--- title: יָטַב — be good · The Tanakh dictionary description: יָטַב (3190), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 117 times: be good. BDB 1906: vb. Qal Hiph. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3190.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [י](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1497-3.md)‎ / יָטַב‎ # יָטַב «יָטַב» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be good** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 117 times · **Key:** 3190 · **BDB:** יָטַב ### Glosses it.was.good (15); it.may.go.well (9); thoroughly.(do.well) (5) ### Meaning (OSHB) be good [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/3190/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) vb. Qal Hiph. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/3190/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** vb. be good, well, glad, pleasing (Aramaic יְטַב; Zinj. יטב DHMSendsch. 57)— (Pf. not in use, v. טוֹב vb.) Impf. יִיטַב Gn 12:13 + 34 times, יִטַב 1 S 24:5 + 3 times; תִּיטַב Est 2:4 + 2 times; תֵּיטְבִי (incorrect for תִּיטְבִי Ges§ 70 R) Na 3:8; pl. יִיטְבוּ Gn 34:18; for Inf. and Pt. v. טוֹב.— be glad, joyful, לֵב Ju 18:20; 19:6, 9 1 K 21:7 Ru 3:7 Ec 7:3. be well placed, הֲתֵיטְבִי מִנֹּא אָמוֹן Na 3:8 art thou better placed than No of Amon? impers. c. לְ, be well for or with, go well with Gn 12:13 (J), 40:14 (E), Dt 4:40; 5:16, 26; 6:3, 18; 12:25, 28; 22:7 2 K 25:24 Ru 3:1 Je 7:23; 38:20; 40:9; 42:6. be pleasing בְּעֵינֵי Gn 34:18 (J), 41:37; 45:16 (E), Dt 1:23 Lv 10:19, 20 Jos 22:30, 33 (P), 1 S 18:5; 24:5 2 S 3:36; 18:4 1 K 3:10 Est 1:21; 2:4(×2), 9; c. לְ, be pleasing to, ψ 69:32; c. לִפְנֵי (late) Ne 2:5, 6 Est 5:14. Pf. הֵיטִיב Gn 12:16 Jos 24:20; הֵיטִב 1 S 25:31; sf. הֵיטִֽבְךָ Dt 30:5; הֵיטַבְתָּ Je 1:12; הֵיטַבְתְּ Ru 3:10, etc.; וְהֵטִֽבֹתִ֫י Ez 36:11 (for הֵיטַבְתִּי as if from טוב Ges§ 70 R); Impf. יֵיטִיב Nu 10:32 + 3 times; יֵיטִב Pr 15:13 + 2 times; יְיֵטִיב Jb 24:21 (Ges§ 70 R); יֵיטֵיב 1 K 1:47 (Ges§ 70 R); וַיִּ֫יטֶב Ex 1:20; sf. וִיטִיבְךָ Ec 11:9, etc.; Imv. הֵיטִ֫יבָה ψ 51:20; הֵיטִ֫יבִי Is 23:16, etc.; Inf. abs. הֵיטֵיב Je 7:5; 10:5; הֵיטֵב Gn 32:13 + 10 times; Inf. cstr. הֵיטִיב Lv 5:4 + 7 times; הֵטִיב Je 32:41; sf. הֵיטִיבִי Je 32:40, etc.; Pt. מֵיטִיב 1 S 16:17; מֵטִיב ψ 119:68; מֵטִב Ez 33:32, etc.;— make glad, rejoice לֵב Ju 19:22; פנים Pr 15:13; the person Ec 11:9. do good to, deal well with, a person, usually c. prep.: c. לִ, Ex 1:20 Jos 24:20 (both E), Gn 12:16 Nu 10:29, 32 (all J), Ju 17:13 1 S 25:31 ψ 49:19; 125:4; c. עִם, Gn 32:10, 13(×2) Nu 10:32 (all J), Mi 2:7; c. acc. Dt 8:16; 28:63; 30:5 1 S 2:32 Je 18:10; 32:40, 41 Zc 8:15 Jb 24:21 ψ 51:20; c. מן Ez 36:11; opp. הֵרַע (in prov. phr., cannot do good or ill, = cannot do anything at all; test of deity) Zp 1:12 Is 41:23 Je 10:5. do well or thoroughly: הֵטִיבוּ (כל)אשׁר דבּרוּ they have done well (all) that they have spoken Dt 5:25; 18:17; על הרע כפים להיטיב Mi 7:3 their hands are upon the evil to do it well, i.e. diligently, thoroughly, lit. make (it) good, with play on הרע; especially as auxil. sq. inf.; היט׳ דעת Pr 15:2 = know well; לראות Je 1:12 see well; (לְ)נַגֵּן play well, skilfully 1 S 16:17 Is 23:16 Ez 33:32 ψ 33:3; pt. cstr. sq. subst. מֵטִבֵי צָ֑עַד Pr 30:29 marching well, in a stately manner, so מֵיטִבֵי לֶכֶת v 29; inf. abs. הֵיטֵיב as adv. = thoroughly, c. vbs.: טחן Dt 9:21, שׁאל 13:15, דרשׁ 17:4; 19:18, באר 27:8, שׁבּר 2 K 11:18. make a thing good, right, beautiful: c. acc. rei: the head 2 K 9:30; dress, trim: a lamp Ex 30:7 (P); מַצֵּבוֹת Ho 10:1; גֵּהָה Pr 17:22 a glad heart maketh a good cure; sq. מִן compar., obj. שֵׁם 1 K 1:47 (= make it more glorious than); חֶסֶד Ru 3:10; sq. דֶּרֶךְ = course of life or action Je 2:33 (in order to win love); amend one’s ways and doings Je 7:3; 18:11; 26:13; 35:15; הֵיטֵיב תֵּיטִיבוּ את־ד׳ 7:5. do well, right, ethically, abs.: of men, Gn 4:7(×2) (J), Lv 5:4 (P), ψ 36:4 Is 1:17 Je 4:22; 13:23. of God, טוֹב מֵטִיב good and doing good ψ 119:68; so inf. abs. as adv. הַהֵיטֵב חָרָה לך Jon 4:4, 9 art thou rightly angry? sq. לי v 9. In כִּי־יֵיטִב אֶל־אָבִי 1 S 20:13 vb. is appar. intrans., = Qal, if it be pleasing unto my father, but Hiph. not elsewhere in this sense; point rather יִיטַב; on this and on foll. אֶת־ v. We Dr. Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 108 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses (6 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (6 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «יָטַב» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/3190/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Leviticus 10:20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/LEV.10.20/) וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַיִּיטַ֖ב בְּעֵינָֽיו׃פ *Word for word:* and he.heard Moses and it.was.good in eyes his *JPS 1917:* And when Moses heard that, it was well-pleasing in his sight. [Deuteronomy 18:17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/DEU.18.17/) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוָ֖ה אֵלָ֑י הֵיטִ֖יבוּ אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֵּֽרוּ׃ *Word for word:* and he.said Yahweh to me they.have.done.well \[that\].which they.have.spoken *JPS 1917:* And the LORD said unto me: 'They have well said that which they have spoken. - ← previous: [יַחַת](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3189.md) - next →: [יׇטְבָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3192.md) - ↑ back to [י](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1497-3.md)