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Does "very good" mean "perfect"?
In Genesis 1, God states multiple time that His creation is "very good". But what exactly does "very good" mean? It seems to have a different meaning than perfection, so that: - very good ≠ perfection - very good < perfection Though, the expression "very good" is often used as evidence that there was no [animal] death before the Fall, that everything was flawless, perfect. Then, what is the true meaning of "very good"? Does this expression makes room for some imperfections, since "very good" is less good than "perfection"?
Genesis 1:31
LS1910 - 31 Dieu vit tout ce qu'il avait fait et voici, cela était très bon. Ainsi, il y eut un soir, et il y eut un matin: ce fut le sixième jour.
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Asked December 18 2013
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Samuel Bourassa
Supporter
Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.
Vin Smith
Supporter
...In Biblical terms, when uttered by God, it means perfection. The world was, after all, in an un-fallen state at the time of creation.. As human beings, when we use the phrase "very good," it is a fine choice of humble phraseology. We know that virtually everyone can improve--even a concert pianist can improve his/her interpretation of a classic. Thus, "very good" has the connotation to mean "...as good as it is likely to get within human limitations. But God has no limitations; thus, God's "very good" is utter perfection. A wonderful thought to contemplate for all artists who love the Lord: In eternity, will we ever be able to create a work of art that is "Absolute Perfection?" Possibly so--who knows? We have been promised that when we see Heaven, it will become clear what the Lord meant with these words: "But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." We will see that it is "Very Good", indeed!
Suzy Womelsdorff
Supporter
I believe very good does not equal perfect. What I do see is that G-d created an environment for man to live perfectly had that been their choice. We know as history that this was not the case, But, G-d in His mercy.... Ephesians 2:4 made perfection once again available for man to choose!
joyce whaley
Supporter
I personally believe that when God spoke that everything was good and very good it was perfect. However once Adam sinned and God cursed the earth, perfection began to deteriorate with each cycle of the seasons. Case and point based on the scriptures (Numbers 13) fruit use to be gigantic is size but as time progresses and sin reign's vegetation does not yield its full strength.
Ben Wong
Supporter
I have to agree with Suzy. Good and very good does not equate to perfect. Being perfect I believe is on another level, although God is both good and perfect. If the creation was made perfect it will not by any means fall into temptation. It was good, but not yet 'complete' as according to Strong's definition in the original Hebrew. Perfection is coming up, though, when we are in Christ and Christ is in us.
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
Genesis 1:31 in my opinion means that everything God created was perfect. “Very good” in my mind means “perfect.” About the adjective, “very,” the best Hebrew lexicon of the Old Testament, Brown-Driver-Briggs, has this: c. וְהִנֵּה ֗֗֗ very frequently in historical style, especially (but not exclusively) after verbs of seeing ["and God saw that everything He had made was VERY good"] or discovering, making the narrative graphic and vivid, and enabling the reader to enter into the surprise or satisfaction of the speaker or actor concerned: Genesis 1:31 “and behold, it was very good.” https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2009.htm NET Notes 1 tn The Hebrew text again uses הִנֵּה (hinneh) for the sake of vividness. It is a particle that goes with the gesture of pointing, calling attention to something. Now, about the next adjective, “good:” An adjective is a word that describes a person(s), place(s), or thing(s). Within a sentence, usually, an adjective describes a noun. However, in Biblical Hebrew, an adjective itself can function as a noun. I would say that "very" is the adjective, and "good" functions as a noun [a (very) good creation]. Strong’s Concordance says this about this 2nd succeeding adjective: ◄ 2896. towb ► towb: beautiful (read Hebrew from right to left) Original Word: טוֹב (read Hebrew from right to left: ט = t, vav (וֹ) = ow -- it is probable that the original pronunciation of the letter וֹ was "w" as the vowel sounds associated with this letter are "ow" and "uw," and ב =b) Part of Speech: Adjective; verb; verb; feminine; noun masculine; noun feminine; noun feminine Transliteration: towb Phonetic Spelling: (tobe) Definition: pleasant, agreeable, good Brown-Driver-Briggs II. טוֺב adjective pleasant, agreeable, good 3 good, excellent of its kind: a. of the several creations, וירא אלהים כי טוֺב and God saw that it was good, excellent Genesis 1:4,10,12,18,21,25 (P); טוֺב מאר כל אשׁר עשׂה והנּה Genesis 1:31 (P) God saw all that he had made, and behold it was very excellent. Why Biblical Creation Is Important Biblical creation is important because of everything it entails. If someone denies biblical creation, they actually reject some vital theological points at the same time. The opening chapters of Genesis and related creation passages teach several important biblical truths including • God’s power to create everything in the universe (Genesis 1:1) • The creation of all astronomical bodies including the sun and stars (Genesis 1:14-19) • The goodness of God in declaring everything he made as “very good” (Genesis 1:31) • God’s order in creating in a logical sequence in six days (Genesis 1:3-31) • The origin of all the animals on earth (Genesis 1:20-25) • God created mankind in his image (Genesis 1:26-27) • The origin of death through sin (Romans 5:12) • Suffering in the world because of sin (Romans 8:20-22) • The foreshadowing of God’s plan to save humanity through his Son (Genesis 3:15) https://answersingenesis.org/why-does-creation-matter/ Six Days Of Labor Now Are Past Six days of labor now are past; Thou restest, Holy God; And of Thy finished work has said, That all is very good. (Gen 1:31) 1 Timothy 4:4 (ESV) 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, This is what our response should be to God’s perfect creation! Job 38:7 (ESV) 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Would the angels have rejoiced if God’s creation was not perfect? I don’t think so! Psalm 104:24 (ESV) 24 O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Could God’s creative works be less than perfect when the psalmist is extolling them like this? Psalm 104:31 (ESV) 31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works, Why would the Lord rejoice in his works if they were not perfect?
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