---
title: יָקַר — be precious · The Tanakh dictionary
description: יָקַר (3365), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 11 times: be precious. BDB 1906: vb. be precious, prized, appraised. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# יָקַר

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«יָקַר» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be precious** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 11 times · **Key:** 3365 · **BDB:** יָקַר

### Glosses

let.it.be.precious (2); I.was.valued (1); I.will.make.precious (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be precious [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/3365/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. be precious, prized, appraised [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/3365/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** 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)— Pf. 3 fs. יָקְֽרָה 1 S 26:21; 2 ms. יָקַרְתָּ Is 43:4; 1 s. יָקַרְתִּי Zc 11:13; 3 pl. יָקְֽרוּ ψ 139:17; Impf. וַיִּיקַר 1 S 18:30; וְיֵקַר ψ 49:9; וְיֵיקַר 72:14; juss. תִּיקַר(־נָא) 2 K 1:13, 14;— be precious: = highly valued, esteemed, David’s name, וַיִּיקַר שְׁמוֹ מְאֹד 1 S 18:30; of Israel, יָקַרְתָּ בְעֵינַי Is 43:4 (+ נִכְבַּדְתָּ, אֲהַבְתִּיךָ); of God’s thoughts וְלִי מַה־יָּֽקִרוּ רֵעֶיךָ ψ 139:17 (Ew Hi Hup render hard, difficult: cf. יַקִּירָה Dn 2:11). especially of life (נֶפֶשׁ), in phr. יָֽקִרָה נַפְשִׁי בְּעֵינֶיךָ 1 S 26:21, i. e. thou hast spared it; so (juss.) 2 K 1:13, 14; similarly יֵיקַר דָּמָם בְּעֵינָיו ψ 72:14 (‖ מִתּוֹךְ וּמֵחָמָס יִגְאַל נַפְשָׁם). be costly, וְיֵקַר פִּדְיוֹן נַפְשָׁם ψ 49:9. be appraised, valued, אֶדֶר הַיְקָר אֲשֶׁר יָקַרְתִּי מֵעֲלֵיהֶם Zc 11:13 the magnificence of the price at which I was appraised (and dismissed) from them! Impf. 1 s. אוֹקִיר אֱנוֹשׁ מִפָּ֑ז Is 13:12 I will make men more rare (lit. precious) than fine gold. Imv. הֹקַר Pr 25:17 make rare (i. e. withhold) thy foot from the house of thy friend.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 11 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (16 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (12 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «יָקַר» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/3365/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 49:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.49.9/)

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וְ֭יֵקַר פִּדְי֥וֹן נַפְשָׁ֗ם וְחָדַ֥ל לְעוֹלָֽם׃

*Word for word:* and it.is.precious the.ransom their.life their and he.will.cease forever of.perpetuity

*JPS 1917:* For too costly is the redemption of their soul, and must be let alone for ever —

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[Isaiah 13:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.13.12/)

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אוֹקִ֥יר אֱנ֖וֹשׁ מִפָּ֑ז וְאָדָ֖ם מִכֶּ֥תֶם אוֹפִֽיר׃

*Word for word:* I.will.make.precious humankind more than.pure.gold and humankind more than.(the).gold of.Ophir

*JPS 1917:* I will make man more rare than fine gold, even man than the pure gold of Ophir.

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