The Hebrew verb yāṭaḇ (יָטַב) means to be good, to be well, to do well, to please, or to act rightly. It is the verbal form of the root underlying tov (good, H2896) and appears about 90 times. In the Hiphil it means 'to do good,' 'to deal well,' or 'to make good.' It frequently appears in commands to 'do what is right' in God's eyes.
The moral imperative to yāṭaḇ — to do good and act rightly — is central to covenant obedience. Deuteronomy repeatedly frames the blessing-and-curse structure around Israel doing 'what is good and right in the LORD's eyes' (Deuteronomy 6:18; 12:28). The prophets echo this: 'Learn to do right (yāṭaḇ); seek justice, defend the oppressed' (Isaiah 1:17). Cain's failure in Genesis 4:7 is addressed with a yāṭaḇ challenge: 'If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?' This question reverberates through all of Scripture — doing good is the fruit of right relationship with God, not its cause.