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…