The Goodness of God is Beautiful Perfection
God called it very good.
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good (Genesis 1:31, ESV).
וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וְהִנֵּה־טוֹב מְאֹד
ܘܚܙܐ ܐܠܗܐ ܠܟܠ ܡܐ ܕܥܒܕ ܘܗܐ ܛܒ ܫܦܝܪ
There is a beauty that is decidedly not in the eye of the beholder, but no one on earth today has ever experienced it. It is a beauty pleasing to the eye, complete and full, and overflowing with excellence in every way. This beauty cannot be improved because it is perfect. There are no words that fully express the fullness of what it means to be beautiful.
In Genesis 1, our English Bibles say that God called His creation "good," until the sixth day. When He looked over all that He had created, from light to humans, He called it "very good."
"Very good" describes the peach and prosciutto pizza at my neighboring restaurant. Spanish translation (LBLA), "era bueno en gran manera," says creation was "good in a big way." That's better, but it still falls short of the glory of God's goodness.
Languages like English and German tend to lean into precision. The Romance languages, like Spanish and French, typically lean toward imagery. Semitic languages, like Hebrew and Aramaic, do both. Their prose and poetry paint pictures that may be both precise and picturesque. These languages are, along with Greek, the original languages of the Bible.
There is a third, lesser-known Semitic language that has been spoken in parts of the Middle East since the first century: Syriac. A dialect of Aramaic, its biblical translation offers a distinct interpretation of what it means for creation to be "very good."
According to the Bible Project video "Vocab: Tov," the Hebrew word, טוֹב (ṭôḇ or ṭôv), describes beauty and harmony among all of creation, reflecting what is morally good (2022). It is the key word of Genesis 1, when God calls elements of creation "good." On the last day, the Hebrew says that God called His work,"טוֹב מְאֹד" (tov me’od), or as English translations say, "very good." If ṭôv is more than simply "good" like my pizza is good and aligns both morality and aesthetics, tov me’od is higher than beauty and harmony. The Syriac translation offers a glimpse of what “higher” might be.
In Syriac, ܫܦܝܳܪܐ (šfīrā) is the word our English translations render as "good.” While the word can mean morally good, it also evokes the image of radiance, a beauty that shines from within by its nature. Syriac captures the essence of what God meant when He called His work, "good." In the context of the creation story, the Syriac interpretation becomes an image of God's goodness revealed in resplendent righteousness, beauty, and integrity as an integrated reality.
That multicolored sunset? That's the goodness of God expressed in beauty.
That you can see that multicolored sunset? That's the goodness of God's love.
That you can know the Creator of that multicolored sunset? That's the redemptive goodness of God through Jesus. It's the same word: ܫܦܝܳܪܐ (šfīrā)
More than merely good; it is grounded in God's nature.
On the sixth day, when God looked at all of creation, He elevated the word, calling His work, ܛܒ ܫܦܝܪ (ṭāḇ šfīr). It is a fullness of beauty, wonder, and righteousness— a radiant goodness that is unparalleled. It is complete and perfect: whole and holy. God said, "It is beautiful; it is right; it is very good."
It is new creation—unsullied by sin, perfect in every way.
God's goodness is ܛܒ ܫܦܝܪ (ṭāḇ šfīr).
Resources:
The ESV Bible. English Standard Version, Crossway, 2001.
La Biblia de las Américas (LBLA). The Lockman Foundation, 1986. Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com/versions/La-Biblia-de-las-Américas-LBLA-Biblia/.
Boris the Obscure (ChatGPT). “Discussion on Syriac Terms for 'Good' and 'Beautiful' in Genesis 1:31 and Psalm 45.” Assisted conversation with the author. OpenAI, 17 July 2025.
Brock, Sebastian P. “Syriac Language.” Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage, edited by Sebastian P. Brock et al., Beth Mardutho and Gorgias Press, 2011, https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/Syriac-Language.
Reed, Morgan. Email to the author. 17 July 2025.
“Vocab: Tov – ‘Good.’” BibleProject, 2022, https://bibleproject.com/videos/vocab-insight-tov-good/.
This prompt came from a conversation with Father Morgan Reed of Corpus Christi Anglican Church. I've begun asking pastors to tell me something about the goodness of God--putting them on the spot so they can't prepare a "right" answer. Fr. Reed’s inclusion of Syriac generated two distinct ideas; look for another devotion about ܫܦܝܪܳܐ (šfīrā) in coming weeks.