preciousness
ye.qar denotes public honor, prized possessions, and a stated price in the supplied biblical contexts.
The dominant use concerns honor or distinction bestowed or displayed in royal and public settings. Other occurrences describe things treated as prized possessions, while Zechariah 11:13 places the term in a statement of valuation and price.
Senses in use
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Honor and public distinction · dominant
In Esther 6:3 the king asks what honor and greatness Mordecai has received, and the APB renders the reply, “Nothing has been done for him.” The construct forms recur in the king’s question about the man he wishes to honor in Esther 6:6 and in the public procession described in Esther 6:9; Esther 1:20 and Esther 8:16 likewise place the absolute form in clauses about honor.
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Prized things or possessions · common
In Ezekiel 22:25 the absolute form occurs in the accusation that prophets “seize wealth and precious things.” Jeremiah 20:5 uses a construct form among the city’s wealth, produce, and treasures that enemies will plunder; Job 28:10 and Proverbs 20:15 similarly place the absolute form with things regarded as precious.
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A value expressed as a price · rare
In Zechariah 11:13 the absolute form stands in the clause the APB renders “the noble price at which I was valued by them,” followed by the taking and throwing of thirty pieces of silver.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the royal-setting occurrences with “honor,” while Ezekiel 22:25, Jeremiah 20:5, and Job 28:10 speak of “precious things,” and Zechariah 11:13 speaks of a “price.” These renderings indicate the clauses’ presentation rather than fixed English equivalents for each form.