TOV - GOOD, GOODNESS, FUNCTIONAL

Petra Hadžidaova
6 days ago
3 min read

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Genesis 1: 31 (NIV)

(1)

INTRODUCTION

This world would not be without our God. Through His creative power it came to be, and only through His goodness it continues to be kept.

God looked upon the desolate earth and began to bring forth life, vegetation, and all manner of living things. He established laws and cycles that would keep life here on Earth sustainable. He created animals and eventually men. Everything is meant to coexist and work together. After He finished creating, God called it all very good. He called it tov.

AND IT WAS TOV

The Hebrew word tov is a primitive root, meaning good, goodness, and pleasant. (2) But as Merriam-Webster Dictionary states, “Tov is from the Hebrew word for "good", but with a fuller intent which implies something which fulfills the purpose for which it was created.” (3)

Lisa Schnedler further mentions that Hebrew words often relate to descriptions of functionality. The word tov would, in accordance with such thinking, better be translated as “functional”. (3)

In other words, when God looked on all He had created, He saw how it all served a purpose. It was all functional and operated as a well-oiled machine. To go even further, it means being capable of, presently engaged in the process of, and destined for, completely fulfilling the Divine purpose for which it was created. (3)

Scott Morin & Mandy Nelson claim that God would call good anything that produces life and contains the potential for more life within it. (4)

At Life in Messiah, they teach that “Something is TOV when it is possessing and expressing God-given design for life-giving functionality.” Also, they claim that “TOV is also translated as "beneficial" or "agreeable" in some contexts. Does a thing bring benefit to the Lord and His creation? Does it agree with and please God? Then it is certainly TOV! When something is used in line with the way God designed it, it inherently brings glory to God as the all-wise Creator and Sustainer of all things.” (5)

JESUS AND TOV

Our Messiah’s whole life served a greater purpose than people were able to comprehend at the time. Not even one of His actions was wasteful. All worked as a well-oiled machine. Everything he did served a purpose. His very birth, crucifixion, death, and resurrection; it was all tov.

CONCLUSION

God created the world and everything in it to co-exist in harmony and operate as a well-oiled machine. After He created men and ceased creating, He called it all as very tov. Tov is a Hebrew primitive root, meaning good, goodness, pleasant. Its meaning goes way deeper, though. It implies something that fulfills the purpose for which it was created. It speaks of anything that produces life and contains the potential for more life within it.