Hebrew word · H3365

יָקַר

'okir

be precious

To be costly, valuable, rare, weighty in worth.

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to esteem, be prized, be valuable, be precious, be costly, be appraised

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be precious, be highly valued, be esteemed, be costly

1a2) to be appraised

1b) (Hiphil) to make something precious

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Isaiah 43:4

Range of meaning

To be costly, valuable, rare, weighty in worth. The related adjective yaqar and noun yeqar describe precious stones (1 Kgs 10:2; Prov 3:15), costly building stones (1 Kgs 5:17), things that are scarce ("the word of the LORD was rare in those days", 1 Sam 3:1), and especially a person's life when someone chooses to spare it ("my life was precious in your eyes", 1 Sam 26:21; 2 Kgs 1:13–14; Ps 72:14 "precious is their blood in his sight"; Ps 116:15).

Against the English

Every major English version says "precious". The word is not wrong, but in everyday modern English "precious" leans toward "dear, sweet, endearing" ("what a precious baby"). The Hebrew sits nearer to "of high price" or "too valuable to let go".

How it drifted

English "precious" (from Latin pretiosus, "costly", from pretium, "price") originally meant just what yaqar means. Its sentimental use as "darling" or "cute" came later and now dominates casual speech.

Used elsewhere in the period

The idiom "X was precious (yaqar) in the eyes of Y" appears in 1 Sam 26:21 and 2 Kgs 1:13–14. In both, a powerful person decides not to take a life. The Septuagint here renders it entimos, "held in honor, valued", a word also used for costly things (HALOT, BDB s.v. יקר).

From the study of Psalm 72:14

Range of meaning

To be precious, costly, rare or weighty; to be highly valued. The related noun and adjective describe gems, costly stones and honour (1 Kgs 5:17; Prov 3:15).

Against the English

Every major version has 'precious', which is correct. NLT makes it 'their lives are precious to him', which turns the vivid word 'blood' into the abstract 'lives'.

How it drifted

Modern 'precious' often sounds sentimental: cute, dear, cherished. The Hebrew is about value and cost. Their blood is expensive, and the king will not let it be spent cheaply.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Sam 26:21: Saul says to David, 'my life was precious in your eyes today', meaning David would not take it. 2 Kgs 1:13–14: a captain begs, 'let my life be precious in your eyes', meaning 'spare me'. Ps 116:15: 'Costly in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones', meaning God does not let them die lightly. The same 'precious in the eyes of' idiom runs through all of these.

From the study of 1 Samuel 26:21

Range of meaning

yaqar means to be heavy in value: costly, rare, esteemed, too precious to waste. nefesh means the living self, life, person, appetite or throat. With 'in your eyes,' the idiom means 'you held my life too valuable to destroy.'

Against the English

KJV and YLT have 'my soul was precious,' which suggests an immaterial soul. BSB, WEB, NIV and ESV correctly have 'my life.' BSB's 'you considered my life precious' moves the subject from Saul's life to David, which keeps the sense but loses the image of Saul's life itself carrying weight in David's sight.

How it drifted

'Soul' in later English came to mean the inner, spiritual part of a person as distinct from the body, under Greek and Christian influence. Hebrew nefesh is the whole living person.

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Kgs 1:13–14: an officer pleads with Elijah, 'let my life (nafshi) be precious in your eyes.' Ps 72:14: 'precious is their blood in his eyes.' 1 Sam 18:30 uses the same verb of David's name being 'highly esteemed.' David's reply in 26:24 deliberately mirrors the idiom: 'as your life was great (gadlah) in my eyes today, so may my life be great in the eyes of the LORD.'

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 2

  1. 1 Samuel 18:30 וַיִּיקַ֥ר and it was esteemed

    Every time the Philistine commanders came out for battle, David was more successful than all of Saul’s officers, so that his name was highly esteemed.

  2. 1 Samuel 26:21 יָקְרָ֥ה it was precious

    Then Saul replied, “I have sinned. Come back, David my son. I will never harm you again, because today you considered my life precious. I have played the fool and have committed a grave error!”

    Here: To be weighty, costly, rare and therefore not to be thrown away. Saul's life was too valuable in David's eyes to spill, even when Abishai urged him to strike (26:8).

2 Kings · 2

  1. 2 Kings 1:13 תִּֽיקַר־ let it be precious

    So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. And the third captain went up, fell on his knees before Elijah, and begged him, “Man of God, may my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours please be precious in your sight.

  2. 2 Kings 1:14 תִּיקַ֥ר let it be precious

    Behold, fire has come down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty, with all their men. But now may my life be precious in your sight.”

Psalms · 3

  1. Psalm 49:8 וְ֭יֵקַר so it may be costly

    For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,

  2. Psalm 72:14 וְיֵיקַ֖ר and may <it> be precious

    He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their blood is precious in his sight.

    Here: 'And it will be / may it be costly': their blood has high value, carries weight, and cannot be spent cheaply. The form can be read as a statement ('it will be') or a wish ('may it be'), which fits the psalm's mix of prayer and promise.

  3. Psalm 139:17 יָּקְר֣וּ they are precious

    How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum!

    Here: A verb that describes a state. Its perfect form reads as a present: "they are precious." The word suggests high value, rarity and weight, like costly gems. It can also lean toward "heavy, hard to grasp," which fits verse 6: "too wonderful for me."

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 25:17 הֹקַ֣ר make rare

    Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, lest he grow weary and hate you.

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 13:12 אוֹקִ֥יר I will make precious

    I will make man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.

  2. Isaiah 43:4 יָקַ֧רְתָּ you are precious

    Because you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you and nations in place of your life.

    Here: "You are (or became) costly." The word is used of jewels, rare things, and lives too valuable to throw away. Coming right after the ransom language of verse 3, it carries the sense of a price.

Zechariah · 1

  1. Zechariah 11:13 יָקַ֖רְתִּי I was valued

    And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent price at which they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.