Original Word: יְקָר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: yqar
Pronunciation: yeh-KAR
Phonetic Spelling: (yek-awr')
KJV: honour, precious (things), price
NASB: honor, pomp, precious, costly things, precious things, price, splendor
Word Origin: [from H3365 (יָקַר - precious)]

1. value
2. (concretely) wealth
3. (abstractly) costliness, dignity

honor, precious things, price

From yaqar; value, i.e. (concretely) wealth; abstractly, costliness, dignity -- honour, precious (things), price.

see HEBREW yaqar

Word Origin
from yaqar
Definition
preciousness, price, honor
NASB Translation
costly things (1), honor (9), pomp (2), precious (2), precious things (1), price (1), splendor (1).

יְקָר noun masculine preciousness, price, honour (late: compare BA ᵑ7 יְקָר, glory); — absolute יְקָר Zechariah 11:13 5t.; בִּיקָר etc. Psalm 49:13 3t.; construct יְקָר Esther 1:4; suffix בִּיקָרוֺ Esther 6:6 4t.; יְקָרָהּ Jeremiah 20:5; —

1 preciousness:

a. = precious (costly) things (collective) Jeremiah 20:5 (om. ᵐ5), חֹסֶן וִיקָר Ezekiel 22:25; כָּליְֿקָר Job 28:10.

b. כְּלִי יְקָר Proverbs 20:15 a jewel of preciousness = precious jewel ("" זָהָב, מְּנִינִים).

2 price Zechariah 11:13, see יָקַר

2, 3. honour, Psalm 49:13; Psalm 49:21; elsewhere only Esther: יְקָר תִּפְאֶרֶת גְּדוּלָּתוֺ Esther 1:4 ("" כְּבוֺד מַלְכוּתוֺ); יִתְּנוּ יְקָר לְ Esther 1:20 all wives give honour to their lords; מַהנַּֿעֲשָׂה יְקָר וּגְדוּלָּה לְמָרְדְּכַי Esther 6:3, with עשׂה לְ also Esther 6:6; לַיְּהוּדִים הָֽיְתָה אוֺרָה וְשִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשׂן וִיקָר Esther 8:16; (הָ)אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרוֺ the man in whose honour the king delighteth Esther 6:6,7,9 (twice in verse); Esther 6:11.

[יְקָר] noun masculine^{Daniel 2:6} honour (see Biblical Hebrew); — absolute וִיקָר) Daniel 2:6; Daniel 7:14; construct id. Daniel 4:27, לִיקַר Daniel 4:33 (K^{§ 57. Anm. Str} קָר-); emphatic וִיקָרָא Daniel 2:37; Daniel 5:18, הָ֯ Daniel 5:20.

Definition and Semantic Range

יְקָר (yeqār) conveys the ideas of honor, preciousness, dignity, and costly splendor. Whether applied to material riches or to personal reputation, it points to that which is weighty, valuable, and deserving of esteem.

Occurrences and Contexts

1. Royal Splendor (Esther 1:4; 1:20) – King Ahasuerus displays “the wealth of his royal glory” (Esther 1:4), then warns that Queen Vashti’s refusal will diminish her “royal dignity” (Esther 1:20). Here yeqār frames majesty as both visible opulence and an intangible status that can be forfeited.
2. Rewarded Honor (Esther 6:3-11) – Mordecai’s loyal service is publicly repaid: “For the man whom the king desires to honor…” (Esther 6:6). The narrative repeats yeqār to underscore how true honor flows from righteousness rather than ambition.
3. Communal Joy (Esther 8:16) – After deliverance, the Jews enjoy “gladness, joy, honor, and splendor,” revealing that corporate salvation restores dignity to God’s covenant people.
4. Hidden Riches of Creation (Job 28:10) – In the hymn to wisdom, miners “search out precious things,” yet true wisdom’s worth exceeds all earthly yeqār, foreshadowing the New Testament truth that “in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom” (Colossians 2:3).
5. Fading Prestige (Psalm 49:12, 20) – Humanity “in honor” yet without understanding is compared to perishing beasts, warning that earthly dignity divorced from communion with God is transient.
6. Wise Speech (Proverbs 20:15) – “There is gold and an abundance of rubies, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare treasure.” Moral and intellectual integrity are the real yeqār.
7. National Spoils (Jeremiah 20:5) – Jerusalem’s “wealth, all its treasures, and every precious thing” will be given to Babylon; unfaithfulness leads to loss of glory.
8. Corrupt Leadership (Ezekiel 22:25) – Princes seize “treasure and precious things,” exposing how abuse of power desecrates what should be honorable in God’s city.
9. Messianic Foreshadow (Zechariah 11:13) – The thirty pieces of silver—the “lordly price” at which the prophet is valued—anticipate Judas’s betrayal, showing how fallen humanity misjudges true yeqār.

Theological Themes

• God is the ultimate source of honor; He grants or removes it according to righteousness (Esther; Psalm 49).
• Material glory is legitimate yet subordinate to moral and spiritual worth (Job 28; Proverbs 20).
• Corporate dignity is tied to covenant faithfulness; exile strips it away, redemption restores it (Esther 8; Jeremiah 20).
• Misvaluation of what is precious culminates in rejecting the Shepherd-King (Zechariah 11), directing readers toward the New Covenant where Christ is the “precious cornerstone” (Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:6-7).

Christological and Ministry Applications

• Mordecai’s exaltation prefigures Christ’s vindication (Philippians 2:9-11), teaching believers to trust God’s timing for honor.
• Psalm 49 sets a framework for gospel proclamation: wealth cannot redeem a soul; only the blood of Jesus, of infinite yeqār, can.
• Zechariah 11:13 encourages pastors to prize Christ above worldly remuneration, reminding the church that the Savior was once appraised at a slave’s price.
• Proverbs 20:15 exhorts teachers to value doctrinal fidelity as a treasure more lasting than material assets.

Practical Implications for Believers Today

• Pursue honorable character over accumulating costly things.
• Guard the church’s testimony; communal sins can strip away God-given dignity just as in Jerusalem’s downfall.
• Celebrate and publicize acts of faithfulness within the congregation, following the pattern of Ahasuerus rewarding Mordecai.
• Reexamine personal valuations: what the world esteems may be “fool’s gold” when weighed against the glory of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8).

בִּ֭יקָר בִּֽיקָר֑וֹ בִּיקָר֑וֹ בִּיקָרֽוֹ׃ ביקר ביקרו ביקרו׃ הַיְקָ֔ר היקר וִיקָֽר׃ וִיקָר֙ ויקר ויקר׃ יְ֝קָ֗ר יְקָ֔ר יְקָ֖ר יְקָ֧ר יְקָר֙ יְקָרָ֑הּ יקר יקרה bî·qā·rōw bî·qār bikaRo Bikor bîqār bîqārōw hay·qār hayKar hayqār viKar wî·qār wîqār yə·qā·rāh yə·qār yeKar yekaRah yəqār yəqārāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts