English · KJV
H382

אִישׁ־טוֹב

ʼÎysh-Ṭôwb /eesh-tobe'/ Ask about this word
Rootfrom אִישׁ and טוֹב
Meaningman of Tob; Ish-Tob, a place in Palestine
KJV usageIsh-tob.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʼÎysh-Ṭôwb — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew term ʼÎysh-Ṭôwb, represented by H382, is a proper name meaning man of Tob. It appears 2 times in 2 unique verses in the Bible. The name identifies Ish-Tob, a place in Palestine.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H382 appears exclusively in the context of a military conflict between the Ammonites and the kingdom of David. When the children of Ammon prepared for war, they hired soldiers from surrounding regions. Ish-Tob is listed as one of these regions, providing twelve thousand men for the battle 2 Samuel 10:6. Subsequently, the forces of Ishtob are mentioned as being arrayed for battle in the field, separate from the Ammonite soldiers who were at the city gate 2 Samuel 10:8.

Related Words & Concepts

The name ʼÎysh-Ṭôwb itself is composed of two Hebrew words. Its usage in the narrative connects it to other key terms:

  • H376 ʼîysh (a man as an individual or a male person): This word, forming the first part of the name, is also used to describe the soldiers from Ish-Tob, referred to as "twelve thousand men" 2 Samuel 10:6.
  • H1121 bên (a son): This term is used to identify David's primary antagonists in the conflict, the "children of Ammon," who hired the men of Ish-Tob 2 Samuel 10:6.

Theological Significance

The significance of H382 is primarily historical and geographical, rather than theological. It serves to detail the scope and nature of the opposition against David.

  • Military Alliance: The mention of Ishtob illustrates the political alliances the Ammonites were able to form, gathering a multinational force to confront Israel 2 Samuel 10:6.
  • Narrative Specificity: The inclusion of Ishtob, along with the specific number of its soldiers, adds a layer of historical detail to the account, grounding the conflict in a specific time and place.
  • Component of Opposition: The men of Ishtob represent a significant portion of the enemy army, highlighting the magnitude of the threat that David's forces had to overcome 2 Samuel 10:8.

Summary

In summary, H382 ʼÎysh-Ṭôwb is not a common noun but the proper name of a location, Ish-Tob. Its two appearances in Scripture are confined to a single historical event, where it is identified as a source of mercenary soldiers hired to fight against King David. The term's importance lies in its contribution to the narrative detail of the battle recorded in 2 Samuel, defining one of the specific factions aligned against Israel.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 4 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • טוֹב
  • אִישׁ

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H376 אִישׁ contracted for אֱנוֹשׁ (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male pe H1121 בֵּן from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, inclu

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

2 verses, all in 2 Samuel — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.