Aramaic word · H3367

יְקָר

vikar

honor

Honor, dignity, majesty, prestige. In Daniel it is mostly royal splendor. The root idea is 'weighty, precious' (Hebrew yāqār, 'precious').

A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·

What it means

honour, esteem

Aramaic of ye.qar (יְקָר "preciousness" H3366)

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 Daniel 7:14

Range of meaning

Honor, dignity, majesty, prestige. In Daniel it is mostly royal splendor. The root idea is 'weighty, precious' (Hebrew yāqār, 'precious').

Against the English

'Glory' (KJV, BSB, ESV, NIV) is acceptable. But church English often hears 'glory' as God's shining presence (the Hebrew kābôd / Shekinah). Here yəqār is the honor that belongs to a king's office. 'Honor' (NLT) or 'majesty' is closer.

How it drifted

Religious use of 'glory' has drawn the word toward divine radiance. In Aramaic court language yəqār is the honor due to a monarch.

Used elsewhere in the period

Daniel 2:6 (rewards and 'great honor' promised by the king), 2:37 (God gave Nebuchadnezzar 'kingdom, power, might and honor'), 4:30, 4:36, 5:18, 5:20 (Nebuchadnezzar's honor taken away). The Old Greek uses doxa, Theodotion timē.

From the study of Daniel 2:37

Range of meaning

Honour, dignity, splendour, glory. It comes from a root meaning 'precious, weighty, costly' (Hebrew yāqār, 'precious'). It covers the prestige, magnificence and respect that belong to high rank, much like Hebrew kāḇôḏ, whose root idea is weight.

Against the English

BSB, KJV, WEB, NIV and ESV say 'glory'; some versions say 'honor.' 'Honor' is closer to the social meaning. 'Glory' is fine but in church English easily suggests divine radiance.

How it drifted

In religious English 'glory' often means God's shining presence or heavenly splendour. Here it is royal honour and prestige: palaces, ceremony, fame, the respect a court gives its king.

Used elsewhere in the period

Daniel 2:6 ('gifts and rewards and great honour' promised to the dream interpreter); 4:30, 36 ('the honour of my kingdom'); 5:18, 20 (Nebuchadnezzar's glory given, then taken away); 7:14 (glory given to the 'one like a son of man').

From the study of Daniel 4:30

Range of meaning

Honor, prestige, dignity, glory. The root means "heavy, valuable, precious" (compare Hebrew yāqār, "precious, costly"). So the core idea is worth and high standing among others.

Against the English

Most versions have "glory"; KJV has "honour." Modern church English often hears "glory" as divine radiance or worship. Here it means social and royal honor: his prestige and reputation.

How it drifted

"Glory" has gathered religious overtones (shining light, praise to God) that the Aramaic word doesn't carry by itself. KJV's "honour" is closer.

Used elsewhere in the period

Daniel 2:6 uses it for honor promised as a reward. In 2:37 and 5:18 it is honor that God gives to the king. In 4:36 "for the honor of my kingdom" his splendor comes back to him. In 5:20 it is taken from him. Esther 1:4 (Hebrew yĕqār) describes the Persian king displaying "the honor of his splendid greatness": the same royal display-language.

Where it appears

Daniel · 7

  1. Daniel 2:6 וִיקָ֣ר and honor

    But if you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and its interpretation.”

  2. Daniel 2:37 וִֽיקָרָ֖א and honor the

    You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.

    Here: 'And the honour': the prestige, splendour and weight of royal majesty, what makes a king respected and lavishly honoured. This is the third word that returns in the king's boast in 4:30 ('for the glory of my majesty').

  3. Daniel 4:30 וְלִיקָ֥ר and for [the] honor of

    the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?”

    Here: "And for the honor of." This states the purpose of the building: to display his royal prestige. It is the same word as "glory" in 2:37, where it is called God's gift.

  4. Daniel 4:36 וְלִיקַ֨ר and to [the] honor of

    At the same time my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne, and surpassing greatness was added to me.

  5. Daniel 5:18 וִיקָרָ֣א and honor the

    As for you, O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness, glory and honor.

    Here: 'And the honor': royal prestige, the weight and value others give a person. It is the very word Nebuchadnezzar used in his boast 'for the glory of my majesty' (4:30).

  6. Daniel 5:20 וִֽיקָרָ֖ה and honor the

    But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit was hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken from him.

    Here: 'And the honor', with 'the', meaning the honor God had given him in v. 18. It is royal prestige and splendor, the word Nebuchadnezzar used in his boast about 'the glory of my majesty' (4:30).

  7. Daniel 7:14 וִיקָ֣ר and honor

    And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

    Here: Royal honor, majesty, prestige: the dignity a king has. Daniel uses the same word for the honor God gave Nebuchadnezzar (2:37; 5:18).

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