Why did God use the word "good" to describe what He created each day of Creation? What does the word "good" mean in this context?
Why did God use the word "good" to describe what He had created each day of Creation? I'm hoping you can provide a "working" definition of the word that will apply to the majority of the uses of it in the Scriptures. I have an idea but I would like to hear what you think. I have a high regard for your careful, thoughtful and well studied answers.
Genesis 1:1 - 31
NASB - 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
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Nils Jansma
Why did God use the word "good" to describe what He created each day of Creation? What does the word "good" mean in this context? The word “good” (ṭôḇ, ṭôḇāh, ṭōḇāh – Hebrew) when used in the OT means about the same as our definition of good. We can say that something tastes good or something feels good etc. Therefore, it is apparent that the word is very context dependent when defining the word precisely. According the AMG’s “Comprehensive Dictionary of OT words”, it would appear to me that the best meaning of good within the context of the creation narrative is “best.” According to AMG, “best embodies all these various elements of meaning when the Lord declares each aspect of His handiwork to be ‘good’.” For example Genesis 1:10 could be translated, “God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was [the best that could be done]." That sound good to me.
Simplicius Pereira
Good means blessed because it was the creation of God himself! God has never created anything bad. It was the creation or the creature that thought itself or realized anything as bad. That is why today if someone is born blind, deaf or with any other deformity it was not the creator's mistake but the creatures exposed themselves to such deformity through their or others wrongdoings. God intended everything good and he created everything as good or blessed
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