of plants used in the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:40). In the Talmud (Cukkdh 35a) this is explained to be the citron (Citrus medica) known in Hebrew as 'ethrogh. This tradition is ancient, at least as old as the Maccabees. Josephus (Ant., XIII, xiii, 5) records that Alexander Janneus, while serving at the altar during this feast, was pelted by the infuriated Jews with citrons. This fruit also figures on coins of this period. It is probable that the citron tree (Malum Persica) was imported from Babylon by Jews returning from the captivity. A citron is now carried in the synagogue by every orthodox Jew in one hand, and the lalabh (of myrtle, willow, and palm branch) in the other, on each day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Originally the "goodly trees" had a much more generic sense, and the term is so interpreted by the Septuagint and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.)
SeeFEASTS AND FASTS;BOOTH.
E. W. G. Masterman
TREES, GOODLY
SeeGOODLY TREES.
Greek
2143. euprepeia --goodly appearance...goodly appearance. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: euprepeia Phonetic
Spelling: (yoo-prep'-i-ah) Short Definition: beauty, gracefulness
...2986. lampros -- bright
... From the same as lampas; radiant; by analogy, limpid; figuratively, magnificent
or sumptuous (in appearance) -- bright, clear, gay,goodly, gorgeous, white....
Strong's Hebrew
8231. shaphar -- sufficiency, plenty... 8230b, 8231. shaphar. 8231a . sufficiency, plenty. Transliteration: shaphar
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-far') Short Definition:
goodly.
goodly...2532. chemdah -- desire, delight
... desire,goodly, pleasant, precious. Feminine of chemed; delight -- desire,goodly,
pleasant, precious. see HEBREW chemed. 2531, 2532. chemdah. 2533 ....
1926. hadar -- an ornament, honor, splendor
... splendor (8). beauty, comeliness, glorious, glory,goodly, honor, majesty.
From hadar; magnificence, ie Ornament or splendor -- beauty...
2918. tirah -- encampment, battlement
...goodly castle, habitation, palace, row. Feminine of (an equivalent to) tuwr; a wall;
hence, a fortress or a hamlet -- (goodly) castle, habitation, palace, row....
3303. yapheh -- fair, beautiful
... sleek (3). beautiful, beauty, comely, fairest, one,goodly, pleasant, well. From
yaphah; beautiful (literally or figuratively) -- + beautiful...
6287. p'er -- to go over the boughs
... beauty, bonnet,goodly, ornament, tire From pa'ar; an embellishment, ie Fancy
head-dress -- beauty, bonnet,goodly, ornament, tire. see HEBREW pa'ar....
4758. mareh -- sight, appearance, vision
... who looked (1). apparently, appearance, beautifully, countenance, fair, favored,
form,goodly,. From ra'ah; a view (the act of seeing...
6643. tsbiy -- beauty, honor
... tsbiy. 6643a . beauty, honor. Transliteration: tsbiy Phonetic Spelling:
(tseb-ee') Short Definition: beautiful. beautifulty, glorious,goodly, pleasant,...
8233. shepher -- beauty, goodliness
... Word Origin from shaphar Definition beauty, goodliness NASB Word Usage beautiful
(1).goodly. From shaphar; beauty -- Xgoodly. see HEBREW shaphar. 8232, 8233...
117. addir -- majestic
... stately (1). excellent, famous, gallant, glorious,goodly, lordly, mighty ier
one, noble,. From 'adar; wide or (generally) large; figuratively...
Library
Godly Fear and ItsGoodly Consequence
... Godly Fear and itsGoodly Consequence. A sermon (No.1290) delivered at the
Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by CH Spurgeon. "In...
"We have aGoodly Heritage. "
... NATIONAL HYMNS. 840. " "We have agoodly heritage.". 840. LM Flint. "We
have agoodly heritage.". 1 In pleasant lands have fallen...
And Then I was Attacked by aGoodly Number of My Elders...
... Section 26. And then I was attacked by agoodly number of my elders? 26.
And then I was attacked by agoodly number of my elders...
How Almighty God WillGoodly Answer for all those that for the...
... HERE BEGINNETH THE TWENTIETH CHAPTER How Almighty God willgoodly answer for all
those that for the excusing of themselves list not leave their business about...
The Parable Interpreted is the Light of These views.
... things out of dissertations about stones, I say that the Saviour with a knowledge
of the difference of pearls, of which some are in kindgoodly and others...
The Pearl of Great Price.
... Very similar to the parable of the Hidden Treasure is this one of the merchant seeking
goodly pearls.... [Illustration: THE MERCHANT SEEKINGGOODLY PEARLS.]....
How Each one Ought to Prepare Himself for the Future Resurrection.
... "And ye shall take you," He says, "on the first day the boughs ofgoodly trees,
branches of palm-trees, and... Desirest thou to know thegoodly fruit of the tree?...
Whereunto Art Thou Like? Let Thy Stillness Speak to one that Hears
... [522] Thygoodly conception was without seed, and without wedlock was thy
pure generation, and without brethren was thy single birth....
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price. The Formation and...
... The Formation and Difference of Pearls. "Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto
a man that is a merchant seekinggoodly pearls." [5188] There are many...
Of Three Means in the which a Contemplative Prentice Should be...
... coupled together, that unto them that be beginners and profiters"but not to them
that be perfect, yea, as it may be here"thinking may notgoodly be gotten...
Thesaurus
Goodly (46 Occurrences)... Easton's Bible Dictionary
Goodly trees.
... 4. (superl.) Large; considerable; portly;
as, a
goodly number. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
GOODLY.
...Valuable (17 Occurrences)
... and he provided him treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones,
and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner ofgoodly vessels; (See...
Trees (179 Occurrences)
... pam'-trez (`ir ha-temarim). See JERICHO (Deuteronomy 34:3 Judges 1:16; Judges
3:13 2 Chronicles 28:15).GOODLY TREES.... TREES,GOODLY. SeeGOODLY TREES....
Splendid (14 Occurrences)
... Yahweh your God shall bring you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great andgoodly cities, which...
Good-looking (7 Occurrences)
Good-looking. Goodliness, Good-looking.Goodly . Noah Webster's Dictionary
(a.) Handsome.... And Joseph was agoodly person, and well favored. (See RSV)....
Frame (33 Occurrences)
... (2) `erekh (from root `arakh, "to put in order," "to set in a row," "to arrange"):
"goodly frame" (Job 41:12, the King James Version "goodly proportion")....
Boughs (29 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 23:40 You shall take on the first day the fruit ofgoodly trees, branches
of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you...
Stately (11 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 17:8 It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might bring forth
branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be agoodly vine....
Mantle (35 Occurrences)
... Zechariah 13:4, RV). It is the word denoting the "goodly Babylonish garment"
which Achan coveted (Joshua 7:21). (2.) Hebrews me'il...
Raiment (75 Occurrences)
... James 2:2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, ingoodly
apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; (KJV WBS YLT)....
Resources
What does the Bible say about resentment? | GotQuestions.orgGoodly: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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