H3365 H3365
Be precious, prized, or esteemed; make rare or scarce (Hifil); be appraised at a price
At its heart, this verb conveys the weight of worth—whether intrinsic preciousness or assigned value. When David's name 'became precious' (1 Sam 18:30), or when a captain pleads 'let my life be precious in your sight' (2 Kgs 1:13-14), the Qal stem expresses genuine esteem and honor. The Hifil causative turns this inward: God will make mortal man 'more rare than fine gold' (Isa 13:12), and Proverbs counsels making your foot 'rare' in your neighbor's house (Prov 25:17). Zechariah's bitter irony—'the magnificent price at which I was valued' (Zech 11:13)—pushes the root into commercial appraisal, a sense the Aramaic cognate yəqar also carries.
Senses
1. be precious or valuable — To be precious, prized, or held in high esteem (Qal). Used of persons, names, and lives regarded as valuable. The psalmist marvels that God's thoughts are 'precious' beyond counting (Ps 139:17), while the price of redeeming a soul is 'too costly' to pay (Ps 49:8). French 'précieux' and Spanish 'preciosa/precioso' uniformly confirm this core sense of intrinsic worth and honor. 8×
AR["غَلَت", "غَلَتْ", "غَلِيتَ", "لِتَكُنْ-عَزِيزَةً", "وَ-صَارَ-غَالِيًا", "وَ-غالٍ", "وَ-يَغْلو"]·ben["এবং-মূল্যবান-হল", "ও-মূল্যবান", "ও-মূল্যবান-হবে", "মূল্যবান", "মূল্যবান-ছিল", "মূল্যবান-হয়েছ", "মূল্যবান-হোক"]·DE["[יקרת]", "lass-sein-kostbar", "precious", "und-costly", "und-war-kostbar", "und-wird-sein-precious", "war-kostbar"]·EN["and-costly", "and-was-precious", "and-will-be-precious", "let-be-precious", "precious", "was-precious", "you-are-precious"]·FR["[יקרת]", "et-fut-précieux", "et-être-précieux", "fut-précieux", "que-être-précieux", "être-précieux"]·heb["ו-ייקר", "ו-יקר", "יקרה", "יקרו", "יקרת", "תיקר"]·HI["और-बहुमुलय-हुअ", "और-बहुमूल्य", "क्योंकि-बहुमूल्य", "बहुमूल्य-हुआ-तू", "बहुमूल्य-हुई", "बहुमूल्य-हैं", "बहुमूल्य-हो"]·ID["Biarlah-berharga", "berharga", "biarlah-berharga", "dan-berharga", "dan-menjadi-berharga", "engkau-berharga"]·IT["[יקרת]", "e-era-prezioso", "e-fu-prezioso", "era-prezioso", "fu-prezioso", "lascia-essere-prezioso"]·jav["Mugi-dipunaji", "ajinipun", "lan-luhur", "larang", "mugi-dipunaji", "panjenengan-aji", "saha-larang", "tiyang"]·KO["귀하게-여겨지소서", "귀하리이다", "귀하였느니라-너가", "귀하였다", "그리고-귀하게-되었다", "그리고-귀하도다", "보배로운지"]·PT["E-é-precioso", "e-era-estimado", "e-seja-precioso", "foi-preciosa", "foste-precioso", "preciosos-são", "seja-preciosa"]·RU["была-дорога", "да-будет-дорога", "да-будет-дорога-", "дорог-ты", "драгоценны", "и-дорог", "и-дорога", "и-стало-драгоценным"]·ES["fue-preciosa", "fuiste-precioso", "preciosos", "sea-preciada", "y-es-costoso", "y-fue-precioso", "y-será-preciosa"]·SW["Kwa-sababu", "itakuwa-ya-thamani", "iwe-ya-thamani", "iwe-ya-thamani-", "na-akawa-mpendwa", "na-itakuwa-ya-thamani", "umekuwa-wa-thamani", "yanavyothaminiwa"]·TR["Ve-değerli", "degerli-olsun", "degerli-olsun-", "degerlisin", "değerli", "değerli-oldu", "ve-değerli-olacak", "ve-değerli-oldu"]·urd["اور-عزت-پایا", "تُو-قیمتی-ہے", "عزیز-ہو", "قیمتی-تھی", "قیمتی-ہیں", "وَ-قیمتی", "وَ-قیمتی-ہو-گا"]
