יְקָר
𐤉𐤒𐤓
yᵉqâr
H3367 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An abstract and concrete noun denoting value, worth, preciousness, or honor. It is used to refer both to material wealth or costly possessions, as well as to the qualities of honor, dignity, respectability, or glory attached to a person or position.
Semantic Range
value, worth, wealth, costliness, preciousness, honor, dignity, respect, glory
Root / Etymology
From the root יקר meaning 'to be precious, valuable, esteemed.' The Aramaic noun יְקָר (yeqār) is derived from this root and corresponds to the Hebrew יְקָר (yeqār), which means costliness or preciousness. The noun formation in Aramaic follows typical patterns for forming abstract nouns indicating a quality or state.
Historical & Contextual Notes
יְקָר is an Aramaic noun found in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible (notably Daniel and Ezra). In its usage, the term appears most often in royal proclamations, referring to the dignity, honor, or glory attributable to kings and deities. It retains the dual sense of (1) something of value (i.e., wealth, possessions, or costliness), and (2) abstract value such as honor, esteem, or majesty. This duality parallels the semantic range of its Hebrew equivalent. In the Persian and later periods, such terms were both courtly and religious in use, reflecting the language of imperial administration and royal ideology. English translations often choose 'honor,' 'glory,' or 'wealth' depending on context, but no single English word covers both the physical and abstract senses fully. The term should be distinguished from other words translated 'glory' (e.g., Hebrew כָּבוֹד/kāvôd), which more specifically emphasizes 'weight' or 'heaviness' as a metaphor for importance.
Translation Consistency
Yᵉqâr covers both concrete monetary value and abstract esteem/honor. "Worth" naturally covers value, price, preciousness, and personal honor/dignity in everyday English, so it will produce consistent, natural renderings across all forms better than a narrower choice like "honor" or "glory."
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to יְקָר; {value, i.e. (concretely) wealth; abstractly, costliness, dignity}; glory, honour.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
יקר (yaqqîyr) — to be precious, to be valued, to be esteemed, to be costly
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3357 | יַקִּיר | esteemed one |
| H3358 | יַקִּיר | and the esteemed one |
| H3365 | יָקַר | Esteem highly! |
| H3366 | יְקָר | precious worth |
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3367-01 |
וְ/לִ/יקָ֥ר | veliqar | AC/R/Ncmsc |
and for glory | and for preciousness | and for worth | 2 |
H3367-02 |
וִ/יקָ֣ר | viqar | AC/Ncmsa |
and glory | and preciousness | and honor | 2 |
H3367-03 |
וִֽ/יקָרָ֖/א | viqara | AC/Ncmsd/Td |
and glory | and the preciousness | and the honor | 2 |
H3367-04 |
וִֽ/יקָרָ֖/ה | viqarah | AC/Ncmsd/Td |
and his glory | and the preciousness | and his glory | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
7 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3367-02 |
Daniel 2:6 | וִ/יקָ֣ר | viqar | AC/Ncmsa |
and honor | and preciousness | and honor |
H3367-03 |
Daniel 2:37 | וִֽ/יקָרָ֖/א | viqara | AC/Ncmsd/Td |
and glory | and the preciousness | and the honor |
H3367-01 |
Daniel 4:27 | וְ/לִ/יקָ֥ר | veliqar | AC/R/Ncmsc |
and for glory | and for preciousness | and for worth |
H3367-01 |
Daniel 4:33 | וְ/לִ/יקַ֨ר | veliqar | AC/To/Ncmsc |
and-to-glory | and for preciousness | and for worth |
H3367-03 |
Daniel 5:18 | וִ/יקָרָ֣/א | viqara | AC/Ncmsd/Td |
and glory | and the preciousness | and the honor |
H3367-04 |
Daniel 5:20 | וִֽ/יקָרָ֖/ה | viqarah | AC/Ncmsd/Td |
and his glory | and the preciousness | and his glory |
H3367-02 |
Daniel 7:14 | וִ/יקָ֣ר | viqar | AC/Ncmsa |
and glory | and preciousness | and honor |