precious
ya.qar marks stones and goods, and also persons, words, and wisdom, as being held in high value.
Its dominant use marks valuable stones and materials in royal gifts, construction, trade, and ornamentation. The same valuation is also applied to such nonmaterial referents as the word of the LORD, wisdom, life, the death of saints, and the sons of Zion.
Senses in use
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High-value stones and material goods · dominant
The feminine forms describe stones among royal gifts and spoil: in 1 Kings 10:2 the APB renders a caravan carrying gold and stones, and in 2 Samuel 12:30 it renders a stone set in a king's crown. The plural forms in 1 Kings 7:9 and 1 Kings 7:10 characterize the large dressed foundation stones, while Isaiah 28:16 uses a feminine singular construct form in the clause about a cornerstone.
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Esteemed persons, words, and qualities · common
The masculine singular form qualifies the word of the LORD in 1 Samuel 3:1, where the APB renders the clause "the word of the LORD was precious in those days," and Jeremiah 15:19 contrasts what is precious with what is worthless. In Proverbs 3:15 the feminine singular form is used in a comparison with jewels, and Lamentations 4:2 applies the plural form to the sons of Zion as they are weighed with pure gold.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the stone and treasure contexts, the APB commonly uses "precious" and, for the foundation stones in 1 Kings 7:10, "costly." It also uses "precious" for the LORD's word, wisdom, life, and the sons of Zion and some poetic clauses leave the term's specific English contribution less clear.