HEBREW WORD STUDY – LOVE – TOV MO'ED –מאד טוב

Note I am talking context here.  Meanings of words vary with the context. So what is the context here at creation?  Is God’s creation just simply good?  Why not excellent or better yet superior. Again the context.  How do you see the context?  Is good speaking of the quality of his creation or the relationship of creation.  Hebrew is a related language.  You are always seeking to find a relationship.  I am continually trying to find a relationship between Hebrew words that sound alike, are spelled alike or have the same numerical value for in Biblical Hebrew there is a relationship between such words.  This is unlike English where you can have words that sound alike.  Take for instance the word bear and bare.  You can say: “No his name is not Sitting Bull, it is Standing Bare.”  If you speak if you have no problem but if you read it spelled the way I did you get a different idea.  In English, we have the word trunk.  If you pass through customs you declare a trunk and the agent knows from the context you are not speaking of an elephant’s nose nor a tree log.  However, in Biblical Hebrew, you would look for a relationship between these three usages, seek a common denominator which would be something that is cylindrical.  It means little in English but in Hebrew that gives you a clue to some deeper understanding.

I believe the context of good in Genesis is speaking of a relationship and not the quality of His creation.  Hence we use the idea of being in harmony with God, being of value to God, being fit for God etc.   I like the word harmony.  Then when he completed His creation it became very good, or in complete harmony with God, like a symphony orchestra where each instrument and musician are good and in harmony with the director’s ear but when all the musicians and instruments are played together they are in complete harmony, they are holistic, they are all connected with each other in perfect harmony.    So what words do we use for this perfect harmony?  We can apply the English words beautiful, lovely, heavenly, wonderful –  hold it – wait, back up  – lovely?   What is lovely?  It is something that is loveable, that you love. In a way, you can say that an orchestra playing in perfect harmony is an expression of love for the musician can only create that sound if he or she loves making that sound.

God saw his creation and found it was very good.  I believe the best English words to help understand the intent behind those words very good mo’ed tov would be: “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, [He] loved it.”

Meditate on this: “There isn’t anything God makes that He does not love.”