Hello Friends! In this fifth episode, we discuss goodness & kindness, two for one!
The fifth and sixth fruit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 is Goodness and Kindness. In this episode we deep dive into the Hebrew understanding of the fruit of the Spirit of goodness and kindness, or tov. Tov literally translates to 'good.' We also cover the Hebrew words and concept of Kli - vessel and ra - evil.
Tov (טוֹב)
‘Good’
רַע (ra) – evil, wickedness. Expressed as an opposite to “tov”
כְּלִי (kli) – a vessel, implement, created thing, tool
Defining Tov (טוֹב):
- How Tov is translated according to Strongs:
- good (361x), better (72x), well (20x), goodness (16x), goodly (9x), best (8x), merry (7x), fair (7x), prosperity (6x), precious (4x), fine (3x), wealth (3x), beautiful (2x), fairer (2x), favour (2x), glad (2x), miscellaneous (35x).
- Adjective
- good, pleasant, agreeable (to the senses, to the higher nature), good, excellent (of its kind), rich, valuable in estimation, appropriate, becoming, better (comparative), glad, happy, prosperous (of man's sensuous nature), understanding (of man's intellectual nature), kind, benign, right (ethical)
- masculine noun
- a good thing, benefit, welfare, prosperity, happiness, good things (collective), benefit, moral good
- Feminine noun
- welfare, benefit, good things, prosperity, happiness, collective good, bounty
(Strong, 2022)
- Hirsch adds to this list: ‘being purposeful’ (Clark, 1999)
Ancient Semitic context
(Note: Ancient Hebrew, pictorial relationships)
Tet – Basket, Container, Vessel
Peg, Stake, Ligature
Tent, House, Household
- From this we can visualize Tov as vessel that is connected to the functioning of the home
Usage and lessons of the word from scriptures:
- 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was tov, and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:3, 4)
- (Tov is then used to describe God’s work in creation six more times in verse 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31)
- This is God’s way of explaining in Chapter 1 that everything that He created was complete in goodness. His created order did not lack in anything necessary for functioning the way He intended
- Two more notes:
- “Out of the ground Adonai, God, caused to grow every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of tov and ra. … 16 Adonai, God, gave the person this order: “You may freely eat from every tree in the garden 17 except the tree of the knowledge of tov and ra. You are not to eat from it, because on the day that you eat from it, it will become certain that you will die.” (Genesis 2:9, 16, 17)
- This teaches us that God himself possesses the knowledge of what is tov and what is ra. It is not within our capacity to understand the fullness of what is ultimately good or evil, and we were not intended to make that choice independently of God’s word.
- “Adonai, God, said, “It isn’t tov that the person should be alone. I will make for him a companion suitable for helping him.” (Genesis 2:18)
- This teaches us that the functioning of man is incomplete “not tov” without the ability to procreate and fill the earth with the image of God.
Use in the Psalms:
- Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They deal corruptly, their deeds are vile, not one does what is tov. 2 From heaven Adonai observes humankind to see if anyone has understanding, if anyone seeks God. 3 But all turn aside, all alike are corrupt; no one does what is tov, not a single one. (Psalm 14:1-3)
- I said to Adonai, “You are my Lord; I have nothing tov outside of you.” (Psalm 16:2) (Lit. “My tov-ness doesn’t reach to you”)
- God looks out from heaven upon the human race to see if even one is wise, if even one seeks God. 3 Every one of them is unclean, altogether corrupt; not one of them does what is tov, not a single one. (Psalm 53:2, 3)
- This reinforces our understanding that apart from God anything we try to do, contributes to an increase or ‘ra’ in the earth, not ‘tov’
- Adonai is tov, and he is fair; this is why he teaches sinners the way (Psalm 25:8)
- …turn from ra, and do tov; seek peace, go after it! (Psalm 34:14)
- Teach me to do your will, because you are my God; Let your tov Spirit guide me on ground that is level. (Psalm 143:10)
- David understood and proclaimed that a relationship with the Spirit of God made it possible to do tov and turn from ra.
A note about “Kli”
- Kli is the Hebrew word for a created or useful item, so it can apply to a basket, shovel, sword, dinnerware, etc. A sword that functions might be called a tov sword, etc.
- “But understand this, that in the last days hard times will come— 2 for people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 hardhearted, unforgiving, backbiting, without self-control, brutal, hating what is good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to an outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) They, like many before look like a “kli”, but they are not empowered to do what is tov.
New Covenant
Gentleness – chrēstotēs, Septuagint for Osay-Tov (does good)
Goodness – agathōsynē, Septuagint for Tov (good) Quality of being good
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- “But the fruit of the Ruach is love, joy, peace, patience, [a doer of tov], [who is tov], faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control—against such things there is no law. “ (Galatians 5:22, 23)
- (Note: “You become the Vessel that God uses in the home”)
- With the filling of the Spirit, one becomes empowered to do what they were created to do, and be who they were created to be!
Reference Material
Clark, M. (1999). Etymological dictionary of Biblical Hebrew. Jerusalem, Israel: Feldheim Publishers.
Howard, G. (1995). Hebrew Gospel of Matthew. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press.
Strong, J. (2022, 07, 06). Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from Blue Letter Bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h2617/kjv/wlc/ss0/0-1