2. make rare or scarce — To make rare, scarce, or infrequent (Hifil causative). God threatens to make humans rarer than gold of Ophir (Isa 13:12), transforming preciousness into scarcity. Proverbs 25:17 uses this practically: make your visits rare lest your neighbor grow weary. Spanish 'Haré más precioso' ('I will make more precious') captures the causal shift from 'being valued' to 'being made uncommon.' 2×
AR["أَقْلِلْ", "أُنْدِرُ"]·ben["আমি-মূল্যবান-করব", "কম-করো"]·DE["[אוקיר]", "[הקר]"]·EN["I-will-make-rare", "make-rare"]·FR["[אוקיר]", "הקר"]·heb["אוקיר", "הוקר"]·HI["घटा", "मैं-बहुमूल्य-बनाऊंगा"]·ID["Aku-menjadikan-langka", "Jarangkanlah"]·IT["[אוקיר]", "fare-rare"]·jav["Kawula-badhé-ndadosaken-langka", "awis"]·KO["귀하게-하리라", "아끼라"]·PT["Farei-mais-raro", "Torna-raro"]·RU["сделаю-редким", "удерживай"]·ES["Haré-más-precioso", "Retira"]·SW["nitamfanya-adimu", "punguza"]·TR["Degerli-kilacagım", "azından-koy"]·urd["قیمتی-بناؤں-گا", "کم-رکھ"]
3. be valued at a price — To be appraised or valued at a set price (Qal with monetary nuance). Zechariah 11:13 uses this with heavy sarcasm—the shepherd-prophet is 'valued' at thirty pieces of silver, the price of a gored slave (Exod 21:32). Spanish 'fui valorado' and English 'I was valued' highlight the commercial assessment dimension, distinct from the more general esteem of sense 1. 1×
AR["ثُمِّنْتُ"]·ben["তারা-মূল্য-ধরেছে"]·DE["[יקרתי]"]·EN["I-was-valued"]·FR["être-précieux"]·heb["יקרתי"]·HI["मैं-मूल्यवान-था"]·ID["Aku-dihargai"]·IT["[יקרתי]"]·jav["dipun-aji-Kawula"]·KO["내가-값어치를-받았음이라"]·PT["fui-avaliado"]·RU["оценили-Меня"]·ES["fui-valorado"]·SW["nilikadiriwa"]·TR["değerlendirildim"]·urd["لگائی-گئی-مجھ-پر"]
Related Senses
G2962 1. Lord (divine title) (661×)H0136 1. Lord (divine title) (440×)H0113 1. lord, human superior (249×)G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)G1849 1. authority, power (91×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)H6485a 2. Qal: punish, bring judgment (63×)H8198 1. maidservant, female slave (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)G2962 2. master, lord (human authority) (61×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [יָקַר] vb. be precious, prized, appraised (NH id., Pi., Hiph.; Aramaic יְקַר, ܝܺܩܰܪ, be heavy, precious; Pa. honour; יַקִּיר, ܝܰܩܺܝܪ weighty, precious, honoured; cf. Assyrian aḳâru, be precious, costly, and deriv., DlHWB240; Arabic وَقَرَ be heavy, ii. honour; وَقَارٌ dignity; Sab. n. וקר honour DHMZMG 1883, 402)— Qal Pf. 3 fs. יָקְֽרָה 1 S 26:21; 2 ms. יָקַרְתָּ Is 43:4; 1 s. יָקַרְתִּי Zc…