Bible Dictionary
GOODLINESS
Goodliness means beauty, charm, or comeliness. In Isaiah it compares the brief attractiveness of human life with the lasting word of God.
Definition
Goodliness means beauty, charm, comeliness, or glory. It describes an attractive quality rather than a specific object.
Biblical Usage
Isaiah 40:6 compares the goodliness of all flesh with the flower of the field, emphasizing its temporary character in contrast with the enduring word of God.
Historical Background
The underlying Hebrew word is often translated mercy, kindness, or goodness. The Septuagint uses a word meaning glory, which also suits the passage.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>good'-li-nes: This word is found in Isa 40:6 as the translation of checedh, commonly translated "mercy," "kindness," etc.: "All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness (beauty, charm, comeliness) thereof is as the flower of the field." The rendering is retained by the English Revised Version and the American Standard Revised Version as appropriate in this place; checedh is frequently translated goodness.' In Isa 40:6 Septuagint has doxa, "glory" (so also 1Pe 1:24), which also fitly expresses the idea of the passage.</p>