הַטּ֥וֹב

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 הַטּ֥וֹב

   ha-TOV

   the good {thing}
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 הַטּ֥וֹב בְּעֵינֶ֖יךָ

   ha-TOV be-e-NE-kha

   the good {thing} in your eyes
3. clause🔊 וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ הָעָם֙ אֶל־שָׁא֔וּל הַטּ֥וֹב בְּעֵינֶ֖יךָ עֲשֵֽׂה׃

   va-yom-RE-U ha-AM el-sha-UL ha-TOV be-e-NE-kha a-SE

   and they said the people to Saul the good {thing} in your eyes do
4. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֶל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אַתֶּם֙ תִּֽהְיוּ֙ לְעֵ֣בֶר אֶחָ֔ד וַֽאֲנִי֙ וְיוֹנָתָ֣ן בְּנִ֔י נִהְיֶ֖ה לְעֵ֣בֶר אֶחָ֑ד וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ הָעָם֙ אֶל־שָׁא֔וּל הַטּ֥וֹב בְּעֵינֶ֖יךָ עֲשֵֽׂה׃

   va-YO-mer el-KAL-yis-ra-EL a-TEM ti-he-YU le-E-ver e-KHAD va-a-NI ve-yo-na-TAN be-NI nih-ye-HE le-E-ver e-KHAD va-yom-RE-U ha-AM el-sha-UL ha-TOV be-e-NE-kha a-SE

   and he said to all Israel you {plural} you will be on the side of or across one and I and Jonathan my son we will be on the side of or across one and they said the people to Saul the good {thing} in your eyes do

Exegesis

The people’s response opens with the vav-consecutive vayomrū {וַיֹּאמְרוּ | wayyōmerū} ‘and they said’ and issues the imperative aseh {עֲשֵֽׂה | ʿăśêh} ‘do’, followed by the idiomatic hatṭôḇ bəʿēyênêḵā {הַטּ֥וֹב בְּעֵינֶ֖יךָ | haṭṭôḇ bəʿēyênêḵā} ‘the good in your eyes’, transferring decision-making to Saul’s judgment. The Hebrew repetition of leʿēḇēr ʾeḥāḏ underscores the dichotomy used for consulting or lot-casting. In English, splitting the speech into two sentences preserves both the command and the response, with imperatives rendered to retain their original force.

Root and etymology

ט־ו־ב🔊 tet–waw–bet

“good”

• 🔊 טוֹבָהṭôḇâgoodnessPsalm 23:6