ya.qar describes persons, lives, thoughts, or blood as highly valued, and in Hiphil forms making something scarce or infrequent.

The prevailing use describes something as held in high value: a name is highly esteemed, lives are treated as precious, and God’s thoughts and a people’s blood are so regarded. In the Hiphil occurrences, the clause concerns making people scarcer or making a neighborly visit infrequent.

1. Held in high value or esteem · dominant

   Qal forms occur where David’s name becomes highly esteemed in 1 Samuel 18:30, Saul says David valued his life in 1 Samuel 26:21, and the third captain asks that his life be precious in Elijah’s eyes in 2 Kings 1:13. The same valuation appears when the APB renders God’s thoughts “precious” in Psalm 139:17 and a people’s blood “precious in his eyes” in Psalm 72:14.

   1 Samuel 18:301 Samuel 26:212 Kings 1:132 Kings 1:14Psalm 139:17Psalm 72:14
2. Make scarce or infrequent · occasional

   The Hiphil imperfect in Isaiah 13:12 occurs in the declaration, “I will make people scarcer than fine gold.” The Hiphil imperative in Proverbs 25:17 is used in the instruction, “Let your foot be rare in the house of your neighbor.”

   Isaiah 13:12Proverbs 25:17

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously presents the relevant clauses with “highly esteemed,” “valued,” “precious,” “scarcer,” and “rare.” These are renderings of their verse contexts rather than a fixed English equivalent in every occurrence.